Two New Civil 3D Knowledge Base Entries

These two entries recently were added to the Knowledge Base. I am sure that some will be helped by them...

Running Survey Link from Civil 3D

Adding Survey Link to Survey menu in Civil 3D

The second item is the same Survey Link that is launched by the C3D Extensions CUI that my co-worker Jerry Bartels created and has shared. Pete Kelsey recently blogged a link to Jerry's CUI and Tool Palette additions.

Be Better!

A.C.E.S. Landed

Last Thursday evening (October 5, 2006) the Autodesk Civil Engineering Solutions (A.C.E.S.) User Group of Southern California held their inaugural meeting at the University Marriott in Fullerton, California. There were employees present from over a dozen engineering firms and several municipalities. By all accounts it was a great success. The intended goals of Share, Network, Learn seemed to be well addressed during this first meeting.

The evening began with dinner. Then Pete Kelsey, Autodesk Technical Evangelist, presented an "Industry Overview" (where have we been, where are we, and where are we headed?).

I did a "Technical Presentation" which was titled "Civil 3D on a Dime". Intended for organizations that have not yet cracked open the Civil 3D box. This section covered Civil 3D capabilities that we can use with very little or no training/investment, and take advantage of Autodesk Civil 3D 2007 to support whichever application we may use currently. These capabilities included taking data from Land Desktop into Civil 3D in order to do...

--Earthwork Volume Calculations (2 commands, 10 steps, 45 seconds)
--Translate and Rotate a Surface (4 Commands, 10 steps)
--Parcel(s) Lot Line Adjustment (3 commands, 11 steps)
--Create Geometry for an Alignment (2 commands, 8 steps)
--Renumber Parcels (2 commands 12 steps)

KETIV Technologies gave everyone in attendance a CD with custom styles and expressions to jumpstart the use of these items in Civil 3D. The evening ended with an open forum segment and announcements.

If the first meeting is any indication, there will be lots of benefits to members of this user group. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday January 11 (location to be determined). Mark the date on your calendar, and invite your co-workers. This is a free and easy way to get information about our industry and the applications that we use.

The ISD Technical Evangelist Speaks

Yesterday, I mentioned that Pete Kelsey is Autodesk's Infrastructure Solutions Division Technical Evangelist. The Civil 3D Community has a link to his blog "The Dirt".

The ISD Technical Evangelist

Let the fanfare begin, the white smoke is rising, Autodesk has recently appointed PETE KELSEY as the Technical Evangelist for their Infrastructure Solutions Division (ISD). Here is some info from the KETIV Technologies website about Pete:

Pete Kelsey, a long-time customer of the Autodesk product line, has worn many hats during his career, including those of civil designer, land surveyor and CAD manager in civil engineering firms. He served as a systems integrator and also handled gigs as an instructor at an Autodesk reseller and as a consultant to firms of many sizes around the world.

In 2001, Pete started K-TEK Solutions. In just five years, it grew to employ 74 people in seven countries.

Pete’s extensive civil engineering experience gives him a true field-to-finish perspective. That expertise, along with his engaging delivery style, has gained him a worldwide audience.

In the summer of 2006 Pete came full circle and joined the Autodesk team as the Infrastructure Solutions Division’s Technical Evangelist. In this role Pete will carry on as trusted advisor to customers worldwide.

Certifications/ Industry Experience

AutoCAD Certified Level II
Softdesk Certified Level I & II
Softdesk Registered Consultant
Autodesk AEC Consultant
Speaker, Autodesk University
Autodesk Technical Specialist
Certified Level II for MX Road
Autodesk Certified Instructor
Autodesk Authorized Consultant
K-Tek Certified Professional
Autodesk Developer Network
Oracle Partner Network

Pete is a part of Autodesk's Collision tour which will be in the following cities...

Philadelphia - September 19
New York City - September 20
Chicago - September 21
San Francisco - November 13
Anaheim, CA - November 14 (I'll be at this one)
Houston - November 17

I am sure he is looking forward to meeting and conversing with us.

A.C.E.S. Flying into Southern California

The control tower has given final clearance for A.C.E.S. to land here in Southern Califonia. What is A.C.E.S. you may ask? A.C.E.S. is...

Autodesk Civil Engineering Solutions User Group of Southern California

You can join this squadron of novice, intermediate, and elite users of:

Civil 3D
Land Desktop
Civil Design
Survey
Raster Design
Map
AutoCAD

We can all see this group get off the ground together (Thursday, Oct. 5 @ 5:30pm) and attendees can help pilot its formation. I am also looking forward to meeting Pete Kelsey at the first meeting. Who is Pete Kelsey? You don't know. You will.

Click on any of the links to register.