Eric Colburn, PLS

Tags: 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Available Coordinate Systems, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Conversion, Coordinate, Coordinate Zone, Database, Datum, Design, Distance, Drawing, DWG, Edit Drawing Settings, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Foot, Imperial, International Foot, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Land Surveying Videos, Land Surveyor Videos, Learning, Menu, Meter, Metric, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, State Plane Coordinate System, Survey, Survey Database, Survey Database Settings, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, System, Technology, Template, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Training, Tricks, Units, US Foot, US Survey Foot, Video, Videos, YouTube, Zone No Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics: Creating a New Description Key Set

January 4, 2011 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Premium Membership, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics

In today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics, I’d like to discuss how to create a Description Key Set. This is the second in a series of Premium Posts about description keys. In this post I’ll show you how to create Description Keys Sets and where to find your Description Key Sets for land surveying using AutoCAD Civil 3D.

If you used Description Keys in versions of AutoCAD prior to Civil 3D, then you will mostly find using Description Keys in AutoCAD Civil 3D fairly familiar. In general, these are a few changes you’ll notice:

Instead of one global file, now there’s a Description Key Set (or more) in each drawing, provided you setup one or copy one into each drawing.
There are new ways to control blocks for point nodes (Markers via Point Styles) and how the points can be labeled (Point Label Styles).
You can now reorganize, filter and override the Description Keys to update which points show in your drawing, the Marker they use, and how they are labeled, using Point Groups. While point Groups aren’t Description Keys, you’ll find they work togehter so you can get more work done.

Creating a New Description Key Set Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: 3D, Adviser, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, Autodesk, Blocks, Business, C3D, CAD, Civil, Codes, Continuing Education, Description, Description Key Sets, Design, Education, Engineering, Eric D. Colburn PLS, Essential, Features, Field, Key, Label, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Layers, Markers, Membership, Point, Point Label Styles, Point Styles, Points, Premium, Premium Membership, Professional, Professional Land Surveyor, Revivalist, Sets, Software, Style, Styles, Surveying, Surveyor, Surveyors, Technology, Template, Topics No Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics-What to do Before Creating a New Description Key Set

December 24, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Premium Membership, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics

In today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics, I’d like to discuss what to do before creating a Description Key Set. This is the first in a series of Premium Posts about description keys. I’ll start here with what to do before creating a new Description Key Set, then move on to how to setup Description Key Sets, and finally, how to use Description Keys in your everyday land surveying using AutoCAD Civil 3D.

I first embarked on setting up my first Description Key Sets when AutoCAD Civil 3D first came out, several years back, and recently prepared my first AutoCAD Civil 3D template, AutoCAD C3D Survey Essential Template Framework, but I was surprised at how much I’d forgotten from that first experience. You see, this past week I’ve been helping out a Premium Member who is setting up his first AutoCAD Civil 3D template, and it brought back all of the pitfalls and mistakes I made in creating my own first template.

I’d like to help you have an easier time setting up, or fixing, your Description Key Sets. Of course, you could go over to the Store and purchase the AutoCAD C3D Survey Essential Template Framework or if you’re a Premium Member it’s one or your free downloads, but you’ll at least have to think about the following steps to make any template meaningful and useful to you and your land surveying firm.

What to do Before Creating a New Description Key Set: Read the rest of this entry →

Eagle Point Surveyors’ Companion For Civil 3D Overview Professional Land Surveyor Video

August 27, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Continuing Education, Eagle Point, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Videos, Surveying Software, Videos

Eagle Point Surveyors' Companion For Civil 3D Overview Professional Land Surveyor Video

Here’s a quick video overview of the features, functions, and command set for Eagle Point Surveyors’ Companion For Civil 3D.

At this point I don’t know too much about Eagle Point Surveyors’ Companion For Civil 3D, so this video is sort of an unpacking and peek into this software package.

Already, I’ve quickly used the List Points and Unused Points reports, which are very handy. This, and everything else I’ve seen, makes me very excited to put Eagle Point Surveyors’ Companion For Civil 3D into action.

Watch the video after the jump Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: 2010, 2011, 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, Autodesk, Business, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Companion, Continuing Education, Design, Eagle, Eagle Point, Eagle Point Surveyors' Companion For Civil 3D, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Land Surveying Videos, Land Surveyor Videos, Learning, Professional, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Ribbon, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveyors' Companion, Surveys, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Training, Tricks, Video, Videos, YouTube No Comments »

Survey Database Point Groups-AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 Professional Land Surveyor Video

August 24, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Videos, Surveying Software, Videos

Survey Database Point Groups-AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 Professional Land Surveyor Video

In this installment of my Professional Land Surveyor Video series, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 for Land Surveyors: Survey Database Point Groups, I will show you how to:

Create Survey Database Point Groups.

Select Survey Database Points to populate your Survey Database Point Groups.

Use Survey Database Point Groups to filter points you insert into and remove from your AutoCAD Civil 3D drawings.

Watch the video after the jump Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: 2010, 2011, 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, Autodesk, Business, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Database, Design, Draw, Drawing, DWG, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Group, Groups, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Land Surveying Videos, Land Surveyor Videos, Learning, Mapping, Point, Point Group, Points, Professional, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Setup, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Topographic, Training, Tricks, Update, Video, Videos, YouTube No Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 3.1

August 11, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Land Surveying, News, Surveying Software

Professional Land Surveyor News

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 3.1 is Available for Download

Autodesk has released its AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 3.1. This update fixes or addresses a variety of issues discovered by customers and by Autodesk’s internal testing team.

Read the “Read Me” File, it’s recommended and helpful, too

The updates and fixes are too numerous to list here, but if you follow the link below and look at the Read Me file, you can investigate the issues Autodesk has resolved with AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 that may have been causing you problems.

As recommended by Autodesk, you should also read the ENTIRE Read Me file to understand the installation and use of this update before you apply the update to your AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 product.

Tags: 2010, 3.1, 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 3.1, Autodesk, Autoesk, c3d2010_sp3.1.exe, Civil, Eric D. Colburn PLS, Land, Land Surveying Software, News, News Release, Professional, Software, Surveyor, Technology, Update 1 Comment »

Professional Land Surveyor Video-AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 for Land Surveyors: Create a Surface From a Point Group

June 25, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Videos, Surveying Software, Videos

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 for Land Surveyors - Create a Surface From a Point Group

In this installment of my Professional Land Surveyor Video series, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 for Land Surveyors: Create a Surface From a Point Group, I will show you how to:

Create a Point Group specifically for project surface points.

Create a Surface.

Use the Point Group to define the Surface.

Watch the video after the jump Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: 2010, 2011, 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Automatic Update, Business, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Design, Draw, Drawing, DWG, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Groups, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Land Surveying Videos, Land Surveyor Videos, Learning, Mapping, Point Group, Points, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Setup, Styles, Surface, Surfaces, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Topographic, Training, Tricks, Update, Video, Videos, YouTube 1 Comment »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: How To Setup and Use Surface Styles To Edit Surfaces Efficiently

June 22, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: How To Setup and Use Surface Styles To Edit Surfaces Efficiently

In today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks I will show you How To Setup and Use Surface Styles To Edit Surfaces Efficiently. This technique increases your CAD drafting and AutoCAD Civil 3D Surface creation and editing productivity by employing proper template setup and reducing switching between Toolspace Tabs and drilling down through what can be a rabbit-hole of options and settings AutoCAD Civil 3D uses to do the voodoo that it do.

This really leads to an important note: The overall techniques and processes that I’m showing you here are specific to setting up Surface Styles in your AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates so that you can Edit Surfaces Efficiently, but if you concentrate on the bigger picture, that of setting up your AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates with preset Styles to increase your productivity, then this is really what this post (and more to come) is all about. In fact, using the techniques that I describe below is really just one small part of a mindset and process which will allow you to take many small efficiencies and accumulate them into big increases in productivity, efficiency, and profit.

Two things we’re trying to accomplish are:

Have a preset Surface Style setup for editing AutoCAD Civil 3D Surfaces in your Template Drawing so that you only have to do this step once, saving you time from this point out.
Speed up the AutoCAD Civil 3D Surface editing process, reducing the need to switch back and forth between Prospector Tabs, find an appropriate Surface Style, and then drill down to switch on the Surface Style Components you’d use for surface edits, like Points, Triangles, and Border, for instance.

Tags: 2010, 2011, 3D, Analysis, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Borders, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Contours, Design, Display, Drawing, DWG, Edit, Edit Drawing Settings, Edit Surfaces, Education, Efficiently, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Grid, Information, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Learning, Lines, Mapping, Maps, Point Group, Points, Productive, Productivity, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, Styles, Surface, Surface Styles, Surfaces, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Tab, Tabs, Technology, Template, TIN, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Topographic, Training, Triangles, Tricks, Units, Units and Zone, Watersheds 1 Comment »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: Drawing Scale Settings

May 13, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Drawing Scale Settings

This is the fifth AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks expanding upon a previous article I wrote outlining the 5 AutoCAD Civil 3D Settings Professional Land Surveyors Need To Know.

The fifth of the five AutoCAD Civil 3D settings Professional Land Surveyors need to know was, “Drawing Scale Settings“, which is explained in today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks.

To be specific, this AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks shows you how to set the Model Space Drawing Scale. While easy to do, more than a few AutoCAD Civil 3D users, particularly if they’re new to AutoCAD or the newer interfaces, have asked me in frustration where one does this – I’ll show you two simple ways to set the Model Space Drawing Scale. Of course, you need to set the scale in Paper Space, too, but we’ll leave that for another day.

Tags: 2010, 2011, 3D, Annotation, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Design, Drawing, Drawing Status Bar, DWG, Edit Drawing Settings, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Learning, Menu, model space, paper space, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Scale, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Tab, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Training, Tricks, Units, Units and Zone 3 Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: Angle Format Settings

April 13, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Angle Format Settings

This is the fourth of five AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks expanding upon a previous article I wrote outlining the 5 AutoCAD Civil 3D Settings Professional Land Surveyors Need To Know.

The fourth of the five AutoCAD Civil 3D settings Professional Land Surveyors need to know was, “Angle Format Settings“, which is explained in today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks.

Tags: 3D, Angle, Apply, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Decimal, Degree, Design, DMS, Drawing, DWG, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Format, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Learning, Menu, Minute, Precision, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Second, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Training, Tricks, Units 3 Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: LandXML Data Imperial Units Settings

March 30, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

Select Edit LandXML Settings

This is the third of five AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks expanding upon a previous article I wrote outlining the 5 AutoCAD Civil 3D Settings Professional Land Surveyors Need To Know.

The third of the five AutoCAD Civil 3D settings Professional Land Surveyors need to know was, “LandXML Data Imperial Units Settings“, which is explained in today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks.

Tags: 3D, Apply, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Available Coordinate Systems, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Conversion, Coordinate, Coordinate Zone, Data, Design, Distance, Drawing, DWG, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Export, Foot, Imperial, International Foot, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, LandXML, LandXML Export Settings, Learning, Menu, Meter, Metric, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, State Plane Coordinate System, Survey, Survey Foot, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, System, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Training, Tricks, Units, US Foot, US Survey Foot 2 Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: Survey Database Units and Zone Settings

March 22, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

Select Edit Survey Database Settings

This is the second of five AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks expanding upon a previous article I wrote outlining the 5 AutoCAD Civil 3D Settings Professional Land Surveyors Need To Know.

The second of the five AutoCAD Civil 3D settings Professional Land Surveyors need to know was, “Survey Database Units and Zone Settings“, which is explained in today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks.

Tags: 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Available Coordinate Systems, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Conversion, Coordinate, Coordinate Zone, Database, Datum, Design, Distance, Drawing, DWG, Edit Drawing Settings, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Foot, Imperial, International Foot, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Learning, Menu, Meter, Metric, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, State Plane Coordinate System, Survey, Survey Database, Survey Database Settings, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, System, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Training, Tricks, Units, US Foot, US Survey Foot, Zone 1 Comment »

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY-Are you Satisfied With Autodesk’s Services & Support?

March 18, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Land Surveying, Surveying Software, Surveys

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

In this week’s PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY I’m asking the question:

Are you Satisfied With Autodesk’s Services & Support?

Autodesk Services and Support includes their knowledge base, documentation, and online help, in addition to your submitted support request if you are enrolled in the Autodesk subscription software maintenance and support program.

Tags: 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, Autodesk, Business, CAD, Civil, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Land Surveyor, Poll, Profession, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Professional Land Surveyor Survey, Services, Software, Subscription, Support, Survey, Surveying, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology No Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: Setting Units and Zone In AutoCAD Civil 3D Drawings

March 15, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Drawing Units and Zone Settings

Last week I wrote an article outlining the 5 AutoCAD Civil 3D Settings Professional Land Surveyors Need To Know.

Because these are important settings I’ll write an AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks article weekly about each of those five settings.

The first of the five AutoCAD Civil 3D settings Professional Land Surveyors need to know was, “Units and Zone AutoCAD Civil 3D Drawing Settings“, which is explained in today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks.

Tags: 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Available Coordinate Systems, C3D, CAD, Civil, Civil3D, Continuing Education, Conversion, Coordinate, Design, Drawing, DWG, Edit Drawing Settings, Education, Engineering, EricColburn.com, Foot, Imperial, International Foot, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Learning, Menu, Meter, Metric, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Quick, Settings, Settings Tab, Setup, Software, State Plane Coordinate System, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, System, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolspace, Training, Tricks, Units, US Survey Foot, Zone 3 Comments »

5 AutoCAD Civil 3D Settings Professional Land Surveyors Need To Know

March 9, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Premium Membership, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Bright Ideas

It’s frustrating as heck trying to learn how to setup and use AutoCAD Civil 3D and also get projects completed. You’re not a professional student; you’re a Professional Land Surveyor, Engineer, Designer, etc.

Whatever you are, you’re trying to get the job done right and earn a living!

Depending on what’s in your AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing, there can be hundreds of settings, if not more. Many of these settings may only control how something looks and is eventually plotted, but several are really important settings controlling important elements of your work. You must ensure that your data, the input and output, is handled appropriately with the software for land surveying uses.

Tags: 2010, 3D, Angle, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, Autodesk, Business, CAD, Civil, Continuing Education, Conversion, Database, Design, Distance, Drawing, DWG, Foot, Format, Imperial, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, LandXML, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Scale, Settings, Software, Survey, Survey Database, Surveying, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology, Template, template settings, Units, Zone 6 Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Yearly Subscription and Release Cycle-A Few Thoughts

February 26, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

Cost of Business?

I just finished reading an interesting post on another Civil 3D blog concerning the one year release cycle and Autodesk subscription plan as it relates to Civil 3D users. In large part, the post and conversation centered around: backwards compatibility, reliability and cost, among other things.

What I Said

I left a comment, too, which was inspiration for this post. My comment was as follows:

In general I like the annual upgrades with the following exceptions and issues kept in mind:

The 1 year subscription program benefits Autodesk monetarily more than users benefit by any increase functionality and usability. Autodesk would be better served if it separated the versioning issue from the payment/cost/budgeting issue. They are not related at all and if the next issue is taken into account they can be divorced and the yearly upgrade will make better sense from a payment/cost/budgeting standpoint.

It’s old-fashioned, but, don’t release a product unless it works 100 percent. Users did not pay top dollar for the opportunity to be guinea pigs. Then to force them to pay more after one year for another less than 100 percent piece of software is a bitter pill to swallow.

Backwards/forward compatibility is a complex issue with serious business and financial ramifications. First, alienating your paying customer who paid for a so-called “older version” (a year, really?) is a questionable practice. Second, it can be a trap for those who are “early adopters’, if you will, when trying to work in the real world where due to the yearly upgrades, cost, stability issues, and integration of those upgrades, many organizations don’t implement upgrades (perhaps smartly) concurrently, if at all. This creates more work and cost money for the person using the “latest and the greatest” when delivering or sharing a digital work product. Third, even within the smallest of organizations, backwards incompatibility can be burdensome.

It seems counterintuitive but I think Autodesk would get a lot less flak about annual renewal if they allowed, and even encouraged, monthly payments throughout the year. Then, they could concentrate on producing a flawless software solution with long-term purposeful improvements to functionality and usability making their software a better business and technical tool.

Just a few thoughts.

Tags: 2010, 3D, Annual, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, Autodesk, Business, CAD, Civil, Cycle, Design, Economy, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Programs, Release, Software, Subscription, Survey, Surveying, Surveyors, Technology, Versions, Yearly No Comments »

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY-Bootstrap or Training, How Did You Implement AutoCAD Civil 3D?

February 19, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Land Surveying, Surveying Software, Surveys

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

In this week’s PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY I’m asking the question:

Bootstrap or Training, How Did You Implement AutoCAD Civil 3D?

I originally posted this question on Linkedin as follows:

“Bootstrap or training, how did you implement AutoCAD Civil 3D?

I was wondering how C3D users implemented C3D. Did you “bootstrap” it by trying to implement and learn C3D on your own or did you take more formal training and classes? Or, did you have a consultant setup C3D and train you at your site?”

With that said, I guess I also wonder which approach is best? Any thoughts?”

There, it turned into a fairly lively discussion, so I thought I’d pose the same question here. One idea that kept coming up in the conversation was of needing an AutoCAD Civil 3D “Power User”, which I do think is important. This must be yourself, if your a one-person shop, or some one person within a larger work group or organization.

Tags: 3D, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, Autodesk, Bootstrap, Business, CAD, Civil, Classes, Consultant, Implement, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Land Surveyor, Poll, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Professional Land Surveyor Survey, Software, Survey, Surveying, Surveyor, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology, Training No Comments »

Follow This Link To Register for The Professional Land Surveyor Forum

Professional Land Surveyor Forum Updates

February 13, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Land Surveying, Links, News, Surveying Software

Here are a few quick links to the Professional Land Surveyor Forum. At the Forum you’ll find a few new topics of discussion and a new Winter Olympics 2010 Board, too.

If you’re a surveyor who has mining experience, or have worked on underground tunnel projects, then maybe you can help out a fellow surveyor with a vertical shaft problem (see link below).

Professional Land Surveyor Forum Updates:

If you’re not a member of the Professional Land Surveyor Forum it’s quick and easy to sign up for by following the link below.

Note: As of 2011, the forum is upgraded as part of the Professional Land Surveyor Community.

Tags: 2010, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, Autodesk, Business, CAD, Civil, COGO, Continuing Education, Copan, Discussion, Forum, Geocaching, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Maintenance, Mining, News, Olympics, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Forum, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Shaft, Software, Subscription, Support, Survey, Surveying, Surveyors, Surveys, Technology, Topics, Tunnel, Vertical, Windows, Winter No Comments »

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks: Add Ribbon Menu Items To The Quick Access Toolbar

February 12, 2010 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

Quick Access Toolbar

In today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks I’m going to show you how to Add Ribbon Menu Items To The Quick Access Toolbar.

This technique is very useful when you want to have easy access to a favorite AutoCAD Civil 3D menu item but don’t want the hassle of switching Ribbon Panels (particularly if you use that menu item often but don’t use or have its Ribbon Panel open for much else).

I must have discovered before how to Add Ribbon Menu Items To The Quick Access Toolbar and forgot about it, because I apparently did this to place Copy With Base Point on my Quick Access Toolbar sometime in the past. However, I “rediscovered” how to do this recently from another CAD blog. Unfortunately I don’t remember which one. I thought I had bookmarked the site, or added it to my Twitter Favorites, but when I started to put this Quick Tips and Tricks post together I couldn’t find or remember the source.

So, if it was you who recently blogged about the Add Ribbon Menu Items To The Quick Access Toolbar, where I got the inspiration for this post, please let us know in the comments or contact me so I can give you the credit you deserve!

Now on to the AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks to Add Ribbon Menu Items To The Quick Access Toolbar: Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: Add Labels, Annotate, Annotate Ribbon Panel, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks, Autodesk, Blog, CAD, Civil, Command, Continuing Education, Design, Drafting, Drawing, Education, Home, Home Ribbon Panel, Items, Labels, Land, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Business, Land Surveying Software, Layer Properties, Layer Properties Manager, Layers, Menu, Panel, Professional Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor Source, Properties, Quick, Quick Access, Quick Access Toolbar, Ribbon, Ribbon Panel, Software, Survey, Surveying, Surveying Education, Surveyor, Surveyors, Technology, Tips, Tips and Tricks, Toolbar, Tricks 1 Comment »

Professional Land Surveyor News: Eagle Point Software Corporation Releases New AutoCAD Civil 3D Add-on for Surveyors

February 10, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Eagle Point, Land Surveying, News, Surveying Software

Professional Land Surveyor News

Eagle Point Software Corporation Releases New AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Add-on for Surveyors

DUBUQUE, Iowa, February 9, 2009 – Eagle Point Software Corporation releases Surveyors’ Companion, an AutoCAD^® Civil 3D^® add-on product that allows surveyors to comfortably and productively move to AutoCAD Civil 3D with simplified COGO routines and user interface.

“Having used Eagle Point civil/survey solutions since its inception, we have found that Surveyors’ Companion continues the history of easy-to-use products,” explains Greg Sharp, Vice President at Anderson Engineering and Surveying, Inc. “This program makes the AutoCAD Civil 3D learning curve more manageable and is able to be quickly implemented in a small business environment. Civil 3D is a sophisticated program, but Surveyors’ Companion provides familiar commands and user interface that make surveying calculations and data transfer between the field and office a simple, seamless process.”