Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D

Transportation Project
Mary Ann Peterman Florida Department of Transportation Engineering/CADD Systems Office

CI4320

This class presents solutions developed for a typical Florida transportation reconstruction project. We
will cover how to effectively apply data management principles to an AutoCAD Civil 3D corridor project based on a
real project. We will review common questions and concerns expressed by a team that is initiating a Civil 3D software
project and step through how to divide a model for multiple users and plan production. Our focus will be in managing
data references and multiple corridors.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this class, you will be able to:

Know how Civil 3D works with Data References

Know when to use Data References

How to prevent problems when managing Data Shortcuts

Have method for organizing Corridors and Side Streets

About the Speaker

Mary Ann Peterman is a CADD Development Support Applications Specialist contracted with the FDOT
Engineering/CADD Systems Office where she where she is working on the implementation of Civil 3D as
part of the state's platform adoption of Civil 3D. Prior to joining FDOT, she worked with the City of
Tallahassee to provide an integrated pilot project and custom training approach to fast track their Civil
3D implementation. Working with CADD Centers of Florida, the oldest Autodesk reseller, she provided
technical support and training for Civil 3D and AutoCAD. Her background includes 26 years of CADD
experience covering curtainwall, civil site planning and roadway design, CAD resources management,
CAD customization solutions and conceptual visualization.
Email: mary.peterman@dot.state.fl.us

Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Transportation Project

ABOUT THE PROJECT

FDOT District 4
Florida

- State Route 7 / U.S. 441 in South Broward County

This is is a phased reconstruction project consisting of a segment of 1.76 miles along State Route 7 in
South Florida which widens a 4-lane to 6-lane corridor and includes 3 major intersections. The project
includes medians, bus bay and turn lanes, sidewalks, drainage, ponds, lighting and signage. It has 40
side streets and nearly 60 commercial driveways.
The project has served as a Pilot Project for the FDOT in its implementation of AutoCAD Civil 3D. It is
developed utilitizing FDOTs AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 State Kit. The project data consists of approximately
1,200 data shortcuts including over 200 surfaces and 600 alignments.

DOCUMENT FILE MANAGEMENT

Before beginning a Civil 3D project it is HIGHLY advantageous to choose a suitable file document system
or location. The primary reason we reviewed document management systems was for management of
reference files.
For large projects this can be a critical decision that should be made before the project drawing file
production commences. We have used a non-Autodesk product and the dedicated server options for our
project, moving the files twice during its duration. Futhermore, we have had our project temporarily
crippled with broken references.
It is absolutely essential for a Civil 3D project, if using a storage based document management system,
that it can automatically check out dependent references; both external and data reference drawing files.
Civil 3D data sharing is base on the concept of data referencing. It utilizes open file exchanges between
critical XML files to the drawing files. In certain circumstances these unrestricted files can be subjected to
automatic and undesirable processing rendering them broken. In our experience, the open risk inherent in
this version in a project requiring extensive data processes should mandate the use of a dedicated
document management system.

Data File Management Options

Vault Our Recommendation
Civil 3D Vault Workgroup 2013 provides management for Data Shortcuts and integration for
Sheet Set Manager. (Vault Basic does not include.) Vault contains critical data referencing
process control that is not inside of Civil 3D. Also, we recommend the file versioning and user
controls that also cannot be achieved outside of Vault. This version can be used with AutoCAD
Civil 3D 2012.

Dedicated Network Server

2

Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Transportation Project

DATA REFERENCE OVERVIEW

SELECTING OBJECTS FOR DATA REFERENCING

Corridors cannot target geometry through XRefs

Alignments and Profiles for Primary Road

o All EOP, Median Curb, Baselines and PGLs should be need to be shared

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT DATA REFERENCES

External references attached as overlays do not nest out data

shortcuts. Data references should be regarded as always being fully attached. ALL of the
data shortcuts in drawings attached at any nesting level will be processed by Civil 3D. This can
create circular referencing situations as well as graphic control and labeling problems.
o

For instance, like duplicated 2D geometry in XRefs you can end up with duplicated data
references overlaying each other.
In cases where this cannot be limited by the unloading of unneeded external references,
we used Layer Management techniques, such as using Layer states to control visibility of
objects.

Civil 3D allows for labeling of Civil 3D objects such as surfaces and alignments through
External References. It is important that you do not unload the drawing that contains the
referenced objects associated with the labels.
Label data references themselves when practical or limit the labeling of common objects
to design files intended for underlay.

Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Transportation Project

Corridors cannot target through XRefs. You must create Data References

BEST PRACTICES FOR WORKING WITH DATA REFERENCES

Note: Many of the precautions below are not necessary if using Vault.

Dos and Donts

Avoid keeping a local copy of the Project with a different path location

Never open a drawing stored in a duplicate location.

Do FIRST setting the working folder to the proper location. While a working folder is set
to another path, Civil 3D will write to the network project _shortcut folder.

Avoid duplication of drawings containing source objects for Data

References.
Having different versions of the same data objects can result in duplicated references that Civil 3D must
resolve.

Do keep recovered drawings, design options and other drawings which can contain
duplicate source objects in another folder. It is important they have a unique path that
has not been set in an XML path.

Use SAVE AS cautiously making sure all duplicated objects are renamed or removed
using the techniques outlined below. Avoid making copies of source objects in a project
by not making drawing copies using SAVE AS in the active working folder. If you need a
backup or working copy place in a lower folder level.

Never WBLOCK a drawing containing data references and source data

drawings!
Do not make a block that contains a Civil 3D object or data reference!
Duplicate is a Dont!

Do not Copy and Paste Civil 3D objects between drawing files!

To copy an object:
1. Create a Data Reference
2. Promote the Reference (breaking the project association)
3. Rename the object to something unique not used in the project.

Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Transportation Project

Limit the use of Copy and Paste between drawings of any geometry within a drawing
that contains data references to avoid unintentional creating anonymous blocks containing non-visible
referenced objects. Civil 3D will not be able to create data references if one already exists in the file and
you will get errors at creation.

Do not Validate Shortcuts unless a source reference has been renamed, deleted or
otherwise needs to be removed!

Validating Shortcuts

Do not Validate Shortcuts unnecessarily. Objects listed are always available and valid for the
project.

Validation should only normally be performed after the user has intentionally made changes
to data reference sources. Think of Validation more as a saving process.

Each user has memory cache of the xmls that is populated when the xmls are used.
Validating Shortcuts adds all the xmls to your user cache. The application looks to the cache
first for the file you need, if it cannot find it it looks to the source. When it finds it, that is also
added to the cache.

After any xml is deleted Civil 3D needs to be relaunched to clear the cache.

Run a Validation after References have been deleted using the technique below:

Deleting a Reference If you break it, clean up the mess.

Deleting a reference will break a reference if it is used in another drawing. It is good
etiquette and essential for project integrity that you remove the broken references from ALL
the drawings affected.
Validate Shortcuts Object Rename
1. Rename source object.
2. Save file and close.
3. Validate Shortcuts in the Prospector
4. At change alert option window, choose to UPDATE the shortcut.

Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Transportation Project

Promoting Data References

Promoting references does not make them a new source automatically for new references.

Promoting only makes a copy of the source object into the target drawing.

Promoting a reference does not delete any object or data reference in any drawing or in
the shortcut tree.

Other TIPS
We observed problems occurring due to the techniques used when harvesting of Civil 3D objects for 2D
design plans.The following are lessons learned:

Use Export to Autocad 2010 if you need to dummy down a file and copy
geometry sources between drawing.
Export is a little used command that works great to prepare your file for quick geometry exchange or final
plan prep. It properly prepares the file stripping the data referencing information as it removes the object.

Explode on Insert of Block - If you are inserting blocks that need to be exploded, use the option
to Explode on insert in the insert dialogue box. Do not explode after insertion. This will prevent a
duplicate layer table from being added to the drawing database.

Create Backups of objects using LandXML

This will be well worth the few seconds it takes to export if you should encounter a corruption in an object
or file.

Synchronization
Synchronization allows Civil 3D to update ALL of the Data References in the drawings associated with the
active drawing file.
All drawings are Synchronized on File Open.
Every time source drawings are saved all open files we receive Synchronization warnings. Typically we
recommend the users always Synch to keep the files current.
We observed on during the project of this scale that this can be at times counterproductive. During a lot of
design activity this can be excessively triggered especially as users are performing advised frequent
saves. Furthermore, Synchronization can actually take a long time to process especially if there are
external references attached.Users are to be advised in these circumstances to Synch prior to critical
design work using a reference.

Practical Data Management for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Transportation Project

Spreadsheet for File Management

In a large project, it can be difficult to track what should be the most current files.When it comes
to managing objects there can be hundreds of links to dozens of drawings.

File naming conventions

While standardization is great if you can maintain it, a equally as effective method is to
maintain a spreadsheet for the project.