Topic: ( C3D 07 ) issues and comments

[Mark]

Just installed C3D 2007 and removed C3D 2006 (by hand, it wouldn't un-install). So far I've noticed a couple of things. The CUI editor works much better, those "Feature Lines" and tools are pretty cool. I see the same old bugs are still there though. Like the hour glass in the layer drop down.



more when I get to them ....

[Mark]

Here's a real nightmare for me. Using the "Task Pane" to insert raster images into my drawings.

To add 2D rasters to your map

1. In the Display Manager, click Data  Add Data.
2. In the Data Connect window, select Raster in the Feature Sources list.
3. Under Connection Name, type a name for this connection.
4. Specify the folder that contains the image. Click the folder icon to browse to the folder.
5. Click Connect.

Boom!

Our image dir has 1150 .ecw image files in it, plus all the support files, so you're looking at over 3000 files in one dir. If you use a dir with just a few images, no problem. This really sucks, now I have to have images stored all over the dang place, and they're 33.8MB each!

[Mark]

Thanks to someone here at the COT all is not lost. You can import .ecw files so long as you install the "Autodesk Raster Design 2007 Object Enabler" using the Map --> Image --> Insert function.

[Mark]

Using a block as symbol marker for my point style. The "Display" has one layer for my marker (block) and another for my label (text). When I freeze the label layer the markers ( blocks ) disappear although they're on a different layer.

[Mark]

When you have the any of the style dialogs open C3D disappears from the Alt+Tab list. Didn't this happen in 2006 also!

[Cannon]

Using a block as symbol marker for my point style. The "Display" has one layer for my marker (block) and another for my label (text). When I freeze the label layer the markers ( blocks ) disappear although they're on a different layer.

It's essentially a nested block, I would consider this expected behavior. There is a long thread on the official DGs about this very thing right now if you want more commentary.

[Mark]

Using a block as symbol marker for my point style. The "Display" has one layer for my marker (block) and another for my label (text). When I freeze the label layer the markers ( blocks ) disappear although they're on a different layer.

It's essentially a nested block, I would consider this expected behavior.

If I may, what do you do in this situation?

[Greg B]

Change the block from bylayer to byblock or vice versa?

[Dinosaur]

Is there any difference if you just turn the label layer to OFF?

[Mark]

Is there any difference if you just turn the label layer to OFF?

Haven't tried that yet. What I do is put my text-labels on a non-plotting layer. I didn't think it would affect the points.

Change the block from bylayer to byblock or vice versa?

Tried that too Greg, didn't work either.

[Greg B]

Could you have put the block on the wrong layer?

[Jeff_M]

Using a block as symbol marker for my point style. The "Display" has one layer for my marker (block) and another for my label (text). When I freeze the label layer the markers ( blocks ) disappear although they're on a different layer.

I'm having a hard time duplicating this, Mark. Using the default settings in the _autodesk civil 3d (imperial) ncs extended.dwt template, I have my trees show a Tree block on layer V-NODE-TREE, the default setting for the label is on the same layer so I changed that to V-NODE-TEXT. I then froze the V-NODE-TEXT layer and my tree blocks are still quite visible.

Could you post your drawing, or a portion of it?

[Dinosaur]

Could you have put the block on the wrong layer?

Good thought with normal AutoCAD Greg, but there are at least 3 different places in Civil 3d where these layers are specified or affected by a parent entity and usually at least one of them specifies Layer 0 as a target.  The program puts the object seemingly on whichever of these settings it thinks has the highest rank - usually the most inconvenient one for manipulation.
Freezing layers in Civil 3D seems to have some surprising results at times.  OFF seems to act more like I would expect, but I think it is best to make the change in the Layer dialog rather than by a pick.  I have found freezing or turning off by pick to be particularly problematic.  Individual items can be nested down 2 or more layers depending on your default settings and it seems more than half the time I will wind up freezing layer 0 or find out that I already have done so.

I'm having a hard time duplicating this, Mark. Using the default settings in the _autodesk civil 3d (imperial) ncs extended.dwt template, I have my trees show a Tree block on layer V-NODE-TREE, the default setting for the label is on the same layer so I changed that to V-NODE-TEXT. I then froze the V-NODE-TEXT layer and my tree blocks are still quite visible.

I think the real culprit may be the default layer Mark has for point creation or for his point group.  I have had all kind of interference with these layer settings.
Straying from the default settings for these layer names seems to be asking for this kind of problem.

[Jeff_M]

Ah, yes. If the point Group is on the same layer as his labels, then freezing the label layer will be freezing the group's layer which then affects everything (labels & markers) for the points on that layer.

[Dinosaur]

Ah, yes. If the point Group is on the same layer as his labels, then freezing the label layer will be freezing the group's layer which then gets everything (labels & markers) for the points on that layer.

Tricky little program, isn't it?  I have been toying with the idea of just using Layer 0 as the ddefault for all of those objects and set the actual layer in the style dialog.  I think that in conjunction with using OFF will give more predictable results.