CES1648 - From a Work-Around to a Real Workflow: Duct Bank Design in Civil 3D

 Here are the datasets and handout for my Autodesk University 2026 classes.

CES1648 - From a Work-Around to a Real Workflow: Duct Bank Design in Civil 3D

AU 2026 Presentation

AU2026 Handout

AU2026 Data Set CAD Files

AU2026 Subassemblies Files

A Snipit of My AU2026 Presentation

Autodesk University 2026

Autodesk University 2026 class registration and the session catalog is open. My class is full but stand by incase someone cancels.

CES1648 | From a Work-Around to a Real Workflow: Duct Bank Design in Civil 3D

Autodesk University 2026

 Exciting news! I'll be speaking at AU 2026: The Design & Make Conference. Learn more and join me:Autodesk University 2026

AU 2026 takes place September 15–17 in Las Vegas, bringing together innovators, creators, and leaders from across the Design and Make community.

Hope to see you there!

Autodesk University 2026!!!

 One of my Autodesk University class proposals was accepted to Autodesk University 2026 this September in Las Vegas. The class is on creating duct banks with Civil 3D. Engineers and designers use Civil 3D gravity pipe and pressure pipe networks to create duct banks. It’s not wrong but duct banks can be created a much better way. Stay tuned!

AUGI CON 26!

 AUGI CON 26 is this week. Be sure to sign up. It's Free!

Civil 3D 2027!!!

Civil 3D 2027 is installed and ready to go. I'm looking forward to seeing what is new.

Autodesk University 2026 Proposals

 My Autodesk University 2026 class proposals are in. I submitted topics on Civil 3D corridors, 3D Printing and 3D Visualization.

Autodesk University 2026 Call for Proposals is Open!

 Autodesk University 2026 Call for Proposals is Open!

#AU2026

Python Coding On The Go!

As I get into Python coding, I think of things I would like to try. I may not always have access to my desktop or laptop. I bought this handy little device called a Pico Calc by Clockwork. It's a Raspberry Pi Pico based device with a full color screen and keyboard. It runs various apps such as MicroPython and a few other coding apps. I had to assemble it. That was pretty straight forward. I'm pretty excited to see what I can do with it and do some coding on the go. Stay tuned!

AU 2026 Call for Proposals Opens Soon!

 The AU 2026 Call for Proposals opens soon. I plan to submit a few proposals. Maybe a few topics on Civil 3D and AutoCAD.

Python on a Raspberry Pi Pico (Update)

 Here is an update to my Raspberry Pi Pico project. I setup the Python code to connect the Pico to Wi-Fi then grab date and time from an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server. I have it displaying the date and time on the first row. On the second row, it is displaying the temperature and humidity from a sensor connected to the Pico. I put it all together in a modular bracket I drew and 3D printed for my network rack. I used Thonny to write and Python with assistance from ChatGPT as I'm still learning how to write Python. The code to this project is below the images.

Hardware for this project is.

Raspberry Pi Pico 2W.

The screen model is the I2C LCD 1602.
The temperature and humidity sensor is the DHT-11 module.

You'll need to download the drivers for the screen.

https://github.com/dhylands/python_lcd

Here is the Pyhton code this project.

from machine import Pin

from time import sleep_ms

import dht

import network

import secrets

import socket

import time

import struct

import I2C_LCD_driver

sensor = dht.DHT11(Pin(15))

lcd = I2C_LCD_driver.lcd()

from machine import Pin

NTP_DELTA = 2208988800

host = "pool.ntp.org"

led = Pin("LED", Pin.OUT)

def set_time():

    NTP_QUERY = bytearray(48)

    NTP_QUERY[0] = 0x1B

    addr = socket.getaddrinfo(host, 123)[0][-1]

    s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)

    try:

        s.settimeout(1)

        res = s.sendto(NTP_QUERY, addr)

        msg = s.recv(48)

    finally:

        s.close()

    val = struct.unpack("!I", msg[40:44])[0]

    t = val - NTP_DELTA

    UTC_OFFSET = -5   # <-- your timezone here

    t = t + int(UTC_OFFSET * 3600)

    tm = time.gmtime(t)

    machine.RTC().datetime((tm[0], tm[1], tm[2], tm[6] + 1, tm[3], tm[4], tm[5], 0))

# ---- WiFi Setup ----

wlan = network.WLAN(network.STA_IF)

wlan.active(True)

wlan.connect(secrets.secrets['ssid'], secrets.secrets['password'])

max_wait = 10

while max_wait > 0:

    if wlan.status() < 0 or wlan.status() >= 3:

        break

    max_wait -= 1

    print('waiting for connection...')

    time.sleep(1)

if wlan.status() != 3:

    raise RuntimeError('network connection failed')

else:

    print('connected')

    status = wlan.ifconfig()

    print( 'ip = ' + status[0] )

led.on()

set_time()

print(time.localtime())

led.off()

def display_time():

    while True:

        tm = time.localtime()

        year   = tm[0]

        month  = tm[1]

        day    = tm[2]

        hour   = tm[3]

        minute = tm[4]

        # Convert to 12-hour format without leading zero

        if hour == 0 or hour == 12:

            display_hour = 12

        else:

            display_hour = hour % 12

        # Format date as MM/DD/YY

        date_str = "{:02d}/{:02d}/{:02d}".format(month, day, year % 100)

        # Format time as H:MM (no leading zero on hour)

        time_str = "{}:{:02d}".format(display_hour, minute)

        # Combine date and time with single space

        row1 = "{}   {}".format(date_str, time_str)[:16]

        # Display on first row

        lcd.lcd_display_string(row1, 1)

        

        # Reading Temp and Humidity

        sensor.measure()

        tempF = round(((sensor.temperature() * 1.8) + 32), 0)

        humid = sensor.humidity()

        

        # Display on second row

        line = "TMP:{:.0f}F HUM:{:.0f}%".format(tempF, humid)

        lcd.lcd_display_string(line, 2)

        sleep_ms(2500)

        

        time.sleep(1)

display_time()

 I also created a Python file that stores my WiFi credentials called secrets.py. You can see the reference in the code below.

# Save this as settings.toml in the root directory
CIRCUITPY_WIFI_SSID="Your_WiFi_Name"
CIRCUITPY_WIFI_PASSWORD="Your_Password"

Python on a Raspberry Pi Pico

As I'm learning Python and Micropython to ultimately write code for Dynamo for AutoCAD and Civil 3D, I'm playing with some basics. Writing Micropython for a Raspberry Pi Pico to read temperature and humidity then display the readings on a 16x2 LCD screen. My plan is to mount the setup in my network home lab to see the temperature inside the cabinet. I will 3D model and 3D print a mounting bracket for screen and Pico. Cool things to come.

Autodesk University 2026!

 Autodesk University 2026 will be back in Las Vegas, September 15-17, 2026.

Bambu Lab - Maker World!

 Head over the Bambu Lab Maker World site to see and 3D print some of my 3D models. There are tons of other cool models from creators around the world.

Autodesk University 2025 Digital Pass!

 If you are unable to attend Autodesk University 2025 in Nashville, TN., consider signing up for the digital pass.

#AU2025

Raspberry Pi - Cyberdeck

 This was a fun personal project. I created a 3D printed case for a Raspberry Pi 5 and a 7” Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 screen. The case was modeled in AutoCAD using solids and 3D printed on my Bambu Lab X1 Carbon printer. The back panel was modeled with keystone inserts so I can use various keystone jacks for the rear I/O. The rear I/O consists of ethernet, USB and HDMI. I currently have a 3D Printed mouse in matching colors and a small keyboard. My plans are to use it for motoring my Unifi home network lab, home automation and media streaming box. I also plan to create a miniature stop light setup and controller using Python and Scratch. Learning Python should be fun. Enjoy!

Stafford County, Va. Road Project 360 VR Animations

 Here are the two 360 degree VR animations I created for a Stafford County, Va. Road Project. The model was built with a land surveyed surface, Civil 3D corridors, pipe networks and so on. I then brought everything together in Autodesk Infraworks then Autodesk 3D Studio Max for a little cleanup. I then imported the model into Epic Twinmotion. Rendering was processed on a BOXX Technologies rack mounted workstation with an Intel CPU and single NVIDIA 5090 GPU. Each video took about 18 hours to render. I then had to inject 360 metadata in order for YouTube to see the video in 360 degrees.

Click on a video then use your mouse to pan around. The videos can also be viewed in a VR headset. Be sure to change the resolution to 2160, 4K for best results and viewing experience.

Stafford County, Va. Road Project

 Stafford County, Virginia recently posted a progress rendering of a road project I'm working on. The model was built with a land surveyed surface, Civil 3D corridors, pipe networks and so on. I then brought everything together in Autodesk Infraworks then Autodesk 3D Studio Max for a little cleanup. I then imported the model into Epic Twinmotion. The model is still in progress so I'll post the final renderings once it is complete.

Autodesk TinkerCAD

 I've had several people ask, is there a free 3D CAD software. I suggest them to try Autodesk TinkerCAD. TinkeCAD is a free online based CAD application. It runs in your browser. The best browsers are Google Chrome, Safari 13 (or newer) and Microsoft Edge. The operating systems are Windows 10, Apple MacOS High Sierra 10.13.2 or later and Google Chrome OS on Chromebooks. I use Windows 11 and it runs without any issues. The 3D models can be exported in a number of different file formats such as STL, OBJ, GLTF, USDZ (iPad app only), and SVG. These files can be imported into various 3D software for animations and 3D printing.

Try it out and Tinker.

https://www.tinkercad.com