Two years ago I set out to update and improve the learning guide, and this is now the third release where a lot of changes have been made to the Civil 3D Fundamentals guide. With the 2022 release, my goal of transforming the learning guide into an effective tool that provides a comprehensive introduction to Civil 3D is now complete.
Civil 3D is a complex program, and it is a tall order to grasp all its functionality within a fundamental‑level course. I recall teaching this course to students in years past, where I would usually add some tips and tricks. These were always well received. So, I have added these as topics to the learning guide to help improve your user experience and Civil 3D skills.
Over the past three releases, I have transformed the course to a more professional environment by introducing CAD / BIM Standards and Procedures, simulating the data structure and the drawing content to an office environment, and modifying course content to reflect current practices and content.
For the 2022 release in particular, the following changes have been made:
1. Roundabouts introduced
Roundabouts have become very popular in road design and are now the preferred design for certain type of intersections. The decision to introduce them into this course has not been done lightly, for it affects much of the content. To create a realistic roundabout, a new corridor (Rand Boulevard) is created, and the existing Jeffries Ranch Road corridor is extended. The chapters for alignment, profile, assemblies, and corridor have substantial changes to accommodate this roundabout.
2. Assemblies chapter added
The assemblies used to be part of the Corridor chapter, but that chapter was becoming too long. To rectify this, the assemblies were broken off into their separate chapter, where management of assemblies is also introduced, using fields for identification and the tool palette for storage.
3. Grading improved
The Grading chapter in the past was always rather meager. It is now enhanced with the introduction of an Interim Design Surface to use as a target for various grading. All the grading is done in the lower portion of the site where the school resides. The Feature Lines are covered in greater detail, and a realistic volume surface is created.
4. Pressure Pipes enhanced
The Pressure Pipes section has gone through many changes in the past few Civil 3D releases and has been steadily increasing with each release. This release is no exception, and the learning guide is introducing the changes shown below to remain up-to-date.
5. Parcels chapter moved to the appendix
Due to the increased content for the Roundabouts, we moved the Parcels chapter to the appendix. Few students need to create parcels in their work; therefore, it is better suited for appendix material. The first practice of creating the boundary via a legal description has been moved from the Parcel appendix to the end of the Survey chapter.
6. Project Explorer added to the appendix
The Project Explorer is a new topic. Project Explorer is an entitlement to the Autodesk 2022 AEC Collection and runs inside of Civil 3D 2022, but it is not part of the core Civil 3D program. Thus, it is deemed to belong in the appendix, since not all Civil 3D users will have access to it.
With the 2022 release of the Civil 3D Fundamentals learning guide, the “trilogy of transformation” is now complete. We hope that you will find the restructuring of the course content and the dataset more intuitive and informative so that it results in a better, more professional learning experience. Here at ASCENT, we are always looking for feedback from both the users and instructors. After a careful analysis of the feedback, we incorporate changes to the guides to make them better, accurate, and relevant to the latest industry trends.
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