Topo surface, ACAD import and shaded view

[mmiles]

I have inserted an ACAD file of a survey created for the property I am designing for. I used the contours of the survey to create to topo surface, and I use the addtional layers for site plan information. since the import instance used for topo generation has to be inserted into all views I find I have to turn it off in my plans. Why is it that I cannot insert into "current view only"?

Also, the reason for this thread....
I have created a massing family of my building - which is still in conceptual design - and have it located on the topo surface to see how it sits on the steep slope. When I go to the site plan view and change the view to shaded mode (to see the roof forms in the massing family) the mass does not display as shaded - only parts of it do. If I turn off the visibility of the inserted ACAD file - the one used to generate the topo surface - the topo and the massing family turn white. Is this common? Is there a correlation between the display of the topo surface and the import instance? And, how does that relate to masses?

Or, is this a bug in my project?
thanks, I look forward to hearing what y'all think.

[cliff collins]

Check the Material of the Mass. There is a Default Mass material which you can change
to be opaque, or a certain color, etc.

The cad file should be LINKED not just imported, and I thought that you could link it
into only the Site Plan view--i.e. use the check box so it does not link into all views?
I'll have to play with that.......

There should not be any relationship between the Mass, its appearance, the toposurface
and/or the cad file--i.e. all of these should display independently with visibility graphics controls, etc.

cheers....

[Gadget Man]

... The cad file should be LINKED not just imported, and I thought that you could link it
into only the Site Plan view--i.e. use the check box so it does not link into all views?...

Cliff,

I don't understand why the CAD file should always be linked and not just imported? When you DO NOT wish to co-operate with the surveyors and you don't need to coordinate these two files but just use their file to create toposurface it doesn't matter, does it?

Also, you may be not aware, but for some strange reason, if you want to create contours (toposurface) with "use imported" option (CAD file) this CAD file MUST be created in every view, otherwise the "use imported" option doesn't work...

[benmay]

I would suggest putting your linked dwgs on their own workset and setting it to be turned off by default, otherwise you can just unload once you have coverted to a topo. The reason to always link is so that you can keep track of what is loaded and remove dwg easily espically with multiple people potentially loading the same files

[Gadget Man]

I would suggest putting your linked dwgs on their own workset and setting it to be turned off by default, otherwise you can just unload once you have coverted to a topo. The reason to always link is so that you can keep track of what is loaded and remove dwg easily espically with multiple people potentially loading the same files

This could be correct with two assumptions:
1) You are using worksets (which I have absolutely no need for)
2) You are working in a multi-user environment (which I don't)

Now, while I agree that mmiles (the OP) most likely is in both of these categories (hence both of these assumptions could apply), it's also possible that some other users could read this thread, some of them may be not very experienced yet.

To flatly imply that you should always link DWG files and/or use worksets is simply misleading... It all depends on the application and a particular situation. There are more than one ways to skin the cat, you know... And more than one of them can be correct.

By the way, this is not intended as any form of attack or agression - I just simply want to explain why I object to insisting on a particular solution without giving a full explanation, that's all...

Also, when I load a DWG survey plan I don't use it just to create toposurface - I keep it to show and print other features of it as well (trees, services, fences, etc.) in my Site Plan(s). That's why I would never need to unload it (or otherwise control it via worksets).

And in case that I happen to move my file (I work at several different places - sometimes on my desktop machine, sometimes on my laptop, sometimes on a school computer where I teach, etc.) I don't need to remember to move all the linked files with it...

It is true that to create a toposurface from DWG it must be created in all the views and I still think it is just nonsense and it shouldn't be like that, but just for the sake of turning it off in all the other views (simple use of the view templates) to me it doesn't justify the huge overheads associated with maintaining worksets.

Just my point of view...

[benmay]

There is much more to worksets than worksharing, but each to their own. I still believe worksets are one of the best ways to manage linked dwgs. But that is just my opinion along with most other users I talk with throughout the world

I think you will find dwg imports or links to current view actually flatten the data, which is similar when you import dwgs to a symbol or detail component family