Civil View provides import support for a number of geometry formats that are specific to civil engineering.
These options are in addition to the standard 3ds Max Design import options.
Using the Civil View import panels has several advantages. Most importantly, imported geometry always retains a permanent link to its source file. In general, imported objects also retain references to their original feature and parent names. This functionality forms the foundation for Civil View object updating, which allows a visualization model to update automatically after design changes occur to the original engineering geometry.
All of these import panels also provide automatic material assignment and intelligent surface-normal flipping.
Civil-engineering data are often based on survey coordinates. These can be very large values that are not suitable for use in 3ds Max Design.
The Civil View Global Shift Values set up an XY shift that transforms imported geometry so it is close to the scene origin (0,0,0). This avoids the problem of large coordinates, which can slow down 3ds Max Design and reduce accuracy.
You can set Global Shift Values on the Scene Settings rollout prior to importing geometry into a scene for the first time. Once set, this global shift value is remembered permanently in the scene, and the same shift will be applied to all subsequently imported geometry. More typically, when you first import geometry, Civil View sets the Global Shift Values for you.
Each geometry import panel features an Options button that provides direct access to the Import Options tab of the Civil View Preferences dialog.
You can use the Import Options to set common import defaults, such as mesh smoothing threshold and mesh edge styles.
You can apply Feature Interpretation to imported shapes. This facility uses Feature Interpretation Styles to associate predefined Civil View RMS, OPS, SOS, BOS and ROS styles with objects as they are imported. This removes much of the work associated with developing visualization models from civil engineering design geometry. Guardrails, road markings, street furniture, and vehicles can all be placed in a scene automatically from a library of predefined styles.
The Imported Object Manager provides an overview of all imported geometry in the current scene. From this panel it is possible to update all imported geometry in a single operation, and to check the general status of imported geometry to see at a glance whether your visualization is out of step with your source design geometry.