Topic: Civil 3D Pipe Lengths - It Just doesn't Add Up

[dbreigprobert]

you should be able to get how to do it from my AU paper last year.

BTW, nice work on the pipe flow labels and expressions. One of my favorite things to build.

Thanks, but I can't take full credit.  The inverts and basic labels are mine but I haven't mastered the expressions to get those Q and velocity numbers into the labels.  Those are still just simple blocks of mtext with values copied from our hydrology calc chart . . . but I AM listening. 

[Dinosaur]

you should be able to get how to do it from my AU paper last year.

I will admit that the last attempt I made was before sp3 for 2007, but I seem to remember problems getting the data to match our Excel chart which is now treated by reviewers, contractors and other engineers as the final and definitive word for all things storm sewer with our plan and profile sheets being reduced to merely an instruction manual.  TheChart has grown to a huge behemoth complete with embedded macros that must be painstakingly recreated one pipe run at a time for each project and no two charts are ever identical.  Each run of pipe has 4 unique cells it must refer to to be sufficiently labeled for pipe full velocity, pipe full 10 (or 100) year design velocity, pipe full flow and pipe 10 (or 100) design flow.  We still can not get the pipe full velocity numbers derived from the chart and rely on a second program to generate this value which we have to enter directly.  Once it is determined that all criteria is met, the whole thing is pasted into a titleblock and into the construction documents where it rules supreme.
I will try again to get the required values to generate through a label expression if you can at least assure me it is possible generate labels that will exactly match.  All this also keeping in mind that my pipe networks are still extremely fragile with pipes spontaneously snapping to the centers of the structures rather than the inside wall faces I am designing to with no warning and worse, no fanfare which leaves many "surprise" gifts for me when I next zoom in on my pipe network.

[mjfarrell]

you should be able to get how to do it from my AU paper last year.

Dana,

Me thinks you might want to post a copy of that paper here, as it doesn't seem to be available anywhere else.
If not the entire paper, just the pertinent parts that Dino or others are after.

[Jeff_M]

I just found it Michael.....

http://au.autodesk.com/sessions/civilandgeospatial/detail/16802/

Must be logged in to work, I think. On the right side is a link to the handout in PDF format.

[dbreigprobert]

that'd be the one.   it's a bloody mess of screen captures and craziness, but i think the expression stuff is explained.  i have since learned a lot about how to write a paper, so this year's will be much better

[Dinosaur]

I found a place to download the file Michael.  I see no restrictions on distribution of the document should you still be interested.

[mjfarrell]

yes, please...it will give me something to read and do and the airplane home tomorrow

[Jeff_M]

Thanks Jeff, we'll give that a go this evening!


Nope, one can NOT download that file unless one registers to attend AU for THIS year.
That's pretty cheesy.

So perhaps Dana will post that here as suggested earlier, or someone will forward it to me.

Not sure why I didn't follow up in this thread....but better late than never.

Michael, you do NOT need to be registered to attend ANY AU. You just need to be registered at an Autodesk site...if you have a username & password for the CivilCommunity website then you can logon to the AU website with those and download that file (or any other that is available). I have never been to, and don't see me going to in the future, an AU event and have had no problem checking out numerous old classes.

[mjfarrell]

Jeff, thanks for the clarification on that link. Scanning a few tasty titles now.  I have some flying to do, so I need the extra reading material.

[scout]

Jeff, thanks for the clarification on that link. Scanning a few tasty titles now.  I have some flying to do, so I need the extra reading material.

i did just upload it to another thread- i think it is called drainage question.  I've dropped pipes from my AU class this year and teamed up with Tanya West, PE from Autodesk who will be doing 90 mins on hydraulics with civil 3d included a detailed discussion on intelisolve export/import.  when au is over, remind me and i will post the papers here.

[mjfarrell]

I wonder if dropping this topic has anything to do with NOT needing to explain to users why they can NOT use MAP inside C3D to query objects made with C3D?  I guess that is a little embarrassing, and a tough one to get Autodesk to admit they should fix, so it's easier to not have to without sounding critical of Autodesk.  I read the paper the Expressions were interesting.

Is the mention of Intelisolve, a hint that they are going to add that functionality to the core C3D product soon to compete with Power Civil?

[scout]

I wonder if dropping this topic has anything to do with NOT needing to explain to users why they can NOT use MAP inside C3D to query objects made with C3D? 

i dropped it from my class b/c tanya is doing it in hers.  plus i really need 90 min to go through the overland stuff.  last year i was way too rushed.

[mjfarrell]

I could see that to be true; sometimes less is more.