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Today’s Autodesk Civil 3D® update is brought to you by surface tables in XREFs. Yes, you read that correctly—surface tables have an issue, albeit an exception more than a rule. We first found this problem back in the 2022 release. After searching the forums, we discovered other users experiencing the same issue and now have a solution for both you and them.

To set the stage, most people in the Civil world are familiar with external references and how they are used to display specific content on a given sheet. An environmental plan that shows a surface with the results of an analysis in a table is one example. A typical workflow demonstrating the issue is shown below:

• Create a surface named EG in a 3D file called 3D-EG.dwg.
• Set up a Civil 3D project and create a data shortcut for the EG surface.
• Data reference EG into our base file, R-Enviro.dwg.
• Apply an analysis to that surface, then use a surface style and table to display that analysis. Save R-Enviro.dwg.
• XREF R-Enviro.dwg into model space of a sheet file called F-Enviro.dwg, which has layouts already configured for our typical sheets.
• Create a viewport of the surface and table on a layout.
• Do a quick plot preview before printing—everything looks right except the color swatches are missing?!?

Not sure what to think, you exit the plot preview only to see those swatches on your layout.

What in the Civil 3D world is happening? It turns out to be a layer issue—but not one related to the layers in your table style. Inspecting the table style shows that layers were chosen for each component, and all those layers are thawed and on.

The plot preview is our indicator of the issue. Since the preview hides the swatches, we need to find which layer is set not to plot. Oddly, the non-plotting layer in this drawing is a layer used for drafting notes, etc. When the XREF was initially attached, that layer was current. The user realized the mistake and naturally re-layered the XREF to the appropriate layer—0-XREF in our workflow—but the plot preview still did not show the color swatches.

It wasn’t until we detached and reattached the XREF with a plotting layer set current that the swatches appeared in the plot preview. For reasons unknown, the details of this issue are that the color swatches of the table within an XREF are placed on the current layer of the destination file. This is similar to how objects on Layer 0 within a block adopt the block’s layer properties. Since the swatches exist on the current layer when initially attached, moving the XREF to a new layer does not reset that assignment.

The moral of the story is to make sure the appropriate layer is current before attaching an XREF. Who knows what other components in other object, label, or table styles are affected.

We found this issue in Civil 3D versions 2022–2026. We have not checked versions older than 2022—but who’s running a version older than2022? 😊

Need help troubleshooting Civil 3D workflows?
Explore our upcoming Civil 3D training classes or talk with our experts about optimizing your standards, data shortcuts, and sheet production workflows.

Simulation delivers outsized value when teams can test decisions quickly. FlexSim™ includes a feature purpose‑built for that need: the Experimenter Tool. It enables users to compare multiple “what‑if” scenarios without manually updating system logic or watching every run unfold onscreen.

What the Experimenter Does

Rather than animating the 3D model, Experimenter processes logic in the background for significantly faster turnaround. Users can alter inputs such as:

• Staffing and crew levels

• Equipment counts or availability

• Failure or scrap rates

• Routing, timing, or batch rules

With each configuration defined, the tool generates outcomes based on real model behavior—just without the time spent waiting on playback.

Establish a Baseline First

A baseline provides the benchmark for improvement. In many workflows, a single operator, a defined failure rate, and a modest throughput target (such as pallets per hour) establish both constraints and expectations. This allows subsequent experimentation to reveal whether process changes justify investment.

Run Several Scenarios at Once

Experimenter makes iteration easier. Instead of modifying and re‑running the same model repeatedly, users can:

• Create multiple parameter sets

• Define run duration or warm‑up time

• Repeat scenarios to smooth randomness

• Capture statistical ranges and variability

This builds a clearer picture of where meaningful improvements exist—and where the system naturally stabilizes.

Evaluate Improvements Objectively

Results are aggregated into medians, ranges, and percentile bands, helping users see:

• Whether performance differences are meaningful or marginal

• How variability increases or tapers when parameters change

• Which actions deliver ROI fastest—labor, equipment, quality, or none

When budget, floor space, or staffing are limited, this helps prioritize the most effective improvements.

Stack Decisions for Bigger Impact

Experimenter also supports multi‑factor tests—adding personnel while reducing scrap, or pairing equipment investment with uptime improvements. These combined scenarios can reveal diminishing returns, synergy, or unexpected similarity to simpler changes.

Model Quality Still Matters

Any simulation is only as trustworthy as its assumptions. Inputs, system behavior, and constraints should reflect reality when decisions or investments ride on results.

Explore more:

FlexSim helps organizations assess process changes before resources are committed. To explore full workflows, scenario design, and evaluation methods, watch the full recording of our presentation, From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs with Autodesk FlexSim.

Most electrical teams know that AutoCAD Electrical® is a powerful tool. What fewer teams realize is how much untapped value often sits just below the surface.

AutoCAD Electrical is designed to automate, standardize, and connect electrical design data—but many users only scratch the surface of what it can do. The difference between using AutoCAD Electrical and fully leveraging it often comes down to strategy, configuration, and consistency across the team.

For electrical designers and engineering managers alike, unlocking that full potential can mean faster projects, fewer errors, and far less frustration across the design lifecycle.

The Gap Between Capability and Reality

AutoCAD Electrical includes robust functionality for schematic design, panel layout, PLC I/O generation, reporting, and errorchecking. Yet in many organizations:

• Libraries are underutilized or inconsistently customized
• Automation features are turned off—or used manually
• Standards vary from designer to designer
• Project setup happens differently every time

The result? Teams still spend unnecessary time on manual cleanup, rework, and coordination—despite having a tool built to eliminate those inefficiencies.

Standardization Is the Foundation

One of the biggest levers for unlocking AutoCAD Electrical’s value is standardization.

When symbol libraries, wire numbering rules, tagging conventions, and templates are standardized across a team, AutoCAD Electrical can do what it does best: automate repetitive tasks with confidence.

Teams that invest time upfront to align on standards see immediate downstream benefits:

• Fewer manual corrections
• Cleaner documentation
• Easier collaboration between designers
• Faster onboarding for new team members

For engineering managers, this standardization directly translates to predictability and reduced risk.

Automation That Actually Saves Time

AutoCAD Electrical’s automation features aren’t just conveniences—they’re time multipliers.

Features like:

• Automatic wire numbering
• Smart component tagging
• Cross-referencing

can eliminate hours of manual work per project when configured correctly.

The key is understanding when and how to rely on automation, rather than treating these tools as optional add-ons. Teams that trust the system—and configure it properly—spend less time drafting and more time engineering.

Data Accuracy Isn’t Optional

Electrical documentation errors don’t just stay in CAD files—they show up in the shop, in the field, and on the plant floor.

AutoCAD Electrical’s real-time error checking, synchronized updates, and reporting tools help catch issues early—before they become costly downstream problems. But these safeguards only work when teams use them consistently and understand how they interact across a full project.

Engineering leaders often see the biggest return here: fewer RFIs, fewer late-stage changes, and smoother handoffs between design, manufacturing, and installation.

Project-Level Thinking Changes Everything

Many users focus on individual drawings. High-performing teams think in terms of projects.

AutoCAD Electrical’s project management tools allow teams to:

• Link and manage multiple drawings as a single system
• Reuse proven designs
• Maintain consistency across revisions
• Generate reports and documentation across the entire project

This project-centric mindset is critical for scaling electrical design efforts without scaling chaos.

What We See at Hagerman

At Hagerman, we work with teams every day who are already using AutoCAD Electrical—but not getting everything they could from it.

Common breakthroughs we see after targeted training or process reviews include:

• Designers reclaiming hours per week by leaning into automation
• Teams aligning on standards that eliminate rework
• Engineering managers gaining better visibility into project health
• Organizations building repeatable, scalable electrical design workflows

The tool was never the problem—the opportunity was in how it was being used.

AutoCAD Electrical is more than a drafting platform—it’s a system designed to bring speed, accuracy, and structure to electrical design workflows.

For teams willing to move beyond basic usage and embrace standardization, automation, and project-level thinking, the payoff is significant: faster delivery, fewer errors, and more confident engineering outcomes.

The question isn’t whether AutoCAD Electrical is powerful. It’s whether you’re using it to its full potential.

Next Steps:

If your team is using AutoCAD Electrical but it feels like there’s still friction in your workflows, Hagerman can help. From expert-led training to process reviews tailored to your environment, we help electrical teams turn powerful tools into real-world results.

Autodesk® is making changes to how Revit® Cloud Models are supported to deliver a better, more consistent experience for users. By focusing support on newer Revit versions, customers gain access to improved performance, enhanced features, and an overall smoother workflow. This update also aligns Revit Cloud Models with Autodesk’s Previous Version Policy, ensuring a more predictable lifecycle for cloud-connected projects.

Upgrading Your Cloud Models

To help teams prepare, Autodesk provides a built-in tool to streamline the upgrade process. The Revit Cloud Model Upgrade feature allows you to move your cloud models to any version of Revit that includes access to Revit Cloud Models—currently Revit 2022 or later (as of the Revit 2027 release).

This tool automates much of the work involved, making it easier for teams to stay current and maintain access to cloud collaboration features.

Key Timeline for This Change

This update will take effect 30 days after the Revit 2027 release.

After that date:

• You will no longer be able to create new Revit Cloud Models in Revit 2021 or older
• You will no longer be able to open existing Revit Cloud Models in those older versions

Looking Ahead: Future Releases

Each new Revit release will deprecate the oldest version that previously included cloud model access.

Example: When Revit 2028 becomes available, Revit 2022 will no longer support access to Revit Cloud Models.

What If You Choose Not to Upgrade?

If you decide not to upgrade your cloud models, you can still continue working—just without cloud functionality. Your existing models can be downloaded and opened locally using the same version of Revit in which they were originally created.

What you can still do:

• Download your Revit Cloud Models to a local drive or network storage
• Open them in the matching Revit desktop version
• Continue working offline with full access to your project data

However, you will lose access to cloud collaboration features in Revit versions that no longer support Revit Cloud Models once the policy goes into effect.

Need Help or Have Questions?

If you need assistance with upgrading your cloud models or have questions about how these changes affect your team, our experts are hereto help.

Building a Basic Simulation Model

Building a basic simulation model is often the first step in understanding how discrete event simulation works in practice. With tools like FlexSim™, users can move from a blank workspace to a functioning model that represents how entities flow through a system and interact with resources over time.

At its core, a basic simulation model is designed to answer a simple question: how does work move through a process, and where do constraints begin to appear?

Starting with a Blank Model

A simulation model typically begins with an empty workspace and a predefined set of units, such as length and time. From there, users rely on a library of standard modeling objects to begin assembling the core structure of the system.

This approach allows models to start small and grow in complexity gradually, making it easier to validate logic and understand system behavior.

Starting a new FlexSim model in a blank 3D workspace with the object library visible on the left.

Defining the Flow of the System

Many basic simulation models follow a simple, linear flow. Entities are introduced into the system, wait if necessary, are processed, and then exit once work is complete.

Arrival patterns are often defined using statistical distributions to reflect real-world variability. Even when entities arrive on average at regular intervals, natural variation can lead to uneven flow and temporary congestion.

A basic flow is created using a Source, Queue, Processor, and Sink — the minimum building blocks for a working system.

Observing Behavior and Identifying Constraints

Once the model is running, users can adjust the simulation speed and observe how entities move through the system over time. Backlogs may form when arrivals outpace processing capacity, revealing early indicators of bottlenecks or inefficiencies.

These observations help illustrate how variability impacts performance, even in very simple systems.

Adding Resources for Greater Realism

To better reflect real-world conditions, resources such as operators or material handlers can be introduced. When entities require a resource to move or be processed, additional delays may occur, often increasing queue buildup.

This step highlights how staffing levels, equipment availability, and task duration directly influence throughput.

Introducing a worker resource adds realism — and creates additional delay as the person becomes a constraint on throughput.

From Basic Models to Deeper Analysis

While a basic simulation model often relies on default settings, it provides a strong foundation for deeper analysis. Once the logic is established, users can explore alternative configurations, processing times, or resource levels.

Even simple models can generate meaningful insights and support data-driven decisions before changes are implemented in the real world.

Watch the Full Webcast

This article introduces the fundamentals of building a basic simulation model and understanding system behavior through simulation. To see a complete demonstration, explore expanded scenarios, and learn how simulation supports operational decision-making, watch the full webcast.

What Is Discrete Event Simulation?

Discrete event simulation (DES) is a modeling technique used to understand how a system operates over time by representing it as a sequence of individual, discrete events. Rather than viewing a process as a smooth, continuous flow, discrete event simulation focuses on specific moments when something changes—such as an arrival, a transfer, or the completion of a task.

Modeling Systems Through Events and Time

This approach is highly flexible. Discrete event simulation can be applied to simple, contained systems or expanded to model complex operations involving many interacting elements, depending on the scope of the analysis. Systems evolve through distinct moments in time, not continuously, and each event represents a change in the state of the system.

From Process Flow to Performance Insight

In practical terms, discrete event simulation allows organizations to model how work progresses through a system. For example, a part entering a process, being worked on, and exiting as a finished item are all treated as separate events. Time within a simulation often represents durations or intervals—such as how long an operation takes or how demand fluctuates—making it possible to analyze throughput, bottlenecks, and idle time.

Entities, Events, and Resources

Every discrete event simulation is built around three foundational elements: entities, events, and resources. Entities are the objects moving through the system, such as parts, products, or customers. Events are moments when something happens to an entity, including arrival, processing, storage, or departure. Resources are the people, equipment, or systems required to perform work, such as operators, machines, or material-handling equipment.

Using FlexSim for Discrete Event Simulation

FlexSim™ is a powerful discrete event simulation platform designed to help organizations model, analyze, and improve real-world systems. By using FlexSim, teams can build digital representations of manufacturing lines, warehouses, logistics networks, or service operations and test how changes to resources, layouts, or process logic impact overall performance before implementing them in the real world.

Why Discrete Event Simulation Matters

Discrete event simulation is not used simply to visualize a process. It is a decision-support tool that enables organizations to explore what-if scenarios—such as adding capacity, changing staffing levels, or modifying layouts—before committing time or capital. Tools like FlexSim help reduce risk, support data-driven decisions, and improve operational planning.

This article introduces the fundamentals of discrete event simulation and how tools like FlexSim are used to analyze real-world systems. To explore more detailed examples, see simulation in action, and gain deeper insight into operational modeling, watch the full webcast.

Watch the Full Webcast

Working with outside drawings often means inheriting hundreds of unwanted layers, especially when XREFs are involved. AutoCAD®’s LAYTRANS tool makes it fast and painless to remap, rename, and clean up those layers so your standards stay intact and your files remain manageable.

In this tip, you’ll see how to analyze incoming layers, apply a predefined mapping table, and immediately bring order back to an XREF-heavy drawing environment—all without manually picking through layer lists.

If you want to go deeper into AutoCAD productivity, workflows, or specialized toolsets, explore our upcoming expert-led classes.

When working with externally referenced drawings, layer names can quickly become cluttered—especially after binding XREFs into a host file. In this AutoCAD^® tip, we demonstrate how to use the RENAME command to efficiently clean up XREF layer names by replacing unwanted prefixes in bulk. This simple technique helps streamline your layer structure, improves readability, and saves time compared to manual layer cleanup after binding references.

Watch more practical Autodesk tips, workflows, and best practices whenever it’s convenient.