You can migrate existing project files into BIM 360, but you will need to take some actions to ensure that the project is properly configured. This topic includes best practices for project configuration that you will want to assess prior to migrating a project.
When migrating data shortcut projects to BIM 360, it is recommended to drag and drop the project folders and documents to the connected drive using Windows Explorer. This method uploads the files to BIM 360 using Desktop Connector, which contains functionality that uploads and relinks the xrefs and data shortcut references within a data shortcut project.
- To migrate a data shortcut project, you need to upload all the project data including the host and source drawings. Uploading only the data shortcut project folder (_Shortcuts) or a single data shortcut .xml file to BIM 360 is not sufficient to migrate the project or enable collaboration in BIM 360.
- If the referenced files are not in the same folder structure as the host drawing, either directly within the same folder or in a subfolder, referenced files will be uploaded to a folder named "Related data" in BIM 360 and relinked.
You can avoid this by:
- Organizing the host drawings and referenced files within the same folder structure and updating the references before migrating the project files.
- Migrating the related project files that are within a root folder all at the same time. Uploading a host drawing to BIM 360 by itself, for example, will create a Related data folder and the references will be uploaded and relinked.
Note: Even if the above requirements are met, a Related data folder may still be created for other linked files when you upload an existing project.
- If referenced files are uploaded to a Related data folder and relinked, you will be alerted with a message informing you that some data was placed in the Related data folder.
The Related data folder will be created inside the destination folder for the host drawing. For example, if the host drawing is named Align-4.dwg, and a referenced file is located in Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD
2020\C3D\Help\Civil Tutorials\, a Related data folder would be created as follows: <destination folder>\Align-4\Related data\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD
2020\C3D\Help\Civil Tutorials\. The referenced file will be placed inside this folder.
- The creation of a Related data folder may cause the specified path and file name for uploaded files to exceed the limit of 260 characters. For more information, see
Long Path in the Desktop Connector Help.
- It may take some time before the project documents you upload are available to access in BIM 360. When you initially drag and drop them to the connected drive, their
status as shown in Windows Explorer will be New and they will not have a version. You can review their status in the Desktop Connector
Pending Actions window. When they are fully uploaded, their status will be
Synced and their version will be V1. At that point they are available to open in
Civil 3D.
- After the files are uploaded, you can set the working folder in
Civil 3D to the BIM 360 project location and select the data shortcut project folder, and then proceed to review the project.
- When you use Windows Explorer to upload data shortcut project drawings using the connected drive, the reference information in the host drawings will be automatically updated to point to the new paths in BIM 360, but the information in the data shortcut .xml files will not be updated. This will not impact the data shortcut mechanism. As long as the source drawings remain in the same path relative to the working folder, the data shortcuts will be found and resolved.
Note: The original path in the data shortcut .xml files is displayed in the Data Shortcuts Editor, so you will not observe changes to that path after uploading the project to BIM 360.
- After the project is uploaded, some referenced files, such as surface data source files, may need to be relinked.
- Some file types are not supported in BIM 360 and will not be uploaded. For information about file types that are supported in BIM 360, see
Supported Files in the BIM 360 Help.
For more information about Desktop Connector messages, see
Desktop Connector Notification Messages.