Trimble Business Center

Using TBC.v5.1.  Have not installed the patch yet.   Just on forum, realizing there is a patch.

Want to improve our Company's skill as using TBC for Plotting Plans, Profiles, and X-Sections, for Corridors and for single and multiple plan sites.  Ideally overlaying our TBC data, on to pdf IFC grading plans, as provided from the owner.  

As a goofy Canadian.  Imported the Metric Templates to start with this setup.  The first learning curve project,

a simple corridor modeled from a pdf IFC design, released for use at contractors own risk as .dwg but no C3D corridor data files.  This is pretty typical of Canadian bid build projects.  Even then, corridor outputs from C3D design teams are often plagued with real world issues.  The corridor developed in TBC is not perfect, but good enough for field stake out to get the job built.

Needed to provide some design EL info, NOT provided on the IFC plans.  Spot ELs basically for the Site Supt to prepare for backfilling a new road over the structure.   Also a good reason to learn point labels and the smart text labeling options in TBC comparing to a surface.  Very slick. 

Here are the questions that this learning curve produced.....related to simple Plotting with TBC.

Q1) Using off the shelf plotting vcl template.  Why do the A0 to A4 plans have the Red Exclamation Dot?

Imported the file: Metric Sheet Template (All Sizes and Types).vcl

Q2) Attempted to place a Dynaview in plan, to build a sheet, and plot to pdf.  but the sheet layout does not seem to be able to create the sheet....to then be able to plot it to a A2 pdf page.  I suspect a problem with my Custom rotated and placed Dynaview......that does not quite fit, but not sure how to correctly solve, or set this up on a sheet size I can plot to.  More importantly to a 11x17 size available for printing at the site, rather than an A4 or A2 size?  

Q3) Can you provide Step by step instructions, to Create a dynaview in a plan view, and have it represented on a Sheet Layout, rotated.  We come from AutoDesk view-ports, model space and layout tabs, and the layer settings to control viability.  Well versed in view filters and their use in TBC.    Just want to get these plotting steps dialed.....

1) single Boundary (the right size for right scale), 2) dynaview, 3) scaling from dynaview to Sheet Layout and Sheet size (typically 11x17), and 4) rotation method dialed.  Say rotated to align with a grid line, or a structure edge for example.  

Q4) Same questions for a 3D view....if possible.  Would be great to see some Saved Dimensions (delta X, Y and Z)  in this view also.  

Q5) Last question, previous questions elude to this, up here in Canada, we are a "hybrid units of measure nation."  As in we buy/produce paper and lumber, to US standard sizes, Letter, Legal, 11X17, and for large plotting, 22x34, 44x68 are common plotter sizes and roll widths (36"W and 48" wide).  But........we survey and typically build things in meters and mm; even though we use form-work and lumber manufactured in ft and inches!  

Any advice and/or assistance to setup a metric template.vcl (issued with TBC install files), setup with Letter, Legal, 11x17, 22x34, 44x68 sizes would be very helpful?  I have tried to start with Metric Sheet Template (All Sizes and Types).vcl

Thank you in advance to Alan, and Nick, and Trimble TBC developers and power users, for continuing to support us using TBCv5.1 for all our Earth Works estimating, take off, and Survey Data prep needs for both projects and pursuits! 

Last thing to solve, is presenting this critical for construction data in PDF plans, sections, and 3D views.

Look forward to my Thursday summary email, to read and review the questions and answers posted on the forum each week.  

Jake

The Red Dot appears on Sheet Sets that re imported / created in a project that do not have Sheets created within them As soon as you add a "Boundary Set" to the properties of a Sheet Set and then Build Sheets, the red dot disappears. So I guess you could say that the Red Dot is flagging that you have created a Sheet Set but as yet have not created any Sheets within the Sheet Set.

If for example you create a Sheet Set called "Custom Sheets" and set the Type of Sheets for this Sheet Set to be Custom (meaning that they can have anything at all placed on them, which in turn means that they do not have to be referenced to a Boundary Set or Dynaview Collection etc. - you will see that if you create e.g. 3 Custom Sheets called Custom 1, Custom 2 and Custom 3 that there are no red dots - because these sheets can be considered complete even when you have not added any content (because the Sheet Type does not know when it is complete because you can place nothing or a lot of info on a Custom Sheet.

However if you now create a Sheet Set called Plan Sheets and select the Sheet Set Type as Plan Grid, this expects a Dynaview Collection to be assigned to it on creation and there s no option for "None" (in the creation of the Sheet Templates that I share - I create the Sheet Set and reference it to a Dynaview Collection so that I can create it, and then I delete the Dynaview Collecton later on (thereby leaving the Sheet Sets that I have created Unreferenced and that is what triggers the Red Dot). (It is these unreferenced Sheet Sets that I save out to VCL for your use). This allows you to drag in a Sheet Set that is all set up, and all you have to do is add the Boundary Set to the Sheet Set and Build Sheets and the Red DOT the disappears. It is a bit of a "Back Door" process but it works well and is the most efficient process that I have found.

The Red Dot doesn't appear on Section Sheets or Plan / Profile Sheets which I would say is a little inconsistent behavior, because I do the same thing on those but for the referenced corridor model - because the Sections are referenced to a Corridor Model "None" however this appears to clear the Red Dot on those Sheet Sets. Again - a Corridor based Sheet Set on creation requires a corridor to be present and selected - again I import one, reference it, create the Sheet Setup and then Delete the Corridor - thereby leaving the Sheet Set Un referenced to the Corridor - which you would have thought would trigger the Red Dot, however because it sets the reference to None it appears to be OK with that. The Plan Sheet Set should really do the same thing - i.e. set the Boundary Set to None and allow None as an option on creation (same for corridors) and that would eliminate the Red Dots altogether.

The Base Sheet in my Templates also shows the Red Dot because I created that as a Plan Grid Sheet, and when I do them again I will do that as a Custom Sheet.

Hope that this answers the question - let me know if not.

Alan

Q2

If you have a Sheet Set set up as Plan Grid type, then in the Project Explorer you will see the Sheet Set in the tree. It will not have any sheets below it. The only way to create Sheets in a Plan Grid Sheet Set is to create a Dynaview Collection (this is a collection of frames at a defined size and at a defined scale, and then reference the Dynaview Collection to the Sheet Set through its properties. A Dynaview Collection can be a 1x1 set of frames or more than 1x1 i.e. 4x2 etc.. but this is how to create a Plan Grid Sheet Set. Once you have referenced the Dynaview Collection as the Boundary Set for the Sheet Set you can then Build Sheets to create the number of sheets defined by the Dynaview Collection. Each frame of the Dynaview Collection will create a New Sheet in the Sheet Set. If it creates Sheets that you don't want you can delete the Sheets. Just don't rebuild the Sheets (only Refresh the sheets) otherwise the deleted sheets will be recreated. You ca also delete a frame from the Dynaview Collection so that it never builds the sheet in the first place. You can also move the Dynaview Frames around to change the layout and overlaps (use their grips) to get the sheet layout that you need. As you move the Frames, the Sheets will update automatically.

If all you want is to draw a rectangle or Circle or Polygon shape and place it on a sheet for plotting, then you should use the Custom Sheet Type. Then you can draw your Frame in the Plan View (or any view) and create a Dynaview From It and place that on any Custom Sheet that you have created. You can also place it on any Sheet that you have created in the process outlined above using Dynaview Collections (e.g. to add a lager scale inset of a specific area of the project) - but the sheet has to exist in order to place a Dynaview. While you can place Dynaviews on the Plan Set or Sheet Set Level, be aware that the Dynaview Contents will then also appear on every Sheet that is created within that Sheet Set, or on every Sheet of every Sheet Set if you place t at the Plan Set level. This is a good thing if you are placing a Legend that you drew in plan view and you want the legend to appear in the Titles Area of all your Sheets - same for an overview map of the project for example - but it has its use case, just be aware of that.

So Plan Grid Sheet Sets / Sheets require a Dynaview Collection in order to be generated, and dynaviews can be added to these afterwards to add more detail to a drawing if needed.

Section Sheets and Profile Sheets (Plan and Profile or Profile Only) require a Road Model in order to be generated

Custom Sheets can be created and can take any type of data including Dynaviews generated from data on other sheets (e.g. a few sections or a profile), or from Dynaviews placed in the Plan, Profile, Station / Offset etc views of the Project.

Any Sheet Type can have data added to it e.g. Annotation, Images / photos, Screen Shots (3D Views) etc.

Hope that this answers this question - my guess is that you were trying to add a Dynaview to a Plan Grid type of Sheet Set and you did not have a Dynaview Collection assigned as a boundary set. The size would not be the issue because the Sheet View is infinite and you can place anything outside the limits of the Sheet (that acts like a Scratch Pad that you can use to hold / create info that you want on our sheets (some or all of the time) and then drag it into the sheet area as needed. Anything outside of the defined Sheet Size Area will not plot. If you let me know Jake  I can take a look at this with you on a GoTo Meeting today f you have the time (this am would be good). Happy to get you going here.

A Metric Template that uses 11x17 paper (I guess if we give you the ability to do something then someone will do it ....) Go figure - I will add it to my list of Drafting template improvements and will try to create that for you - However it can be used today - if you have a Metric project - Import that Sheet Set into the Project. When you create your Dynaview Collection, where it asks for the Sheet Width and Height in mm, you can type in the values defined in my template as 14.5in and 10.5in for the width and height and it will convert to mm - that is the only thing that changes and I can fix that in a few mins for you this am and send you a sheet set that works for plans. The Sections and Plan Profiles I can also fix pretty fast to create you a start point Sheet Set I think (for 11x17 at least). give me a few hours.

Alan

The Step By Step instructions are all captured in the Blog on Drafting - I have Videos there also. If there is something specifically missing, let me know and I will try to fill in the gaps, I just don't want to recreate the wheel that is already out there if I can help it.

Here are the links

Link 1

Link 2

The Videos Pasted for the PUG Events also cover this in some degree of detail - if you need a web meeting to go over this I am happy to do that and record the session so that you have it as a reference - just let me know what / when works.

Alan

If you want an indication of scale in the 3D Views you can draw a Frame in the Plan View at a height near the elevation range that you have in the model and then use a Line Label Style to label its length and width (with a Text height that makes sense for what you are doing) and have that in the 3D view when you capture the image as shown below here

I looked at adding a Grid and it appears that a Grid applied to a Dynaview is a 2D Object and exploding it in Plan View doesn't appear to work - That may be a useful tool to create a 3D Grid for these types of view.

Alan

Try out the enclosed ANSI All Sheets and All Sizes for Metric template as requested (a good start point at least). This one was created by simply converting the US Foot template into Metric, so the layout ends up using decimal mm for a lot of the parameters (Column Widths and Heights and paper locations, Text Heights etc.) which I would clean up if creating this from scratch, however this works today and will at least get you started. 

Let me know if you need help on this and I will call you

You can replace the .png file with your logo (400 pixels wide and 200 Pixels High) and place both files in the Drafting Templates Folder

Alan