Free Video on Demand Training

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• Civil 3D 2010 at Jump Speed

   

  

  
  

  A Jump Speed Tour of what we did for 2010
  Join us for a preview of the new Civil 3D power coming to your desktop "real soon now".

  Oh we've been quiet but we've been REALLY BUSY.
  The Jump for 2010 - to See is to Believe
  Some of it even scares us a little.

  So Get the Jump…
  The equation is simple: Less Work+More $ = :)

  AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Powered by The Jump
  What you get for free will simply blow you away.
  Install the USCA County Kit when you get your 2010.

• Upgrade LDT Description Keys to Civil 3D

   

  

  
  Join us for an hour of FREE WEB TRAINING as we explore
  Moving your LDT DescKeys into Civil 3D
  You know what you do in Land Desktop…
  Blocks and Keys shouldn't hold you back.
  Points and Figures rock in C3D!
  Points & Point Groups
  do more and do it faster
  Survey Points & Figures
  do more and do it faster
  Description Keys and Figures
  do more work for you

   

  This isn’t rocket science after all.
  All it takes is a little new skill and a trick or two.
  So Get the Jump…
  Register Now

  The equation is simple: Less Work+More $ = :)
  AutoCAD Civil 3D Powered by Jump Start
  The Template Collection that’s the End to End Solution

• Intersections In Civil 3D 2010

  Civil 3D 2010's Intersections Show

  the clear difference between Civil 3D and LDT thinking
  Intersection design was tedious and painful...Not any more!
  A recorded jaw dropping look at Intersections and The Jump

  

  For roadwork Civil 3D smokes Land Desktop
  A week's work in half a day…
  Assemblies in C3D incinerate templates in LDT
  Assembly Sets in 2010 totally change the game.
  Intersections are a new way to tackle a complex task
  Better organization and processes make it hot

  Roadway design isn’t rocket science after all.
  All it takes is a little new skill and a trick or two.
  Get the Jump…
  The equation is simple: Less Work+More $ = :)

  AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Powered by The Jump
  Install the USCA Country Kit or login and download Jump Station
  Get Active! Tune in early and Follow Along

Jump Station Q&A

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• Ten Reasons you should use the Autodesk USCA Country Kit or Jump Station from cadpilot.com

  
  1. Free but Definitely not Feeble
          o A complete end-to end solution with all the parts and all the functionality you need 
          o Rave Reviews by Autodesk Reseller Application Engineers from all over the US 
          o No one else in the world offers anything comparable
  
  2. Includes 2000+ functional Feature and Label Styles 
          o The in-depth style collections support every Civil 3D feature 
          o All common tasks are well supported by Feature and Label Styles 
          o Multiple templates that are integrated work together 
          o Plots right out of the box 
          o Simply put… makes Civil 3D sing, dance, and play in the band
  
  3. Based on National Published Standards and built to be a standard 
          o National CAD Standard (NCS) compliant 
          o Uniform Drawing Standard compliant 
          o Tri-Service Plotting standard compliant
  
  4. Provides an Platform for the neutral delivery and exchange of entire Civil 3D projects 
          o Submit digital files in Civil 3D without handing over your in-house customization 
          o Great for Government agencies who must deal with lots of consultants and other agencies
  
  5. Reduces your Real Cost of deploying Civil 3D in production 
          o No need to spend thousands of dollars on Style creation 
          o It’s simply easier to Edit than to Create 
          o No complex code to install or pay for
  
  6. Reduces your Training and Implementation Costs 
          o Train and Use Simplicity 
          o Every Feature and every Label Style 
          o Consistent Naming Conventions 
          o Proposed and Existing conditions are built-in 
          o In-depth documentation
  
  7. Reduces your Maintenance Costs 
          o Designed to be maintained 
          o If you follow the simple rules, you projects will migrate quicker and easier
  
  8. Includes a Working Project dataset that can be used for Testing and Training 
          o A real world project dataset is supplied with working drawings 
          o Quick and Easy install and setup 
          o Examples of all key Civil 3D tasks and features 
          o Ready to plot examples
  
  9. Quick and Easy to Customize 
          o Designed from the ground up to be customized 
          o Pick your favorite Styles and go to work
  
  10. Simply put…It makes AutoCAD Civil3D work better, faster, and easier. 
          o Get the Jump

• The Jump is Reviewed

  We sent out a version of the Jump Start - The Template Collection for Civil 3D (we now call it Jump Station) for evaluation by the toughest audience in North America - the best Autodesk Reseller Civil Application Engineers around.
  Some of them consider The Jump the "competition", so what were we thinking?

  We know that The Jump is a better place to start even for the experts.

  We want to thank our reviewers for thier contributions and helpful suggestions that made Jump Station and the Autodesk US California Country Kit even better.

  "Obviously, a considerable amount of work has been performed creating these templates... I am shocked at the level of detail included." 
          - Northwest region

  "Great work! Looks really good." 
          - West region

  "The Jump Start Template Collection definately represents an enormous amount of effort in terms of development and documentation. It can be seen that the developer spent a good amount of time establishing an across the board offering of styles. 
          - West region

  "Our customers can use this now." 
          - Southwest region

  "There is a good Style naming convention" 
          - Northeast region

  "Jump Start should help customers of all sizes adopt AutoCAD Civil 3D." 
          - Central region

  "If I were the State Department of Transportation, I'd look really hard at this (Jump Start)." 
          - Central region

• What is Jump Station?

   

    o MoreCompetency's evaluation version for our Jump Start services product.
    o Jump Station is the Autodesk USCA Country Kit with minor differences based on release cycles. 
    o Free from cadpilot.com for 2009 and 2010
    o Installation is simple, but intentionally manual allowing installation to be customized easily
    o Complete documentation and installation instructions included with the download
    o Free Installation Videos available for multiple Windows Operating Systems
    o Paid access to Video-on Demand Jump Template Customization Training available now
    o Support for Jump Station is only provided by upgrade to the Jump Start service product

• What is the Autodesk USCA Country Kit?

  
  
    o Included on the install DVD for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
    o Automated install to Civil 3D default locations 
    o Support provided by Autodesk via email for current Subscription customers
    o Support from MoreCompetency with an Upgrade to Jump Start
    o Install fixes are available here 
    o Paid Video-on Demand Jump Template Training available now @ cadpilot.com
    o Free training videos based on the included dataset available now @ cadpilot.com 
    o Free from www.autodesk.com for 2009 at some point

• What is Jump Start?

   

    o Jump Start is our maintenance service product - a low-cost annual fee per site location
    o Supports multiple releases (2008, 2009, and 2010 at release) of Civil & Civil 3D
    o Includes The Jump Kits for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 and 2010 
    o Jump Start helps take the headache’s out of new release deployments and project upgrades
    o Includes a deeper set of more detailed and crafted styles for various Civil Features
    o Supplies additional Style functionality on a regular quarterly basis via download
    o Product Update required changes and style fixes as fast as possible
    o Access to video-on-demand training library of hundreds of hours of Civil 3D training
    o Discounts on training materials
    o Discounts on Customization Services

• What’s in all of the above?

    o A functional set of templates that fully support the production use of Civil 3D
    o 2000+ Feature and Label Styles supporting every Feature and Label Style 
    o In-depth documentation even inside the templates and the Styles
    o ByDesign based on national published standards
    o ByDesign built to be quick and easy to customize
    o ByDesign built to reduce the cost of deploying Civil 3D in production
    o ByDesign built to reduce start up training and implementation costs
    o ByDesign built to reduce on-going maintenance costs
    o ByDesign includes a working project dataset
  

• What are the differences between the USCA Country Kit, Jump Station, and Jump Start?

  Autodesk, Inc. or MoreCompetency, Inc. 
      o The Autodesk USCA Country Kit was built for Autodesk under contract by MoreCompetency, Inc. 
      o Jump Station an evaluation version of Jump Start - a MoreCompentency, Inc service product
  Installation 
      o The USCA Imperial Country Kit includes an automated install to default locations 
      o Jump Station includes the same basic file set but the install is intentionally manual 
      o Jump Start is also manually installed
  Number of Styles and Style Complexity 
      o All versions were designed to be thinned down as a part of your customization 
      o Therefore customers will find the even the simpliest versions of the templates contain more than enough to meet most of their needs 
      o The Country Kit and Jump Station include Design, Survey, and Simple versions of these working templates. 
      o These include about 2000 Styles/Sets 
      o Simple versions include about 80% of the Styles/Sets in the Complex templates 
      o Jump Start includes about 20% more Styles /Sets in raw count 
      o Jump Start includes more detailed and crafted versions of important Styles, Label Style collections, and various Sets 
      o Jump Start includes quarterly updates and regular new content features as they are developed 
      o Jump Start includes additional files, documentation, instruction, etc to reduce customization, maintenance. Project upgrade, and software upgrade time and expense.
  Support 
      o The Country Kit is supported via email to Autodesk for subscription customers 
      o Jump Station support is available via upgrade to Jump Start 
      o Free live and recorded training webinars are available 
      o Free installation videos are available for Jump Station 
      o Free Access to Forum for logged in users on the site 
      o Access to Video on demand training is available for: 
          o Essential Customization and Maintenance 
          o Key Civil processes and tasks employing the example dataset 
      o Training Courseware available as released 
      o Jump Start includes access to on-demand video and live webinar training
  

• A Summary Table of Features and Differences

  Feature	Country Kit	Jump Station	Jump Start
  Distributed by Autodesk	X
  Supported by Autodesk	Email/Fee
  Distributed @ cadpilot.com		Free Login	Paid Login
  Supported by cadpilot.com		Site Only	Email/Site
  Core Features
  2010 Features @ Release	X	X	More
  2009 Features and Label Styles	X	X	More
  2008 Features and Label Styles			More
  2000+ Feature and Label Styles	X	X	More
  Consistent Naming Conventions	X	X	X
  Quality Assurance Styles	X	X	More
  Deeper Label Style Collections			More
  Deeper View Style Collections			More
  Multiple Working Templates	X	X	More
  Plots Proposed Conditions	X	X	X
  Plots Existing Conditions	X	X	X
  No Settings Templates	X	X	X
  Preset Settings Task Templates	Fee	Fee	More
  LDT Compliant Blocks	X	X	More
  Multiple Layer State Files	X	X	X
  Custom Too Palette	X	X	X
  Custom Tool Catalog (2010)		X	X
  Standards Drawings 2010	X	X	X
  Civil Data Storage Template	X	X	X
  Civil 3D Project Template	X	X	X
  Plan Production Template	X	X	More
  Integrated Sheet Set Template	X	X	X
  Mono and Color STB Support	X	X	X
  Multiple Style Sets for Key Feature	X	X	More
  Comprehensive Documentation	X	X	X
  In Style and In-Set Documentation	X	X	X
  National CAD Standard	X	X	X
  Uniform Drawing Standard	X	X	X
  Tri-Service/ DOD Plotting Standard	X	X	X
  Installation
  Automated Default Install	X
  Manual Customizable Install		X	X
  Free Installation Videos	Useful Info	X	X
  Special Features
  2010 Intersection Assembly Sets	8	8	More
  Support for Partial Intersections	X	X	X
  Assemblies Tool Palette	1	1	More
  AASHTO Assemblies 2010	X	X	More
  Specialized Assemblies and Sets			More
  Production Template Prototype	X	X	X
  Separated Block and Layer dwgs	X	X	More
  Separated Style Drawings			More
  Additional Style Collections			More
  Description Key Support Files	download	download	download
  Support & Training
  Project Based Demo Dataset	2009-2010	2009-2010	All Releases
  Wish List Changes	Login	Login	More
  User Forum	login	Login	Login
  Free Live Training Webinars	X	X	More
  Free Recorded Webinars	Recent	Recent	More
  6 hrs + Customize and Maintain Video Training	Fee	Fee	Included
  On-Demand Video Library	Fee	Fee	Included
  Quarterly Updates			More
  Free Training Courseware			More
  Live Webinar Training	Fee	Fee	Discount
  Cad Pilot Courseware	Fee	Fee	Discount

• Why is the Jump Different and New?

  Our innovative Jump Template Collections are something new in the marketplace.

  All our Jump Template Collections are a massive departure from the traditional approach to implementing Autodesk software which is to internally "customize" the software from the ground up. This doesn't appear to make sense given the power, depth, and complexity of Autodesk's model-based software. Complete internal customization also no longer appears to make sense practically and financially for many organizations.

  Civil Engineers want to do engineering not customize software.

  Architects want to design buildings not recreate interfaces.

  We constructed a customization platform that organizations of any size can use to more rapidily adopt, implement, and profit from their existing investment in AutoCAD Civil and AutoCAD Civil 3D modeling software. If you have attempted adopt and implement Civil 3D, you understand the need and probably Get the Jump.
  You may have even created your own internal customization. If so, you understand the maitenance issues involved. You also understand how difficult it is to recoup your intellectual capital investment. We all face that challenge.

  What we "give away" you can't get for any price anywhere in the entire world. We haven't just raised the bar. We are intent on changing the game. Why? Because it just makes more sense.

Basic Questions

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• Why do I need a Jump Template Collection?

  If you are going to use AutCAD Civil 3D,
  you will need a set of templates that function to produce plan sets.
  - That is exactly what the Jump Template Collections is...

  If you need to learn Civil 3D,
  you will need a set of templates that produce consistent and successful results for all the essential C3D Features
  -What The Jump does.

  If you MUST have your own templates,
  you will need to invest lots of time learning how to do that instead of getting work out the door. 

  It is easier and faster to EDIT than to CREATE.

   
  - That is what the Jump is all about...a "Better Place to Start".

• How are the Jump Templates different?

  All templates that ship with AutoCAD Civil 3D are basic examples.
  They include basic Styles to show how the software works.
  No one could produce a readable plan set from them out of the box.

  The MOST IMPORTANT difference between the example C3D templates and the Jump Template Collection is the time it takes you and your organization to be productive in the software.

  Jump Station and Jump Start are ByDesign:
       o  A Start to Finish Solution - no critical missing pieces
       o  Consistent and Documented - you know what you are dealing with
       o  Built to be customized  - you have less work to do
       o  National Standards based - you are instantly more compliant
       o  Include a working project dataset - you get functional examples 

• Can I get a trial version to test Jump Start?

  Get Jump Station. Jump Station may be FREE but it is NOT feeble.
  Jump Station cannot be matched by anything you can buy from anyone anywhere unless you're willing to pay for in-depth personalized customization one way or another.

  For many firms our evaluation version or the Autodesk US California Country Kit may be all you need.

  All our products are built ByDesign to be customized.
  All the Jump template collections include a "awesome" collection of well crafted usable Civil 3D templates, Styles, and Sets.

  If Jump Station works for you, we believe you'll come back for MORE.

  More is even built into our company name...for good reason.

• How do I know a Jump Collection will work for me?

  We demostrate Jump Station and Jump Start on the web all the time.
  Truth is whatever we've done won't be perfect for you and your organization.

  You should download and install Jump Station and Evaluate it.
  We even outline how to do that on the How to Evaluate The Jump page.

  That is not what  the Jump is or even our goal.
  The questions you need to answer are,
  "Is The Jump a better place to start?'
  "Does this make what we already own faster, easier, and more productive?"
  We know that's pretty obvious...

• We're a small firm. Can we use The Jump out of the box?

  You betcha. Why bother with all the customizing? 

  Get The Jump and Just Use It.

  All you do need to set up the Feature and Command Settings for your Style and Set preferences.
  That will make things even easier.

  Get InstantOn Basic and you'll even get the work done for you.

  Yes we even did that work too. Tell us what do you think.

  Please, tell us in writing what you like and don't like.
  We're making The Jump better all the time and we can't do that without your help.

• We are a government agency. How will the Jump help us?

  Downloading a free Jump collection and purchasing Jump Start Services is really a smart decision for most government agencies. You will be immediately more compliant with the National CAD Standards and reap the benefits that standardization brings.
  In these days of tighter budgets and more required work and reporting being efficient and productive is essential. Getting more out of what you already own is what Jump Start can do for you.
  Many agencies contract some of their work to outside consultants, civil engineers, and surveyors. The Jump Template Collection provides a great common ground that works for you and those you work with.

  If you need your local standards upgraded and fast, the Jump is the way to go. Call us today to find out about how we can help.  

  Learn more from our Jump Start fact sheet. Click here

• Why is Civil 3D so different from Land Desktop?

  The question often carries the implication that Civil 3D is too different. 
  Software is only a tool. No more, no less. But wow do we love our familiar tools! They make us feel skilled. Our skill plus the tools produce the work we get paid for. This is a powerful emotional and financial feedback loop. This both good news bad news. Our known kinethetic skill makes us productive today and more resistant to new kinethetic skills.
  Over a decade ago we coined the term, "The Competency Effect" to describe it. Modern scientific study backs this up. Simply put, Civil 3D has different PATTERNS than Land Desktop.

  Civil 3D is different from LDT because it is a faster, easier, and fundamentally a better civil engineering tool than Land Desktop. To accomplish that, Civil 3D MUST be different.  How is does it really doesn't matter all that much but the significant difference is what is called the Dynamic Model.

  "Civil 3D is model building and LDT is paper pushing." 

  In LDT nothing talks to anything else and you must repeat processes continually to update, check, and validate your work. At some point you decide enough is enough. Then you produce sheet drawings you must manually redline, edit, and push out the door. Lots of people spend lots of man-hours editing linework and annotation in LDT to get it "right". How many niffty macros and lisp tools do you have to help you do your job?

  Civil 3D produces the line work, annotation, and even the plotted sheets as a by product of the model building process. Model building is a set of parallel processes not a set of linear processes that LDT and ACAD employ. The new skill and experience you need to do work in parallel sucessfully is how to add, edit, slice, dice, and manage that model. These are new PATTERNS.

  A good set of templates with suitable Styles does the output work for you and should help you also perform quality assurance while you work. What things look like shouldn't be the issue. Good design should be.

  Software tools can make the process of Civil Engineering design and documentation easier, faster, and simpler. But Civil Engineering is not simple or particularly easy. Thank goodness. We get paid.

• Where did Jump Start come from?

  We built the foundation of the Jump Start Template Collection over about five years to train experienced CAD Pilots how to transition from Land Desktop to Civil 3D. To learn and work in C3D you must have a consistent set of Styles that produce acceptable results. To create courseware and training programs that produce results for experienced and skilled professionals you must deliver reality.

  A 1000+ people were trained in our Civil CAD Pilot Jump Schools and Boot Camps. Thousands more in other CAD applications employing the same methods.

   
  We employ a "continuous development model" to everything we do. We religiously asked (actually we insited) for "brutal" feedback and we got it. We fixed it and we keep fixing it. The original Jump School templates became a significant reason customers loved the training. Many used them as the basis for their own customization.

  Almost everyone asked for MORE and BETTER templates...So now, you know the rest of the story.

   

• How do I protect my customized styles and templates?

  Never give a drawing file containing your styles to anyone.
  Therefore you should post process required digital deliverables the same way you plot plan sets. 
  Things end up on the right layers when you dumb down to DWF and ACAD.dwg, but no styles go along for the ride.

  You can ruthlessly purge all unused styles if you must deliver in C3D format.

  The good set of Styles and Sets in our free Jump collections can help you deliver a generic deliverable without your internal customizations. The data is data in Civil 3D. A well constructed project can be moved from your templates to Jump "generics" really quickly with just a little skill and practice.

• What about the other firms who can't deal with C3D drawings?

  Dealing with partner companies and even clients can be difficult which is one reason we tend to stick with the same partners. We have seen studies that show that partner data exchange man-hours can be a huge chunk of total project man-hours. These often get buried.

  There is nothing about C3D drawings that make this significantly more difficult than other Autodesk dwg based applications. A good set of styles will allow you to save to raw ACAD format and get acceptable results. DWF output may be even better. Then they cannot mess with anything...

  However, if your partner insists on using something back more than two dwg format changes (about five years), then I suggest you start looking for another partner/client and or educate them about the benefits of model based design. A little knowledge might save you both significant time, effort, and money.

• We use CTB. Is it easy to switch to STB?

  Many firms use CTB (color based) plotting in LDT or ACAD. Swtiching is easy, but making the transition to using STB painless for users is critical.

  The Jump templates use STB plotting (named plotstyles) because it is much easier to maintain and produce conistent plotted output from Civil 3D that way. C3D Feature and Label Style complexity favor STB use. 
  We don't recommend that you convert the Jump STB templates to CTB templates. This will make more work for you downstream.

  However, if you are already using the NCS layer scheme, you can make the templates have familiar colors quickly. Save and Export a Layer States file that ONLY saves color and linetype values from an existing drawing. Import and restore the Layer State file into a copy of the template. Staff now has familiar colors and linetypes and they can go right to work.

  Remember color does not matter!

• The NCS has lots of layers. Isn't that a learning problem?

  Yes, there are lots and lots of layers possible in the NCS layer scheme and that can be a little intimidating and overwhelming at first.

  The good news is that the Feature and Label Styles in Jump Start working in conjunction with Civil 3D make remembering where to put things almost irrelevant. You can use Civil 3D with Jump Start templates for hours and almost never open the Layer Property Manager. Good Civil 3D styles do almost all that boring layer management work for you. Now that would be nice, wouldn't it?

• Are there different Jump Start modules?

  No. There are different version of our Jump Template Collections and only one Jump Start.

  There is so much in all the Jump Template Collections it takes us multiple webinars just to scratch the surface of the power built into then. Hey and let's face it, we really do want you to learn a little Civil 3D along the way.

  Any Jump Template Collection is ByDesign and end to end solution for all the typical tasks survey and civil engineering organizations with perform with AutoCAD Civil 3D.

• I have a Project I already started. Can I convert it to Jump Start?

  The data in the Civil 3D model is data. Styles control how that data appears. So, you can convert a project pretty quickly, but it still takes planning, a systematic approach and a bit of work. Remember to back up BEFORE you start, and test as you go about the process. 

  Use Data Shortcuts or Vault to share the Feature data you need to move over. Survey Networks, Points, Surfaces, Alignments, Profiles, Pipe Networks all can be moved over this way or by simply referencing the file data into new drawings started from NoStyles Jump templates. You may need to get your existing Points, Point Groups, and Description Keys over via LandXML import and export.

  Parcels need to be "moved" with a LandXML export and import and will have to be renamed and renumbered. You should have Sites defined in your existing project for your parcels. Make sure you recreate those sites in the new drawings before you move data over.

  Set up your Parcel Feature settings (or any other feature's settings) BEFORE you import or data reference the Civil 3D project data to get the best results. Promote the references to disconnect them from the old drawings. Move and save the old data shortcuts files to another location. Recreate new data shortcuts from the new drawings.

  Gradings and Feature lines that are not yet part of or resolved into surfaces are perhaps the trickiest data to move and particularly if the gradings target surfaces. When in doubt you can throw all the Gradings into a surface and/or the Feature lines to a surface as breaklines and then extract them from the shared surface into a new drawing and recreate the Gradings and partial surfaces.

  Last but not least are the Assemblies and the manual recreation of the Corridor(s). Assemblies will Copy with Base point from drawing to drawing in 2008, 2009, and 2010 products with the latest service packs installed. Rebulding a complex corridor with multiple baselines and regions isn't hard just tedious.

  What about the AutoCAD stuff? That's easy. Use Map Queries based on Layer Properties with Alter Properties to put them on appropriate layers in the new drawings.

  The Jump uses NCS layers and references them in its Styles. The Jump also uses STB templates and NOT CTB templates.  You don't want to just drag and drop the Styles from the Jump templates into your CTB drawing files. This makes more work. If you must, it is best to go the other way. Set all the styles for all the existing features and labels to STANDARD in your current drawings. Insert exploded the old drawings into new Jump drawings. Reset the styles to Jump styles. You will end up with some drawing cleanup and purging to do, but it works.

• Can I use Jump Start/Station in older releases of C3D?

  You cannot go backward to what simply did not exist in the past.
  Styles will go forward with only occassional problems, but nothing in a Civil 3D drawing model can go backward with actual functionality.  In many cases the Data can via LandXML. Dumbed down representations as AutoCAD primitives can. Most certainly DWF and other picture variants can.

  Civil 3D like most modern software is continuously developed. In Civil 3D, some of the Features their styles and their properties change with each release. The functional power in model-based software comes from its synergistic and interconnected whole. This is as true for Microsoft Word as Civil 3D. The parts are "smart" and "talk" to one another and just like English, the langauge is changing slightly all the time. Dig?

  It is a misconception to believe that software developers do it this way completely on purpose. The process of creating modern model based (object oriented) software, the available development tools, time, and money make it almost a certainty.

• How many Templates are there in The Jump?

  People are most often concerned about the templates that contain Civil 3D styles and label styles. What we call "working" or "model" templates. Our approach is to make as few templates as possible that include lots of depth rather than supply lots of shallower task specific templates. 

  There are currently 6 model or working templates.

     o  Design - for proposed work
     o  Design Simple - fewer styles and sets
     o  Survey - for existing work
     o  Survey Simple - fewer styles and sets
     o  Resource - to fix the other templates if someone messes the others up
     o  No Styles - only layers and blocks and default C3D Standard Styles and Sets - store dref data here 

  You may want to thin down these templates and create special versions for specific tasks like Survey, Surface Creation, Roadways, etc. The Jump Collection Video-on-Demand Training covers how to get that done.

  Our Jump Kit Template Construction Tool Kit makes the job of building your own production templates faster, easier, and More consistent.

  There are other important templates in the Jump Template Collections that will help you:

     o  A Sheet template - contains lots of Layouts for both the Sheet Set Manager and
         the Plan Production Tool in C3D.
     o  A Sheet Set template that organizes creating, editing, and plotting of your work
     o  A Civil 3D project template that provides a storage structure for Civil 3D project data - your drawings and related data.

  A subscription to Jump Start our maintenance services package changes all of this. You get MORE.

• How many styles are there in the Jump Template Collections?

  More than you will probably ever need or use. The Jump is designed to give you working choices rather than just a few examples.

  There are 2000+ Feature and Label Styles in Jump Station for 2009 and 2010.
  The 2008 version has fewer than the 2009 version.
  Some of these Styles are very similar to Autodesk styles shipped with Civil 3D as there was no reason to modify them significantly.

  Well over 1800+ are unique to the Jump AND they are organized, documented and adhere to naming conventions that are easy to learn by doing.

  "How many?" is not really the significant question.
  "Do the Styles and Set work?" is much MORE important..

  Our Jump Start Services product will get you MORE and BETTER.
  What you get will be even easier to customize and maintain.

• If I export to an AutoCAD format from C3D and e-transmit, a CTB file is automatically included. Will this still work with an STB file?

  Everything works just the same with etransmit. The STB file is just a different reference file that C3D knows all about and includes just like your CTB file.

  An added benefit with Jump Start when you dumb down to AutoCAD, the Jump Start Styles put things on the “right” layers and everything stays connected to the STB file.

  A second added benefit to Jump Start is you probably won’t be shipping around so many fonts either. We use Windows True Type fonts.

   

  The ONLY difference between CTB and STB is that instead of color numbers you use NAMES that make sense to just about everyone.

  In CTB color #1 – gets a .35mm lineweight, plots black, with no screening.

  In STB (forget the color) “Medium” gets .35mm lineweight, plots black, with no screening.

  Practically this just means if you don’t like the color something is on the screen you can change the layer or object color – but it will still plot correctly. Priceless.

  99% of the problem and confusion with CTB/STB is all in our heads.

  In C3D with decent templates you don’t have to worry about and maintain layers. What if you almost never used the Layer Manager?

• How does color plotting work using an STB file?

  Color STB doesn’t work differently except now you add color to the STB Names which means you have a bigger list like you do in typical CTB files.

  Instead of just “Medium” you might have Medium Red…Medium Blue etc. But these don’t have to have ANYTHING to do with the Layer color!

  With a layer state file or two you can do some cool stuff.

  Like use a GRADING CHECK layer state and a GRADING CHECK STB file to automatically screen all the non essential stuff to pale gray and pop the important labels and linework to RED….”Mr Designer, Please markup the just the stuff that’s RED.”

  The Jump ships with black and screened named plotstyles and a basic color STB file. It’s a better place to start.

• How do I explain why Styles are important in Civil 3D to someone who is not a user?

  You will run into this issue with the project engineers, principals, and others.

  Most use Excel. They use Excel templates. They keep reusing and probably tweaking them a little from job to job  – at least I hope so. That is what the Jump is for Civil and Civil 3D - a working set to templates.

  Even if all the people is look at reports from the accounting/finance dept you can explain the Jump this way:

  " You would not want to create a new report every time you needed to see an Income Statement or a Job Costing report would you?"

  Styles do the same thing in C3D.

  Styles are really just a way of reporting what’s in there only instead of pages of numbers you get drawings with annotation. There are lots of kinds of things to report on and lots of detail available for reporting…so you need numbers of styles that report the “suitable” stuff at the right time and also look good on the page. Someone has to do that work. The Jump has all the stuff. It is a Better Place to Start.

• How do I learn more?

  Grab your colleagues and attend our weekly webinar trainings and demonstrations performed by our staff and our Active Partners.

  You can also Logn and Download and evaluation version

• How do I learn to use The Jump?

  Play in the example project dataset. Do it every day. Try to do real things.

  The fact is you are only going to learn to use Civil 3D and The Jump by doing work.
  That does NOT mean that only random play and trial and error works. That's the hard way.
  You must gain practice and experience because your BODY not just your mind must learn the software.
  As a professional CAD Pilot, you KNOW AutoCAD and LDT. You don't think about where things are and how to do it. You just get 'er done.
  You body KNOWS the software and the PATTERNS in the software you use all the time. We call this the Human Autopilot. We didn't make this up. Its REAL and for all human beings in some ways its more powerful than gravity. Do something a lot for a long time and your Patterns are very strong.

  Civil 3D has different PATTERNS than LDT. Its like they rearranged the keyboard. This is both necessary and unavoidable. You can't become more productive using old PATTERNS and old METHODS.

  Understand that changing YOUR Patterns is your most important WORK.

  Understand that changing YOUR Patterns is going to be uncomfortable, frustrating and maybe even painful. Your Autopilot ALWAYS wants to use the OLD PATTERNS until you change to new ones.

  Sign you name on a piece of paper with your normal hand. Now do it with the other hand. Pay careful attention to how THAT makes you feel - weird , retarded, and maybe even a "spaz". The Human Autopilot is directly connected and hardwired to our emotions and our internal sense of self worth.

  We supply a lot of materials - Free webinars, Free and paid Video-on-Demand videos, courseware, and more to help you Get the Jump.

  This is not entertainment. Don't just watch. Actively participate as much as possible. 
      o Don't ask "How do I do that?" 
      o Ask "What is the PATTERN?" 
      o Do the live or recorded webinar with us. 
      o Do them more than once. 

• Install and Evaluate as a Project

  We strongly recommend you initially configure the USCA Country Kit to run in a "Project" environment
  while you evaluate and perform basic customization of the Jump Template Collection.

  Why?
          o Its easier to keep straight the locations of the key resource files
          o Allows you to more easily employ the included project dataset and examples
          o Allows you to Actively participate in free webinar training that's regularly offered
              without changing things around
          o From a maintenance standpoint this Project setup allows you to have a known place to start
               and it makes is easier to back-up and move around your customizations
          o You may find in the end it is easier to manage Civil 3D projects and templates this way all the time
          o If you later move up to employing Vault to manage your projects, this method is easy to move 

  Instructions on How to Set up the USCA to run as a demo Project are included in the zip file available on this page. 

About the Details

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• What is a Working Template?

  AutoCAD Civil 3D "Working" or "Model" templates contain the Feature and Feature Labels style collections that determine how things look inside the software and when they plot.

  • Feature Styles control how symbols, line work, hatching, and other graphic components are displayed.
  • Feature Label Styles control how the Civil 3D feature is annotated with textual and numeric data.

• What is a Sheet Template?

  Sheet templates are employed by the Sheet Set Manager and also the Civil 3D Plan Production Tool.
  Sheet templates contain Layouts that contain Viewports that allow you to publish and plot Sheets via the Sheet Set Manager.

  The Sheet Template that ships with the Jump Template Collections contains a variety of scaled example Layouts that include titleblocks (with Sheet Set Fields). Both standard Sheet Set Manager Layouts are supplied and specialized Plan Production Tool Layouts with preconfigured Plan and Profile viewports included.

  Sheet templates may also contain Page Setups and Page Setup Overrides.

• What is a Sheet Set Template?

  Any existing Sheet Set can become a prototype Sheet Set for new Sheet Sets.

  A Sheet Set template:
          Creates the storage locations for Sheets added to the Sheet Set
          Stores the default properties of the Sheet Set including Sheet Template(s)
          Can include an entire folder structure

  The Sheet Set template that ships withthe Jump template collections includes a Sheet storage structure based on the Uniform Drawing Standard (UDS) that is part of the National CAD Standard (NCS). Numbered and named folders manage and arrange the sheets into a standardized structure. This UDS structure is by default also attached to the Civil 3D Project template structure that is also inlcuded.

• What is a Civil 3D Project Template?

  A Project Template is a basic structure that can be employed to store the project data of a Civil 3D projects. If Autodesk Vault is employed as the project storage method, then a Project Template will create the folder structure within the Vault database when a new project is created.
  If Vault is not employed then the Civil 3D Project Template may be manually copied to any file based storage location to create a new project storage location.

  The Civil 3D Project Template that ships with the Jump Template Collections employs a Uniform Drawing Standard (UDS) structure with typical model, reference, and other folders that support a logical way to support project workflows inside AutoCAD Civil 3D.

• What versions of AutoCAD Civil 3D are Supported?

  Both AutoCAD Civil and AutoCAD Civil 3D products are supported.

  Jump Station the evaluation version of Jump Start supports 2009 & 2010. 
      All Civil 3D Features, Labels, and Sets in the versions are supported. 
      The 2010 version was available when AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 shiped.
      Jump Station mirrors the Autodesk USCA Country Kit the MoreCompentency produced for Autodesk

  Support for Jump Station and the USCA Country is only available by upgrading to our Jump Start support services product.

  The current shipping Jump Start The Template Collection for AutoCAD Civil 3D supports the 2010, 2009 & 2008 versions of Civil 3D. 

  All Civil 3D Features, Labels, and Sets in the versions are supported.

• What is a Style Naming Convention?

  A Rule-based method of creating names for Styles, Set and even Civil 3D Features.

  A naming convention allows you to quickly identify that this label style has this use (like Existing or Proposed) and its critical contents.
  
  Inside Civil 3D, naming conventions play a critical part in using the software productively.
  
  Feature and Label Style names either significantly add or detract  from user productivity.
  
  The Jump Template Collections all employ reasonable and documented set of naming conventions for all Civil 3D Features and Feature Label Styles. These were developed over five+ years of training and customization experience with Civil 3D.
  The naming convention was designed to be easy to learn and at the same time allow for the complexity that is at times necessary.
  The Style naming conventions inside the templates also organize the Style themselves in the Toolspace.

• Why is training considered mandatory for Jump Start?

  We cannot make you show up for live web-based training sessions or watch the Video-on-Demand recording but all the Jump Template Collections include lots of integration.
  Understanding how and why specific design decisions were made in the Template and Style Collections construction will help you get the most out of your investment in time and energy.
  The products were designed to be easily customized and to cost you less time and energy to maintain.
  Getting them working and in production is what the Jump is all about.
  
  The Jump Collection Training will help you do that.
  Save yourself time, confusion, and aggravation. 
       o  Login, Download and Install Jump Station
       o  Attend our Free Live Webinars
       o  Purchase Jump Collection Training

• Will I need all the Styles included?

  No probably not. The issue is really to first discover the 80% of them that you can use by making small easy to maintain changes.
  In fact you will probably want to evaluate the supplied styles and carefully remove the ones you will not use regularly from your production templates.

  The Jump Kit is a construction tool for the Autodesk USCA Country Kit, Jump Station and Jump Start. 

  How to do that successfully is one reason why attending and watching the Jump Collection Training is an important step to putting all the Jump Template Collections to work.

• Are the Jump Template Collections Customizable?

  Yes! A central part of The Jump platform's design critieria and specification was to help create and basic set of Templates and Civil 3D Styles and Sets that would be easier to customize successfully.
  
  We say "tweak" the styles. Don't build new ones.

  In the Jump Collection Training that is delivered via live webinars and/or via Video-on-Demand. we cover how to attack common style customization.
  In addition, we also include the critical information of what NOT do to in the style collections of Civil 3D that can get you into trouble and waste your valuable time later down the line.

  The Jump Kit is the quick and easy way to create custom Civil 3D templates and manage the Civil 3D Styles.

  Check out our Free Live Webinars for Style Customization Topics

  Access to our Jump Video on Demand Library may also reduce the time it takes your organization to Get the Jump. 

• Does Jump Start have the Styles and Description Key Sets to import field books and use the linework tools?

  Yes - There are 3 Description Key Sets included.

  Users will have to adjust the keys to work with their current coding methods.
  In Civil 3D Survey linework is generated as figures from fbk files. Their equipment and its software determine how much work this takes to make happen.  An example FBK file and Figure Prefix library that matches Point Descriptions is included to show how this works in some detail.

  Check out our Free Webinar Training

• How many Styles are included in the Jump Templates?

  More than you will probably ever use.

  There are over 2000+ total Civil 3D Styles and more than 1600+ unique styles in the current Jump platform. There are also multiples of all the Civil 3D Sets. That doesn't count another few hundred Autodesk supplied styles that have been renamed, modified, standardized, and documented.

  Every Civil 3D Feature and all the Civil 3D Labels Styles are covered.

  You easily can evaluate what's in there by clicking here

• Is the Jump a Product or a Service?

  Jump Start The Template Collection for AutoCAD Civil 3D is not software in a traditional sense.
  There is no software or client code to install.
  It is a designed collection of resource files for AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Civil.

  Three of the important  issues with Civil 3D Templates and Styles are:

     o  Time and skills needed to customize them initially

     o   Maintaining them from release to release
     o   Upgrading on-going project work 
  If you purchase Jump Start (a service), a lot of that work will be significantly reduced for you.
  No we won't currently do it all for you, but you get:

     o  More Styles and Sets - less customization

     o  More "crafted Styles" - more and better choices
     o  Tools to make customizing, maintaining, and upgrading project easier

     o  Access to the Jump Video-on-Demand Library
  Therefore Jump Start is indeed a service.

Important Links

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• Civil 3D Updates

  The Civil 3D Updates Page

  AutoCAD Civil is discontinued as a product Feb 9, 2010

  Autodesk officually supports AutoCAD Civil 3D in Windows 7 Nov 2009

  The Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD Civl 3D 2010 was released Oct 21, 2009

  Laest Civil 3D 2010 Update 2 was released Sept 24, 2009

  Civil 3D 2010 Update 1 was released July 31, 2009

  The latest Civil 3D 2009 Service Pack or Update 3 was released Jun 1, 2009.

  Update 2.1 was released on March 12, 2009.

  Make sure you are running the latest Update.
  The Jump Platform and all of the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 and Civil 3D 2009 Templates and AutoCAD Civil 3D Styles will run better.

  A Land Desktop Design Companion updates are also available.
  If you have Raster Design, make sure you also download the hotfixes!

   

• AutoCAD Civil and Civil 3D homepage

  AutoCAD Civil 3D product homepage

  Staying up with the latest information about Autodesk Civil products starts here.
  Will Autodesk release better AutoCAD Civil 3D Templates and better Autodesk Civil3D Styles?

  You Betcha...

  Look for the Autodesk US California Country Kit for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 on the disk. The Jump is built right into the install. Fixes and updates are available on the USCA Country Kit 2010 Issues page 

• Autodesk University

  Autodesk University

  AU 2010 Las Vegas will be held from November 30 through December 2 at The Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

  We hope to be back once again presenting and talking shop.
  Don't miss Tench Tilghman's Mission Critical Management Skills in the Business track. Management training really can be fun and useful at the same time.

  You can view the session on AU Online. 

  Last year Tench is did truly hair raising sessions in the Civil 3D Track on Managing Civil 3D Styles and Sets and employing multiple Intersections to create complex corridors. They are also available at AU Online.

  Remember you can even attend Autodesk University virtually which should be an interesting experience.

  AU is a great place to learn from AutoCAD Civil 3D experts about almost everything including Civil3D Templates and Civil3D Styles.  

• Time Comparison - Civil 3D vs LDT vs ACAD

  C3D-vs-LDT-vs-ACAD_08.pdf

  Is AutoCAD Civil 3D really faster than Land Desktop?
  Here's a matter of fact comparision.

  You can do even better with Jump Start because it includes all the
  AutoCAD Civil3D Templates and Civil 3D Styles you'll need.

  Get the Jump!