Convert text to 3D text in Dynamo for Civil 3d

Civil3D
1

Hello, everyone!
We have addins for Civil 3D that can generate manhole names as normal text (not mText) in Civil 3D - and we’re looking to create a dynamo script that selects all text instances - then creates 3D text.

As such, has anybody tried this before? I’m fairly new to Dynamo, and after looking around online, I have not found anybody with a similar question.

I imagine there are two ways of doing this;

  1. If possible, can Dynamo extract both the inside and outside edges of the text, and use that to extrude the text into a 3D Solid? (This is how we’ve achieved this in Grasshopper previously).
    Or possibly converting text to Mtext, then somehow using the input data to generate 3D solids of the list values?

  2. Alternatively, if not, is it possible to run AutoCAD commands from Dynamo?
    If so, we could use the old-fashioned way of moving each individual name to origio, then going through the whole TXTEXPLODE-Extrude-Union-3D-rotate operation, however I hope that we can find a smarter way about this.

Any ideas?
Help would be greatly appreciated,

2

Hi
Yes, there is a node to create 3D text as solids in the Camber package.
I already do what you ask for in one of my scripts but instead of using the text I get structure name and create 3D solids from that above the structures.

2 Likes
3

Excellent, this is exactly what I am looking for - thank you!
I managed to get most of it right - however, I cannot seem to return the 3D solids back into Civil 3D.
The Object.ByGeometry does not respond to the solid output from the Camber node. Do you have any tips?

4

Great :slight_smile:
If the Object.byGeometry don’t create solids in C3D usually the temp folder in C:\Temp and %temp% is full. Try to clean them, will usually fix the issue.

5

Yes, thank you so much - the texts I’m trying to convert are too far from Origo, so it’s working great when I do some tests with the text closer to 0,0.
I’m working my way around that issue right now - thank you so much for the recommendation! The Camber package is great! :slight_smile:

6

Just curious, but what is the added value of using texts as 3D solids in a civil project?

7

For our case, we more or less only produce IFC files (no dwg files, and no drawings). Additionally, Civil 3D does not export 2D text to IFC. As such, we illustrate pipe slopes and manhole names with 3D text as solids.

1 Like
8

The only reason we use it in our projects is because the client ask for them to make is easier to recognize landmarks such as road names, names of villages or towns. I have also been asked for at possibility to create them for structures in a Water and Sewage Project. Otherwise we don’t use it.

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9

Wouldn’t it be better to use propertyset on the objects to add that info to objects? Or can’t client read that?

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10

Thanks for the replies. Using Property Sets was my first thought when reading IFC.

But on the other hand, workarounds have been part of civil design as long as I remember :wink:

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11

We do have properties all figured out, however, many clients are looking to replace drawings with 3D models. As such, they want more details (anchors, joints, manhole parts, etc) - as well as 3D text to supplement what you would normally find in a drawing.
However, at this point, we’re primarily using properties while figuring out different ways of incorporating 3D text and details.
That’s why I’m lurking on these forums - using Dynamo to generate details and text based on property values seems like the easiest fix! :slight_smile:

2 Likes
12

Our client ask for the same.
”Everything that could be found in a drawing must be found the model…” but they still just ask for a new drawing not ask how to share information.