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Are there any tutorials for TBC's utility module? I have gone through Mike Carris's Utility title on Retrieve and that is good but I feel like it is more of an overview and on the more basic side.

I feel comfortable creating nodes, pipes, runs and network. I now want to take it to the next level and use this for estimating, pay requisitions and value engineering.

What I want to work on and what I am looking for:

• Creating advanced templates
  • conditional side slopes
    • trenches in ledge
    • this is a big one for us. Lots of ledge in the granite state
  • benching
• Takeoff Report
  • Strata Surfaces
    • Do I use the strata surfaces in takeoff or in corridor?
    • How do I set these up?
    • Do I have to create them from boreholes or can I select a preexisting surface and assign it as a strata
      • I know this is a hot topic in general
    • Using strata obtained from an engineering or from estimating
  • Separating runs for phased work
    • Onsite, offsite
    • Phase 1,2, 3
• Advanced node modeling
  • Modeling node sumps
  • Modeling node castings
    • Frame and Grate
    • Frame and Cover
  • Both sumps and casting will effect the vertical footage of your structures
• General workflows to make life easier
  • Setups for success
  • Taking LandXML data from an engineer and generating quantities
    
    • Design-Build situations
  • Using LandXML data to check quantities
    • Design-Bid-Build. Making sure quantities are correct
  • Cleaning up LandXML data received from and engineer or another party
  • Relayering to users common layer groups
    • Similar process to standardizing for takeoffs

I will try to add videos as I come across specific issues or questions.

Here are the Videos that I created for the following

1) Advanced Trench Design (should cover your Ledge requirements)

2) Modeling Strata for excavation quantities (Uses Surface Models defined in the Corridor Strata Model (Not Site Model) - but can use Boreholes in SiteTakeoff to create the surfaces and then reference them into the Corridor Strata Model

3) Tour of a Completed Project - covers a lot of ground in a ~60 min video - shows where / how to create things in general but not in detail

Modeling a Box Culvert using "Custom Shapes"

Exporting Utility Model Data for SCS900 / Siteworks

Modeling a Rock Trench Template

Modeling a Soil Trench Template

Modeling a Storm Sewer Network

Creating a Utility Model Using Multi Segment Lines

Utility Module - Tour of a Completed Project

Hope these help - I will review your other points and see what I can add next week Pat

Alan

Alan,

These have been very helpful. Thank you for sharing.

In response to your other points, here are my responses

• Creating advanced templates

• Conditional side slopes
• Trenches in ledge
• Benching

[AS] Watch the videos posted on Rock and Soil Trench modeling – that covers how to build the Trench Templates and how to handle Rock and Soil Conditions etc. If there are specific questions that you have after watching those videos let me know.

• Takeoff Report

• Strata Surfaces
• Do I use the strata surfaces in takeoff or in corridor?
• How do I set these up?
• Do I have to create them from boreholes or can I select a preexisting surface and assign it as strata
• Using strata obtained from an engineering or from estimating

[AS] I cover the setup of Strata in the overview video. The strata have to ultimately be setup as Corridor Strata as the Trench modeling uses the corridor model behind the scenes. You can however enter Borehole data into the Site Takeoff process and use that to create the Strata Surface models. The Strata Surface Models can then be setup in the Corridor Strata list using the “Surfaces” method. Note that the Top of the Strata List can be the Original Ground Model, however if your Trenches target the Finished Design Surface then the Top Layer in the strata list should be the Finished Design Model. This is all covered in the video I think.

• Separating runs for phased work

• Onsite, offsite
• Phase 1,2, 3

[AS] As discussed, we have no specific support for this in TBC at this stage, however you can use different “Utility Networks” to define the runs that represent different phases of work. Note that you can only include a single Utility Node in a single Network, so if you need “common nodes” in different networks, I suggest that you make the node in one network the “Master”and when you duplicate it in other Networks make it an “Existing” node to avoid double counting it from a Takeoff perspective. You can also use the Null Node concept (create a Node type called Null Node in the Headwall category and use a small red sphere or similar as the indicator – the Null nodes can be set to Existing also so they don’t get counted in Takeoff, and this will stop multiple manholes etc. from being created graphically.

• Advanced node modeling

• Modeling node sumps
• Modeling node castings
• Frame and Grate
• Frame and Cover
• Both sumps and casting will affect the vertical footage of your structures

[AS] we likely need to discuss this – we don’t break out all these elements in the Utility Node. We allow you to define two elevations – those can be used as Rim and Invert or as Top and Bottom of Structure etc. If you want you could define multiple nodes at the same location to capture the Structure and then the Frame and Grate etc. if needed. I would be interested in what you end up doing in this area. We do not break the Manholes into Rings etc. and we don’t differentiate the costs (nor do we roll up costs of nodes at this time) based on the number of rings / height of the manhole etc.

• General workflows to make life easier

• Setups for success [AS] watch the overview video – that will give some tips
• Taking LandXML data from an engineer and generating quantities [AS] I can record a video of some LandXML Utility workflows to give some tips – will look at that next week
• Design-Build situations [AS] Not sure what this means in terms of information needed
• Using LandXML data to check quantities [AS] you can convert imported LandXML utilities into Networks, Runs, Nodes and Pipes – you can then use TBC Tools to create the Trenches and compute the quantities – those can be cross checked against Design Quantities
• Design-Bid-Build. Making sure quantities are correct [AS] As above – not sure what more you need for this – let me know
• Cleaning up LandXML data received from and engineer or another party [AS] Will try to cover this in the LandXML video next week
• Relayering to users common layer groups – [AS] Imported LandXML data has no Layers of its own (LandXML does not support layers) however imported data can be relayered like any other data into a structure that you like to use. The import of LandXML Utilities places the Utility objects on a layer of the same name as the imported file, so if the Utility Networks are provided indifferent files they will end up on different layers.
• Similar process to standardizing for takeoffs. Standardize does not currently support the selection of Utility Nodes and Pipes in the Standardization Process – I have asked if this can be rectified. You currently have to use Properties Pane to change the Layers of selected LandXML Utility Items.

Advanced Node Modeling

Thanks for the videos. I have not had a chance to review any but based on the volume, I have a feeling a good number of my questions will be answered.

I am going to breakup my questions into separate replies as to keep comments back and forth more clear and focused.

Stacked Nodes for Frame and Grates

I think this has potential as a work around in the interim. I need to do some testing on this but I definitely see value in it.

I have some reservations with this because not you are creating multiple stacked nodes on a structure for field data. I see some potential issues with sending this data out to the field. You will now have doubles stacked nodes and I think this could get confusing and lead to issues. 

How node data looks in Siteworks/SCS900

Modeling Sumps

I was thinking about this last night and I think the best way of handling this would be to add a field in MSI for manholes and call it offset from invert to sump or sump height. This would keep the current invert field as is but then when a user selects a specific manhole type CB or DMH, the program would calculate the sump based on criteria in the node material information. I think these values are going to typically be constant (for us usually 3 ft for CB and .5 ft for DMH). Maybe have the option to default to the values set and allow the user to override if necessary. I think sewer manholes would be an example of structures where the sump heights can varying among structures. 

This would then give the user the correct vertical footage of the structures for trenching purposes. Now the trench is going to the bottom of structure (plus whatever user defined offsets at nodes). For material cost of the structure, I am not very concerned with the rings of the structure. The vendor designates the rings because this is a factor on what they can form and where the pipes intersect the structure. The only material cost occurred with the rings is the kent seal ( http://www.hamiltonkent.com/products/concrete-pipe-gaskets/kent-seal/) and you could probably put this as a factor of the vertical footage if it is not already considered by the vendor in their cost. I think this is a minimal cost.

Here is an example of a material quote from a vendor. The big cost components are the:

• base or sump
• vertical footage
• slab top

Boots have a cost but that is calculated based on size and number of pipes intersecting the structure. You would need to add these to the cost of pipe not the manhole. If you look below the boot in a 48 manhole is the same as a boot in 60 manhole so I do not think you need to take in varying cost with the size of structures. It is a factor of pipe size not structure size.

Cost Breakdown of Manholes

**This is just a material cost breakdown.This does not include the cost that we would apply for installation.**

Costing in Utility Take Report Ideas

Utility nodes stacked for Frame and grates and thoughts on manhole sumps

Thank you!

Creating Templates

Alan,

I have a project that I have been creating utility networks for. I copied the templates you setup in you videos for Rock and soil video. 

They are working well however, my trench side slope is tying to my ledge surface which is higher than my subgrade surface. Ideally, I would want my trench to:

• attached to my ledge when ledge is lower than my utility target surface (subgrade)
• when ledge is higher than my utility target surface (subgrade) I would want the sideslopes to stop here at the target surface 

I think it may just be how I setup my instructions. I am in the process of working through this but any tips or tricks would be great.

General thoughts on the template manager:

• The template manager would definitely benefit from the ability to group instructions
  • Your tricks of adding x of y is useful
• the IF and Than statements are not as clean as the corridor template
  • Seems more like: try this and than this
• It can take a while to get in and out of this command if you have multiple runs using templates
  
  • I understand because everything needs to update but it slows down things when you are trying to work out problems by trial and error. I ended up extracting one run to a blank TBC project in order to speed up the process. 

Subgrade: Green surface

Utility trench attached to ledge: orange