SBS is pleased to announce the release of the SDS-P&C 8.3 product update this week. Read below to learn more about the top 5 enhancements added to the latest SDS-P&C toolkit.

New command – SDS Tool Settings (SDS_SETTINGS)

• A large enhancement has been made with the introduction of the SDS Settings tool. This tool makes configuration of the SDS P&C Toolkit a breeze for the admins, configurators, and superusers out there. There is now a dialog with the ability to store settings for 18 tools in an external .csv file for either the environment, client, or specifically for the ACADE project.
• The SDS Settings dialog allows the admin or configurator to specify all toolkit settings and save them to a template or push them out to many or all drawings in the ACADE project. From the user’s perspective, they now see a dropdown at the top of each of these 18 tool dialogs that allows them to pick from the defaults their admin or configurator has set, use custom settings, or use their “last used” settings (legacy behavior).
• Users now receive an easier, more streamlined experience, while no longer having to worry whether the parameters in each tool’s dialog are correct. They can simply launch the tool they need, ensure the dropdown is correct, and run the tool.

New command – Master/Reference-Only Checking and Surf Tool (SDS_REFONLY_QA)

• Master/Reference-Only relationships can be more easily troubleshooted with the addition of the Master/Reference-Only checking tool. This “surf dialog” lists all the Master/Reference-Only relationships in the active project and allows the user to review and navigate any issues they see.
• This dialog shows a couple of common linking issues such as duplicated masters, ref-only symbols with no master, etc. After navigating through the dialog, users can then use our other Master/Reference-Only tools to clean and/or correct any errors.

New command – Checking for Master/Reference-Only Issues in Recently Added Drawings (SDS_CHECK_ADDED_DWGS)

• This tool was created to help ease the standards-to-project workflow for clients that rely heavily on Master/Reference-Only functionality. This command is designed to run immediately after performing AutoCAD Electrical “Copy To,” “Add Active Drawing,” or “Add Drawings…” commands from the ACADE project manager.
• This command then checks the recently added drawings against the existing project drawings for any issues related to Master/Reference-Only relationships. It will automatically freshen duplicated master relationships to avoid errors and present certain cases to the user for them to choose whether to freshen the GUIDs of the symbols on the drawings being added.

New command – AutoCAD DWGPROPS to ACE/ACADE Drawing Properties (SDS_WDP_DWGPROPS)

• This new command also assists in the standards-to-project workflow of our clients, assisting with drawing property workflows. It provides an easy way to push certain drawing properties stored in the AutoCAD DWGPROPS on standards drawings to the active project’s .wdp file and AutoCAD Electrical’s Drawing Properties. This could also potentially be used to bring properties down from Document Management Systems such as the Autodesk Vault.

SDS_TBL tool – Added a “%Z” Column Suffix Option

• A new “%Z” column suffix option displays a value that is dependent on the On-page / Off-page options the user has set up in their Drawing or Project Properties > Cross-references dialog. It also supports “THIS DWG” display, if defined as such, in the Project or Drawing Properties. This adds more flexibility for our users to use the SDS Smart Tables tool.

SBS is always seeking to improve its products and hopes this latest version will help improve the accuracy, efficiency, and production of our client’s projects. Please reach out to [email protected] to learn more about this new release or if you have any questions. Click here to download the newest version of SDS-P&C 8.3. Thank you for your continued support.

SBS and Autodesk joined together in presenting the webinar: Transitioning from Graphic Work Design to Intelligent Work Design: Creating Digital Twins of Utility Infrastructure Networks.

They were able to share the importance of intelligent, model-based infrastructure design,
how CAD and GIS can work together to generate better designs, and how intelligent designs improve asset management via the creation of digital twins.

Please visit this link to register to access the recordings if you missed the webinar or would simply like to review the presentation. If you have further questions, please contact us at [email protected]. 

SBS will be showcasing our newest products at Booth #106. Come learn how our intelligent design solutions can add tremendous value to your projects. Check out our newest product Substation Design Suite™ – Physical for AutoCAD®. 

Esri IMGIS connects utility professionals like SBS with other industry experts to share our GIS solutions and products. SBS will be highlighting our intelligent design solutions integrated with ArcGIS and Utility Network along with some other exciting new developments.

Join us at the SDSIC 2022 Fall Event! The conference will consist of committee updates, peer utility presentations, vendor presentations, round table discussions, and other interactive events.

Title: SDSIC 2022 Fall Event

Date: October 31, 2022-November 3, 2022

Details:

• Register and learn more about the conference here.
• Located at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center in Kansas City, MO

REGISTER FOR THE EXHIBITION HERE. 

Monday, October 31 – Thursday, November 3, 2022 

Join SBS and Autodesk® for a webinar on Wednesday, October 19, to learn about how to take advantage of the power of CAD and GIS working together in an intelligent design environment. 

During this webinar utility design experts from Autodesk and SBS will show:

• The importance of intelligent, model-based infrastructure design
• How CAD and GIS can work together to generate better designs
• How intelligent designs improve asset management via the creation of digital twins

Title: Creating Digital Twins of Utility Infrastructure Networks

Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 10:00 AM CDT 

Details:  

• Register here. 
• Access the content on the Spatial Business Systems YouTube channel after the event. 

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR HERE. 

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 

10:00 AM CDT 

Whether you joined us in person or online, we hope you enjoyed this year’s conference. We thank each of our presenters for sharing their experiences and expertise. We wouldn’t be able to make this happen without you! 

Many of the speakers shared how their organizations have been actively involved in transforming their businesses through industry leading intelligent design products.  

A few of the highlights shared from presenters include how one organization has delivered approximately 120 configuration items and completed nearly 65,000 designs since January 2021. Another speaker shared how their organization has reduced design time by 11-40% and will save three to six million dollars per year. Lastly, another organization shared how they use SBS products to help design the distribution network responsible for providing electricity to almost 1.4 million residential and business customers. 

Please visit the SBS YouTube Channel to access the recordings if you missed the conference or would simply like to review the presentations. If you have further questions, please contact us at [email protected]. 

We are excited to be presenting at Autodesk University on Monday, September 26. Dennis Beck, CEO of SBS, will be presenting on how to reap the benefits of intelligent design in utilities.

Title:  “Reaping the Benefits of Intelligent Design in Utilities” 

Date: Monday, September 26, 2022 

July 18, 2022, Littleton, CO.

SBS has launched Automated Utility Design (AUD) version 8.4. The newest version provides over 20 new product enhancements as well as resolving several issues from the previous 8.3 version.

With the latest enhancements in version 8.4, you can now more efficiently produce quality designs. Here are our top five favorite updates:

• Two new commands: AUDCOPY and AUDPASTE
  • These commands provide the ability to copy and paste features, including linear features, within the current design or into new designs, while maintaining connectivity, containment, and attribution of the features being copied.
  • Default Copy and Paste options can be specified in AUDOPTIONS and are presented as keyword selections when executing the commands.
  • Additionally, copied features can be exported to a GeoJSON format for use in external applications that support that format (see below).
• JSON and GeoJSON formats
  • The AUDCOPY command can be configured to export copied features and their relationships to a .json file that can be used as data for the AUDPASTE command.
  • Alternatively, .geojson files from the Export option of AUDCOPY will save to a GeoJSON compliant format with the basic geometry and attribute data for use with GeoJSON compliant external applications.
• Inventor part definition .inz import
  • The Part Editor can now import the new .inz file format exported from the SBS Substation Design Suite Inex Inventor tool.
  • When imported, either the entire top-level assembly or any level of nested subcomponents can be extracted to equivalent AutoCAD block-based parts with AUD compatible ports, drawing properties, and clearance tagged solid geometry.
• Assembly feature templates with multiple point and line objects
  • A new optional data model and feature class is now available for creating assemblies. The assembly data model may be included by specifying the 5.1.1 data model in a TemplateSpec.xml when creating a template.
  • To use the assembly capabilities, assign a model and part where the Part dwg is itself an AUD industry model drawing with features. When digitized, the part drawing features will be copied into the main drawing and associated to the assembly feature.
• Automatic part import and model creation from available blocks
  • A checkbox option is now available in the Part Editor refresh and import windows to enable automatic creation and updating of corresponding models when parts are imported.

We hope you enjoy these new updates as much as we do. If you’re interested in learning more about AUD version 8.4, please contact us at [email protected] or view the Automated Utility Design 8.4 Release Notes available from the SBS Support Site. Click here to review the Release Notes or download the newest version.

After two years of virtual conferences, we are excited to gather in person with you for our 9^th Annual Peer Utility Group Conference. Join us live at the beautiful Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club in Denver, Colorado for this terrific event! Register today to receive early bird pricing. 

Planning is currently underway. Please check back on our PUG Page regularly for updates on available sessions and activities. For those unable to attend in person, we will share the link to the livestream. Please contact Taylor Forster with any questions: [email protected].  

Location: Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club, 23155 E Heritage Pkwy, Aurora, CO 80016 

Dates: August 30 – September 1, 2022