Motivation #

This article highlights the common issues and pitfalls to be aware of when using Civil 3D, ensuring an accurate synchronization from MiTS.

Missing diameters of pressure pipes #

The diameters of pipes are a crucial parameter in the part catalogs, as this data is required by Civil 3D in determining the elevations in 3D Space and when creating the Profile View.

However, the diameters of the pipes may be defined improperly or incorrectly in the part catalog, especially in default Civil 3D catalogs (The dimension appears in the UI, but in reality, it is unavailable in the API). In such a situation, the available data is unreliable as the synchronization will fail and trigger a verification warning PartSizeUnableSync.

Solution 1: Upgrade to latest MiTS #

Upgrade to MiTS 3.2.34.0 and above (with its corresponding MCIntegrator), the software will be able to parse the missing diameters and resolve this problem.

Solution 2: Check for missing internal dimension manually #

In the meantime, we provide a guide on how to check for missing diameters below. If you are working with MiTS 3.2.34.0 or earlier, you may find it useful to learn how to correct the missing diameters manually.

Verifying the missing internal dimension is possible for the pressure pipes through the Content Catalog Editor. Not only that, users are also able to fill in the missing dimension parameters to ensure synchronization can be done with no issue.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the Windows’ Search feature and type in Content Catalog Editor. Launch the application.

2. Open the SQLite file that contains the pressure parts data.

3. Select the pipe type on the left-hand side grid. The data of the parts will be listed in a table as shown in the image below.

Uneditable dimension of Pressure Fittings – Tee #

This is a known behavior in Civil 3D, in which the nominal dimension of the user-defined fitting-tee cannot be edited.

It has been reported to Civil 3D, and there is nothing that we can do except to wait for the fix on their end.

Fitting/Appurtenance: Unreadable or missing nominal diameter #

The nominal diameter of certain fittings and appurtenances may be displayed in the UI, but in reality, it is actually missing or unparsable in the API. This will trigger a verification warning, PartSizeUnableSync, during the synchronization of the pressure pipe network.

You may refer here for a discussion of the above matter.

Solution: Upgrade to the latest MiTS 3.2 #

The latest MiTS 3.2 solves the issue by reading the nominal diameter from other locations

Position Z of the fittings and appurtenances #

The vertical coordinates (Z-position) of fittings and appurtenances are not exactly utilized by Civil 3D in maintaining the integrity of the pressure pipe networks.

Rather than referring to the Z-position of the nodes, Civil 3D initially focuses on the elevations of the connected pipes to determine the sloping and connections within the network. This shows that the Z-position of the nodes is a computed input, a dependent parameter, whereby it is controlled by the pipes’ elevations. Ideally, in modeling, we should update the pipes’ elevation, and the nodes will update accordingly.

However, the Z-position can still be a user-defined value, which, Civil 3D overrides the computed value, following instructions from users: “This is the value that I want, use it as the node’s elevation” – In this scenario, it is expected for the pipes’ elevations to be forced, adjusted according to the user-defined Z-position of the nodes to maintain the connections within the network.

This is also the reason why we are not syncing the z-values of the fittings/appurtenances between MiTS and Civil 3D.