Surface efficiency

[McQueen960067]

Good Afternoon. We are still using Civil 3d 2008 and in the process of self teaching have come to a debate through the office. Our Engineers and EITs are very used to the concept of hand drawing contours and giving us spot elevations, which we are suppose to trace the contours and add standard (non dynamic) text labels for the spot elevations. They all complain that if we the drafters attempt to create a surface by inserting the spot elevations, using breaklines to create parking lot curb lines etc that it will take too long and be TOO accurate.

Soo I put it to the Forums what is the prefered methods?
Currently we do get to use Corridors for roads, and we are using breaklines for retaining walls and the ocassional hand grading fix. I Have a hard time beliving that this is the way Civil 3d was meant to be used. I am not looking to start a war of which is better, but i would like to know what the average drafter is doing and weather the engineers and EITs are right to say that accuracy and efficiency should never really meet.

Thanks
Ed

[sinc]

Well, the basic question really is "Why are your engineers hand-drafting contours, when you have Civil 3D?" They can do a much better job if they do their designs in the software, rather than on a piece of paper. It's far easier to do things like balance quantities, etc.

And with C3D, the drawings largely fall out of the model. If the model is built during design time, and all your styles are setup, then the plan sheets are generated rather quickly from the model.

Of course, the place where the model REALLY gets beneficial is when you start revising your design. You can make some fairly significant changes to your model, and all the plan sheets will update immediately. That's where you REALLY start saving time with C3D. But if you don't build a real model, you realize none of that extra potential.

[McQueen960067]

ahhhh the quintessential question of why do they do things by hand.
1. most of them have NO formal cad training.
2. non of them have the rights to use Autocad or C3d per Company IT.
3. They refuse to trust that the Computer can do anything right.

Unfortunately that is what I am dealing with.

Ed

[sinc]

Sounds pretty bad.

If that's the entire corporate mentality, you have a major uphill battle to change anything. It might not be possible. But with Civil 3D, Engineers who "don't do CAD" are not very useful, except in more of the Project Management type roles, where they don't do any actual design work, but their experience is helpful.

As far as the computer doing anything right, well, it's nothing more than a tool, just like a calculator. The calculator will do what the operator tells it to. Garbage In = Garbage Out. Do they trust calculators? It's the same thing.

[brian.hailey933139]

Perhaps you could get your reseller in to demonstrate how Civil 3D can help your company. Have them come in and do a demo for the engineers and management. It doesn't sound like they understand the capabilities of the software.

[jmeyer.186809]

I really only have one word....


WOW!



Engineers......lol go figure! Just kidding engi's!

[brian.hailey933139]

I really only have one word....


WOW!



Engineers......lol go figure! Just kidding engi's!
You're only laughing cause it's true!

[jmeyer.186809]

You're only laughing cause it's true!

yes I am lol but I don't want to stereo type engi's and offend anyone but yeah ;-)