CES321585

Bridge Detailing 2.0:

Computational modelling methods using Civil 3D,
Revit & Dynamo
Jim Crabtree BIM-CP
Jacobs

Learning Objectives
· Use the Subassembly Composer to create custom parametric bridge components
· Build a Civil 3D corridor describing complex bridge deck geometry
· Create a Dynamo definition to produce Revit objects from Civil 3D corridors
· Understand how custom Dynamo nodes are created for bridge modelling, which
bring agility and transferability to workflows

Description
Finding an automated workflow suitable for complex bridge design isn't easy. Bridge models are
often at the mercy of corridor changes; add to this the fact that bridge designers often use
different software to the alignment team and the result can be a disconnected, isolated process.
Using Dynamo and the open-source CivilConnection node package, this class will show how
Revit bridge geometry can be dynamically linked to alignment data, reducing abortive work and
increasing the efficiency of implementing design changes. This class will provide an introduction
to formulating agile and powerful workflows allowing the best parts of Civil 3D and Revit to be
leveraged together in the bridge detailing process. The result is an ability to bring computational
design, predominantly still seen as suitable only for preliminary production, firmly into the
detailed design arena.

Speaker(s)
Jim Crabtree is a civil engineer working in the Bridge sector. He has experience from roles as
structural inspector, railway site safety controller, design engineer and CAD manager. His love
of digital design and construction includes over 18 years’ using Autodesk tools. In recent years
as a BRE BIM Certified Practitioner, Jim has turned his focus to information management and
project automation on several major UK highways projects. Jim also takes a leading role in the
development of design automation workflows and strategy in the Jacobs Bridges business unit.

[email protected]
linkedin.com/in/je-crabtree

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Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 3
A Real-World Case Study ........................................................................................................................ 4
The Workflow ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Subassembly Composer ....................................................................................................................... 10
Civil 3D ..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Dynamo – Linear Elements ................................................................................................................... 21
Dynamo – Discrete Elements ............................................................................................................... 25
Dynamo – Framing Elements ............................................................................................................... 27
Dynamo – Custom Nodes ..................................................................................................................... 28
Revit Model Setup .................................................................................................................................. 30
Postface - Next Steps............................................................................................................................. 33

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Introduction
Digital bridge engineers have much to contend with. As part of the comprehensive design of any
bridge, aspects including earthworks design, alignment control, site constraints and structural
design requirements all need to be considered. Add to this the fact that whilst digital design &
automation moves us towards a world of drawing-less delivery, many bridges still require
complex technical drawing and schedule production. Workflows that provide interoperability are
therefore key – using Civil 3D and Revit together in the design process is the most established
method in the business, and when done well creates powerful results.

No two bridges are exactly alike. The intention of this class is to provide an efficient, versatile
workflow that works for a range of structural types, and whilst the case study we’ll be looking at
is a specialist type structure, similar ‘Linear Structures’ principles can be applied to a range of
bridge types and other linear structures.

In this class we will examine the modelling methods used in order to achieve the Revit model
output for ‘Bridge K’; a cable-stayed bridge structure currently at the preliminary design stage.
Each initial stage of the workflow is looked at in detail within this handout, the intention being to
provide an introduction to the main principles of using the open-source CivilConnection Dynamo
node package to link Civil 3D and Revit model content.

The primary purpose of using CivilConnection within this context is to leverage the best
functionality of both Civil 3D and Revit for bridge designers within a single process:

· Civil 3D offers the most relevant tools for ‘linear’ element and earthworks design. By
using shared project data shortcuts to alignment and surface content, the bridge model
geometry is linked to the alignment design and other multi-disciplinary project content.

· Revit outputs provide parametric object modelling, as well as schedule and 2D drawing
content creation.

Whilst workflows using a combination of these tools are not new, the toolset which
CivilConnection provides changes the game in terms of the required complexity. Within this
guide you won’t find any reference to utilising Python code or CSV point input; whilst these are
no doubt powerful allies in the quest for automation, CivilConnection simplifies the process of
extracting Civil 3D corridor information. This guide will hopefully demonstrate that much can be
gleaned from the use of Dynamo alone to achieve the required computational model behavior,
and this provides a sound foundation of knowledge for further forays into more complex
methods as required.

The content of this handout is therefore intended only to act as a guide to the first fundamental
steps in this process. Once these are well understood, further development of model definition
is possible through use of further Dynamo computation, parametric family editing and
CivilPython scripting.

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A Real-World Case Study
‘Bridge K’ is a 160m long cycleway bridge over the River Severn in the UK, comprising 7 spans
of lightweight steel deck construction with reinforced concrete approach ramps at either end.
The main cable-stayed river span is 70m long, supported by 26m high dual steel masts with
5No. support cables on each side of the deck.

3 potential alignments are being considered during the preliminary design; one straight
alignment and two with increasing horizontal curvature. The preferred alignment is straight, and
it’s this option that we’ll be looking at in depth.

The bridge design is currently in the preliminary stages, with any modelling output intended to
follow on into the detailed design process.

BRIDGE K

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 THREE ALIGNMENT OPTIONS

The Site
The chosen bridge site over the River Severn is well suited to a cycle bridge; topology is
relatively flat and ground levels on either side of the river are similar, leading to a bridge
long section with a very shallow longitudinal gradient and only one vertical change in
direction. Whilst ground conditions are fair it is likely that piled foundations will be
required.

The intention of the bridge is to link public footpaths on each side of the river.
Construction space on both sides is ample, however interfaces with telegraph cables
immediately to the south of the bridge site, as well as proximity to private residences
must be considered as design constraints.

ELEVATION

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THE BRIDGE SITE

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The Workflow

CivilConnection
CivilConnection is a Dynamo for Revit package that enables the exchange of information
between Civil 3D, Dynamo and Revit. The open source package is available to
download from https://github.com/Autodesk/civilconnection, along with reference
documentation. A full feature list is available on this page, but in short, its features
include:

· The ability to work directly with an open instance of Civil 3D, pulling data into
Dynamo in a live fashion for immediate updates
· The ability to read corridor features including
o Alignments
o Auto-corridor feature lines
o Assembly shapes
· Placement of Revit elements according to feature line information
· Lofting of assembly shapes into smooth mass solids with no faceting/tessellation
· Creation of AutoCAD entities
· Sending commands to the Civil 3D command line and creation of command line
scripts

The ‘Linear Structures Workflow Guide’ (available via the above link) provides in-depth
background, installation and usage information. It is highly recommended that reference
is made to this document before attempting to use CivilConnection.

Note –
CivilConnection is available for all Civil 3D release numbers from 2017 onwards.
Install for the version of Civil 3D you are using, not Revit!

You must be using Dynamo for Revit 1.3+

Element Breakdown
Successful deployment of any automation methods requires a clear modelling strategy
from the outset, and a clear understanding of how each structure element shall be
produced and controlled in terms of position or dimensions. This class defines bridge
elements in terms of three broad categories, and in our modelling method we’ll be
tackling these as follows:

1. Linear Elements (shown in the figure below in blue) include the deck, girders,
parapet rails, ducting & drainage channels, etc…

These will be created as a Civil 3D corridor. A Dynamo definition will handle

the extraction of the corridor assembly shapes to create lofted mass solids in
Revit, each within their own component family.

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2. Discrete Elements (shown in the figure below in red) include cross girders,
parapet posts, foundations, etc…

These will be created as parametric families, prepopulated in the Revit project.

Their placement and orientation will be controlled via offset, angle & elevation
from given feature line stations within the Dynamo definition.

3. Framing elements include elements requiring more than a single placement

point such as diaphragms, deck bracing, and in the case of our bridge, the cable-
stays.

These can be created via adaptive components or structural framing families,

with the start/end points derived from the Dynamo definition.

ELEMENT BREAKDOWN OF BRIDGE K

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 Note that these categories make no reference to the standard engineering terminology
of longitudinal & transverse as these may not apply in all cases.

It’s worth noting that the concrete approach ramps in the above figure are categorised as
linear elements, and therefore initially produced as part of the Civil 3D corridor. This will
be useful if the alignment is to change to a curved configuration, as well as automatically
providing their tapered vertical profile. In other cases, it may be suitable to class these
as discrete objects and create parametric families for them, and indeed as the design of
Bridge K develops, there is the potential to:

1. Develop these families for further detail (such as providing bearing shelves)
2. Remove the respective Civil 3D corridor regions
3. Update the Dynamo definition to control them instead as discrete elements (via feature
line station, offset, angle, elevation).

Note –
Where a higher level of automation is required for pile configurations, they can be
created via structural column families and point input via Dynamo. In the case of our
bridge, all piles are produced as part of the parametric substructure families.

Modelling Method
The overall workflow can be summarised as follows:

Subassembly Civil 3D Dynamo Revit

Composer •Alignment, profile •Corridor shapes are •Project coordinates
• Custom and assembly collected and lofted are set
subassemblies are information is used into masses •Project is populated
created for the to create a corridor •Feature line with families of
linear elements describing the information is used discrete elements
• Point codes are linear elements of to define the •Project is populated
defined for the the bridge setting out of with families of
creation of feature discrete elements linear elements
lines •2D Documentation
• Shapes are defined produced

The following sections of this handout will cover each of these steps in further detail.

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Subassembly Composer

Installation
The composer comes included as an optional subcomponent of Civil 3D and is not
available separately. If you don’t see it under the Civil 3D heading in your Start bar:
· Go to Apps & Features in the Windows settings/Control Panel
· Find the relevant installation of Civil 3D
· ‘Modify’ the installation, and add the Composer when prompted

Step 1 - Creating Parameters

Creating your parameters first will allow you to then apply these within the points
configuration in the next step. Think carefully about what parameters you require and
how you want your assembly to ‘flex’; careful consideration now may make for fast
design changes later, as parameters can be changed in the Civil 3D environment once
loaded. Let’s look at the primary deck cross section for Bridge K:

We have 2 diamond shaped beams, and some deck surfacing. Note that the cross
girders aren’t included – they are discrete objects and come later. We want to maximise
the flexibility of this cross section, so 4 parameters have been created under the
‘Input/Output Parameters’ tab, which will parameterise the deck width and beam size.

Step 2 – Adding Points and Links

· Points define the basic structure, and when coded, produce auto-corridor feature
lines
· Links connect points, and when coded, produce surfaces
· Shapes are defined by a closed region of links, and may be extracted into solids

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Always start by creating ‘sequences’ in the workflow area. These will allow you to
organise your points, links & shapes effectively, and can be useful when things start to
get complex. Our subassembly is 3 shapes only - If you’re dealing with a complex deck
configuration (say, a multi-girder composite type deck), consider creating these as
separate subassemblies.

USING SEQUENCE GROUPS

Create your points, adding dimensions (doubles), or expressions including your

parameter names where relevant:

ADDING PARAMETERS

Step 3 – Defining Variables

Adding variables to your subassembly flowchart is a way of parameterising expressions,
allowing them to be recalled and used quickly throughout the flowchart.

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One possible application of this is to affect the behaviour of one parameter by the results
of another. Within the Bridge K deck subassembly, an IF statement has been added as a
variable, which will affect the deck system thickness according to its span:

IF(Width_L + Width_R < 3, 0.05, 0.06)

“If the combined deck width is less than 3m, then the deck surfacing system shall
be 50mm thick. If not, it shall be 60mm thick”

The expression can then be named and called as a parameter as normal.

Step 4 – Applying Targets

Using offset targets allows the horizontal geometry of your section (width) to be
controlled via polylines or feature lines within Civil 3D. This has 2 significant
applications in bridge deck design:

· Decks of varying width can be rendered by applying targets on one or both sides
of the bridge structure at a tapered angle to the alignment:

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 · Where dealing with curved horizontal road alignments, straight polylines on either
side of the deck targeted to the deck edges can be applied to render a straight
deck over the curve (a common detailing method for shorter span bridges):

Using elevation targets allows the vertical geometry (depth) to be controlled via vertical
profiles. This again, has significant applications:

· Dealing with differences in construction depth between the deck and road
surface, particularly for producing flat/linearly sloped decks over alignments with
vertical curvature:

· Decks or deck elements of varying depth, such as steel beams or concrete box
girders with an arched profile:

Create your entries in the ‘Target Parameters’ tab and apply these to the required points
in a similar fashion to the input parameters. Note that any targets will override the Input
parameters previously created when they are applied.

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Note – Even when use of targets is anticipated, always provide Delta X/Y formula
as a default value

Step 5 – Creating Links & Shapes

A suite of nodes exists within CivilConnection to read subassembly shapes, allowing
them to be lofted into editable Revit masses and placed within generic families. This
method has the following advantages over other methods of producing deck solids (such
as extracting in Civil 3D and linking to Revit via IFC):

· Geospatial coordination is automatically handled by CivilConnection. Assuming

the Revit project coordinates are set, no further translation is required.

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 · Smooth solids are produced with no visible facets, providing a significant
advantage at the drawing production stage, particularly for curved elements.
· These solids are produced along NURBS type curves intersecting all
subassembly points, negating the need to consider tight assembly frequencies or
mid-ordinate distances within the Civil 3D corridor and allowing for a simpler,
leaner corridor model.
· Discontinuations (or ‘creases’) in lofted solids can be defined at station locations
if required. This is useful for abrupt changes in direction or segmented deck
profiles.

Shapes should therefore be defined within your subassembly by forming closed loops of
links and then defining a shape within them, noting that each shape will produce a
separately lofted solid.

Step 6 – Adding Point Codes

When coded, points produce auto-corridor feature lines. These are a crucial part of the
workflow, allowing discrete elements to be placed along and controlled spatially via the
Dynamo definition.

As a minimum, a centreline point code should always be provided as part of the deck
assembly. As part of decks of constant cross section, this may be enough to place all
required discrete elements, when we consider that the offset and elevation of elements
from the feature line can be defined as a node input. For more complex geometry,
consider a range of codes which may include stringcourse edges, girder centrelines and
even ducting positions.

A suitable name should be added in double quotation marks in order to correctly identify
the feature lines required within list outputs in the Dynamo definition.

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 ADDING POINT CODES

Tip –
Parameterising your point code names will allow them to be changed in the Civil
3D Subassembly Properties once loaded. Add a string type input parameter and
enter the parameter name as the Point Code value.

Creating further subassemblies

As our corridor will comprise several regions, the cross sections of all need to be
considered.

The approach ramps can also be defined using the Composer. This one has parameters
for the slab thickness and overall width. There are also defined targets; an elevation
target on the base slab will allow us to control the trough depth via vertical profile, and
offset targets for controlling the width via horizontal polyline if required:

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Further examples – other bridge types
Much can be achieved through the use of good subassembly planning. The example
image below comes from an assembly for a composite type bridge deck, comprising
separately created subassemblies for the steel girders and concrete deck. Flexible
parameters include:

· Girder overall depth

· Girder plate thicknesses and widths
· Deck slab thickness
· Deck slab width
· Deck slab crossfall grade
· Stringcourse depth and width

Tip -
Always consider your total construction depth. The baseline indicator of the
assembly above represents the carriageway surface centreline, and therefore sits
above the slab top face for coordination purposes.

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Civil 3D

Data Shortcuts
Using data shortcuts has distinct advantages when working on multidisciplinary projects.
By using the same centralised alignment and surface data as included in the highways
design (or any other transportation corridor, for that matter), as a bridge designer you
can ensure synchronicity between the primary corridor model content and the bridge
model.

For highways bridges or other structures reliant on geometry produced by other teams,
using data shortcuts is therefore highly recommended.

Tip –
By avoiding using the ‘Rebuild – Automatic’ option on your corridor, you’ll be
notified of an out of date corridor, allowing you to stay in control of design
change:

Corridor Properties
Where applicable, use regions to define any changes of cross section type. In the case
of our bridge, we have 3 regions (one for the deck, and two ramp approaches at either
end). These regions can be organised and dealt with as separate entities in the Dynamo
definition.

THE BRIDGE K CORRIDOR COMPRISING THREE REGIONS

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 4

3 2 5

CORRIDOR PROPERTIES

1. Specify the alignment required as a horizontal baseline, and the corresponding

deck profile.
2. Specify the assembly required for each region.
3. Always ensure that your regions & baselines are appropriately named. This will
make them easy to identify in the Dynamo definition.
4. Station frequency plays a large part in CivilConnection calculation time. As a
general rule of thumb, use the lowest possible frequency to return acceptable
results on the geometry of the corridor. Generally speaking, a frequency of 20m
along tangents, and 5m along curves with a mid-ordinate distance of 0.1 produce
adequately precise geometry, and manageable list lengths in Dynamo. Higher
frequencies run the risk of long run times, and in the worst case the failure of the
Dynamo definition and are therefore not recommended.
5. Set the offset and elevation targets defined in your subassemblies using
polylines, feature lines and additional profiles. In the case of our bridge, elevation
targets defining the approach ramp foundation slabs have been defined as
additional vertical profiles.

Tip -
The same alignment can contain multiple baselines. Best practice for complex
multi-structure projects is to include the bridge lengths as separate baselines
within the primary highway corridor. This will allow for easy identification of the
bridge regions.

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 SETTING TARGETS

ADDITIONAL PROFILES USED AS TARGETS

Using Multiple Corridors

One powerful feature of corridor modelling is the ability to target the auto-corridor feature
lines in one corridor to affect the behaviour of another. For instance:

· Could you automatically control your deck width via feature lines at the edges of
the highway design?
· Could you model a walkway slab to span between two independently controlled
deck corridors?

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The following sections outline each of the major steps within the Bridge K Dynamo definition.

Dynamo – Linear Elements

Start Civil 3D Integration

1
3

1. Initialises the integration with an open instance of Civil 3D.

2. When this node is included, the Periodic run option becomes available in
Dynamo. Note that it is generally recommended that you use only the ‘Manual’
option when using CivilConnection.
3. Allows an open document to be specified by filename rather than an index
number (which drifts according to the number of open documents in Civil 3D).

Get Corridor Regions

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Get Subassembly Shapes

1. Draws the shapes in the Dynamo geometry preview and translates to the coordinated
geospatial position
2. Organises shapes by name, in order that they are input into the lofting operation in
rational order

Get Subassembly Stations

1. Creates a list of shape stations including the start and end stations, and any stations
where a discontinuation (crease) is required (in our case, just one at the vertical kink in
the deck).

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Loft Deck Solids

1. The previously created shapes list organised by name

2. A family template that supports freeform mass (an adaptive family).

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SHAPES IN THE DYNAMO GEOMETRY PREVIEW

COMPLETED REVIT FAMILIES

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Dynamo – Discrete Elements

Identify Feature lines

Use a code block for quick extraction and identification of the feature line codes.

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Create Family Instances

1. Takes sample line groups from the Civil 3D model and organises them into nested lists
by Group,Station.
2. Creates multiple instances of a similar family type, with specified offsets, elevations and
rotations from the nearest point of the feature line.

Note –
The angleZ only controls relative rotation to the nearest feature line segment –
individual family instances are automatically rotated around curves when using
this node. Refer to the Linear Structures Workflow Guide document for more
information.

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Dynamo – Framing Elements

Placing the cable stays

Whilst the full definition for placing the adaptive component cable stays is rather too complex to
describe in full detail here, it can be summarised as follows:

1. Points connecting to the deck are placed along feature lines at specified stations,
using the Point.ByStationOffsetElevation node
2. Points connecting to the mast top are placed along a model line on top of the
family instance using the ‘Select Model Elements’ node.
3. The corresponding points are connected with curves.
4. Adaptive Component instances are created using the
AdaptiveComponent.ByPoints node.

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Dynamo – Custom Nodes

Dynamo definitions can quickly become unwieldly. One way of tackling this issue is to create
your own custom nodes by grouping various operations within. Advantages of using this method
include:

· Making your graphs clearer and easier to understand

· Custom node packages can be easily shared between projects and within your
organisation

This custom node is used in the Bridge K definition to help rationalise the spacing of discrete
elements:

Let’s take a look inside:

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 3

2
3
1. Input nodes are created for the inputs required, giving an Input name, and optionally an
expected data type, data structure and default value:

endstation: The input name

var Expected data type is a Variable (could also be int, double,
string, var, bool)
[]..[] Defines an arbitrary list structure. More information exists
on the Dynamo website https://dynamobim.org/what-does-
var-mean/
= 30 A default value

2. A code block which creates a distributed array of stations based on the input rules. This
could of course be achieved through standard Dynamo nodes – using DesignScript in
this way offers another way of optimizing your graph structure!
3. Output nodes are created and provide output names.

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Revit Model Setup

Working with Civil 3D coordinates

Coordination between the Civil 3D World Coordinate System (WCS) and Revit Project
Base Point is a crucial aspect of using connected workflows. When using
CivilConnection the following steps should be taken to ensure synchronicity between the
coordinate systems of your Civil 3D and Revit models.

In a general sense this is achieved by linking a coordinated .dwg to your Revit model
and acquiring the coordinates from it. However, Revit experiences problems when trying
to link in AutoCAD information which is more than 20 miles in extents (that is, 20 miles
away from the origin), explained in this article:
http://revitoped.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/extents-greater-than-20-miles.html. This causes
problems when attempting to link AutoCAD files which use large regional coordinate
systems.

The following steps provide a workaround to this issue.

1. Link your CAD overlays using the Center to Center option. Assuming the object limits
within the file are less than 20 miles high or wide, this will bring down the overall extents
to within 20 miles of the project base point and will allow you to insert it. It’s important to
check that the dwg doesn’t contain any objects at the origin, as this will expand the
extents of the file. In this case objects should either be removed, or a copy of the file can
be made that only contains the extents that you require (this should be a last resort, as
visibility of any changes made by other disciplines will be lost).

2. Now our CAD overlay is inserted but isn’t at grid position. Switch on visibility of the
Project Base Point, in View à Visibility/Graphics

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3. Unclip the Project base point using the paperclip (this allows it to be moved relatively to
objects within the model), and move it to a convenient point which can be identified in
Civil 3D (using project monumentation such as a rectangle around the site is an easy
way to achieve this).

4. Reclip the Project Base Point

5. Identify the coordinates of that point in Civil 3D and enter them into the fields (checking
that units are correct)

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6. The linked .dwg is now positioned to grid. An orthographic view can be set for the
structure, by rotating all objects about the Project Base Point within the Project North
orientation.
7. Acquire the coordinates from the CAD link via the Manage Tab, Coordinates:

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Postface - Next Steps

How is your organisation enabling digital transformation?

Within Jacobs, we are looking to build on previous successes using CivilConnection. As the
number of proficient Dynamo users & programmers within the organisation grows, we’re
employing a number of strategies to facilitate digital transformation, with several aims:

· Integrate and centralise the best work across the organisation into a single solution for
bridge design

· Bring consistency to the way in which computational methods are implemented in bridge
modelling

· Improve the user experience and accessibility of these methods to the larger workforce

· Improve the transferability of workflows and resources across different project and
structural types

· Provide a framework for further development in the field

Spreadsheet Input
Using spreadsheets to tabulate input data and importing this into the Dynamo definition can:

· Improve the clarity of Dynamo graphs

· Open up the possibility of design edits by non-Dynamo users
· Improve design version control

Custom Node packages

Custom nodes improve the clarity of Dynamo graphs and facilitate sharing of Dynamo workflows
between projects & teams.

Python Scripting to the next level

New automation opportunities await those using Python code to access both the Civil 3D and
Revit APIs, including the possibility of automating Civil 3D object creation.

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