Brown Bag Topics - Oct. 2

Training Plan

My personal plan is to (feedback is welcome).

• I need to get my manuals available electronically (not pdf)
• Make everything completely modular:
  • Topic-based narrative and screenshots
  • Topic Labs w/ enscapsulated labs (exactly what you need with no setup pre-requisites).
  • Screencams (two-minute max workflow run-throughs).
• Provide Major and Minor Workflow Task Sequences pages with lab links.
• Provide As-Needed and Training Topics Skill Building pages with lab links as Training Units.

Deadlines collapse buildings, but they also get them built.

Let's make a training commitment sustainable for a few months.

Configuration Things You Need to Know

• Changing Clients (default is CalTrans v7+ Imperial D11)
• v7-v8 Interoperability
  • Save As/CSV
  • Batch Processing
• Creating a new ustn file (seeds)
  • CTv7 seeds have crap in them and four views for 3D.  Do we want to clean this up?
• Level Manager
• MicroStation User Configuratables
  • Function keys
• CalTrans v7+ Standards
  • the dgnlib
  • any frequent customizations (like font 114) that need porting?
• Explanation of the InRoads v8.9 Setup
  • Status:  a good start, useable, but much remaining
  • Project Defaults and the Xin File
  • Feature Styles
  • Symbology
  • Command Setup (lots remaining)
    • Metric v. English
  • How you can help me help you
• Managing Geometry Data
  • Need  a single Geometry Manager per project
  • Geometry Styles
  • Multiple Files: logical breakup
• Proposed Surfaces (it's what we do!)
• Typical Sections Overview

Long term Question:

There's a saying: don't let someone else's emotional problems or deficiencies become your emotional problems or deficiencies.  It begs the questions:  should a clients limited and deficient deliverable environment dictate our designing and production.

I don't think 63 levels is enough (well, at least how CalTrans designates them).  For example, I like to Work w/Shoulders and ETWs on different levels, one level is not enough segregability for all drainage structures.  We can develop an "extended" environment and a translator to the Caltrans v7+ standard (and an automatic translator for v7 (actually that's already in place).  Deviating from a client deliverable standard requires some extra step to put the genie back in the bottle.  It can be a simple step. 

Couple of notes related to this: 3rd floor is already looking at a broad National CADD Standard and CalTrans will be expanding out of their tiny box in the next year or so...

Data Management

• Eliminate Cranial Single Sourcing
• Minimize the need to reverse engineer the engineering (big time waste).
• Document as you go, keeping collaborators in mind.  Keep it simple and quick.
• Use inline documentation whenever possible.
• Eliminate ambiguity.
• Assigned Roles: Project Data Manager?
  • basic documentation of what's going on with the data
  • can be a simple read me
  • should point to standards, standards files
  • data management convention

File Management (805/Van Buren)

• The Design InRoads folder vs. Design/TEMP/<user> folder
• Naming Conventions
  • The criticality of clarity
  • Existing vs. Proposed
  • Good vs. Bad vs. Temporary vs. "Working"
• Archiving and Archives

Van Buren

A Thousand Points of light and an Alg for every alignment?

Existing Data Discussion

InRoads Coordination