David Abraham Jr. Autobiography

August 2009

ISSUE OSEA Focus Issue 74 A Letter from the Coordinator Rebecca Arsham, San Francisco, California (US), +1 (415) 243-4767, [email protected]

Rebecca Arsham – Califormia, US

In last month’s correspondence I made a reference to the nearly 5000 PB employees who utilize Autodesk and Bentley software. These PB employees need to diligently stay current on the software applications that are used daily. This means update training, seeking out opportunities to learn about the new and improved functionality of the tools they use. In this age of Blogs, RSS Feeds, eLearning, Virtual Classrooms, and Software User Conferences it is easier and easier to tap into information.

All of the online application resources now available are ideal for a global company like PB. I encourage you to check out the CADD Applications Hub site for Industry Links and soon to come a page dedicated to Industry RSS Feeds. August also marks the opening of the 17th annual Autodesk University (AU) early bird registration period. (Save US $500 if you register by October 9, 2009) AU will again be in Las Vegas NV on December 1-3, 2009. With more than 640 multi-level classes and hands-on labs organized in 18 disciplinespecific tracks, there are plenty of opportunities to expand your knowledge, enhance your career, and keep you at the top of your game. View the AU2009 class catalog. New this year and ideal for a global company like PB is the Autodesk University Virtual. Nothing can compete with attending Autodesk University (AU) in person. But not everyone can travel to Las Vegas, and in an era of tight budgets, rapidly changing technology and globalization, Autodesk University Virtual can help you stay on top of the game – wherever you may reside. AU Virtual is a three-day web-based event that coincides with the physical AU 2009 conference in Las Vegas. With AU Virtual, you will gain practical knowledge—without leaving the office. AU Virtual attendees experience the immediacy of AU via the Internet and have access to the following: •

Tune in to 60 live-streamed classes with real-time interaction with presenters continued on next page

Inside This Issue: A Letter from the Coordinator ................................1 Letter from the RUG Coordinator - August 2009.....2 AutoCAD User Group (AUG) Summer 2009 Newsletter........................................4 Congratulations New CADD Associates!................6 David A. Abraham Jr. – An Autobiography..............8 2009 CADD Pan Membership Drive........................10 VBA for AutoCAD....................................................11 Working Smarter - InRoads Project Setup..............13

Working Smarter in InRoads - 3D Tendons in Bridge Girders................................................................14 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail (cont’d)...................................................16 Bright Ideas....................................................................23 AU 2009 Advert..............................................................24 BE Conference Advert....................................................25 Bentley Roads & Bridges Conference Information........26 Issue 73 Global PAN 07 Contributors.............................27 Pan 07 Intranet Resources..............................................27

2 A Letter from the Coordinator - cont. • • •

Access up to 350 on-demand classes Connect to virtual networking with peers and experts Review new products and services in the Virtual Exhibit Hall/Technology Showcase

In the coming months we will have more information on the learning opportunities available to you. As always I encourage you to contact me with any questions or comments. -Rebecca

Letter from the RUG Coordinator - August 2009 Richard Tabe, Melbourne, Australia, +61 (3) 9861-1180, [email protected] Greg Smith, Wellington, New Zealand, +64 (4) 916-6539, [email protected] How is the global recession affecting our workloads, business development and growth in OSEA?

Richard Tabe – Melbourne, AU

Greg Smith – Wellington, NZ

Reading the news lately reveals banking organisations withholding their lending which flows through to our organisations with caution prevailing, holding back on projects or feasibility studies because they cannot raise the capital or clawing back some of their revenues into reserves rather than increase their Capital Expenditure. We can appreciate this in New Zealand because much of our work occurs alongside the banks/ lenders and upfront with pre feasibility and feasibility studies. Also, more often than not, our clients are asking us to restrict travel and recruit more local staff for site visits and investigations or quality inspections. In Australasia-Pacific overall, clients are demanding more “bang for their buck” and this is resulting in more pressure on companies like PB to find new methods and techniques that can maximize the budgets set by clients. This mindset is greatly assisted by the relationships we have with our vendors. If we have a close, open and bilateral relationship with the software vendors they continue to be a valued

resource when we need assistance in pushing the limit of our knowledge using their software. At times this collaboration helps to drive future functionality in their products. Our vendors such as Bentley have been forward thinking in relation to the recession and this year’s BeConnected Conference has been changed to an online series of presentations by Webinar. The powerful message this sends is “keep working business as usual, but look for new ways of getting the same message across cheaper for all your stakeholders”. These stakeholders may be clients, peers or suppliers. This attitude must be applauded and the small regret at loss of a travel opportunity is repaid by access to a rich and diverse series of targeted presentations, all of which can help you save your clients money too. I have taken to presenting 1 BeConnected presentation per week at lunchtime on Fridays in the office and the response so far has been very positive. Overall in the region, things may seem a little quiet, but this is the time to utilise expanding your ideas, writing papers, performing presentations and working with your vendors and professional organisations so when the recession continued on next page

3 Letter from the RUG Coordinator - August 2009 - cont. recedes, you and PB are in a stronger position than you were 12 months ago and can take advantage of new opportunities. A new initiative that has evolved from Work Sharing and Remote Office Working is Virtual Teaming. A-P has developed a set of guidelines for Managing Virtual Teams called a “toolbox”. This covers basics such as Forming teams, communication, building trust and encouraging collaboration, Managing, and leading virtual teams.

From Agnes Viterbo

From Richard Tabe

Basically, my message is don’t feel that you have to hunker-down or reduce your exposure to new ideas and opportunities to weather the storm of recession, but open up, see it as a positive time to gain more from the opportunity than your competition. From Agnes Viterbo in Philippines PB PH have participated in a six-part series of LIVE eSeminars by Bentley on MicroStation V8i from May to June. Refer BeConnected from Bentley.com. Philippine-Australia Alliance is in full swing. There are approximately 25 staff in the office, close to the PH main office, who primarily work for PB Australia and provide cost competitive Engineering and CAD services to the region. Continuing the theme of work share, there are presently 2 Designers and 2 CADD staff on temporary duty assignment (TDY) in Honolulu. Their stay ranges from 3 to 6 months. From Richard Tabe Despite the current economic downturn, PB’s design team in Melbourne are busily occupied with the recently awarded major Alliance project the M80, Sydney Tulla project ($700M) and the Peninsula Link Tender Bid (+$500M). These projects

utilise an integrated software suite of the v8i editions of Bentley’s MicroStation, InRoads and Storm and Sanitary which provide the immediate benefits of providing drafting efficiencies and reducing the design and construction risk. ProjectWise is also being used to administer and control the distribution of the CADD documents on the Sydney Tulla Project. The InRoads User Group have met regularly at monthly intervals with the sessions now being webcast into other locations. These sessions are also being recorded and will soon be available through the PAN site in the InRoads user group area. Richard Tabe made a presentation for the 3rd quarter on August the 6th to the Victorian BE Community held at the State DOT offices in Camberwell. The live hands on presentation “Smarter Corridor Modelling in InRoads v8i” covered components, pavement widening with boxing, and how parent/ child relationships can be used in a template. Finally, congratulations to the new CADD Associates in the OSEA region and to those who have continued their accreditation through to the Senior level.

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AutoCAD User Group (AUG) Summer 2009 Newsletter Lisa Perrett, Cardiff, Wales (UK), +44 (0) 29-2082-7072, [email protected] Welcome to the AUG summer newsletter for 2009. In this update, you will be informed of the new screencast available for AutoCAD 2010 presented by Lynn Allen, Details of the upcoming Autodesk University 2009 and the Featured Tip of the Month. AutoCAD 2010 – Web Screencast Hosted by Lynn Allen Lisa Perrett – Wales, UK

A screencast is now available for you to watch on the web showing all the latest Tips and Tricks for AutoCAD 2010 presented by Lynn Allen (Technical Evangelist). You are able to navigate through the chapters or just let the presentation follow through to completion. This is a great way of catching up with the latest version of the software.

AU 2009 Registration Opens

AU 2009 Registration Opens in August

Each year, the Autodesk University (AU) User Conference and Exhibition brings together over 9000 continued on next page

5 AutoCAD User Group (AUG) Summer 2009 Newsletter - cont. Autodesk enthusiasts from around the world to learn, network, and celebrate the power of Autodesk technology and the international AU community.

Top Eight Reasons to Attend

As the largest gathering of Autodesk users, developers and partners, AU creates a unique setting where companies and institutions of all sizes can gain valuable information and learn strategies to help them thrive in today’s economy. Top Eight Reasons to Attend: • • • • • • • •

Training Tailored to Your Industry Skills Improvement Keeping Up with Technology Fulfilling Company Goals Employee Satisfaction Future Strategy Stay Ahead of the Competition Finding Solutions

AU 2009 registration opens in mid-August, so plan now to attend.

AU08 Training Materials on Hub

Visit the Hub To Find Some Uploaded Training Materials From AU08 Following my previous attendance at AU08, I have uploaded some training materials for you to download. Please visit using the link below: http://corp.hub.pbworld.com/KN/DM/007/UGAC/Pages/AskFindShare.aspx

Featured Tip of the Month

Featured Tip of the Month We are introducing a new section to the quarterly report called ‘Featured Tip of the Month’, so please forward any tips to me by mid October so that I may incorporate into the next newsletter. Please send with your name, office location, phone number and emails address on the top line, in PDF format. continued on next page

6 AutoCAD User Group (AUG) Summer 2009 Newsletter - cont. Featured Tip No.1 – Overkill This one is featured on Lynn Allen’s blog. Follow the link to view:

New Members

http://lynn.blogs.com/lynn_allens_blog/2009/07/an-autocad-hip-tip-on-overkill.html We are always looking for new members, so if you are aware of any new employees you feel would benefit from becoming members, then please invite them to join using the following link: Enterprise Home > Networks > Design & Modeling > CADD Applications > AutoCAD http://corp.hub.pbworld.com/KN/DM/007/UGAC/default.aspx If you have any ‘Tips & Tricks’ you would like to submit, As always, Angela Snider is looking for articles to include in the monthly newsletters, so if you are working on any interesting project, please share your experiences and forward to Angela. Until next time, Lisa Perrett AUG leader

Congratulations New CADD Associates Frank Ryan, Princeton, New Jersey (US), +1 609 734-7015, [email protected] On behalf of the CADD PAN and the CADD Associate Certification Program I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone that was approved by the Board of Directors in June as a CADD Associates for 2009.

Frank Ryan – New Jersey, US

The CADD Associate Certification Program was incorporated as part of the Technical Associate program at PB earlier this year and continues to be a globally successful initiative as a total of 55 CADD Associate applications were received this year, of which 47 were ultimately approved for inclusion as CADD Associates. This year CADD Associate applications were received from Australia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States, with a total of 23 applications being received from within the

US and 32 applications from our global offices. CADD Associate applications were reviewed by a panel of nine CADD professionals, this group included staff from the United States (4), United Kingdom (2), Australia (1), New Zealand (1) and the Philippines (1). The review panel also included two Professional Associates, both of which have their technical specialty in CADD applications. A total of 233 people have achieved their CADD Associate certification since the program inception in 2004. From this group 62 CADD professionals have achieved Senior level certification and 10 have reached Principal level.

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7 Congratulations New CADD Associates - cont. Total CADD Associates Since Program Inception CADD Associate Australia New Zealand Philippines Singapore United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States

52 3 21 1 2 23 131

CADD Associate applications are accepted each year during the months of December and January. All supporting documentation for the CADD Associate program is available on the CADD PAN Hub site at the following links: CADD Associate Home Page http://corp.hub.pbworld.com/KN/DM/007/ Pages/CADDAssociate.aspx

Senior CADD Associate

Principal CADD Associate

9 1 6

1 1

6 40

1 7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) http://corp.hub.pbworld.com/KN/DM/007/ Documents/2009CA_FAQ_r1.pdf Applications for the 2010 CADD Associate Certification program will be available on the Hub site starting in November.

Certification Quick Reference Chart

Questions concerning the CADD Associate program should be sent to Frank Ryan at [email protected].

http://corp.hub.pbworld.com/KN/DM/007/ Documents/2009CA_Attachment_A_r1.pdf

Congratulations to the 2009 CADD Associates for a job well done.

continued on next page

8 Congratulations New CADD Associates - cont.

Newly recognized CADD Associates from the Phillipines Office

David A. Abraham Jr. – An Autobiography David A. Abraham Jr., Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, +632 687-1061 [email protected]

David A. Abraham Jr. – Manilla, PH

Before I started my career as CAD Operator, I was a Structural Steel Detailer / Draftsman at SPDI in 1989. Since I started my interest in computers, I decided to use it in drafting. In 1991, I then enrolled in Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) using ATS Supervisions software in Ateneo Computer Technology Center in Makati. Then I bought a book in Autocad tutorial, I self studied it at home with hands-on exercises. In 1992, I then worked in Gexis Technologies, Inc. in Pasig City, Phils., as CAD Operator. I experienced conversion of engineering & architectural drawings and maps into digital format

using AutoCAD R.10 and CAD Overlay ESP 3.0. The various editing system are manual CAD digitizing using digitizer tablet, scanning & hybrid or raster/vector editing systems. I also done some sideline works in CIM and Vista-CAD like 3d works and tracing scanned drawings. In 1994, I also worked for few months in RP Design Consultants in Singapore which I have done interior designing, supervision & preparation of shop drawings using AutoCAD R.12. I continued my work in architectural drawings in Gener Flancia and Associates where my experience includes drawing & sketching using AutoCAD R.12 on space planning of interiors like floor plans, continued on next page

9 David A. Abraham Jr. – An Autobiography - cont.

In 1996

In 2000

electrical layouts, kitchen & bathrooms, drawing elevations, sections & perspective of high rise building & residential, plotting architectural drawings using CANON bubble jet & MUTOH plotter and scanning drawn architectural plans & pictures using Microtek Color Scanner & editting using Adobe Photoshop software. In 1996, I began using my course in Civil Engineering when I joined Parsons International Limited in Makati, Phils., at Civil/Structural Department. I worked as CADD Designer and have projects in telecommunications, power plants and residential. In 1997, I transferred to Kvaerner Philippine Corporation. I have done civil, structural and mechanical drawings using Microstation ’95 and Autocad Rel. 14. I also worked as Scanning Coordinator in using Softelec VP Studio HybridCAD software for raster & vector drawings. I have also done part-time works in C & E Corporation and Alan-Dick Corporation. In 2000, I was hired by Fluor-Daniel Inc. in Alabang as Structural CADD Designer in Civil/Structural/Architectural Department. During this time I was trained in Intergraph PDS (Plant Design System) Frameworks Plus & Structural Design. My experience includes modeling, designing & producing drawings of structural steels such as platforms, stairs, ladders, piperacks, miscellaneous pipe, electrical & structural supports and concrete foundations of pumps, vertical & horizontal vessels, exchangers, of petrochemical & industrial plants using PDS and Microstation J. I was also assigned in Control Systems department using Wiring and Intools 5.1 (E & CS),

In 2003, I worked with Crumbs and Imaginit (subcon of JGC Philippines) also in Alabang as CADD Designer in Civil, Process and Piping Department. I also done jobs I have done with Fluor like PDS and MicroStation. I was trained in Tekla Xsteel 8.2 where my experience includes modelling 3d drawings based on structural layouts by engineers for steel structures and prepares drawings such as plans, elevations, details, views and autoconnections for embedded plates using Xsteel , exports in AutoCAD for review and issued for construction. In September 2006, I was hired by Parsons Brinckerhoff Philippines, Inc., in San Miguel Ave., Pasig City. I am currently working as Senior CAD Drafter in Engineering Department. I became a regular / permanent in this company in which I am very happy with it. I was assigned to be a Mentor in MicroStation and trained newly hired staffs. It was my first time to attend a “Team Building” and “Becoming a Quality Employee” seminars in PB and learned many things like team development, being effective team leaders, winning organization, self discovery, needs of people, personal and professional success among others. I was also able to attend Project Management Training where I could use in the future when I will be assign as Project Manager. I also worked as CAD Supervisor in Sydney Water Corporation and was assigned in Manila-Australia Network Alliance. Right now, I am currently assigned in Novare Bridges where I can make use of my skills in civil and structural drawings. I am proud to be working in PB and plan to work here for 15 years or more like my other colleagues in PB worldwide.

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2009 CADD Pan Membership Drive

2009 CADD PAN MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

2009 CADD PAN Membership Drive

As a member of the CADD PAN, you already know the many benefits of being a part of a Community of Practice. Now is the best time for you to share this information with other PB colleagues by signing them up as a member of the CADD PAN and showing them how to plug in to this unique PB Community. Announcing the 2009 CADD PAN Membership Drive and your opportunity to be entered to win one of two exciting prizes. Increase YOUR chances to win an iPod Classic or a Nintendo Wii when you show a PB co-worker how they can become members of the CADD PAN too. Employees can sign up for the CADD PAN themselves using the survey listed below or you can complete the survey for them. Here is all you need to do: Direct a PB co-worker to the provided link below: Click Here to Jump to the Hub Any PB staff can sign up to join the CADD PAN as a Primary or a Secondary PAN member. When they fill out the simple form, make sure they include your name at the ‘Referred by’ line. Just by filling out the form, the person signing up, AND the person who referred, will be entered into a drawing. Refer one co-worker, and your name will be placed in the drawing once… Refer twenty co-workers, and your name will be placed in the drawing 20 times. First Prize – your choice of one of the following: Nintendo Wii or iPod Classic Second Prize – your choice of one of the following: Nintendo DSi or iPod Nano The contest ends November 2 The winners will be chosen at random from the valid entries and will be announced in the November edition of the CADD PAN Newsletter. A prize will also be awarded to the person who makes the most references! (Only one prize will be awarded to a winner. In other words, the First prize, Second prize, and Most References Prize will not be awarded to the same person.)

The more members in the CADD PAN, the better we will Participate, Communicate & Educate effectively in everything that is CADD.

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VBA for AutoCAD

Brendan Mulcahy – Brisbane, AU

Brendan Mulcahy, Brisbane (AU), +7 3280 9300, [email protected] AutoCAD customisation takes on many forms. Users can change workspaces, profiles, create palettes, modify the Customization User Interface and streamline their acad.pgp file, among others. Further to this, scripting functionality is also available, allowing high-throughput of commands at the touch of a button. Following from this, there are also two powerful programming languages available for more complicated automation tasks - Lisp and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Depending on the task at hand, one or more of these automation tools can make quick work of highly complicated and/or repetitive tasks, leaving users to concentrate on the detail of their work and not be hampered by repetitive or frustrating tasks. My particular area of interest is VBA. This language was developed by Microsoft to give developers a high-level language to get programs to talk to each other and is a component of all Office products as well as many non-Microsoft products. Luckily for developers like myself, this language is also included in AutoCAD. In this article I’ll briefly cover the usage of VBA within AutoCAD and show how you can get scripting and VBA to call on each other, depending on your need.

Running VBA Macros from Scripts

VBA is saved as projects with the .dvb file extension and can be loaded and unloaded at will. This happens in the VBA Manager (VBAMAN command). If you have projects loaded, they will appear in the Manager list, or if not, you can use the Load button to bring them in. AutoCAD being AutoCAD, you can also drag .dvb files from Windows Explorer into the drawing space to load them more easily. Usage-wise, projects can be loaded using VBALOAD, unloaded using VBAUNLOAD and individual macros run using VBARUN, more on this below. Developers can then delve further into the development environment, but its use goes far beyond the scope of this article. Running VBA macros from scripts: Scripting is a hugely popular way to automate tasks, for obvious reasons. Any AutoCAD user familiar with entering command line instructions will already have an intuitive understanding of scripting. AutoCAD commands have already been developed by Autodesk programmers so generally there’s no need to re-invent the wheel - this varied and powerful list of commands are easily accessed through scripting. Scripting also has the benefit from the range of readily available scripting programs such as Hurricane and ScriptPro which allow users to list numerous drawings for scripts to be run on. Simply list your drawings, select your script and (depending on whether your computer and network are behaving!) you can walk away while multiple commands are executed over multitudes of drawings. But what if there isn’t a command available, you have a VBA function at hand and wish to run a VBA macro via scripting? Using the commands listed above, this is a straightforward operation. You simply load the project, run specific macros and unload the project, as shown below.

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12 VBA for AutoCAD - cont. The first line invokes the VBALOAD command, inserting the full path of the dvb file in question. Next up the VBARUN command runs an individual macro contained within that project called D2G_12D_ Text_Layer_Fix. Once complete, the project (now just listed by its name) is unloaded.

Running Scripts from VBA Macros

In this case I was asked to create a macro that would send different text entities in 12D output to specific layers on the basis of specific criteria. For instance, any text beginning with “R” or “B” had to be changed to one specific layer, while any text beginning with “TP” had to go to a different specific layer. While a relatively simple macro in VBA (and probably lisp), this would not be possible with scripting. However, the combination of VBA to do the specifics along with scripting to handle its high-throughput use is a great time-saving combination. Running scripts from VBA macros: Another advantage to scripting is that there are lots of them written. If one already does the task at hand, or part of it, why not use it? In the following example I was asked to write code to supplement an existing script that performed a series of polyline edits to convert arcs and lines to one joined polyline. The added functionality required the execution of this script only in the presence of a specific layer and the rotation of specific text entities by 180o as the design model was rotated by that much compared to the project drawing views. Re-writing the script would have been time-consuming and wasteful, so instead I ran the existing script using the following code in VBA. Application.ActiveDocument.SendCommand (“scr “ & vbCrLf & strPath & “design_output_conversion_arc.scr” & vbCrLf) This code is basically a command line dump, invoking the SCRIPT command and inputting the necessary script name and execution instructions. The code vbCrLf is the VBA equivalent of pressing return within the command. Following this code was instructions for selecting specific text entities, recording their angle within model space, adding 180o and rotating them to that new angle, again functionality that would not be possible with scripting alone. Finishing this off required calling this VBA function from a script, identical in structure to the one listed above – load, run and unload - for high-throughput. Yes, a script to call a VBA function that called a script! In conclusion, AutoCAD comes ready-made with great tools for automation and customization. Tools such as scripting, lisp and VBA, while powerful in their own right, should not be viewed as standalone entities, but as co-existing tools that can supplement each other. In further installments I will highlight how VBA can be used to execute automatically at startup, setting variables, commands and pathing without user intervention as well as demonstrating the transfer of information between AutoCAD and Microsoft Excel for powerful time-saving functions.

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Working Smarter - InRoads Project Setup Richard Tabe, Melbourne, Australia, +61 (3) 9861-1180, [email protected] A common challenge in design is the need to swap projects at the drop of a hat. Not only is your train of thought interrupted, but also your workflow. Time is inevitably lost. Another annoyance is the navigation through Window Explorer to the new Project Directory. The ability to do this is enhanced by capturing the paths in the project configuration. Step One

Richard Tabe – Melbourne, AU

Go to File
Step Four Export the settings from the right hand side options. This will capture all the Configurations that have been created on that particular WorkStation and export it as a .reg file. Locate the file centrally on the network under the Project and also in a standard library area. For another user to share in the configuration, the registration (*.reg) may be imported from the import function on the right hand side of the panel.

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Working Smarter in InRoads 3D Tendons in Bridge Girders Richard Tabe, Melbourne, Australia, +61 (3) 9861-1180, [email protected] Paul Michaud, Melbourne, Australia, +61 (3) 9861-1111, [email protected]

Richard Tabe – Melbourne, AU

One of the challenges of design is how to improve processes with modern technology and streamlined workflows. Is there a need for change? Why do we make change? Is change implemented for changes sake or is it introduced for innovation and productivity improvements. One of the areas identified where further productivity savings can be achieved is the modelling of tendons in 3D using a design software package and CAD. What tools work best for this? This is an exercise that is easily and efficiently undertaken with an integrated combination of InRoads and MicroStation. Typically, the bridge girder could either be a precast segmental form cast in a yard, or, cast in situ on site. The tendons are placed in circular ducts within the cast girders to a diameter required to house these tendons. The ducts are then grouted once the stressing sequence has been completed. The forces placed on the tendons when stressed are extremely high and a precise set out is required. The manufacturer’s installation instructions specify minimum radius requirements, and, straight lengths at the anchorage points. The ducts need to be laid out to ensure there are no kinks, curves are circular or parabolic, and, straights are tangential to all curves.

Paul Michaud – Melbourne, AU

The ducts are traditionally drawn up in 2D showing a plan and a profile. The checking of concrete cover and clearance between ducts as they weave thru the girder was approximated only, being limited within the confines of a 2D environment. Close enough had been considered good enough and the rework required on site was accepted as part of the normal process. The use of spread sheets for manual checking may be suitable for simple bridge structures but the complexity of varying road geometry on the roadways being designed now make it a difficult and time intensive challenge. The best solution to extract accurate data is to model the ducts in 3D.

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15 Working Smarter in InRoads - 3D Tendons in Bridge Girders - cont. All well planned projects require good tools and good workflows. An alternative way is required to design the geometry rather than manually to accurately maintain the geometrical relationships due to the combined effects of simultaneous horizontal and vertical direction changes in the ducts. The tools that provide the best result for the exercise are InRoads as the design tool on a MicroStation CAD platform. The strength of these tools lies with their integration with CAD in a 3D environment. The work is undertaken typically by a structural drafter who has undertaken some InRoads training. The workflow is as follows-: 1) Setout the tendons in plan in CAD 2) Import or create the geometry in InRoads using the preferred method of Horizontal Element 3) Create Profile in InRoads showing the soffit of the beam and then establish the control points where the tendon is required to pass (this will assist in determining clearance requirements). 4) Create a vertical alignment in the profile through the critical points by using Vertical Element method with fixed/free/floating combinations of placing elements 5) Annotate the profile at 1m intervals 6) Display the alignment of the tendon with Geometry View 3D Alignment with the spacing set to 100mm as shown in the adjacent illustration 7) In MicroStation, extrude the diameter of the duct along the centreline of the tendon. 8) Model additional parts of the beam in MicroStation 9) Review and the finished product by extraction of sections and visualisation. The following benefits are provided in this dynamic environment. •

•

•

Firstly, clearance checks are made that have certainty and the model can be sectioned at any defined point with corresponding relationships that are measureable and annotatable. Secondly, the 3D model can be sectioned and annotated using InRoads with clearances from the ductwork to the soffit at a defined interval, normally 1metre. Thirdly, as the design is proved in 3D prior to going to construction, clashes are eliminated and the amount of field rework is reduced producing time and cost savings continued on next page

16 Working Smarter in InRoads - 3D Tendons in Bridge Girders - cont. • •

Fourthly, visualisation of the beam is possible from any view point to display the design intent to all collaborators. Opportunities are provided to refine the design. Lastly, as the design information is provided in 3D, the opportunity to construct the data accurately from the digital file is provided. This lessens transference of data errors and makes available to the contractors the most highly detailed and accurate level of information possible.

The design being undertaken in 3D provides the best solution for construction and plan production with reduction of risk and drafting costs. What simplified the process? The exercise is greatly simplified with the choice of software and environment. We have two ways of doing this task- the traditional way or the smarter way. Logic says that we can get a better result if we do it the smarter way by using an integrated CADD solution.

And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail (cont’d) Roy Tingley, Godalming, Surrey (UK), +44(0) 1483-528953, [email protected] This article is continued from the July issue of the CADD PAN 7 Newsletter!

Roy Tingley – Surrey, UK

Using the Software

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages with both software packages. Unlike Road design, the Rail industry has not had any choice but to shift its design capabilities to BRT. Having used Mx over many years, the change over has been relatively painless. However at the moment the current workload has only given the opportunity to use horizontal and vertical design commands, turnout and crossover design and dabbling with the regression tools, but of those few commands there are some very good tools which I have been very impressed with. Rather than looking at the general nuts and bolts of BRT and Mxrail, like placing geometry elements, turnouts etc which both design packages handle in almost the same way. This article concentrates on tools, which dare I say, BRT has the upper hand over Mxrail. \ Using the software Unlike Mx, with Inrail you do not need to work continually in the design environment. You can very easily unload and reload the design data, For example by setting the F7 key with the following shortcut mdl load “c:\program files\bentley\inroads group v8.9\bin\civustXM.ma” XM version. (….\civustAT.ma”) V8i. The user can start Microstation and when Inrail is required use F7 to startup the software. Most of us who did the Inrail course, and who have the benefit of two monitors back at our own workstations would agree that two is best!! The benefits soon become apparent when only using one monitor. We all have our preferred toolbars displayed when using Microstation. Whether these are docked to the edges or floating on screen. Add into the pot other software packages we have open at the same time (the beauty of windows). Start-up Inrail and this opens the BRT explorer, fairly continued on next page

17 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont. innocuous you may think. But using tools from the pull-down menu bar opens even more sub-menus, icons etc. As and it’s not long before you cannot see the “wood for the trees” without having to move or minimise the array of data on the screen

The explorer is divided into four major parts • Menu bar, these contain the tools available for the active Bentley Rail track modules • Left box is the workspace bar, control centre for all Project data • Right box displays details of about the data in the Project. • And finally the status bar along the bottom. During the course you are led through it using the pull-down menus to access the tools. I hear you say “that’s logical”, but after a while and as with all CADD environments the instructor introduces you to the customisation tab, well there’s always two ways to skin a cat (apologies to those cat lovers). Now that’s more like it, those tools used time and time again are there, easily accessible without having to hunt through the pull-downs to find the tool, as can be seen below:

BRT Design Basics

However the obvious disadvantage to customising the Inrail explorer is that it takes up more and more of the screen, so the benefit of having two monitors is without doubt a requirement. Bentley Rail Track design fundamentals Although the basic principles of Mxrail and Inrail are very similar, creating surfaces, geometry i.e. floating and fixing straights and radii, linking them with transitions to generate desired alignments, crossovers and turnout geometry, earthworks etc. How these are applied is altogether very different. Unlike Mx where you did not need much CAD knowledge, CAD functionality is an integral part of the design. No longer is there a reliance on input files to assist in the manipulation of data as we had continued on next page

18 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont. with Mxrail which had to be edited for each project. This is now down to setting custom preference files. Admittedly once standard files have been created these can be used time after time, and only when the client requested specific information to be displayed would they need to be changed. First up must be Check Integrity, This is great, sorry I am easily pleased. For those of you familiar with Mx, can’t it be a real pain. You think that you have a completed string 5km long, you end the horizontal command and you get a warning of discontinuities. The same thing could and would happen with vertical profiles, it comes to the end of the day you have to be home pronto and you get the following message: …..cannot create tangent point string from discontinuous alignment 3 discontinuities found in vertical alignment First discontinuity at 940.600 Between elements B005 and B002

So what do you do, there are a lot of elements over 5km, time is running out. Rather than trying to put in a compliant element, you would probably fix in any elemnt just to get rid of the discontinuity. But in the example there are three, so you have to exit the command to find the next instance and so on. When you get back to it, where is that piece of paper that you wrote all the location of dicontinities down on! However with Inrail as you place an element you can see it a) on the design b) in tabulated form. Until connected they are highlighted RED, once connected the elements are shown black. And in the unconnected state you can exit the software, and come back to it at later. Second up Multiple element regression analysis can be very useful indeed as it solves two kinds of problems: Multiple Element Connection (MEC) problems and Multiple Element Regression (MER) problems.

continued on next page

19 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont.

MEC problems are the less complicated of the two. In a typical MEC problem, the goal is to define connecting geometry to close a disconnection in the active horizontal alignment. In an MER problem, there are two goals: 1) to fit the alignment to a set of regression data (points) and 2) to define connecting geometry to close a disconnection in the active horizontal alignment. Well I hope you understood all that. In layman’s terms it means that the designer can pick two elements on an alignment no matter how far apart. Inrail will select all the connecting elements between them (see screenshot above). The designed elements can then be amended, for example say the last transition length (55m) is too short. By highlighting the row and using the edit box to the right this can then be amended to say 65m. By changing this, other elements would have to change and the designer needs to check the box of three adjacent elements to allow BRT to alter them and hence accommodate the extra 10m in transition length. In this case it could be that the preceding circular curve, radii and the final straight could be changed. Once satisfied that the elements selected will have the desired effect, the apply tab is selected. The change would result in a shorter length of radii and change in radius, it would also reduce the length of the final straight but the bearing is unaffected, if acceptable then it can be saved. This command is particularly useful if you have a start and end element but nothing linking them. By using this command you can easily build-up an alignment. Not so with Mx you had to edit each element one at a time. (Bentley Rail Track wins). Connection editor, for the example shown on the right we created parametric turnouts 7349 and 7350 on parallel straight track, from the Turnout Library command. Connecting these turnouts with a crossover uses the same principle as the regression tool. First we identify the beginning element in this case turnout 7349, and then the ending element 7350. In this example we want to leave 7350 positioned where originally placed. So by checking the box next to 7349 means this element will move to suit the length of crossover. Next we add a length of straight into the connecting element continued on next page

20 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont. box. Note: this does not need to be the exact length as Bentley Rail Track will compute the actual length.

However say the example involved placing the turnouts on parallel curved track, then in the connecting element box would need to show two elements i.e. the heel length radii from both turnouts, indicated in the boxes to the right of the turnout data. The free box for both elements plus the floating turnout needs to be checked. Bentley Rail Track will compute the actual geometry through the crossover.

Now let’s look at the final two options on the connection editor tab. The Element tab, this allows the designer to make a connection between to alignments. For example say new sidings have been designed and they need to be connected into the main lines. The designer knows roughly where to place the turnout. In the same way as Multiple Horizontal Element Regression works, the designer can very easily design the final arrangement for the connection. continued on next page

21 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont. And finally we have the free exit tab this does exactly what it says on the tin, it allows the designer to create a series of elements off the back of a turnout, very useful in Buffer Stop design. View Horizontal Annotation. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article re: input files, even though Mx allowed the designer to save some of the setup data for use time after time, these were sometimes limited in what you could do with them. The other way was to create input files to generate consistent looking outputs. However the designer had to have some knowledge of Mx Command Language (LINEMODE). Inrail uses one preference file (*.xin) to accomplish the same results. PB UK Rail has started to customise their own to give a consistent look to all drawings across the Business Unit. Most of our horizontal geometry is created at the following scales 1:100 (Manufacturing) 1:200 (Detailed Design) and 1:500 (Outline Design) and each preference setting displays similar data though makes allowance for scales.

a) Sets centreline to correct colour / line-style / weight b) Scales text to correct size and places it on the correct level. c) Sets size of dumbell to suit out put scale, and places it on the correct level. d) Rails are set to the correct level and weight e) Stationing is set to suit scale, correct colour / line-style / weight f) Stationing can be set either to the left or right of the alignment

Annotate profile. Similarly we have created a series of preference settings for displaying the data boxes along the bottom of the profiles. Again this gives us a consistent looking output. For example this will set: continued on next page

22 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont. a) b) c) d)

Sets boxes to correct colour / line-style / weight Sets grid information to correct colour / line-style / weight Scales text to correct size and places it on the correct level Sets which geometry data is required for type of drawing i.e. for a feasibility design there would be no need in showing Cant, Speed boxes, whereas these would be required on Form B drawings.

It’s a hard one to call, to which software is better when it comes to displaying Horizontal and Vertical annotation. However I may just be swayed towards BRT, for if nothing else the user friendliness of preference file, well that is once you have worked out what, does what. However if you want to display something different then the software does not seem very flexible, though in most cases there are work-a-rounds. For example: When generating Longitudinal Sections we would normally show horizontal geometry Radii, length etc. and associated cardinal points in the same row, similarly vertical data would be shown in the same format. BRT does the same, the only difference being it separates the cardinal points out into a separate row, to the curvature detail and the vertical alignment. However there is a work-a-round to fix the problem. Which is create the curvature and cardinal rows one above the other, set the cardinal row height to zero and offset the text such that it appears centrally to the curvature row. View 3D elements unfortunately I am not at the moment impressed with viewing designs in 3D and if anyone can suggest a better way please let me know. With Mx your design is always three dimensional, rotate it round to an isometric or side view and you can clearly see the proposed design rising and falling according to the profile. Not so with Inrail, if you view the proposed design from any angle, all radii appear to be disconnected from the adjacent elements. A quick check using Check integrity will show that the elements are very much OK. When you interrogate the geometry it seems to place all the radii at the same elevation as the first element. Bentley’s did suggest using Horizontal Annotation, place a tick in Planarize. But all this did was connect all the elements at zero elevation. However there is a command called 3D alignment and yes this does do what it says and does display the alignment correctly.

Conclusion

Conclusion What can I say in summing up is that both Mxrail and Inrail have their weaknesses. When PB UK rail transferred to the windows environment, the majority of its designers used the Mx software in one or other CAD environment (Microstation or AutoCAD). Though one or two did opt to use the standalone version. However most of us were used to having the CAD functionality1 to hand. So changing to Bentley Rail track has not caused any real problems with productivity. Having the CAD functionality is a real plus, for example viewing reference data without having it as an inherent model in the display. In-fact you have now got complete flexibility in one place. continued on next page

23 And what of Bentley Rail Track (BRT) against Mxrail cont. Bentley Rail Track adapts to any infrastructure workflow, increasing efficiency. It delivers a high degree of flexibility, with added power of an integrated geometry model that brings into play all factors that influence the project. The result is significant productivity improvements and time savings, whilst giving users a greater opportunity to optimise the geometry and reduce costs. What of the course!! The general feeling was that it was very good. Very well presented from people that knew what they were talking about. The documentation was well set-out and easy to follow. Although those that attended the Godalming course felt that the section “surface modelling” was covered a bit too quickly, however the course was compressed into 3 days and all subjects were covered. The Manchester course did last a full week, the first two days dealing with Microstation followed by Bentley Rail track. The feeling was that they didn’t have enough time to complete everything in BRT but they felt they had covered enough to set them on their way.

Finally

Finally There is a way to go until the PB UK design competency of Bentley Rail Track is on par with Mxrail, but it will come with every project undertaken using the software. 1Mark Hellier – Exeter UK had covered CAD functionality and Mx in his Newsletter articles starting January 2009. I know that Mark concentrated on Mx but the same flexibility exists when designing with Bentley Rail Track.

Bright Ideas The following Bright Ideas submitted by Frank Ryan, Princeton, New Jersey Did you know… In MicroStation V8i there is no longer a variable to suppress the registration screen from the end user. After 3 times of being prompted to register, there is a Skip Registration Button that will appear on the Registration Screen. Otherwise, the registration screen will appear 1 time per week for a total of 10 times. If you choose, you may register the product yourself using the registration screen or your CADD Management may bulk register your users through Select Server.

Frank Ryan – New Jersey, US

For pre V8i applications the MicroStation registration screen can be disabled by using the following variable. MS_OTWREG_NOCHECK=1

To submit your ‘Bright Idea’ please send them to Angela Snider at [email protected].

24

AU 2009

Start Planning Now for AU 2009

Each year, the Autodesk University (AU) User Conference and Exhibition brings together over 9000 Autodesk enthusiasts from around the world to learn, network, and celebrate the power of Autodesk technology and the international AU community. As the largest gathering of Autodesk users, developers and partners, AU creates a unique setting where companies and institutions of all sizes can gain valuable information and learn strategies to help them thrive in today’s economy.

The Benefits of Attending AU Autodesk University 2009 is your chance to meet with the top experts in your industry and learn about the latest trends and technologies that will help you stay competitive. • • • • •

Listen to high-quality presentations about real-world projects and future applications. Experience hands-on labs that advance your knowledge of Autodesk tools and techniques. Share the professional expertise of the world’s top instructors, Autodesk developers, and industry experts. Cultivate important business and professional contacts that can benefit your company and your career. Meet with a community of your peers at a live event in a world-class venue.

AU 2009 will be here before you know it! So start planning now to attend. We know you will find this annual event extremely valuable, and you will have a great time too!. AU 2009 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hope to see you at the conference December 1–3, 2009!

Never Been to Autodesk University? Find out what AU attendees had to say about their AU experience. http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=au2009_02&und=94

25

BE

About Be Connected

Connected Be engaged, be informed and be empowered The Be Connected online seminar series offers a stream of educational and informative content about real-world infrastructure projects and the best practices and software products used to design, build and operate them.

Stay on top of the latest trends in practice and technology for infrastructure Bentley developed the Be Connected online seminar series to bring information about current best practices and technology improvements to infrastructure professionals everywhere. Using streaming media via the web, it’s a sustainable way to learn from fellow architects, engineers, contractors and owner/operators to help you and your organization work smarter.

Professional conference content without registration fees or travel expense Be Connected is available at no charge to anyone who registers and delivers the kind of professional level content usually found at trade and professional organization conferences without the expense and hassle of travel.

Seminars for every interest The Be Connected online seminar series offers a wide variety of content for infrastructure professionals across multiple disciplines and specific formats. “Solutions Best Practices” are presented by leading infrastructure professionals and bring a “project perspective” on best practices for the design, construction and operation of specific types of infrastructure projects, including: • • • • • • • • • •

Bridges Cadastre and Land Development Communications Electric and Gas Utilities High Performance Buildings Mining and Metals Oil and Gas Rail and Transit Roads Water and Wastewater

“Product Update” seminars are presented by Bentley product management teams to demonstrate the latest features and capabilities of Bentley’s V8i software products. continued on next page

26 About Be Connected - cont. Career development from your desktop By learning how other infrastructure professionals from around the world are using new workflows, information technology and delivery methods to be successful in their practice, you will gain new insight about how to leverage these tools and techniques to be more productive and to advance your career. A transcript of the seminars you attended and the Bentley Institute Learning Units received will be available to you via your personalized “My Seminars” page.

Watch Live or OnDemand We understand that the demands of project deadlines and scheduling conflicts can make it difficult to attend seminars at a specific time. That’s why every presentation in the Be Connected online seminar series is also offered OnDemand within 24 hours of the scheduled live seminar presentation, so you can view your chosen seminars at a time that works best for you. The first live presentation of each seminar will include a live Q&A teleconference, giving you the unique opportunity to interact with leaders in your field and gain in-depth answers to your questions.

Seminar Guides to help you get the most out of Be Connected Depending on your specific area of interest, Seminar Guides will recommend a series of relevant seminars, helping to ensure you get the most out of the Be Connected online seminar series.

Group viewing of Be Connected seminars Do you want to view either a Live or OnDemand Seminar with a group of your colleagues? You can view seminars and still earn Bentley Learning Units for each seminar viewer. http://connected.bentley.com/?BI=homepage&v=events+beconnected

Bentley Roads & Bridges Conference

27

Resources

PAN 7 Intranet Resources Visit the PAN 07 Intranet Home Page and clicking on the Library links on the home page. If you experience technical difficulties you can contact any of the following Steering Committee members for assistance.

CADD PAN Coordinator Rebecca Arsham

San Francisco, (US)

+1 (415) 243-4767

[email protected]

Rebecca Arsham

San Francisco, (US)

+1 (415) 243-4767

[email protected]

Fred Babin

Columbia, (US)

+1 (803) 227-3415

[email protected]

Rob Griffith

Manchester, (UK)

+44 (0) 1925-296-539

griffi[email protected]

Lisa Perrett

Cardiff, (UK)

+44 (0) 29-2082-7072

[email protected]

Frank Ryan

Princeton, (US)

+1 (609) 734-7015

[email protected]

Greg Smith

Wellington, (NZ)

+64 (4) 499-1000

[email protected]

Angela Snider

Seattle, (US)

+1 (206) 382-5232

[email protected]

Richard Tabe

Melbourne, (AU)

+61 (3) 9861-1180

[email protected]

Global PAN Steering Committee

Regional User Group (RUG) Leaders Joseph Redden – Americas

Columbus, (US)

Lisa Perrett – EAME

Cardiff, (UK)

+1 (614) 791-5183

[email protected]

+44 (0) 29-2082-7072

[email protected]

Greg Smith – OSEA

Wellington, (NZ)

+64 (4) 499-1000

[email protected]

Manager, Corporate Knowledge Program:

Chris Rivinus

New York (US)

+1 (212) 465-5539

[email protected]

Knowledge Networks Coordination:

Janet Runes

Denver (US)

+1 (303) 887-1258

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor:

Angela Snider

Seattle (US)

+1 (206) 382-5232

[email protected]

Newsletter Layout:

Paula M. Borkowski

Buffalo (US)

-1 (716) 853-1220

[email protected]

This newsletter is intended to foster the free-flow of ideas and information among members of the CADD Applications Practice Area Network. The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and are not necessarily those of PB. This and past issues of the CADD PAN Newsletter are available on PBWorldnet in the Newsletter File Cabinet. Technical questions are encouraged to be submitted through the IT Support website. Information contained in this document has been compiled utilizing various resources, including input from the end users of CADD within PB. 2009, Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc., One Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10119, 1.212.465.5000 All Rights Reserved. Sponsored by the Corporate Knowledge Program. Articles may be reprinted with permission of the PAN Coordinator.