As more users begin unwrapping their C3D 2009 boxes and make the jump, we’re seeing more and more questions about Vault and Data Shortcuts in the groups and in our mailboxes. I’ve been a huge advocate of Vault the past two releases, basically as a matter of riding the horse ya got. Vault wasn’t perfect (and it fact, downright sucked sometimes,) but it was better than using data shortcuts in my opinion.

Jump back to last fall, when I first got a look at Data Shortcuts for 2009. My first question was, “So who needs Vault?” The answer is after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, yeah, ok maybe we do. Especially if we’re running Vault. Somehow, the boys and girls in Manchester managed to get the patch for 2008 to play with ADMS (Vault) 2009 uploaded and it slipped by us. Read on for more info and the link.

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Sing it like Elmer Fudd, it’s a much funnier headline. (YouTube, about 1:35 in.)

I know that I’ve told at least a few people that you couldn’t get rid of the DWF plotting by default in a Vault Check-in. Seems I was reading too fast, and not clearly enough. It happens, I scan a lot of things I read, it’s an embarrassing habit sometimes. Anyway, read past the jump to see the six-click solution.

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So you’ve decided that you’re going to tackle the two most often misunderstood things inside Civil 3D - Vault and the Survey Database. You’ve created a Vault project and you flip over to the survey tab of toolspace and notice that there’s now a Survey Database with the same name. Cool! This software really is smart, it knew I was going to create a Survey Database! You get ready to get down and get busy, and create a network - BZZZT! You get an error saying that the Survey Database isn’t writable, and that you may not have permissions to access it. Now you go into full-on panic mode, eventually slipping off into the muttering frenzy of how badly this software sucks and how it won’t do what you want it to do.  Settle down, there’s a really good explanation.  Follow the link to lower your blood pressure just a little bit.

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I know I’ve seen this before, but since a quick google turned up nothing, and I didn’t blog it here, I was clueless on the exact Registry path that holds the Project Template Directory. If your firm is working with Vault, and you want your project folder to look like it always has, you should check this out. You’ve got a folder setup that looks something like this:

And you need to make sure everyone uses it as they create new Vaulted projects. There’s a little help, after the jump.

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Anyone that has been stuck around me for any length of time knows I’m an Apple fanboy at heart. Before there was C3D, there was the Mac. Well, now I get to play back around with both. I’ve just finished installing C3D & Vault on my new MacBook, and I’m beyond pleased with the results. I’m also testing out a new blogging tool. Not as happy with that, but we’ll see where this goes.

Check out the image for my results.

Oh! And thanks to Travis Klasna of Jeo Consulting Group, Inc. for convincing me to take the leap. He did it first. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted earlier today on the Vault discussion group was a nifty tool from Freese and Nichols that will copy users from Active Directory to Vault. In an office with 10 people, it’s not a big deal, but when setting up a larger firm, adding users to Vault can be a major pain in the neck. Check it out after the jump.

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Every place I’ve ever visited, at least once, I hear, “But I don’t want the Engineer (surveyor, planner, landscape architect, etc.) touching my data.” The data model for C3D really means that team members need to work together, not carrying separate projects like they might have in the past. Check out a new solution after the jump.

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Seems like much of the country is now getting C3D 2008 in their hot little hands. The flurry of activity in the discussion groups the last few days is higher than normal. Here’s a few changes to be aware of that might help get you through the transition:

• Points are back to being entities, not point groups. This will make point control a bit more interesting. I hope we’ll have a post on it soon.
• You need to Control-Click to access many labels. Talk to San Rafael, this is their “contribution” to the interface. I’m not a fan to be honest.
• Corridor information is available through an XREF, not through Vault. Too much stuff in a corridor to make Vaulting the data the full way to go. Sections outside the Corridor dwg will be handy though.
• Vault isn’t going anywhere. Dance with the girl that brung ya. If your reseller tells you it is, they don’t know what they’re talking about. Call us. Call anyone. Get better help.
• Mastering AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 will be published and on the shelves in about September. Yeah, I know, but things happen, and dates slip. Amazing what happens when you try to write instructional material against beta code.
• The first round of bugs is coming. There are bugs in the software. There will always be bugs in the software. But you can help find them by participating in the myfeedback program. I said it in the groups, I will say it again here, software development is a relationship. If you don’t work on that relationship, why would the programming team?

For those that don’t know, Mark’s had some surgery this week, getting his hip doctored up. He’s doing well, but keep him in your thoughts. See you tomorrow!

I know this is old news but its worth repeating. If you or someone you love is experiencing a sluggish response when typing in Word, it may be that the Vault 5 Office Plug-in is the culprit. Autodesk posted this fix a few months back. Download it here. It works.

Enjoy.