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Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Create data shortcuts and reference data shortcuts in a drawing.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
5 min.
Transcript
00:03
You can use data shortcuts in Civil 3D to share source objects and insert them into other drawings.
00:10
Data shortcuts can be created for surfaces, alignments, profiles, corridors, pipe networks, pressure networks, and frame groups.
00:22
In addition to improving collaboration, this provides a simple,
00:25
direct mechanism for sharing object data while ensuring that the object's geometry can only be changed in the source file.
00:33
In Civil 3D, open a drawing with an object for which you would like to create a data shortcut.
00:39
The drawing shown here contains an existing ground surface.
00:43
Zoom in and hover the cursor over the drawing, and you can see that it is labeled EG.
00:48
By creating a data shortcut, you can make this data available to team members for reference in other drawings.
00:55
The first step is to set your working folder.
00:58
On the ribbon, select the Manage tab, and in the Data Shortcuts panel, click Set Working Folder.
01:05
In the Set Working Folder dialog, navigate to and select the desired folder on your local drive—in this case, the C3D Data folder is selected.
01:15
It is important that your working folder should be stored in your project directory and must be at least one level down from your Project Files.
01:24
Click Select Folder.
01:26
Next, open your web browser to the same project.
01:30
Here, you can confirm that the C3D Data folder is in the project directory and is one level down from Project Files.
01:38
If the working folder is set up in this way, then your data shortcuts in the cloud will work just as they do on your local server.
01:46
Back in Civil 3D, in the Data Shortcuts panel, click New Shortcuts Folder.
01:52
In the New Data Shortcuts Folder dialog, confirm that Use project template is de-selected.
01:58
You do not need this option because the directory structure has already been created in the cloud.
02:04
In the Working folder field, verify the path to the C3D Data folder.
02:09
Type a name, such as “Civil Shortcuts”, then click OK.
02:14
Now, in the Prospector, you can see the Data Shortcuts directory.
02:19
Next, on the ribbon, Manage tab, Data Shortcuts panel, select Create Data Shortcuts.
02:27
In the Create Data Shortcuts dialog, select the object you wish to make accessible to other users—in this case, EG.
02:35
Click OK.
02:37
In the Prospector, in the Data Shortcuts node, expand Surfaces, and you can see that the EG surface is now available.
02:45
Select EG, and you can see the file information at the bottom of the Prospector, including the surface name, file name, and the path to the file.
02:55
This is what allows the data shortcut to work in the cloud—the data is always accessed via this path.
03:02
Save the drawing and then Close it, so that you can try accessing the data shortcut.
03:07
Open a New drawing, select a template, and click Open.
03:12
Before referencing the surface data, make sure to save the drawing in the cloud.
03:17
Here, this is done by typing “saveas” on the command line.
03:21
In the Save Drawing as dialog, type your file name—in this case, “WesleyAlignment.dwg”—and click Save.
03:31
Again, when you want to reference or link files together in the cloud, it is important that the files you are referencing are saved in the cloud first.
03:39
Next, in the Data Shortcuts node, under Surfaces, click and drag EG into the drawing.
03:47
In the Create Surface Reference dialog, click OK.
03:50
Double-click your mouse wheel to zoom extents, and you can see that the EG surface data is now available in the drawing.
03:58
Next, a simple alignment is created and a surface profile is extracted using the referenced EG surface data.
04:05
With this information saved to the drawing, you can now create a data shortcut for these items.
04:11
On the ribbon, select Create Data Shortcuts.
04:15
In the Create Data Shortcuts dialog, select all items shown—
04:19
—Alignments, Centerline Alignments, Wesley, Profiles, and Wesley EG—
04:27
—then click OK.
04:28
In the Prospector, Data Shortcuts node,
04:31
expand Alignments > Centerline Alignments > Wesley > Profiles
04:37
to see that the selected data shortcuts for Wesley EG, and the Wesley alignment are now available.
04:43
Now you know how to create data shortcuts and apply them to a drawing.
Video transcript
00:03
You can use data shortcuts in Civil 3D to share source objects and insert them into other drawings.
00:10
Data shortcuts can be created for surfaces, alignments, profiles, corridors, pipe networks, pressure networks, and frame groups.
00:22
In addition to improving collaboration, this provides a simple,
00:25
direct mechanism for sharing object data while ensuring that the object's geometry can only be changed in the source file.
00:33
In Civil 3D, open a drawing with an object for which you would like to create a data shortcut.
00:39
The drawing shown here contains an existing ground surface.
00:43
Zoom in and hover the cursor over the drawing, and you can see that it is labeled EG.
00:48
By creating a data shortcut, you can make this data available to team members for reference in other drawings.
00:55
The first step is to set your working folder.
00:58
On the ribbon, select the Manage tab, and in the Data Shortcuts panel, click Set Working Folder.
01:05
In the Set Working Folder dialog, navigate to and select the desired folder on your local drive—in this case, the C3D Data folder is selected.
01:15
It is important that your working folder should be stored in your project directory and must be at least one level down from your Project Files.
01:24
Click Select Folder.
01:26
Next, open your web browser to the same project.
01:30
Here, you can confirm that the C3D Data folder is in the project directory and is one level down from Project Files.
01:38
If the working folder is set up in this way, then your data shortcuts in the cloud will work just as they do on your local server.
01:46
Back in Civil 3D, in the Data Shortcuts panel, click New Shortcuts Folder.
01:52
In the New Data Shortcuts Folder dialog, confirm that Use project template is de-selected.
01:58
You do not need this option because the directory structure has already been created in the cloud.
02:04
In the Working folder field, verify the path to the C3D Data folder.
02:09
Type a name, such as “Civil Shortcuts”, then click OK.
02:14
Now, in the Prospector, you can see the Data Shortcuts directory.
02:19
Next, on the ribbon, Manage tab, Data Shortcuts panel, select Create Data Shortcuts.
02:27
In the Create Data Shortcuts dialog, select the object you wish to make accessible to other users—in this case, EG.
02:35
Click OK.
02:37
In the Prospector, in the Data Shortcuts node, expand Surfaces, and you can see that the EG surface is now available.
02:45
Select EG, and you can see the file information at the bottom of the Prospector, including the surface name, file name, and the path to the file.
02:55
This is what allows the data shortcut to work in the cloud—the data is always accessed via this path.
03:02
Save the drawing and then Close it, so that you can try accessing the data shortcut.
03:07
Open a New drawing, select a template, and click Open.
03:12
Before referencing the surface data, make sure to save the drawing in the cloud.
03:17
Here, this is done by typing “saveas” on the command line.
03:21
In the Save Drawing as dialog, type your file name—in this case, “WesleyAlignment.dwg”—and click Save.
03:31
Again, when you want to reference or link files together in the cloud, it is important that the files you are referencing are saved in the cloud first.
03:39
Next, in the Data Shortcuts node, under Surfaces, click and drag EG into the drawing.
03:47
In the Create Surface Reference dialog, click OK.
03:50
Double-click your mouse wheel to zoom extents, and you can see that the EG surface data is now available in the drawing.
03:58
Next, a simple alignment is created and a surface profile is extracted using the referenced EG surface data.
04:05
With this information saved to the drawing, you can now create a data shortcut for these items.
04:11
On the ribbon, select Create Data Shortcuts.
04:15
In the Create Data Shortcuts dialog, select all items shown—
04:19
—Alignments, Centerline Alignments, Wesley, Profiles, and Wesley EG—
04:27
—then click OK.
04:28
In the Prospector, Data Shortcuts node,
04:31
expand Alignments > Centerline Alignments > Wesley > Profiles
04:37
to see that the selected data shortcuts for Wesley EG, and the Wesley alignment are now available.
04:43
Now you know how to create data shortcuts and apply them to a drawing.
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