This Readme file contains the most up-to-date information and corrections that are not included in the user manuals as well as information on installing and getting started with Eagle Point 99. Topics include: HOW TO REACH US GETTING STARTED MANUAL HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS INSTALLATION PROCEDURES *WHAT'S NEW ON THE 99Q2 CD* WHAT'S NEW IN THE 99 C PATCH WHAT'S NEW IN THE 99 B PATCH WHAT'S NEW ON THE 99Q1 CD WHAT'S NEW ON THE 98Q4a CD WHAT'S NEW ON THE 98Q4 CD NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS PRINTING AND VIEWING ON-LINE DOCUMENTATION CONVERTING OLD EAGLE POINT PROJECTS DOCUMENTATION UPDATES HOW TO REACH US ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Technical Support: Phone: 1-800-477-0909 FAX: 319-556-4812 E-Mail: support@eaglepoint.com World Wide Web: http://www.eaglepoint.com FTP: ftp://ftp.eaglepoint.com If you would like to be proactively notified when a product update (patch) becomes available, Eagle Point Software now provides this service for free. Each time Eagle Point releases a new patch, an email message will be sent that notifies you of the availability of the patch along with a listing of each problem that has been corrected. You can then log onto our FTP site via our Homepage and download the patch at your convenience. If you are interested in this free service, send an email message to: join-epupdates@sparklist.com GETTING STARTED MANUAL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Getting Started manual contains valuable and detailed information about installing and using Eagle Point 99. An electronic version of this manual is available from the CD in the EDOC folder (GS99.PDF). You must install the Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the contents of this or any other on-line manual. Help files can also be accessed from the HELP folder on the CD-ROM. It is strongly recommended that you read the Getting Started manual. HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Minimum Requirements - Intel 486, Pentium (recommended) - Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT4.0 (recommended) - 64 Megs of RAM (128 recommended) - 100 MB free hard drive space (+55 MB if installing On-line Manuals) - 150 MB free disk swapping - 640 x 480 VGA video display (1024 x 768 recommended) - A mouse or digitizer device compatible with Windows - CD-ROM drive (for initial installation) - One, Two or Three of the supported CAD Systems *Refer to page 32 in the Getting Started manual for more detailed hardware/software requirements. INSTALLATION PROCEDURES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Close any applications you have open. 2. Run the SETUP.EXE file on the root of the Eagle Point 99 CD-ROM. 3. On the Eagle Point Kiosk, select the appropriate Install option. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. *Refer to Chapter 3 in the Getting Started manual for information on how to install Eagle Point 98. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW ON THE 99Q2 CD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- With the 99Q2 CD, AutoCAD 14 and 2000 users can access the Watershed Modeling module. The installation routine now contains the option to install Watershed Modeling. This CD also contains the following product enhancements and bug fixes. Enhancements for VIP Clients ---------------------------------------------------------------------- System * Node and Symbol Separation An additional option now exists on the New/Modify Field Code dialog box that allows you to place your Nodes (points) onto a different Layer/Level than your symbols. The Place Additional Symbol toggle on the New/Modify Field Code dialog box controls whether you want a block/cell to be placed in addition to the Node (point) marker. By establishing different layers/levels for the symbols, you can freeze/turn off the layer/level that the Node resides on thereby allowing you to see just the symbol. This also allows for a Node and it’s attributes to be removed from the drawing/design file while leaving the symbol behind. Data Collection * Circle Designator This enhancement to the Data Collection module allows you to code a circular feature by specifying a center point and radius or by shooting three points that define the perimeter of a circular object (storage tank, reservoir, etc.). This designator works similarly to the Rectangle and Feature Line commands previously added to Data Collection. Profiles * Annotate Entire Profile This new command has been added to the Profiles menu to speed up the manual annotation of profiles. Instead of individually annotating every vertical curve and tangent grade, this command allows you to select the profile and have these and other items annotated in one step. * Place Block/Cell by Station and Elevation This command has been added to the Draw menu in the Profiles module to place a user specified block/cell at a given station and elevation within the current Profile Coordinate System. * The Construct Profile from Surface Model command now has additional CAD Settings for each profile that is extracted from a different surface model. This enables you to place original ground profiles with different CAD Settings than design profiles. Site Design * 3D Feature Editor This new command has been added to the Site Design module to aid you in editing 3-dimensional design elements. You can select lines or polylines/linestrings and edit the Northing, Easting and Elevation of each vertex stepping from vertex to vertex. The straightforward interface also provides the ability to edit the direction, distance and grade from vertex to vertex as well as raise and lower the entire feature in one step. You can also specify cut and fill slopes that automatically project to a specified surface model when the edits are made. Volumes can be calculated between the projected feature and a specified surface model to assist you when fine-tuning the final design. * Slope Projection Lines You can now specify separate CAD Settings for Cut Slope lines and Fill Slope lines when projecting slopes in Site Design. This provides a visual queue to denote where your slope projections change from a cut condition to a fill condition. * Balance Volumes An option for utilizing Compaction Factors has been added to the Settings dialog box for this command. Surface Modeling * Lock Surface Models Surface Models can now be locked by a user to prevent other users from editing/re-creating them. The Manage Surface Models dialog box has an option to lock a surface model so that modifications cannot accidentally be made once the model has been built. When an edit is attempted on a surface model a dialog box appears stating that the model is locked by a certain user and cannot be modified. * Spot Elevation Labels can now use your own custom block/cell for the spot elevation marker. * Preview Surface Model Another OpenGL graphic previewer has been added to the Surface Modeling module. The Preview Surface Model command can be found in the Output menu in Surface Modeling. It provides 3 dimensional viewing of the surface model in an OpenGL dialog box. 3D perspective views, panning and zooming and real time view rotation of the model are available to provide you a detailed view of the surface model. The Display Settings option lets you specify the items to view including; TIN triangles, Intermediate and Index Contours, 3D Grid, Surface Model Boundaries and Void Regions as well as the points and breaklines that were used to generate the model. Bug Fixes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- System * Drawings saved as R14 in AutoCAD 2000 now retain their intelligence with Eagle Point Objects (nodes, alignments, contours, etc.) when opened in R14. * The Delete command has been added to the Project Manager dialog box. * The current Microstation color palette is now used on Preview dialog boxes. * Adding a RoadCalc Sub-project with number 001 on a Novell network, no longer prevents additional sub-projects from being added. * Previous RoadCalc sub-projects with superelevation parameters can now be converted successfully. * Using the toggle to Automatically Add Cells from Cell Library on the New Field Code Library command will no longer give the error message #1383 File already exists. COGO * Place Node command no longer prompts for another point when the Apply button is used on the dialog. If you use the PIC button, you can continually pick points in CAD. * Inverse points using a perpendicular osnap now finds the proper point on the selected object. * You can now graphically select nodes from the drawing that are also linked in the External Node Database for the Inverse Points, Report Area, Report Angle and Stakeout Points commands. Data Collection/Data Transfer * When processing files that have Node IDs that are duplicated in the project, the Use Next Available Node ID and Apply All option on the Point Protection dialog box now properly sequences the duplicate Node IDs. * The indexing of Data Collectors on the Upload command has been updated to allow the selection of Sokkia Collectors. Drafting * All of the Insert Symbol commands now automatically repeat, asking for another point to place the symbol at. * Insert Symbol from Library command has been updated to allow for more options during insertion including to tag QTO IDs to symbols and additional elevation choices. It also allows you to add symbols to existing Eagle Point symbol Groups. * Change Elevation command in Microstation now allows for a Fence option. * Change Elevation command now allows for multiple object selections. * Annotate Line Number by points can now be tabled properly * Annotate Line Number by points using a perpendicular osnap now finds the proper point on the selected object. * Annotate Curve Number by points can now be tabled properly * Curve Annotation text now utilizes it's own CAD Settings. Site Design * Analyze Slopes now places the slopes arrows when toggled on. Surface Modeling * Preview Contours now has pan, zoom and viewing perspective options. RoadCalc * The Superelevate Curve command can now properly interpolate Radius and superelevation parameters from the Horizontal Speed Tables. * Original Ground Profile CAD Settings for Microstation now utilize the specified weight and linetype. * Cross-section sheets now show multiple datum elevations. * Cross-section sheet Surface CAD Settings are being utilized properly. * Cross-section sheet Surface Labels are being placed at their correct locations. * Cross-section sheet Original and Design Elevation CAD Settings now can be toggled off. * The user-defined Cross-section sheet prototype design file is now being used. * Plan and Profile Sheets Original Ground Elevations are now reading the correct value for precision. * Mass Diagram Sheets are properly reading the settings file. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW IN THE 99 C PATCH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This patch can be applied to machines running the node version of the software as well as the Network License Manager versions (Novell IPX, Windows TCP/IP). The patching mechanism will determine which configuration you are running. AUTOCAD 2000 COMPATILITY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- With the C patch, the Civil/Survey 99 products now provide the ability to operate with AutoCAD 2000. In addition to providing basic compatibility with AutoCAD 2000, Civil/Survey 99 C also takes advantage of advanced CAD features which are key to the Civil Engineering and Surveying professional. For example, the new multiple document interface (MDI) allows for the ability to view and edit in plan, profile and section drawings simultaneously. By doing so, users will be able to move between the various drawings in a project with much more efficiency than ever before. UPDATING TO AUTOCAD 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have applied the 99C patch the necessary files are in place to configure Eagle Point to run with AutoCAD 2000. You will also need to run the Configure CAD Engine command found in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator program. You can find this program in your Eagle Point 99 program folder located in your Start menu. On the Configure CAD Engine dialog box change the ACAD.EXE file Location option to point to the R2000 acad.exe. Selecting the OK button will update the necessary user settings. ****Users Upgrading from R14 If you have not migrated your previous R14 profiles, a new Eagle_Point_98 profile will be created in R2000 for you by copying the Unnamed Profile. If the profile specified in the Command Line Arguments is something other than Eagle_Point_98 and that profile does NOT exist in R2000, a new profile with that name will be created. If the profile specified in the Command Line Arguments does already exist in R2000, it will be used when running Eagle Point. Whatever profile is specified, make sure that it contains the necessary search paths including the location of the EGPT\IMAGES folder. ****Users Upgrading from R13 Because R2000 uses profiles instead of ACAD.INI and/or the /s command line switch, a profile will be created for you when you configure Eagle Point to now run with R2000. Any other customizations to the original R13 Command Line Arguments would need to be added to the Eagle_Point_98 profile. ****Users Updating from Other CAD packages If you wish to change your current CAD configuration from Microstation, IntelliCAD 98 or the EP Graphics Engine to AutoCAD 2000 you must use the SETUP.EXE program on the installation CD to re- install Eagle Point. Network License Manager users must create new client deployment setups and re-deploy the software to the client workstations. In either case, you may re-install over your previous Eagle Point 98/99 installation choosing AutoCAD R2000 as the CAD Engine to run with. Prior to running the SETUP.EXE on individual computers, run the Configure Registry command found in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator and choose the Reset Current User's CAD Configuration option. This step is necessary so that the Setup routine can properly configure Eagle Point to run with the new CAD Engine. Any patches created since that CD version must be re-applied and can be obtained from the Eagle Point homepage (see Product Patches and Updates section of this document). Doing this does not require that you run the Configure CAD Engine command found in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator program. Refer to the Getting Started manual for more information (Re-Configuring Eagle Point When Upgrading CAD page 41). ****Users who have Multiple CAD setups If you are running Eagle Point with R2000 on some workstations and with R13, R14, IntelliCAD or the EP Graphics Engine on others, please note that the new DWG format is not at this time directly compatible with previous DWG versions. If you wish to share drawings between users who run under the above scenario you must save the R2000 drawings as R14 or R13. Also, because of changes made to the R2000 DWG format, a different RoadCalc Plan and Profile sheet prototype is needed. If you share the EGPT\SUPPORT folder under the above scenario you must establish separate Format Defaults for Plan and Profile Sheets that use different prototype drawings. The RCPLAP.DWG in the EGPT\SUPPORT\DWG folder will be replaced with an R2000 dwg version when you run the Configure CAD Engine command. If you need to also run Eagle Point with R13, R14, IntelliCAD or the EP Graphics Engine, you must create new Plan and Profile format defaults that use the RCPLAP13.DWG found in the EGPT\SUPPORT\DWG folder. Multiple Drawing Environment ---------------------------------------------------------------------- As a default, AutoDesk has set ability to open multiple drawings within one session to be on. This is controlled with the system variable of SDI. With the SDI set to 0, you can have multiple drawings open at the same time. With the SDI variable set to 1, only one drawing can be open at a time (similar to past AutoCAD versions). When working with multiple drawings open at the same time, there are some things you should be aware of. Each drawing has its own AutoCAD Command Line. You can be in the middle of a command in each drawing. For instance, in drawing A you can be running the LINE command and in drawing B you can be running the ERASE command. The command will stay running when you switch between drawings. Eagle Point will work in the same manner if the drawings are part of the project. Drawings are part of the project if it displays in the Project Listing on the Open dialog box. This displays the project plan drawing and any additional drawings that are contained within a project. Eagle Point commands can also be used in RoadCalc profile drawings, and plot sheets. In order use these drawings, the individual View commands must be used to make the drawing current. If multiple plot sheets are open, only the last sheet that was viewed within Eagle Point can be used with Eagle Point commands. To use Eagle Point commands in a different sheet you must highlight the desired sheet in the dialog box and click on the View Sheets button. If the current drawing is closed, Eagle Point will set the current drawing to the project's plan drawing. If the project's plan drawing is not loaded when an Eagle Point command is run, the project's plan drawing will be loaded before the Eagle Point command is executed. POP0 menu (middle mouse button/wheel behavior) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- As a default, AutoDesk has set the middle mouse wheel on an Intellimouse to be dynamic panning. On a three button mouse the middle button runs the pan command if you hold it down. In either case you can still display the POP0 menu (snaps popup menu) by pressing the Shift key and the right mouse button. You can set the middle mouse button/wheel single click to be the POP0 menu with the system variable of MBUTTONPAN. When MBUTTONPAN is set to 0, the middle mouse button/wheel will display the POP0 menu. When MBUTTONPAN is set to 1, the middle mouse button/wheel will dynamically pan. With either of these settings, the Intellimouse wheel will zoom in or out. Right Mouse button Click menus ---------------------------------------------------------------------- As a default, AutoDesk has set the Right Click of your mouse button to display a short-cut menu. This can be controlled with the Options command found in the Tools menu. The options that can be changed are on the User Preferences tab in the Windows Standard Behavior frame. Partial Drawing Open ---------------------------------------------------------------------- At this time, Eagle Point has not taken full advantage of the capabilities of the Partial Drawing Load option within AutoCAD 2000. It is recommended that this option is not used on any Eagle Point intelligent objects. By using this option and making modifications to Eagle Point intelligent objects, the intelligence may be lost. You can use this option if native CAD objects (non Eagle Point objects) are being modified or deleted. In-place Reference File editing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- At this time, Eagle Point has not taken full advantage of the capabilities of editing a reference file. It is recommended that this option is not used on any Eagle Point intelligent objects. By using this option and making modifications to Eagle Point intelligent objects, the intelligence may be lost. You can use this option if native CAD objects (non Eagle Point objects) are being modified or deleted. UPDATING TO MICROSTATION J ---------------------------------------------------------------------- With the 99A (99Q1) release, the necessary files are in place to configure Eagle Point to run with Microstation J. You will need to run the Configure CAD Engine command found in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator program to change your configuration if you did not reconfigure for Microstation J when installing from the CD. You can find this program in your Eagle Point 99 program folder located in your Start menu. On the Configure CAD Engine dialog box change the USTATION.EXE file Location option to point to the Microstation J ustation.exe. Selecting the OK button will update the necessary user settings. If you are using a different User Configuration File (.ucf) other than the EGPT.UCF, make sure that it exits in the proper location for Microstation J and that the Command Line Argument reflects the .ucf name. Refer to the Getting Started Manual, MicroStation Modifications on page 45 for more information. WHAT'S CHANGED FROM 99B(99Q1B) TO 99C(99Q1C) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Administrator * Convert Previous Installation no longer overwrites the default Eagle Point speed tables if the number of tables in the older version of the software is greater than the number of tables in the newer software. * Convert Previous Installation correctly locates and converts the rcdata.dat file rather than the rcdata.lib file. * When converting previous projects that contain RoadCalc sub-projects, the RoadCalc sub-projects are now added to the Eagle Point 99 project list. System * Synchronization of node graphic/numeric data has been improved to resolve synchronization messages from session to session. * Coding changes have been implemented to work-around certain issues related AutoCAD 14-based VIP Express Tools. A usual symptom was to see a fatal error about commands cannot be nested 4 deep. * Coding changes have been implemented that now cancel AutoCAD real-time zoom and pan commands if these commands have not been properly exited prior to running an Eagle Point command. * Numerous incidental and cosmetic fixes that are located throughout the product line. COGO * The Point Protection dialog box no longer sinks behind CAD when duplicate node numbers are detected. * When pressing Enter to terminate a selection set command in AutoCAD/IntelliCAD-based configurations, focus is returned to the Eagle Point dialog box. * When inversing alignments, the reported distance correctly uses the System Distance precision rather than the System Coordinate precision. Also, the Area Report for COGO Lots now follows the System Area precision. * Stake-out Points, Boundary, and Alignment now report information on the Back-Sight Point in the output report. * COGO now correctly converts three- or four-sided objects in MicroStation into a COGO lot. This was not a problem in AutoCAD/IntelliCAD systems. * When running multiple sessions of the Match Nodes command, the most recent selection method is retained as the default selection method. * The order of lots in the Create Lot Report dialog box can now be specified. * When running an Area Report, a named lot can be specified by directly typing its name into the Lot Name edit field. * When creating a Lot Report, the default column heading for Area no longer reads 'Square Meters' if your project is English-based. Data Collection * The re-reduction of edited TDS Coordinate files now properly replaces the generated CAD objects. * Reducing TDS files that contain CD (change elevation) instructions, the instruction is now properly mapped to the SDMS VD tag rather than the SDMS $M tag. * 3D Linework entries with line patterns will now place the patterns in curved sections of the line. * Linework information is now properly saved when the linework file is created and then renamed in the same session. * The 'Use Cross-Section Patterning' option is now being properly recognized. * Collected point numbers that are not in numerical order no longer causes an Eagle Point crash. Drafting * Annotation settings for Curve, Line, Lot, Spiral and Legal Description data have been corrected to prohibit duplicate Order values. * When annotating spirals in AutoCAD/IntelliCAD, the number of EPCommands reported to the text screen has been minimized. * When annotating alignment stations, precision for 'whole' stations can be set independently from station values at inflection points. * The direction settings for Northwest and Southwest directions are now correctly retained and reported. Profiles * When constructing grids, the last grid settings are now retained. * Clients attempting to place Inlets or Manholes in MicroStation can now place the symbols. Does not appear to be an issue for AutoCAD/IntelliCAD users. * Profile Coordinate Systems can now be deleted. * The high/low points of vertical curves for tangents that are both positive or both negative are now correctly reported. * When constructing profiles from a surface model, the generated profile correctly follows the direction specified in the Profile Coordinate System (PCS). RoadCalc * For BOP Station values other than 0 (zero), the reporting of the station value has been corrected in several locations throughout the product. * Performance improvements have been made to the Extract Cross- Sections routine. Also, extraction is correctly handled if an alignment PI point is coincident with a surface model triangle vertex. * Extracting cross-sections from a surface model in MicroStation with an alignment that contains spiral information after the first PI no longer results in an MDL Abort message. * Generating cross-section reports now prints surface data to the report. * When generating the Original Pavement surface, the shots that define the original pavement at the control stations are now correctly generated. * Surface names that result in invalid AutoCAD/IntelliCAD layer names are now correctly handled and displayed. * Cross-Section plots in MicroStation now correctly use the specified CAD Settings. Colors of BYLAYER for AutoCAD/IntelliCAD systems can now be specified. * Original ground surface labels on cross-section plots no longer appear outside the limits of the cross-section sheets. * Labels for Cross-Section Offset and Elevation annotation place both the offset and elevation of the specified locations. Also, if the Stacked option is enabled, both parameters are now placed. * Volume information that is placed on the Cross-Section plots is now reported in cubic yards rather than cubic feet (English/Imperial projects only). * Vertical curve annotation on Plan & Profile sheets is correctly placed. * The profile grid in a Plan & Profile sheet now starts on a 'heavy' grid interval. * The station and pipe size of a Sanitary Sewer network that is attached to a RoadCalc Plan & Profile sheet is now properly annotated. * Metric Volume calculations now correctly reflect the current cross- section data. * Copying typical sections correctly maintains the proper file names and index order. * When running a design that results in a 'Catch-point Not Found' warning, the proper warning is now displayed in the dialog box. * When running a design with the Step-Through Editor, defined utilities are now displayed in the editor. * When running a design with the Step-Through Editor, changes to the left side typical section no longer change the right side typical section. * Running a design for an alignment that was graphically edited is now correctly handled. * Unassociated profiles from the design are no longer processed as if they were part of the design. * RoadCalc correctly applies ROW and Width-controlled slope types during processing. * The decimal precision for slopes is now properly maintained and applied during processing. * Vertical curve overlaps are now reported as static text on the dialog box rather than as a tool-tip. * Vertical PI and Vertical Curve reports now display station, elevation, grade, and distance precision to the appropriate system precision. Surface Modeling * For Elevation Contours, the specified Index Contour value is correctly maintained. * When merging surface models and specifying a boundary, the boundary information is not incorporated into the surface model if it falls outside of the valid elevation range. Site Design * When constructing Feature Lines or Catch lines in MicroStation, the vertex limits for MicroStation objects are correctly implemented. * For Slope and Depth Contours, the specified Index Contour value is correctly maintained. * Slopes can now be projected from three- or four-sided features in MicroStation. This was not a problem in AutoCAD/IntelliCAD systems. * When assigning a grade to an object, the starting elevation of the object is now taken to be the endpoint nearest to the location on the object that is selected. * Compaction factors for Cut and Fill earthwork volumes can now be any real number. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW IN THE 99 B PATCH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Surface Modeling * Corrected reading an external ASCII file as a source of information for a model Data Collection * Printout for line library properly includes the layer name * Corrected masking type of softbreak for lines in the line library * Line patterns place all elements on the specified layer * Missing field codes no longer cause problems with file reduction * Point descriptions may now be up to 128 characters in length RoadCalc * Query cross section arrow stays on the current surface rather than jumping to the top surface as stations are changed * Corrected cross section deletion to prevent the deletion of surfaces * Microstation now uses level/color settings correctly in cross-section plots * Changed modify condition table to use the same defaults as new condition table * BOP Station values are properly recognized in all preview windows * Added utility display to step through process * Volume reports no longer require a pavement surface * Disable for Right of Way alignments is now allowed * Corrected compaction zone calculations * Changed PT Code display in cross-sections to recognize vertical stretch factor * Utility text display in cross-sections and profiles now has correct spacing * PT Codes are now saved correctly upon making graphic edits to cross-sections * Speed improvements in extracting cross-sections from surface models ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW ON THE 99Q1 CD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RoadCalc This is a major upgrade and completely new release of the RoadCalc module. Due to our past development cycles, the prior release of RoadCalc for AutoCAD versus the release for MicroStation had relative differences in feature sets. Additionally, there has never been a release of RoadCalc that would work with IntelliCAD and there has not been a Stand Alone release of RoadCalc since Version 6, which was brought to market back in the late 1980's. With RoadCalc 99, we have integrated with CAD via our "CAD plug-in." This means that we are now able to release identical feature sets on AutoCAD, MicroStation, IntelliCAD and Stand Alone, simultaneously. Additionally, RoadCalc 99 contains a number of major enhancements that will be of benefit to users regardless of CAD platform. Here is a listing of the most noticeable enhancements: * Long file names * Multi-user network support * Plan & profile format enhancements * Cross-section plot enhancements * Automatic utility display in all cross-sections and profiles * Horizontal alignment previews * Profile previews * Cross-section previews * New typical section precision input * Enhanced Windows GUI * User controlled step through processor * Condition tables * Superelevation transition input by distance and/or stations * Preview of 2 point cross-sections from surface models * Left to right and right to left profiles * Option to place profiles in plan drawing * Extract cross-sections from multiple surface models at one time within user-defined corridor boundary * Alignment offsets with transitioning of offsets from one station to another station COGO * Place Node Command Efficiency The COGO-Nodes-Place Node command has been modified to provide a smoother flow and reduced keystrokes. Now, when a user elects to place nodes via the Pic-In-CAD (PIC) button, the "Apply" is implied. This means that once the PIC button has been selected the user may place one node after another without any additional mouse clicks. This modification eliminates 2 mouse clicks for each node being placed. * Report Area Format The COGO-Report-Area command has been modified to generate a report with a substantially different format. This report format has been developed based upon direct input from numerous users who had requested that improvements be made to the prior report format. Data Collection * Reduce Command Preview The Data Collection-Jobs-Reduce command has been modified to include a new preview mechanism that allows for panning and zooming as well as 3-D viewing capabilities. Drafting * Annotate Lines Command Efficiency The Drafting-Annotate-Lines command (by object and by point) has been modified to provide a smoother flow and reduced keystrokes. Now, when a user elects to annotate lines via the Pic-In-CAD (PIC) button, the "Apply" is implied. This means that once the PIC button has been selected the user may annotate one line after another without any additional mouse clicks. This modification eliminates 2 mouse clicks for each line being annotated. * Annotate Curves Command Efficiency The Drafting-Annotate-Curves command (by object and by point) has been modified to provide a smoother flow and reduced keystrokes. Now, when a user elects to annotate lines via the Pic-In-CAD (PIC) button, the "Apply" is implied. This means that once the PIC button has been selected the user may annotate one curve after another without any additional mouse clicks. This modification eliminates 2 mouse clicks for each curve being annotated. Site Design * Projection Slope Values The Site Design-Project Slopes-To Surface Model command has been changed to allow the user to input a positive or a negative slope value in the "Cut Slope" and "Fill Slope" edit control boxes. * Slope projections from negative elevations The Site Design-Project Slopes-To Surface Model, -To Catchline and -To Offset have been modified to allow proper slope projections from objects at negative elevations. * Positive and negative compaction factors The Site Design-Volumes-Calculate Prismoidal and -Calculate Slice commands have been modified to allow the user to input both positive and negative compaction values in the "Cut" and "Fill" edit control boxes. System Wide * Speed The overall speed of numerous commands throughout the system has been improved. The commands in which speed improvements have been incorporated are all commands that must read "Settings" files prior to processing the actual command procedures. * Network Speed Specifically, the speed improvements noted in the above bullet item are even more dramatic when a user is working in a networked environment with the project data and drawing files stored on a file server. * Embedded AutoCAD Menus For AutoCAD users who prefer the Eagle Point menus to be embedded into the AutoCAD menu as opposed to floating on top of AutoCAD there has been a "Embedded CAD Menus" toggle added to the Eagle Point Software-System Menu. By setting this toggle on, the menus are embedded into the AutoCAD menu. If the toggle is left off then the menus will continue to float on top of AutoCAD. * Dialogs On Top There has been a toggle called "Dialogs On Top" added to the Eagle Point Software-System Menu. By turning this toggle off, all dialog boxes disappear when the user selects a Pick-In-CAD (PIC) button. With the toggle turned on, the dialog boxes remain floating on top of CAD at all times. *Network Users with Gateway IP for Novell 4.X If you are using Gateway IP for Novell 4.x, the normal communications DLL are replaced with Novell's version. To get around this problem, complete the following steps... NOTE: You may need to set your Windows Explorer options to show all files and do not hide file extentions. Windows 95 Search in your Windows\System directory for filenames that end in *.n01. in Windows NT Search in your WinNT\System32 directory for filenames that end in *.n01. These files are usually winsock.n01 and wsock32.n01. Copy these files into the EPGT\PROGRAM directory. Rename the files to have an extention to *.dll. This should take care of the instance dialog you are receiving. If you have further problems, either contact your network administration or Eagle Point Technical Support at (800) 477-0909. *TUTORIAL The screen captures in the Civil tutorial (Figures 6-39, 7-1 and 9-1) may not reflect the actual size of the border that is inserted into the CAD graphic. INTELLICAD 98 USERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The issues with the tracking features of some Eagle Point commands have been resolved with the D patch. Eagle Point 99 Q1 requires IntelliCAD 98 version D. If you do not have IntelliCAD 98 version D, the Eagle Point 99 Q1 installation routine will sense this and ask you if you wish to install the patch now or at a later time. To install the D patch to IntelliCAD 98, complete the following steps: 1. Run \Icad98dp\ICAD98D.exe. 2. Supply the directory for Installation. This should be the directory that IntelliCAD 98 is installed in. 3. When the directory is entered, click on the OK button. The patching process will begin. 4. When the patch has been applied, an Information dialog box will display stating "Patch applied successfully!". Click on the OK button to complete the patching process. For information on items that have been included in the Service Releases for IntelliCAD 98, view the documents on this CD in the Icad98dp folder or visit Visio's web site. http://www.visio.com/tskb/icadkb/productinfo.html ROADCALC SUB-PROJECT CONVERSION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***EP98 Users who have sub-projects You will need to run the Eagle Point 99 Administrator and select the Convert Previous Installation command. Then select ONLY your RoadCalc type files (RC) to be converted. DO NOT reselect any other options. The sub-projects that already exist in your Project Manager will be converted when they are opened in the EP99Q1 software. ***EP13/14,USEP5.5 Users If you have never added projects into Eagle Point 98/99 you must run the Convert Previous Installation command in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator. Be sure to convert all necessary previous support files including any RoadCalc files. Then run the Convert Previous Projects command in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator. If you select to convert all of your previous projects by specifying the Old Projects Library Location, every project will be listed to convert in the listview. Highlight them one at a time and select the Apply button. This will convert the data files into the new formats and add the projects and sub-projects to the Eagle Point 99 Project Manager. If you are Locating a Single Project to convert you will be prompted to supply a new Project Description so that it can be added to your Eagle Point 99 Project Manager. ***RoadCalc 6.0 Users (Stand alone) You may run the Convert Previous Installation command in the Eagle Point 99 Administrator to convert all necessary previous RoadCalc support files. If you do not, you may need to add any customized speed tables. Then you need to add a new project to Eagle Point 99 specifying the project location to be the same location as your RoadCalc 6.0 sub-project. Then add a new sub-project to that project using the sub-project number of the previous RoadCalc 6.0 sub-project. When you attempt to open this sub-project for the first time you will be asked to convert the sub-project so that the data files are in the proper formats. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW ON THE 98Q4a CD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eagle Point Objects AutoCAD 14, Map 2 and Map 3 users will now be able to view drawings that contain Eagle Point objects in CAD without having Eagle Point running. This means that you can pass drawings to other users who do not have Eagle Point and they can view the drawings. The TIN, Contour, Grid and Spot Elevation objects can now be saved as proxies within the AutoCAD DWG. Prior to placing any custom objects into CAD be sure that the AutoCAD System Variable PROXYGRAPHICS is set to 1 by typing proxygraphics on the AutoCAD Command Line. When a drawing that contains Eagle Point Objects is opened within AutoCAD, the Proxy Information dialog box will display asking to display the objects as proxies, to not display the objects or to display a proxy bounding box. If "Show proxy graphics" is toggled on, the Eagle Point Objects can be viewed, manipulated and plotted. NOTE: You may need to Regen to the drawing after your selection is made on the Proxy Information dialog box. The proxies retain their intelligence even if the drawing is saved while outside the Eagle Point environment. When the drawing is re-opened within Eagle Point, the objects are again ARX objects with Eagle Point intelligence. If the proxies are exploded while viewing them without Eagle Point running, they will be converted into AutoCAD native entities. TIN triangles, Contours and Grid squares explode into polylines and Spot Elevations explode into lines and text. The textsize of the Spot Elevation Label is determined by the active text height. This behavior is different than exploding the objects within Eagle Point. TIN triangles and Grid squares explode into 3-D faces. In addition to these changes, a lightweight polylines option is now available as a construction method for contours. It is the LW Polylines option in the Construction Method droplist on the Contours Settings dialog box. Eagle Point Commands When an Eagle Point command is run from a command line key-in, the menu palettes no longer have to load with the command. This change allows users to retain maximum "screen real estate" while running Eagle Point. ***AutoCAD users: For your convenience, a set of menus now ships with the software that can be loaded and used in place of the Eagle Point menu palettes. The Embedded CAD Menus command in the System menu on the main Eagle Point Menu palette can be selected to enable these menus within CAD. When you run Eagle Point with the Embedded CAD Menus option toggled on, the product menus will append your currently loaded menu. You may then select Eagle Point commands from your AutoCAD menus and have the commands run without the Eagle Point Module palettes being loaded. Operating in this fashion still requires the Eagle Point Main Menu palette to appear on screen because its screen location determines where the dialog boxes will display. You can copy and paste portions of the Eagle Point menu files into your normal AutoCAD menu so that you can further customize your work environment. If you choose to perform this type of customization, it is recommended that you don't configure Eagle Point to use the Embedded CAD Menus. The module menus files are located in the \EGPT\PROGRAM folder and use the naming convention of EGPT_??.MNU where the ?? is the two letter module abbreviation. If you want to customize the Eagle Point menu files it is recommended that you do not remove any of the POP menus themselves, just the items defined within them. ***IntelliCAD 98 and EP Graphic Engine users: You can utilize this feature by customizing their menus and/or toolbars within IntelliCAD so that they use the Eagle Point key-ins listed in Appendix A of the Getting Started manual instead of using the "floating" Eagle Point menu palettes. You could also take the AutoCAD menu files or (portions of them) and import them into IntelliCAD to customize it's environment to use the CAD menus. ***Microstation users: You can utilize this feature by customizing their menus and/or toolbars within Microstation so that they use the Eagle Point key-ins listed in Appendix A of the Getting Started manual instead of using the "floating" Eagle Point menu palettes. ***Network License Manager Users: Running Eagle Point in this manner (by menus or keyins) still checks out a module license when a command is running or when a dialog box is visible on screen. However, in order to return a license to the License Manager, you must use the Check-out/Return Licenses command found in the Products menu (keyin command of eplm). The dialog box in this command shows you all of the modules that you have checked out at that time in the list on the lefthand side of the dialog. The list on the righthand side displays all of the product licenses currently available. You can return a product license back to the manager by highlighting the product in the left list and selecting the Return button. This frees the license immediately and makes it available for other users. You can also check-out a license prior to actually selecting a command from that module. Highlight a product in the righthand side list and select the Check-out button to "reserve" a product prior to running a command in that module. The Update button refreshes the lists to show if any additional licenses have be returned since the time the Check-out/Return Product Licenses command was executed. If you use the module menu palettes to run commands, the product licenses are returned automatically when the menu palette is closed. This has not changed from previous releases. Focus Issues when typing CAD Commands The Eagle Point Command Key-in can now interpret CAD commands. If the Command Key-in is visible on screen, you can enter a CAD command in it and Eagle Point will interpret it and send the command to CAD. If the Command Key-in is not visible (toggled off in the System menu on the Eagle Point Menu palette) and an Eagle Point command is not running, your keystrokes will be transferred to the CAD command line automatically to allow you to run CAD commands without having to set focus to CAD first. Convertalignments key-in command AutoCAD RoadCalc users should use this command after defining alignments in RoadCalc. This converts the RoadCalc 14 alignments into Eagle Point 98 alignments so that they can be seen in the Defined Alignments dialog box on commands that access the Alignment Database. After closing the Alignment Library type convertalignments on the AutoCAD command line to enable these alignments to be used in COGO and Drafting modules. If the command is not run, alignments will be converted the next time the drawing is opened in Eagle Point. Data Collection Enhancement A new feature has been added to Data Collection to allow for field entry of additional features. Three new designators allow you to key-in rectangle or feature line geometry within the description of a shot. The Command Indicator (by default a forward slash /) should be entered prior to the Command Alias (either a rectangle 'R' or a Feature Line 'FL'). The Rectangle command allows you to enter a width of rectangle to be drawn parallel to the shot that the command was invoked on and the previous shot. A positive width draws the rectangle offset to the right of the line based on the direction from the previous shot. A negative width constructs a rectangle offset to the left of the line based on the direction from the previous shot. The resulting rectangle is a separate closed polyline. The Feature Line command allows you to enter multiple positive and negative distances to construct a feature line. By entering just distances, the line generated has 90 degree corners deflected either to the right (when entering positive distances) or the left (when entering negative distances). The initial direction established by the current shot and previous shot is used to turn the angles from. A Close designator of 'C' can also be used to close the figure to the first shot of the figure (shot previous to the command shot). You can also use the Angle designator 'A' to specify an angle of some amount rather than using 90 degree angles. Again, a positive/negative convention is used to determine whether this is a deflection to the right (positive distance) or to the left (negative distance). Refer to the examples below. Regardless of the command used (Rectangle or Feature Line) the resulting figure is drawn with the same CAD attributes of the line name coded at the command shot. The following four codes show how offset geometry can be drawn using the Rectangle designator. 32.1 32.1 71.1/R2 32.1 results in: . <- Shot 4 using field code 32, line name 1 | | X¯¯| <- Shot 3 using field code 71, line name 1 | | <- A 2 unit wide rectangle offset to the right .__| <- Shot 2 using field code 32, line name 1 | | | . <- Shot 1 using field code 32, line name 1 To stop a rectangle pattern from continuing, code the stop designator ('!' by default) on the end of the line being coded. For example: 32.INL2/R5 32.INL2!/R5 Information preceding the Command Indicator ('/' by default) is treated as Field Code or line information. The actual line used in this example is the '.INL2' line from the line library, and INL2 is being terminated on this shot so that it can be started again on a later shot. Information following the Command Indicator needs to be the Command Alias, and the offset or feature line angle and distance information in that order. Information following a space is free game and can be used to append/replace the Field Code description for the shot taken. The following two codes show how feature line geometry (i.e. building pads) can be drawn using the Feature Line designator. 32.1 71.1/FL+25+10-15+15C results in: X¯¯¯¯¯| <- Shot 2 using field code 71, line name 1 | |___ | | <- Constructed Feature line of 90 degree | | turned angles and distances ._________| <- Shot 1 using field code 32, line name 1 The following two codes show how irregular feature line geometry can be drawn using the Feature Line designator and turned angle designator. 32.1 71.1/FL+25+10-15A45+21.21C results in: X¯¯¯¯¯| <- Shot 2 using field code 71, line name 1 | |___ | \ <- Constructed Feature line with a 45 degree | \ deflection angle and a length of 21.21 .___________\ <- Shot 1 using field code 32, line name 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW ON THE 98Q4 CD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows NT3.51 Users Windows NT3.51 is no longer supported with the release of Eagle Point 98 Q4. IntelliCAD 98 Users Due to instabilities with IntelliCAD 98 and Windows 95, Eagle Point has temporarily limited the capabilities of the tracking features of the Eagle Point commands. When those issues have been resolved, Eagle Point will re-instate the tracking capabilities. Dialogs on Top Toggle A new menu toggle is included in the System Menu on the Eagle Point main menu that controls whether the Eagle Point dialog boxes remain "Always on Top" (or "in front") of CAD when selecting objects in CAD. By default the toggle is off, which means when the PIC (Pick In CAD) button is used to select objects (nodes, lines, arcs, etc.) the Eagle Point dialog box will "sink" (or "go behind") CAD until the selection is complete. When you are selecting points (Northing/Easting coordinate pairs) the dialogs will not "sink" so that the tracking of the coordinates can be seen in the edit fields on the dialog box. When the toggle is turned on, the Eagle Point dialog boxes remain "Always on Top" when the PIC button is used. Create Lot Mapcheck This new command appears in the COGO Layout menu. It provides closure and course information (bearing and distances) for lots defined in COGO. It uses the Mapcheck settings found on the Mapcheck tab page in the Entry Options command for Node Symbols Node Symbols may now be placed onto different layers/levels than what is specified in the Node (Field Code) Library. After a Node is placed into CAD, you may use CAD commands to change the color and/or layer/level of the symbol. Node and Point Importing Data Collection, Data Transfer and Surface Modeling all have speed enhancements in the area of importing node and point data. NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eagle Point 98 was designed for the ground up with networking in mind. The three key issues with networking are: - Ability to have a Network License Manager (Floating License Pool) - Ability to share software configuration over a network drive - Sharing Project data through a network drive The Eagle Point Network License Manager requires a different purchase agreement and installation routine. This setup routine installs the same Eagle Point software as the single user installation but also sets up the Eagle Point License Manager to administer individual module licenses across a network. *Refer to Chapter 4 in the Getting Started Manual for more information on operating Eagle Point 98 with a Network License Manager. The second issue does not require the separate installation routine and Network License Manager. You may configure individual workstations to "point" to a network drive to access standard libraries for things like CAD standards, prototypes, symbol libraries and other "global" Eagle Point libraries. By establishing the Eagle Point Support folder to a network drive users can access these libraries from their individual workstations. *Refer to pages 49 and 87 in the Getting Started Manual for more information on configuring Eagle Point 98 to share common support files. Locating projects to a network drive also does not require the separate installation routine and Network License Manager. Multiple users can access portions of a project across the network. *Refer to Chapter 6 in the Getting Started Manual for more information on sharing project data in Eagle Point 98. * NOTE If clients are installing files to the network, they must have full rights. PRINTING AND VIEWING ON-LINE DOCUMENTATION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Eagle Point 98 User Manuals are provided to you via electronic format. If you choose to install the user manuals during installation you will have a shortcut created in your Eagle Point 98 program folder. You have the option of installing the files to your hard drive or to locate the documentation on a network or to be read directly from the installation CD. No matter where you install the files to, you must install the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print the manuals. Choose the Install Acrobat Reader option from the Eagle Point 98 Kiosk to setup the documentation viewer. Then use the shortcut placed in Eagle Point 98 program folder or select the On-line Documentation option from the Help menu located on the Eagle Point main menu. Use the Print Option from the File menu in the Acrobat Reader if you wish to print the user manual. * NOTE: When viewing the On-line documentation in the Acrobat Reader the page numbering is different than the manual pages due to the Table of Contents not being numbering. CONVERTING OLD EAGLE POINT PROJECTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To convert projects from previous versions of Eagle Point, you must run the Convert Previous Installation command from the Eagle Point 98 Administrator program to convert over your old symbol libraries and other supporting files (Node Attributes Styles, Line Libraries, etc.). You then must run the Convert Previous Projects command from the Eagle Point 98 Administrator program prior to attaching the project in Eagle Point 98. This will convert the external data files. A backup folder will be created in the project folder called PREVEP which contains a copy of the original project drawings and data files. It is recommended that you create a temporary project in Eagle Point 98 and open it prior to opening the converted project, to verify that the support files have been properly converted. Once the support files have been verified and the external data files are converted, you may then add the project in Eagle Point 98 and open it. At this point the graphic information (nodes, alignments, etc.) is converted into Eagle Point 98. This process may take a few moments. * NOTE: Previous version 13.0 Projects may be missing the header from the top of the project .set file. That header must exist in order to properly convert those projects. Open the .set file using Notepad in the project you want to convert and add the following lines to the top of the file: EAGLE POINT / Systems VERSION aw W13.1AU-A EP Settings File VERSION 1.0 * NOTE: Eagle Point 98 projects may not be taken back to previous versions of Eagle Point software. Refer to pages 95-98 in the Getting Started manual for more information on converting old projects and installations. DOCUMENTATION UPDATES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started Manual - What's Installed Page 43. The free Getting Started CBT is installed automatically to the \CBT\GETSTART folder underneath your EGPT folder. A shortcut to run the Getting Started CBT is also placed in your Eagle Point 98 program group. If you do not install Eagle Point 98 but wish to view the CBT, choose the Install Getting Started CBT option from the Eagle Point 98 Kiosk. Getting Started Manual - Network Requirements Page 50 should include the following requirements: For Novell Netware users, Novell Netware Client 32 must be used on the client workstations. Permanent IP/IPX address on server where License Manager is installed. Getting Started Manual - Network Installation Procedures Page 55. When installing using the Universal Naming Convention (UNC), the Volume or Share Folder MUST exist prior to installation. In Figure 4-5 and Figure 5-5, the EGPT Volume (or Share) must already exist. Folders underneath the Volume or Share folder will be automatically created. Getting Started Manual - Converting Previous Projects Converting RoadCalc 6.0 projects is not yet supported. Eagle Point Menu -> System -> Dynamic Annotation This option when checked on, will make the Eagle Point annotation dynamically update when a modification is made to the annotated object. If this toggle is off and a modification is made to an annotated object, the annotation will not automatically update. The dynamic link between the object and annotation still exists so that if you set the Dynamic Annotation toggle back on and modify the object, the annotation will update. COGO -> Report -> Nodes COGO -> Report -> Station Offset These commands now have a Select Nodes button on the main report dialog boxes. If the Select Nodes dialog box is closed and you wish to add or remove nodes from the report, use the Select Nodes button to display the Select Nodes dialog box. Selecting the Apply button on the Select Nodes dialog box after building your selection set will update the report. COGO -> Report -> Inverse Object This command now also displays closure information on the object selected. Drafting -> Modify -> Resize Drafting -> Modify -> Swivel Instead of selecting a block by name, the dialog box has a Method droplist that lets you choose a single block, multiple blocks or all blocks in the drawing to modify. Surface Modeling -> Output -> Place Grid The Grid Skirt option formerly found in the Place Grid dialog box has been moved to the Grid Settings dialog box. Eagle Point 98 Administrator -> Configure -> Tutorial Project There is a difference between the Node and Alignment objects in the drawing or design file when compared against the Eagle Point 98 data files. This is due to the intelligent links Eagle Point 98 assigns to objects as they are placed in the host CAD engine. As a result, an alert dialog box may appear prompting if you would like to use the data files to synchronize the drawing (design file). Eagle Point recommends you reply No to this option (for the tutorial data sets only).