Being Civil

Infrastructure Modeler Performance tip #1

Don't like seeing this in Task Manager when trying to multitask?

Before working on your first Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) model, be sure to go into the options under 3d Generation and restrict the number of Generator threads that the software can run simultaneously.  I find that 1 or 2 fewer than the total number of cores works will - it lets me work in Map 3D, run Outlook and a browser, etc, and AIM still processs pretty quickly.

On the plus side, AIM has true multithreading!  The CPU time below reflects all the cores in use, so rather than waiting 4 actual hours to get this much processing done, it's only been about 23 minutes (x 12 cores).

 

And yes, I fogot to use my own tip. :)

 

Coordinate System Resources

Coordinate systems can be pretty confusing, and there are a lot of options.  Luckily, when everything is configured right, your transforms just happen in the background like magic.  For those occasions when things aren't showing up where you expect them, here are a few good resources to look to:

• The help on Autodesk.com
• The Map 3D and Civil 3D forums (search before you post!)
• Spatial Reference (external site)
• This excellent explanatory article (external site)
• Wikipedia for a basic overview and good links (external site)
• A site with a fairly easy to read transform listing (external site)
• The EPSG guides have much of the source material.  Number 7 part 2 may be the most useful.(external site)

Have fun!

IPv6 and WMS proxy New Features in Map 3D and Map Server

The tile might be a little dry, but it's good stuff!

Map Server 2013 supports IPv6 for the first time.  At the time of install, you now have IPv4 and IPv6 options, which will be useful as IPv6 is enabled on Server 2008 by default:

 

As for WMS, proxy options are built in to Map 3D! No more need for this TS, instead, it's all in the box.

Infrastructure Modeler - getting started

We're getting started with Infrastructure Modeler here in support - here are few things that I've found useful, and you might enjoy:

Great video of what can be done:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGXtgW6yQyM&feature=related As I understand it, this customer produced the video 3 days after first downloading the software.

Video tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEV7qstN__8

The product family blog has lots of good information: http://atlandsend.typepad.com

More coming soon, but let us know if you've tried it out, and if there's anything you'd particularly like to learn more about!

Here's a screenshot of a sample model I'm working on.  Bonus points if you can identify where it is.  With any luck, it'll have some imported building models in the next post.

 

AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 New Feature: Base Maps and Commercial Layers in Map Server

Until now, Base Map and background maps from Google, Bing, Yaho and Open Street Map have not been possible to combine in a single web layout.  WIth 2013, it's possible. In the below, the points and lines came from Map 3D, but the entire background is from Open Street Map - using these sources means you have the most current background data, and it reduces the load on your server - that data gets pulled directly from the source!

AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 New Feature: Dynamic North Arrows Are Here!

Have you ever rotated a viewport in paperspace and wanted a north arrow to automatically move with this rotation? In the past, this has been difficult (if not impossible) to accomplish. So, we are excited to report the introduction of Dynamic North Arrows in the 2013 release of AutoCAD Map 3D!

These north arrows are very easy to use. As a test, I added one of the new North Arrow “Layout Elements” in paperspace of a drawing, and followed the prompts to create my North Arrow. I then used the ROTATE command (RO for short) to rotate my viewport.

The result: My North Arrow automatically rotated to match the new orientation.
Map users: It is time to celebrate!

Here are two other practical tips regarding this new functionality:
Tip1: You might need to do a REGENALL (REA for short) to get the viewport contents to reappear.
Tip2: You might need to resize your viewport or change the size of your layout after a rotation.

Enjoy!!

New Release Available for Download Now

The day finally came! AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 and AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 are released and are available for download from Subscription Center. All our subscription cusomers can go ahead and download it. Those not on subscription can access a 30-day trial versions for Civil 3D 2013  and Map 3D 2013. 

Please get familiar with changes and new features on some of our previous blog posts for Civil 3D and Map 3D.

Off course, more articles about  new features to come soon.

AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 New Feature: Multiple Maps and Viewport associations

Ever wanted to make a layout that had an inset map and a main view, both showing different FDO or AutoCAD layers?

Of course you have! And now you can.  Map 3D will now allow the creation of multiple maps, which can then be associated with separate viewports.