Eric D. Colburn, PLS

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 →

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:

1. Create Survey Database Point Groups.
2. Select Survey Database Points to populate your Survey Database Point Groups.
3. 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 →

Here are a few tips to help you succeed in having a more productive next week.

Question: Why Saturday?

Answer: Why not? No seriously now; because the best way to execute success is to plan for success. The day really isn’t important, so let’s call it “End of the Week” Tips for a More Productive Next Week, if you prefer.

Question: It was a tough week this week, so why can’t I just put this off and worry about it next week? Besides, I love the exhilaration of scrambling everyday to make deadlines and putting out client and project fires as they arise!

Answer: Think about it, you probably experienced a tough week at work, scrambling to make deadlines while putting out all those client and project fires, because you didn’t plan for the things you could control.

Question: But I can’t plan because I’ll just have to change everything next week as circumstances change?

Answer: So what? What you said and what I heard are two different things. I heard, besides fear, is “I choose guaranteed failure rather than give myself a great chance at success” or, maybe even, “I’m really comfortable with chronic failure”. It’s not cast in stone; it’s just a plan for goodness sake – so change it as need be.

Those who set goals and plan for success more often reach their goals and enjoy success than those who don’t.

5 Saturday Tips for a More Productive Next Week Read the rest of this entry →

AutoCAD Civil 3D With Two Drawings Open

In today’s AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Quick Tips and Tricks I will show you Using Layer Source From Other DWGs When Creating Styles. This technique helps you speed up the creation of AutoCAD Civil 3D Styles by using already created layers from your other AutoCAD Civil 3D drawings and templates.

The Problem:

You are creating new styles in an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing or template and in doing so you want to speed up the process of assigning Layers to the new point style; let’s say for display, for example. If the layer is not already in your AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing or template you have to create that layer (and its settings), which is either cumbersome through the Style Editor, or you need to exit the Style Editor to do it using the Layer Manager.

Either way, it requires a certain amount of manual input and risks inconsistencies between drawings and templates.

Two things we’re trying to accomplish are:

1. Work faster by select an existing Layer from another AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing or template to use in creating Styles.
2. Maintain Layer consistency.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor Forum Update – Land Surveying Problems

Recently, I added a new discussion board on the Free Professional Land Surveyor Forum called Land Surveying Problems.

From time to time I’ll be posting land surveying problems that I think are interesting, and hopefully, challenging. Feel free to post your challenging land surveying problems, too.

These might be problems you would typically find in a land surveying text book, problems you might find on a professional land surveying exam, or real-life problems you’ve seen in your professional land surveying practice.

Read the rest of this entry →

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:

1. Create a Point Group specifically for project surface points.
2. Create a Surface.
3. Use the Point Group to define the Surface.

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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Read the rest of this entry →

New England Section ACSM - To promote geomatics education and to advocate for the advancement of surveying and mapping in New England.

GNSS Positioning Short Course Sponsored by New England Section ACSM and CALS

The New England Section ACSM and CALS are proud to present a GNSS Positioning Short Course offered on five consecutive Saturdays this summer starting on July 10, 2010 and ending on August 7, 2010. Each Saturday class begins at 8 am and ends at noon, and will be held at the University of Connecticut located in Storrs, Connecticut.

Summary:

This course will present the foundation information needed for a GNSS positioning professional to understand how their equipment works, with guidance to its proper usage. It is not a course on GNSS processing software or GNSS orthometric heighting.

Preparation:

Attendees are expected to be familiar with the operation of GNSS positioning equipment and to be proficient in surveying and mapping. Although the course will start with the basics of GNSS technologies, some prior knowledge of GNSS technology is assumed because of the speed of the presentation.

Read the rest of this entry →

New Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) Course: AutoCAD Civil 3D Basic Units Settings

New Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) Course: AutoCAD Civil 3D Basic Units Settings

Yesterday I announced the new online Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) I’ve created for professional land surveyors, AutoCAD Civil 3D users, and designers.

Today I want to let you know about the first available course called AutoCAD Civil 3D Basic Units Settings. Here’s a little information about this online course:

C3D-101: AutoCAD Civil 3D Basic Units Settings

This course discusses the processes and procedures to setup your AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing Basic Unit Settings to eliminate mistakes due to inappropriate and inconsistent settings.

Specific AutoCAD Civil 3D Basic Units Settings covered in this course are:

1. Units and Zone Settings.
2. Survey Database and Survey Database Zone Settings.
3. LandXML Data Imperial Units Settings.
4. Angle Format Settings.
5. Drawing Scale Settings.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials. This course cost $19.00.

For full access to this course you’ll need to take a minute to create a new account for yourself on the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) if it is your first time.

Read the rest of this entry →

Visit the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC)

Announcing the New Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC)!

I’m happy to announce today a new feature here on EricColburn.com being the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC). This is an online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) I’ve created for professional land surveyors, AutoCAD Civil 3D users, and designers. Using an advanced Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS), platform the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center provides a reliable solution to support its users’ individual learning requirements.

The Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an advanced system for delivering learning materials to students via the web. This learning center includes assessment, student tracking, collaboration, and communication tools. The PLSLC can be accessed online to support students’ learning 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This convenient and flexible site enables me to teach those who cannot regularly visit a campus, seminars, or events due to geographic or time restrictions, e.g. those on distance learning courses, doing evening classes, or workers studying part-time.

Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) Benefits:

1. A reliable solution to support your individual learning requirements.
2. Includes assessment, student tracking, collaboration, and communication tools.
3. Can be accessed online to support your learning 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
4. Self-paced E-Learning that is convenient and flexible to use.

Right now there is only one online course available, C3D-101: AutoCAD Civil 3D Basic Units Settings, but I’m currently creating more online courses and will soon be adding them to the PLSLC. I will also be creating several free online PLS Learning Center courses which will allow you to experience the PLSLC E-Learning environment and community at no cost. Hopefully, these free courses will also be helpful to those of you out of work or on a tight budget.

Get a Course Accepted for Continuing Education and Save 25% Off Your Next Course Fee.

If you have taken a course and are successful at getting that Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) course accepted for your State’s mandatory Continuing Education (CE) requirements or Professional Development Hour (PDH ) certified, let me know and I’ll refund 25% off the fee for the next course you take (First come first serve.  Maximum of one 25% refund per approved course per person).

Instructors Wanted – Create, Share and Earn.

Also, if you are interested in becoming an instructor on the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) and create your own courses, then please contact me and we’ll discuss how we can work together and any possible revenue sharing. This could be a fantastic way for you to share your skills and knowledge with our professional land surveyor community.

Visit the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) Today.

You can visit the Professional Land Surveyor Learning Center (PLSLC) right now by clicking on the Learn page tab at the top of this site or by following this link »» http://ericcolburn.com/learn/