Cadalyst - March 2008 - (Page 30)

cadlabsreview Civil 3D 2009 I avoid reviewing beta versions of software because, as with Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.” However, Autodesk will have officially released Civil 3D 2009 by the time this review of Civil 3D 2008 appears in print. I have seen a late beta of the 2009 release, and I can predict likely areas of advancement between the two versions. Autodesk will continue to deepen and broaden the support Civil 3D provides across major civil engineering market segments: land development, including residential subdivisions, retail, commercial, and industrial; transportation, from local roads to highways and bridges; and environmental and utility design, including water, wastewater, solid waste, and so on. Figure 3. Using views extracted from the dynamic model, production of conventional plan sheets can be automated in Civil 3D using intuitive wizards. Expect Civil 3D 2009 to show refinements in performance, usability, and the fit-and-finish aspects of the software (a regular trend across successive releases of all Autodesk products) plus specific enhancements in design and analysis, grading, corridor modeling, and criteria-based road design. As more engineers move to model-based design, Civil 3D’s document production will become more efficient and its design capabilities easier and more dynamic. but not yet for individual state departments of transportation (DOTs) within the United States. Despite its different design approach and workflow, Civil 3D still can produce all the traditional 2D documenta- tion that reviewing agencies and contractors expect. A system of viewframes can extract any desired 2D view from the dynamic model. Views are assembled onto sheets via a create sheets wizard (figure 3). With two-way associativity maintained between sheets and the model, edits in any location or view are reflected in the others. Change Is Good As has been the experience of architects and building engineers with BIM, Civil 3D requires civil engineers to rethink and reorganize their processes and workflows — not just internally but also in how they relate to surveyors, geotechnical engineers, landscape architects, and so forth. The style-based design and documentation automation and change-management features of Civil 3D make the process transition worthwhile for any member of the landdesign team. In my consulting work with design firms, I see that the more of these disciplines a firm combines under one professional service umbrella, the greater the practice benefit of Civil 3D’s integrated, dynamicmodeling approach. Overall, for those not presently using Civil 3D, the 2008 version is worth the switch. For engineers who’ve already switched to Civil 3D, the 2008 version offers some welcome refinements (and the forthcoming 2009 version will offer even more, see “Civil 3D 2009” sidebar). Highly Recommended. c Industry analyst and consultant Jerry Laiserin helps AEC/O businesses — and the technology providers who serve them — build smarter through the integration of technology strategy and business process. E-mail him at jerry@laiserin.com. 30 March 2008 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com http://www.cadopia.com http://www.cadopia.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - March 2008

Cadalyst - March 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Thicker than Water Safe Keeping — Backup Software Secures Your Designs AMD’s ATI FireGL Graphics Cards AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 — Surveying, Civil Engineering, and Land Development Software Cool Software Utilities for Your Job History, Nonhistory, or Both? In the Eye of the Storm Builders’ Information Modeling CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes CAD from the Streets

Cadalyst - March 2008

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