Topic: Autodesk Land desk 2D to 3D drafting

[MSTG007]

Just wanted opinions on Drawing Civil Site Plans in 3D or 2D.  Whats the benefiets? Is it harder, is there new things to learn to do plans in 3D?

[Slim©]

Most often the company I work for has the 3d or earthwork drawings separate from the 2d or production drawings.

[MSTG007]

but should all productions be drafted in 3D? we are on the verg to decide how to do this...

[Mark]

Just wanted opinions on Drawing Civil Site Plans in 3D or 2D.  Whats the benefiets? Is it harder, is there new things to learn to do plans in 3D?

I guess it depends on what your customer wants.  i.e. electronic file or paper. Working with 3D isn't that bad in LDT.

[MP]

< this response is not necessarilly land lubber centric, more of a generic 3D CAD POV - we do Oil & Gas Engineering, which does include site works, though that's not my area of expertise anymore >

We do everything here in 3D (have since the early 90's), cutting views as appropriate for the need, be it plans, elevations, ISO's. I could not imagine reverting back to 2D; pleah.

However, you do need to have skilled folks perform the 3D modeling, not merely posers who have been councilled by employment agencies "Oh yeah, add 3D to your resume, employers just love that".  Grrr.

Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for, and quality in equals quality out (conversely the garbage thing). Get good people, invest in training, establish standards, enforce them by making them a condition of employment.

FWIW,

M.

[MSTG007]

and can i ask do you think LAND DESK can do this... do real time 3D drafting? we are currently on R3 and wanting to upgrade to 2005. but we also want to know if it would be worth drafting in 3D opposed to 2D....

[MP]

and can i ask do you think LAND DESK can do this... do real time 3D drafting? we are currently on R3 and wanting to upgrade to 2005. but we also want to know if it would be worth drafting in 3D opposed to 2D....

I don't have any personal exp. with Land Desk Top (LDT), but I can tell you this ... if it can be modeled by hand using vanilla AutoCAD with or without customization, surely LDT can automate the more common activities said application is supposed to address. I would add as a final note that the fundamentals can, and should be learned using the vanilla product (IMO) lest one get used to all the hand holding these "other" tools provide, which in the end does not make you smarter, just more reliant on the "other" tools.

Start by learning and mastering the UCS, non dialog based VPOINT, and PLAN commands, e.g. how to draw on any construction plane, how to generate any view. Follow with XREF and MVIEW, e.g. reference any model, generate all the required scaled views.

= Just my quick thoughts / opinions =

[rugaroo]

MSTG007 -

I will agree MPuckett, that this is more of a POV item. I am using LDD 2i here at work, and LDD3-2005 at home. When it comes to doing items suchs as pipes and what not it will be somewhat easy. once you get into creating templates and the earthworks, it is going to start getting more complicated. Unless the local jurisdictions around you require 3d models, or even your clients, you would pretty much be wasting money on any 3d software that you get. If you are planning to get Civil 3D, Map 3D, and the corresponding civil series and survey series (as they are need anyways) you can do just as much without the add-ons. I am in Las Vegas, and we deal with 4 entities and several utility comps and subs, however, i have yet to see one single instance in which we have any 3d drawing for any of them, let alone any clients.

Maybe this helps a bit, but again, it is more so a perspective than definitive.

Rug

[MSTG007]

ok what about to design with... the cad drawings are in a 3D, but you can set your sheets up to view just the top of the 3D Base... doesnt that make construction staking / layout easier . and placing spot shots on proposed grading plans... etc. easier than that of 2D.