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AutoCAD Civil 3D Custom Template Setup & Training Done Right

September 23, 2012 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Surveying Topics, Business, Continuing Education, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Members, Premium Membership, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveying Software

Civil 3D Setup and Training

Civil 3D Setup and Training

A large organization asked me this week if I could give them AutoCAD Civil 3D custom template setup and training. They’re looking to use AutoCAD Civil 3D in their workflows. What struck me about their request is they recognized that a successful implementation of AutoCAD Civil 3D is more than simply setting up a template, and that training throughout the template creation process and implementation is important.

Members OnlyThis organization clearly put a lot of thought into their needs and what a successful customized Civil 3D templates project would look like and more impressively, what levels of training they need. Today, in this Premium Post, I want to share with you how this organization is doing AutoCAD Civil 3D custom template setup and training right.

Here is their approach to AutoCAD Civil 3D custom template setup and training done right!

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2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template

September 6, 2012 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates, Business, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Members, News, Surveying Software

2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template

2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template

I created the 2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template(s) as a jumping-off point for land surveyors, or anyone using points in AutoCAD Civil 3D, to build their own custom template.

The benefits of building from this template are many – saving you many hours of setup and frustrations – but here are a few key benefits:

  • Important settings that many users get hung up on (if they even know what’s going wrong) are pre-set for you.
  • Points are in 3D and use the Point’s true elevations in the drawing.
  • Easily build on my Point Styles, Point Label Styles, Point Groups and Description Keys to customize this template to suit your needs.

There actually are two templates included in this package:

  • 2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 Survey 3D Points Starter Template.
  • 2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 Survey 3D Points Starter Template Without Description Keys.

The only difference between the two templates, which I’m sure you figured out by now, is that one template includes, and works with a Description Key Set, while the other works without any Description Key Sets at all.

You can purchase this template here »»2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template

Includes Manual and $50 Off Coupon For Your Next Purchase!

Included is the 2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template Overview Manual describing the template features and how to customize this template to make it your own.

You’ll also find a coupon for saving $50 off of your next online purchase!

AutoCAD Civil 3D Points in 2D Template Features:

  • All points inserted treated as being 3D, not at one elevation. Therefore, all line work, line text, and line symbols will also be drawn in 3D.
  • Imperial to Metric conversion set to US Survey Foot (39.37 Inches per Meter).
  • Default Object Layers for many survey oriented objects set to the survey layers (V-).
  • Ambient Angle Format.
  • Point Styles setup for fundamental point grouping. I’ve provided 21 customized Point Styles for 14 existing types of points, 3 types of found monuments, 3 types of set monuments, and for traverse points found and set. With this Starter Template you can quickly and efficiently expand and customize these base Point Groups.
  • Point Label Styles for each of the above listed base Point Styles setup for Model Space display.
  • Point Label Styles for each of the above listed base Point Styles setup for plan representation/PaperSpace display.
  • Settings within Point Styles and Point Label Styles setup to use layers populated in the survey layers (V-).
  • Template setup so that you can control objects using layers.
  • PaperSpace Points Worksheet setup with editable project border.

The problem with most out-of-the-box AutoCAD Civil 3D templates is that most of the styles and objects in them are setup with a strictly engineered, or “design/proposed” oriented layer standards; i.e. They are preset to begin with “C-“ for the layer naming. This layering convention is great if all of your work is design in nature, but what if you’re a land surveyor?

This template cleans up some of those out-of-the box issues. So, for Point Styles, Point Label Styles, and Point Table Styles this template does the following:

You can purchase this template here »»2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template

Survey Objects: Layers default to “V-“as a prefix.

While this might seem trivial at first, you’ll appreciate having well organized “survey” layers when working on your projects, particularly when xrefing drawings. Plus, if you’re sending drawings to clients, like engineers or architects, they’ll appreciate orderly layering.

You can purchase this template here »»2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 3D Points Starter Template

This file is available for free to registered Premium Members of EricColburn.com!

EricColburn.com Now Offers Associate, Premium and Corporate Membership

July 16, 2012 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Members, News, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

Membership Options List

Membership Has It’s Benefits – Now With Even More!

From the beginning, when I started Premium Membership on this site, people were asking for more membership options.

In evaluating those request for more membership options, and how the Premium Members use their membership, three patterns emerged:

  1. Premium Membership works well for individual people looking to learn new concepts, grow their skills while advancing their careers, and get free downloads.
  2. Organizational users want all the above – AND – they want more formal training, along with getting multi-user access.
  3. Some visitors aren’t ready Premium Membership, but want to join in the professional network at a basic – but free – level.

You’ve asked for membership choices and here they are:

  • Associate Membership - Free; includes limited network access, limited special access and offers, but at any point you will be able to upgrade your Associate Member account to Premium Membership.
  • Premium Membership – $19 per month; includes premium content, free downloads, private coaching, 10% store discounts and more…
  • Corporate Membership $275 per month; includes up to 5 users, premium content, free downloads, more private coaching, 10% store discounts and more…

Learn More About Membership and Signup Today!

You can lean more about this site’s membership options and signup today here »»Click Here to Learn More

Right now, Premium Membership includes (a short list):

  • Free downloads, including your 10% or 15% coupon code, 10 free AutoCAD Civil 3D individual templates found in our online store (3 more AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 templates available soon), and our popular Traverse Control Sheet
  • Premium videos
  • Over 40 Premium Posts, and if you’re struggling with AutoCAD Civil 3D, you don’t want to miss my new Beginners AutoCAD Civil 3D Setup for Land Surveyors series of articles.
  • Coaching

To help you select the membership option that best meets your needs, here’s a chart detailing the main membership features:

Membership Has Its Benefits – Signup Today!

Click Here To Learn More About Membership Features

AutoCAD Civil 3D Template Sale

June 8, 2012 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates, Business, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Members, News, Surveying Software

C3D Template Sale

C3D Template Sale

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 and 2012 Templates Sale

With the release of the first of our 2013 AutoCAD Civil 3D templates, we’re putting our 2011 and 2012 AutoCAD Civil 3D Template on sale.

 25% Off 2012 AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates

All of our 2012 AutoCAD Civil 3D are marked down by 25%.

2012 AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates

50% Off 2011 AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates

All of our 2011 AutoCAD Civil 3D are marked down by 50%.

2011 AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates

Customized AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey Templates For Land Surveyors, Engineers and Designers

May 17, 2012 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates, Business, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Members, Surveying Software

AutoCAD Civil 3D Customized Templates

Get Your Customized AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey Templates The Easy Way!

Can your business afford to waste time and money setting up AutoCAD Civil 3D?

AutoCAD Civil 3D is a great program …. Once it’s set up and you know how to use it!

BUT, getting to that point takes a serious investment in your time, which means lost productivity, billing, and money.

And, what if your self-created AutoCAD Civil 3D setup doesn’t work or make you more productive?

I’ve seen it time and time again: Land surveyor, engineer, or designer spends hundreds of hours (if not more) setting up AutoCAD Civil 3D, only to discover that their setup is wrong. They then get super frustrated as their productivity and accuracy gets worse, and not better!

Are you prepared to start all over after you discover your attempts at setting up AutoCAD Civil 3D fails?

Who in their right mind would spend tons of time and resources to fail, and then repeat the process. The definition of insanity, it’s said, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!

Get Your Customized AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey Templates The Easy Way!

I will solve all the above problems, and more, by creating customized AutoCAD Civil 3D templates for you!

I stand behind that statement because:

  1. I’m an everyday user of AutoCAD Civil 3D (from the first release) for land surveying and civil design, and,
  2. I’ve devoted myself to teaching others how to effectively (and profitably) use AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Listen, what I’m telling you isn’t all just a sales pitch, because I was in your shoes once, too. Yes, I’ve put in the hard work to learn the pitfalls of setting up and using AutoCAD Civil 3D, so that you don’t have to! Just understand, I got paid to do this, will you?

The first step to AutoCAD Civil 3D success is having great templates!

I can create customized survey templates for you that will get you quickly up and running with AutoCAD Civil 3D. The first step to AutoCAD Civil 3D success is haaving great templates, and I can create them for you.

I offer four separate AutoCAD Civil 3D template customization services:

And, I offer a Customized Starter Package Plan (recommended) which includes all four templates at a reduced rate! With the Customized Starter Package Plan, you’ll be up and running in no time.

Each template includes:

  • 1 hour initial online or telephone consultation and follow-up email coordination.
  • Your purchased AutoCAD Civil 3D template, of course.
  • Detailed manual describing the template, its features, and how to use it.
  • 1 hour delivery online or telephone consultation.

Here are more details on each template package:

AutoCAD Civil 3D Points in 2D Template Buy Now

  • All points at the same elevation in the drawing (their real elevations aren’t changed) so you can draw 2D lines and measure 2D distances. This takes a lot of the frustration out of working with points in AutoCAD Civil 3D!
  • Standardized Layer Names – Either your own layering standards, our layering standards, or a hybrid approach.
  • Description Key setup
  • Point Block creation
  • Point Style setup
  • Point Label Style setup
  • Point Group setup
  • Point Table Styles setup
  • Coordinate system/units setup (feet, usfeet, meters)
  • Dozens of little known, but important settings

AutoCAD Civil 3D Points in 3D Template Buy Now

  • All points at their real elevation in the drawing
  • Standardized Layer Names – Either your own layering standards, our layering standards, or a hybrid approach.
  • Description Key setup
  • Point Block creation
  • Point Style setup
  • Point Label Style setup
  • Point Group setup
  • Point Table Styles setup
  • Coordinate system/units setup (feet, usfeet, meters)
  • Dozens of little known, but important settings

AutoCAD Civil 3D Parcels Template Buy Now

  • Standardized Layer Names – Either your own layering standards, our layering standards, or a hybrid approach.
  • You’ll actually get two templates for the price of one! One Parcels template for survey parcels (existing) and one Parcels template for design parcels (proposed)
  • Parcel Styles setup
  • Parcel Label Styles setup (Area, Line, Curve)
  • Parcel Table Styles setup
  • Coordinate system/units setup (feet, usfeet, meters)
  • Dozens of little known, but important settings

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surfaces Template Buy Now

  • Standardized Layer Names – Either your own layering standards, our layering standards, or a hybrid approach.
  • You’ll actually get two templates for the price of one! One Surface template for survey surfaces (existing) and one Surface template for design surfaces (proposed)
  • Surface Styles setup
  • Surface Label Styles setup (Contour, Slope, Spot Elevation)
  • Surface Table Styles setup
  • Coordinate system/units setup (feet, usfeet, meters)
  • Dozens of little known, but important settings

Customized Starter Package Plan (recommended) Buy Now

All four of the above described templates in one easy starter pack:

  • AutoCAD Civil 3D Points in 2D Template
  • AutoCAD Civil 3D Points in 3D Template
  • AutoCAD Civil 3D Parcels Template
  • AutoCAD Civil 3D Surfaces Template

Visit our Online Store to But Now!

Buy Now

 

Land Surveying 911: Should I Pay For AutoCAD Civil 3D Training Or Try To Learn It On My Own?

March 5, 2012 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Business Practices, Continuing Education, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Land Surveying 911, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

Land Surveying 911

Land Surveying 911

In this Land Surveying 911 series article, some names have been changed to protect the inquisitive. Submit your Land Surveying 911 request using the form at the end of this article.

Steven, who owns a professional land surveying company struggling with switching over to AutoCAD Civil 3D from AutoCAD Land Desktop, submitted the following Land Surveying 911 question.

Land Surveying 911: Should I Pay For AutoCAD Civil 3D Training Or Try To Learn It On My Own?

Steven says: I own a land surveying company and we are switching from Land Desktop to AutoCAD Civil 3D. We purchased a couple of AutoCAD Civil 3D licenses early last year, and I figured we could migrate to and learn Civil 3D while still using Land Desktop for ongoing work production.

Buying Civil 3D was a hit for my company at the time, but I figured we’d see at least some productivity improvements and by this year, we’d be using Civil 3D fully. I’m embarrassed to say that we are not at all near to meeting our goals. We’ve spent countless hours trying to set up Civil 3D and understand how to work with it on our projects. We’re clearly doing something wrong because we’ve yet to efficiently finish a job from beginning to end.

At every turn, it’s one roadblock or another and we are all very frustrated. Trying to learn how to set up and use Civil 3D on our own has us seriously questioning whether we are doing everything wrong or whether there’s a serious issue with Civil 3D when used by land surveyors?

But then I read about other land surveyors, like yourself, using Civil 3D successfully which makes me question everything we are doing. Eric, what do you recommend; should I pay for AutoCAD Civil 3D training or should I continue to try to learn it on my own?

Land Surveying 911 Response

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AutoCAD 2011 Civil 3D Templates on Sale

June 5, 2011 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates, Business, Land Surveying, Surveying Software

AutoCAD 2011 Civil 3D Templates

AutoCAD 2011 Civil 3D Templates

Announcing a sale on the AutoCAD 2011 Civil 3D Templates!

I’m in the process of updating, improving, and creating new AutoCAD Civil 3D templates to release AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 and have significantly reduced the price of the 2011 templates.

AutoCAD Civil 3D Surface Essential Template Framework (2011) Now 49, was $69.99.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 Survey Essential Template Framework Now 79, was $199.

AutoCAD Civil 3D Survey 2D Points Essential Template Framework (2011) Now 79, was $199.

AutoCAD Civil 3D Essential Template Framework Bundle (2011) Now 149, was $399.

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