Helios 3D Reference-Documentation [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

HELIOS 3D Reference

Date: 2/19/2016

Table of Contents 1

Installation .................................................................................................................................................. 8 1.1

System Requirements ................................................................................................................... 8

1.2

Network Installation ....................................................................................................................... 8

1.2.1 1.3

Setting up SQL Server Access from the Net ............................................................................... 10 Local Installation ......................................................................................................................... 11

1.3.1

Selecting a Product ..................................................................................................................... 12

1.3.2

Selecting a Path .......................................................................................................................... 13

1.3.3

Selecting the Features ................................................................................................................ 14

1.3.4

Setting up SQL Server Access.................................................................................................... 14

1.3.5

Creting a new SQL Server Instance ........................................................................................... 15

1.3.6

Adding a Database to an Existing SQL Server ........................................................................... 16

1.4

Database Server Login ............................................................................................................... 17

1.5

Create Database ......................................................................................................................... 18

1.6

Licensing ..................................................................................................................................... 18

1.6.1 1.7

Important Remark for SL Keys (soft-licenses) ............................................................................ 19 First Steps ................................................................................................................................... 20

1.7.1

Configuration Helios 3D .............................................................................................................. 20

1.7.2

Setting Up AutoCAD Civil 3D ...................................................................................................... 22

1.7.2.1 1.7.3

2

Allow Civil 3D 2015 Remote Access ................................................................................. 22

Creating a Civil Profile ................................................................................................................. 23

1.8

Adding a Support Path and Trusted Locations ........................................................................... 25

1.9

Adding a User Account ............................................................................................................... 26

1.9.1

Login Account SQL Server.......................................................................................................... 26

1.9.2

User Account Helios3D Database............................................................................................... 29

1.9.3

User Account Helios 3D Application ........................................................................................... 30

General Information .................................................................................................................................. 32 2.1

Handling for Error Messages ...................................................................................................... 32

2.2

Paths and Folders of Helios 3D .................................................................................................. 32

2.3

Overview Helios 3D Components ............................................................................................... 34

2.3.1

Database Application .................................................................................................................. 34

2.3.2

Helios 3D Palette ........................................................................................................................ 37

2.4

License Management (Sentinel Admin Control Center) ............................................................. 37

2.4.1

Available Licenses ...................................................................................................................... 38

2.4.2

Licensing Issues .......................................................................................................................... 40

2.4.2.1

Waiting until Sentinel HASP is available … ...................................................................... 40 2

2.4.2.2 3

Database Application ............................................................................................................................... 41 3.1

Folder Structure........................................................................................................................... 41

3.2

Project Management ................................................................................................................... 42

3.2.1

Create New Project ..................................................................................................................... 46

3.2.2

Drawing Tab ................................................................................................................................ 48

3.2.2.1

Drawing Master Data ........................................................................................................ 49

3.2.3

Evaluations/Parts List Positions Tab ........................................................................................... 50

3.2.4

Other Tabs .................................................................................................................................. 51

3.3

Component Management ............................................................................................................ 51

3.3.1

New Record / Component ........................................................................................................... 51

3.3.2

New Post Definition ..................................................................................................................... 53

3.3.2.1

Creating a New Post Geometry ........................................................................................ 53

3.4

Choice Lists ................................................................................................................................. 56

3.5

User Management ....................................................................................................................... 58

3.6

Workstations................................................................................................................................ 62

3.7

System Settings .......................................................................................................................... 62

3.7.1 3.8 4

Subscription is expired ...................................................................................................... 40

Parts List ..................................................................................................................................... 64 Others .......................................................................................................................................... 65

Helios 3D Pallet ........................................................................................................................................ 67 4.1

Sun Symbol ................................................................................................................................. 68

4.1.1

Options ........................................................................................................................................ 68

4.1.2

Properties .................................................................................................................................... 69

4.1.3

System information ..................................................................................................................... 70

4.1.3.1

System Settings ................................................................................................................ 71

4.1.3.2

User Data .......................................................................................................................... 71

4.2

Ribbon Bar .................................................................................................................................. 71

4.2.1

4.2.1.1

Posts List........................................................................................................................... 72

4.2.1.2

PVsyst ............................................................................................................................... 73

4.2.1.3

Browser View .................................................................................................................... 77

4.2.2

4.3

Export .......................................................................................................................................... 72

Line Functions ............................................................................................................................. 79

4.2.2.1

Set Line Height ................................................................................................................. 79

4.2.2.2

Adjust to DTM ................................................................................................................... 80

4.2.2.3

Fence Function ................................................................................................................. 80

4.2.2.4

Combine Lines .................................................................................................................. 81

4.2.2.5

Simplify.............................................................................................................................. 81

Project Information from the Database ....................................................................................... 81 3

5

6

Menu Extensions in Civil 3D ..................................................................................................................... 82 5.1

Context Menu Extension ............................................................................................................. 82

5.2

Radial Menu ................................................................................................................................ 83

Project ...................................................................................................................................................... 86 6.1

7

Project Settings ........................................................................................................................... 86

6.1.1

Setting the Geographical Position / Location .............................................................................. 87

6.1.2

Definition Azimuth and Altitude ................................................................................................... 91

Terrain ...................................................................................................................................................... 92 7.1

Buttons of Terrain Analysis ......................................................................................................... 94

7.1.1 8

Color Configuration ..................................................................................................................... 95

Generators ................................................................................................................................................ 97 8.1

Array Generator........................................................................................................................... 97

8.1.1

Buttons of the Array Generator ................................................................................................... 99

8.1.2

New Array Definition ................................................................................................................. 100

8.1.2.1

Common Tab .................................................................................................................. 101

8.1.2.2

Rack Tab ......................................................................................................................... 103

8.1.2.3

Post Tab .......................................................................................................................... 105

8.1.2.4

Electric Tab ..................................................................................................................... 107

8.1.3

Array Drawing............................................................................................................................ 107

8.1.3.1 8.1.4

New Module Definition .............................................................................................................. 110

8.1.5

New Rack Definition .................................................................................................................. 111 Generators – Roof Generator ................................................................................................... 115

8.2 8.2.1 9

Visibility ........................................................................................................................... 108

Buttons of the Roof Generator .................................................................................................. 116

Placement ............................................................................................................................................... 118 9.1

Buttons of Structure List ............................................................................................................ 119

9.1.1

Context Menu ............................................................................................................................ 121

9.2

Area Definitions in General ....................................................................................................... 122

9.3

Areas ......................................................................................................................................... 122

9.4

Fields ......................................................................................................................................... 122

9.4.1

Placement (Field Tab) ............................................................................................................... 122

9.4.1.1

Buttons of the Field Tab .................................................................................................. 123

9.4.1.2

Filling Parameters ........................................................................................................... 126

9.4.1.3

Panel Limits..................................................................................................................... 127

9.4.1.4

Shadow ........................................................................................................................... 128

9.4.1.5

Placement Increment on Slope Exceedance .................................................................. 128

9.4.1.6

Placement Increment for Placement with a Vertical Adjustment Line ............................ 129

9.4.1.7

Array Groups ................................................................................................................... 129 4

9.4.1.8 9.4.2

Collision Detection .......................................................................................................... 130

Arrays by Requirement Types (Arrays Tab) ............................................................................. 131

9.4.2.1

Buttons ............................................................................................................................ 132

9.4.2.2

Edit Component (Array) .................................................................................................. 132

9.4.2.3

Edit Parameters (Rack)................................................................................................... 132

9.4.3

Statistic ...................................................................................................................................... 134

9.4.4

Roof Planning ............................................................................................................................ 135

9.4.4.1

Buttons ............................................................................................................................ 135

9.4.4.2

Panel Component ........................................................................................................... 136

9.4.4.3

Settings ........................................................................................................................... 136

9.4.4.4

Selection Statistics .......................................................................................................... 138

9.5

Exclusion Zones ........................................................................................................................ 138

9.6

Requirement Type Zones .......................................................................................................... 138

9.6.1 9.7

Procedure for a Placement with Requirement Type Zones: ..................................................... 139 Adjustment Lines ....................................................................................................................... 140

9.7.1

Placement Behavior with Vertical Adjustment Lines ................................................................. 142

9.8

Split Lines .................................................................................................................................. 145

9.9

Shadow Objects ........................................................................................................................ 146

9.9.1

Draw / Insert Shadow Object .................................................................................................... 147

9.9.2

Register Shadow Object ........................................................................................................... 148

9.9.2.1

Remarks for Creating / Customizing Shadow Objects ................................................... 148

9.9.2.2

Modeling Example Telephone Pole ................................................................................ 149

9.9.3

Properties (Shadow Calculation)............................................................................................... 151

9.9.3.1

Buttons ............................................................................................................................ 152

9.9.3.2

Calculation Settings ........................................................................................................ 153

9.9.3.3

Shadow Calculations List ................................................................................................ 155

9.10

Horizon Line .............................................................................................................................. 155

9.10.1

Properties ............................................................................................................................. 156

9.11

Rows ......................................................................................................................................... 157

9.12

Arrays ........................................................................................................................................ 157

9.13

Placement Examples ................................................................................................................ 157

9.13.1 10

Single Axis Tracker .............................................................................................................. 157

Electricity............................................................................................................................................. 160

10.1

Needed Database Entries ......................................................................................................... 161

10.1.1

Transformer

10.1.2

Inverter

10.1.3

Combiner Box

.................................................................................................................... 161

........................................................................................................................... 161 ................................................................................................................. 162 5

10.1.4

Cable

10.1.5

Grid

10.1.6

Table Definition .................................................................................................................... 164

10.2

.............................................................................................................................. 162 ................................................................................................................................. 163

Electricity Module ...................................................................................................................... 166 Definition – Device Hierarchy............................................................................................... 169

10.2.1 10.2.1.1

Additional Cable Length .................................................................................................. 172

10.2.1.2

String Definition ............................................................................................................... 175

10.2.1.3

Labeling Devices and Strings ......................................................................................... 182

10.2.2

Device Areas ........................................................................................................................ 183

10.2.3

Cable Trenches .................................................................................................................... 184

10.2.3.1

Row Trenches (automatically) ........................................................................................ 186

10.2.3.2

Row Trenches (manually) ............................................................................................... 186

10.2.4

Layout Zones ....................................................................................................................... 187

10.2.5

Selection Sets ...................................................................................................................... 189

10.2.5.1

Selection Set Parameters ............................................................................................... 191

10.2.5.2

Selection Set Changing Options ..................................................................................... 191

10.2.5.3

String Placement Options ............................................................................................... 192

10.2.6

Visualization ......................................................................................................................... 194

10.2.6.1

Visualization on Cables Tab ........................................................................................... 195

10.2.6.2

Visualization on Electrical Structure Tab ........................................................................ 202

10.2.7

Calculation of Cable Lengths ............................................................................................... 203

10.2.7.1 11

Single Wire / Twin Wire................................................................................................... 203

Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................... 206

11.1

Parameters for Alternative Shadow Calculation ....................................................................... 206

11.1.1 11.2

Buttons ................................................................................................................................. 206 Parts List ................................................................................................................................... 207

11.2.1

Buttons of the Parts List ....................................................................................................... 208

11.2.2

Create/Generate a Parts List ............................................................................................... 209

11.2.3

Placement List...................................................................................................................... 210

11.2.4

Component Parts List........................................................................................................... 210

12

Tools .................................................................................................................................................... 212

12.1

Rendering .................................................................................................................................. 212

12.1.1

Camera ................................................................................................................................ 212

12.1.2

Settings ................................................................................................................................ 214

12.2 13 13.1

Reports ...................................................................................................................................... 215 FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................................... 218 How works the calculation of the row distance / shadow cast? ................................................ 218 6

13.2

How can I add a prototype-drawing to Helios 3D?.................................................................... 219

13.3 What does the message “This drawing was last saved by an earlier version of one of the following products:” mean? ........................................................................................................................ 220 13.4

How can I improve the performance for huge projects? ........................................................... 221

13.5

Why does the Selection Dialog for Prototype Drawings not appear? ....................................... 222

13.6

Why are Project Number not Managed automatically? ............................................................ 222

7

HELIOS 3D Reference Documentation This documentation is an overview of all interfaces for easier familiarization. All descriptions of dialogs are top down for reason of easy orientation. This documentation will get updated at any time necessary and it will always be available for download in HELIOS 3D Forum as soon as possible.

1

Installation

1.1

System Requirements

Due to the enhanced performance of commercial computers, the software combination of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015 and Helios 3D can be used on nearly every modern computer.

Minimum requirements: 

Intel Pentium IV or AMD 64 bits processor with SSE2 technology and EM64T support (only Intel)



Microsoft Windows 7 (64 Bit) or Windows 8/8.1 (64 Bit)



4 GB RAM



500 MB free disc space (only installation)



1280 x 1024 VGA display with True Color



Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or higher

Recommended requirements: 

Intel or AMD – 64 bits – Processor with 3,0 GHz or higher



Windows 7 64 Bit or Windows 8/8.1



8 GB RAM or higher



2 GB free disc space additionally to the minimum space requirements of the installation



2 x 1920 x 1200 screen resolution with 32 bit color depth (True Color)



512 MB or more, OpenGL compatible graphics adapter

To use Helios 3D with a CAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015 must be installed. To use networks, TCP/IP must be set up. The latest service packs for AutoCAD Civil 3D should always get installed. Helios 3D CAD-workstations may have higher requirements according to the used version of AutoCAD Civil. Helios 3D can be used as single workstation solution or as multi workstation network solution with a central server. Different installation modes (Standard, User-defined) are not available.

1.2

Network Installation

Whereas the local installation only needs the SETUP.EXE from the Helios 3D Installation-DVD to be run (see chapter “Local installation”), the network installation needs the following steps to be done first: 

An SQL Server 2000 / 2005 / 2008 needs being installed respectively made available in the net, 8

before the Helios 3D installation can get started. 

All local workstations must be able to access the SQL Server from point 1. (Please read chapter “Setting up SQL Server access from the net”)



The Helios 3D installation has to be run by the first workstation of the net. But instead of running the local installation, the installation path has to be changed to a network drive that connects to the server from point 1. This procedure is needed because the setup client only runs on not server based Windows XP or Vista operating systems. The local installation will be the base for all other installations in the net. Please note the remarks for the net installation in chapter “Local installation”.

Figure 1: Server Installation Procedure



All other installations of Helios 3D stations in the net should get installed by the Client Setup of the installation from point 3, but not by the installation DVD. Therefore, please start the file

“NetworkDrive\…\Helios 3D\Client Setup\setup.exe”

for any client system. This starts the installation of a Helios 3D client.

We recommend to first installing AutoCAD Civil 3D before starting the Helios 3D installation. This proceeding allows Helios to automatically establish a connection to AutoCAD Civil 3D. The other way is possible but needs some settings to be manually done when configuring Helios 3D. Information mentioned in context with AutoCAD Civil 3D (in this manual), are correspondingly valid for all programs cooperating with Helios. Though, please note that the Helios pallets are only integrated in AutoCAD Civil 3D. Licensing happens by a USB-Hardlock, which has to be installed as described in section 1.6.

9

1.2.1

Setting up SQL Server Access from the Net

For making the clients able to access the server over the net, three more steps have necessarily to be done on the SQL Server.

Step 1: First TCP/IP has to get activated in SQL Server-Configuration-Manager.

The following procedure activates TCP/IP: 

Open the Configuration-Manager (Start / All programs / Microsoft SQL Server 2005 / Configuration tools / SQL Server-ConfigurationManager)



There you can find the protocols “Named Pipes” and TCP/IP under the path “SQL Server 2005Networkconfiguration / Protocols for ‚SQL-version’”. Activate the two of them by right-clicking on each protocol and selecting “Activate“.



Under “SQL Native Client-Configuration / Client protocols”, both protocols should also be activated now. Otherwise, please activate the entries “Named Pipes“ and TCP/IP.

Step 2: The second step is to restart the SQL-Server-Services. Please select the entry “SQL Server 2005-Services” and restart the “SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)” as well as the “SQL Server-Browser” by choosing the option “Restart” after right-clicking them.

Step 3: The third step is only needed if a firewall is in use. The following procedure describes the adding of an exception to the Windows-Firewall for an SQL Server in Windows XP: 1. Open the “Network Connections” (Start / Control Panel / Network and Internet Connections) 2. The entry “Windows Firewall” opens the firewall settings. 3. The tab “Exceptions” allows you to add the ports for server and browser and to add an exception for the sqlservr.exe

The steps a to c show you how. a) Press the button and enter a name for the server port (e.g.: Server) and the port number 1433. Please select the „TCP“ protocol. b) Press the again and enter a name for the browser port (e.g.: Browser) and the port number 1434. Please select the “UDP“ protocol. c) The button allows you to add an exception for the sqlservr.exe. Please press and select it in the „Open“-file dialog. The default location is “C:\Program files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Binn\sqlservr.exe“.

10

Remark: If you want to install Microsoft SQL Server or Management Studio Express 2005 by hand, not as part of the Helios installation, you can find the English install data, as well as the German ones, on your Helios 3D Installation-DVD, in the folder “Tools”.

Please pay attention to the notes in the files

“readmesqlexp2005.htm”

and

“requirementssqlexp2005.htm”.

1.3

Local Installation

The installation of Helios 3D can be started by the Helios 3D-DVD. Start your Windows system.

Backup all important data!!!

Insert the Helios Installation-DVD. The installation starts automatically. If auto boot is not active, select your DVD drive and double-click the file SETUP.EXE to start the installation. After selecting the program language and accepting the license agreement, the following dialogs for basic decisions get displayed.

11

1.3.1

Selecting a Product

Only if there is already a Helios 3D installation on your computer, you will see the following dialog after starting the SETUP.EXE:

Figure 2: Product Selection

Here you can choose to install an additional version of Helios 3D or select one of the installed versions for update. The following dialogs offer you to select a language for the current installation and to accept the license agreement. Please, read the license agreement thoroughly before you accept them. Please be aware of that the installation will only continue if you accept the license agreement.

12

1.3.2

Selecting a Path

Afterwards you can select a path for your installation.

Figure 3: Path Selection

For Windows XP we recommend to keep the default path “C:\Program files\...” for local installations. Whereas for Windows 7 we recommend to change the program path, e.g. to “C:\Helios3D”, because otherwise there will be problems with the user rights. Helios needs write access for its program path.

If you want to keep the default path for Windows 7, Helios 3D must be run with the option “Run as administrator”.

Remark for network installations: The server has to be permanently connected as a network drive for this step! Select the drive letter that connects the Server with your workstation after pressing . To create an own file for Helios 3D, please add a filename to the path.

Example: “H:\...\Helios_3D”

13

1.3.3

Selecting the Features

If there still is no Helios 3D installation on your system, you will directly reach this dialog after starting the SETUP.EXE:

Figure 4: Feature Selection

Here you can select if a shortcut with Helios 3D should be created to start menu or/and on desktop. During the next steps you have to set-up a Microsoft SQL Server version 2000 or higher.

1.3.4

Setting up SQL Server Access

InstallShield Wizard automatically searches for Microsoft SQL Servers. As displayed in the next figure, you can install a new local Microsoft SQL Server Express Edition 2008 R2 instance or select an existing instance for adding the Helios 3D database to it.

We recommend setting up Helios 3D with the “sa” account for the SQL Server to avoid future issues concerning the user management! The “sa” user can later create additional user accounts for both, the database and Helios if needed.

14

Figure 5: SQL-Server Connection-Setup

If there is already a local SQL Server instance, which is not a later version than MS SQL Server 2008 R2 and which is named different from “SQL Helios3D”, then you can create a new local SQL Server instance. It will automatically get named “SQL Helios3D”. If this instance already exists, you cannot create a new instance in this step!

1.3.5 Creting a new SQL Server Instance For new SQL Server Instances the following login data will get generated automatically (can be confirmed or changed during setup):

User:

sa

Password: Helios3D Database: Helios3D

An additional dialog offers the possibility of changing the default password “Helios3D”.

Please note that the loss of this password entails the irrecoverable loss of essential parts of the Helios 3D planning data!

15

Figure 6: Accept or Change Password for 'sa' user Account

1.3.6 Adding a Database to an Existing SQL Server If you want to add the Helios 3D database to an existing server, you can select that server in the next dialog. Just hit the button (see Figure 7) for manually selecting an SQL Server instance.

16

1.4

Database Server Login

Please enter the login data for the SQL Server in the next dialog. The default login information from above will automatically be offered here.

Figure 7: MS SQL Server Login

You can select between accessing the SQL Server by your Windows-Authentication or by entering valid login data into the given fields.

Remark for network installations: A network installation needs the SQL Server from chapter “Network installation” to be selected and some corresponding login data.

17

1.5

Create Database

You can now accept the default database name “Helios3D” or enter a new unique name.

Figure 8: Naming the Database

The installation will go on with after you entered a valid database name.

1.6

Licensing

The USB dongle represents your HELIOS 3D license, which means that the loss of a dongle is equivalent to the loss of the license! We want to suggest the availability of electronics insurances. The delivery only includes a temporary activation (usually for 5 days) on your HL Key (dongle). Before you can use HELIOS 3D, any dongle has to be registered and permanently activated at STÖHR+SAUER. In order to do this, please follow the instructions below.

1. Any Helios 3D workstation as well as the license server (only network license (e.g. red HL)) needs the SafeNet driver being installed locally. The driver is automatically installed on any workstation you run a local installation or the client setup to. On a workstation with a copy of a Helios 3D environment or on a server you need to run the Install.bat from the folder “Tools\Hardlock” on your installation DVD. That executes the haspdinst.exe of the same directory. 2. Plug the dongle into a USB port of the license server or into a USB port of the workstation that should manage the license(s). 3. Execute the SuSRUS.exe from the DVD located in the folder “Tools\Hardlock”. 4. In the SuSRUS program-window click the “Collect Information” button at the bottom.

During a Helios 3D setup, a demo license (Software - License) is activated. When activating a Hardware - License (hardware dongle) an additional HASP file will be created, so the following dialog appears: 18

Figure 9: Select HASP key Dialog

Hardware - License information is always called HASP HL (short key) and it is the only information we need. You can ignore the Software - License file, called HASP SL (long key), which means the demo license.

5. Save the .c2v file to the hard disk (e.g. to the desktop) and send it to: [email protected] 6. You will receive a .v2c file from us with the license information. Save this file to the hard disk (e.g. the desktop). 7. You can apply the license by starting the SuSRUS program again and selecting the “Apply License Update” tab. 8. Select the .v2c-file from the hard disk and click on “Apply Update”. 9. Now HELIOS 3D is licensed and can be used.

1.6.1

Important Remark for SL Keys (soft-licenses)

Customers who use a software license (SL, without a dongle) should note, that the protection system checks the hardware of the server. So changes to the hardware of the server might disable the license key and thus any license it contains. For moving the license management to another server, a free license transfer is needed. For virtual servers, the protection system also checks parts of the hardware (CPU) of the host system.

Copying a virtual server is generally not possible! Licenses can only get transferred to another server manually.

The following values get checked for SLs: Physical server:

19



HDD serial number



Motherboard ID

Changing just one of these two points will be tolerated by the protection system. If both points get changed at the same time, all keys and thus all licenses get disabled.

Virtual Server: 

virtual MAC address



CPU data of the host system



UUID of the virtual machine

Any change to one of these parameters will disable all keys and thus all licenses.

In case a key gets disabled permanently, we will bring the 150 € per license for generation and activation of a new key to account! The costs for that are 150€ per license.

1.7

First Steps

The procedure described in the section “Configuration Helios 3D” has to be done once for each client, whereas the settings for AutoCAD Civil 3D in the section “Setting up an AutoCAD Civil 3D profile” have to be done for each user on each client.

1.7.1

Configuration Helios 3D

First Helios 3D needs a default configuration. For this purpose open the module “Workstation configuration” in your Helios 3D application. You can find it in the program tab “Modules” by the button:

Select the station you want to edit in the list and then go to the window “Additional data” (below the list of stations) and to the tab “Program configuration”. In this list there must be at least a standard configuration which connects Helios 3D to a CAD application. For adding this one or an additional configuration, right click into the list and select the function “New...” in the context menu. In the opening dialog you can add a new configuration as the following figure shows by the example of AutoCAD Civil 3D.

20

Figure 10: Configuration Helios 3D

Here you have to enter a name the parameters for configuration: 

Type (Select a program type from the list)



Program (Program path of the execute file of the program)



Profile (Name of the profile from the selected program. This profile will automatically be get loaded on program start-up. Remarks for setting up a profile will follow in the next section.)

If you enable the “Default CAD configuration” option (optionally), the current configuration will be preselected on start-up of Helios 3D. If no program configuration is set as default, the first one in the list (sorted by name) will be preselected. The call command and the command line call will automatically be shown and cannot be edited.

Selecting a program configuration You have to select a program configuration before starting a drawing. For that, move to the “Drawings” tab in your “Project management”. On the very right you will find a drawing preview and the “Options” including the “Start program” button as shown in the following figure.

21

Figure 11: Drawing Preview and File Options from Project Management – Additional Data - Drawings

We recommend using the refresh button before selecting a new configuration from the drop-down menu above the preview. As long as the new configuration is selected all drawings will be opened with its settings.

1.7.2

Setting Up AutoCAD Civil 3D

1.7.2.1 Allow Civil 3D 2015 Remote Access This step is only needed for loading Civil from remote sources. For Helios installations which only access a local database, you can skip this step. When you want to start Civil with a Helios client installation, Civil will be loaded from the network. Loading Civil from the network / remote sources is disabled by default. So you have to edit the configuration file using Windows Editor. You can change the Acad.exe.Config file in your Civil 3D folder. For a default installation it is located in „C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2015“. The following excerpt displays how the file will look like, afterwards. The important section and the essential entry are emphasized:

22









1.7.3 Creating a Civil Profile This procedure can be used for initial creation as well as for replacing an old profile. Usually Helios 3D should create this profile and all necessary settings automatically, when starting Civil 3D! So these settings just need to be done exceptionally.

Step 1: Enter the command “options” to the command line. (If you use another Civil 3D language version than English, please try “_options” or the corresponding translation in your language.)

Step 2: Select the “Profiles” tab (further on the right) of the “Options” dialog. The following figure shows an already created profile “Helios3D”. If you want to use a profile which already exists, you can use it by clicking “Set Current” and close this dialog.

23

Figure 12: AutoCAD Civil 3D Profiles

Step 3: Go to profile “” and make it .

Step 4: (only if an already existing profile “Helios3D” should be replaced) Select the profile “Helios3D” and press .

Step 5: Copy the profile “” by using the button. Please enter the profile name “Helios3D” in the appearing dialog and close it by pressing .

Figure 13: Add Profile

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Step 6: Go to the new profile and press . Afterwards you can close the dialog with . After setting up the profile you can now start the Helios-Palette. Please regard that the workspace is set to .

A right click into the drawing opens the context menu. Under “Helios 3D – More commands” there is the command “Show Palette...”. Use it to load the Helios-Palette whenever it has not been loaded automatically.

1.8

Adding a Support Path and Trusted Locations

These steps should come automatically with the “Helios3D” profile and so are just necessary in exceptional cases! You need to add the program base path of Helios 3D to the trusted locations. Otherwise it is needed to manually confirm anytime you start Civil 3D out of Helios 3D, that the Helios 3D DLL files should get loaded. Besides, the “Bin” directory from your Helios 3D installation path must be added as “Support File Searth Path”. So you need to open the Civil 3D options dialog and activate the profile “Helios3D”. Then navigate to the Files tab. There you can find the entries “Support File Searth Path” and “Trusted Locations”, which are displayed below.

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Here you can a new entries. As search path please add the “Bin” directory of your installation path. Example: “C:\Helios3D\Bin” As trusted path you can add the installation path of Helios 3D or a part of its root path with three dots at the end of the entry (makes all sub paths being trusted, too). So “I:\...” makes the whole drive I being trusted, while “I:\Helios3D\...” just makes the installation directory a trusted location.

1.9

Adding a User Account

For creating user accounts you will need an MS SQL Server Management Studio Express and administrator access for the SQL server. The recommended workflow equals the structure of this section.

1.9.1

Login Account SQL Server

First a new user needs a login for the SQL server. For that an administrator has to login to the server and he has to create a new user login in Object Explorer. Just open the structure tree and go to the point “Server Name\Security\Logins”, right click it and select “New login…”. The dialog for creating a new login is separated into several pages. You only need the pages “General” and “Server Roles”.

General On “General” page you can enter the login information for the new account, as displayed in the following figure.

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Figure 14: Startup Page of the Login - New Dialog (Page "General") Here you can create a new login or you can select a Windows-Authentication account and use it for the SQL server. For SQL Server-Authentication please go on with the data concerning the password. For Windows-Authentication please push and then click in the upcoming dialog. The next figure shows the extended selection dialog for users or user groups. There you can use the button to read and to display all login accounts available in the “Search results” list.

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Figure 15: Advanced Selection Dialog for User Logins with Windows Authentication Please note that any user needs his own user account (section 1.9.3) for the Helios database, even if you use user groups for login to the server! Close all selection dialogs for users and groups with and go to the “Server Roles” tab.

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Server Roles On “Server Roles” page you can set the server wide security permissions for the user. Any user at least needs the role “public” for working with Helios 3D, as displayed below.

Figure 16: New Login Dialog Page "Server Roles" Another permission needed is locking records on SQL server. Logins with administrator rights automatically get this permission, whereas other logins need it to be granted by hand. For that, an administrator (‘sa’) hast to run one of the following commands, depending on the login method, on ‘master’ database: For Windows-Authentication: GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE TO [Domain\Login] For SQL Server-Authentication: GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE TO [Login]

1.9.2

User Account Helios3D Database

For accessing the Helios database a user account (can be named equal to the login account) for any user is needed. For that an administrator can go to “Database Name\Security\Users” in Object Explorer and there he can right click “Users” and select “New User…”. The dialog for creating a new user account is separated into several pages, but you only need the page “General”, which is displayed below.

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Figure 17: New Database User Account (Page "General")

Here you can enter a login name and you can select the corresponding login, which must be created like described in section 1.9.1 (page “General”).

Required Schemes:  db_Helios3D Required memberships in database roles:  db_datareader  db_datawriter  db_Helios3D

1.9.3

User Account Helios 3D Application

In Helios 3D database application any user needs a user account named equal to the user account from section 1.9.2.

Please follow this procedure: 1. Start Helios 3D with administrator permissions (e.g. user ‘sa’). 2. Open the

User Management.

3. Right click the user list -> “New…” 4. Enter a login name as displayed in the following figure and press . 30

Figure 18: Excerpt of the Editing Dialog for User Accounts from Helios 3D Application

5. Select the new user (line appears blue then) and go to the “Assigned to” tab in “Additional Data” frame below the users list. 6. Right click the list and select the option

“New Assignment…”.

7. In the following dialog you can select one or more rights groups and afterwards press .

Figure 19: Selection Form - Rights Groups Management

8. When you go to the “Rights” tab (next to “Assigned to” tab), the corresponding rights should be displayed. If necessary please press F5 to refresh the list view.

Now the user is able to login.

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2 2.1

General Information Handling for Error Messages

In case of an error which might occur while working with Helios 3D, an error message like displayed in the following figure will appear.

Figure 20: Helios 3D Error Message

Please always send this error message to STÖHR+SAUER, so we can use it for analysis and debugging. You can help our development department to quickly provide you with updates and patches.

Copies the error message into clipboard. So you can paste the text anywhere you want (e-mail, text editor, …).

Sends an e-mail to STÖHR+SAUER which includes the whole content of the error message field. This function uses the default mail client. If this function does not work, please contact your IT-Department to set the “mailto:”-link in your Windows-Registry.

2.2

Paths and Folders of Helios 3D

This section describes all paths and folders which are important to Helios 3D. Each point consists of the information: description; location of the path setting (for lookup or change); default path (can differ, depending on you configuration). Paths which start with .\ are located in your program base path.

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Program Base Path Base path for all program files and system relevant folders.

System Settings

C:\Programme(x86)\St öhr+Sauer\Helios3D

System Settings

.\Projects

System Settings

.\Library

not changeable

.\Users

not changeable

.\Bitmaps

not changeable

.\Documents

not changeable

.\CAD

Project Base Path Base path for all project folders created in database application. It is recommended to set this path to a data drive or even better to a network drive. Any Helios user needs write access to this path!

Library Base Path Base path for all library elements. That includes any folder for component DWG files and the DWG files of the shadow objects. Any Helios user needs write access to this path!

User Path Path for Helios 3D user profiles. Any user profile is stored in a separate subfolder. Any Helios user needs write access to this path!

Images Path for image files. The subfolder “Material” contains the textures for rendering digital terrains and modules. Any Helios user should have write access to this path!

Documents Path for the Helios 3D documentation from your installation DVD. That includes a version of this Reference Documentation, the documentation for the Electric module, the DrawingHead_UserManual and a manual for cleaning up errors in DWG files.

CAD Components Path for any provided prototype drawing and drawing head. Any prototype drawing not provided by Stöhr + Sauer must be stored in the subfolder “Prototype”, for Helios recognizing it and displaying it in prototype list. Any Helios user should have write access to this path!

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Client Setup Path of the installation files for client setup. The setup.exe in this path must be run on any client that should start a connection to the current installation.

not changeable

.\Client Setup

not changeable

.\Bin

Helios System Files Path for the Helios 3D system files. That contains any .dll file which automatically gets updated by application updates and which you have to overwrite by the files provided as part of a hotfix.

2.3

Overview Helios 3D Components

Helios 3D consists of a database application for managing project and other database records and the Helios 3D palette, which extends the functionality of Civil 3D.

2.3.1

Database Application

Starting Helios 3D is calling the database application. The following figure gives an overview of the controlling elements.

Figure 21: Helios 3D Database Application Interface

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Helios 3D Symbol Clicking the sun symbol

(can also be displayed as a tab label) will open the following menu:

Figure 22: Menu of the Database Application

Here you can call the login dialog again for connecting to another database or disabling the login automatically option.

Here you can create a backup file for the database without using SQL Server Management Studio. Administration rights for the SQL Server are mandatory for this operation. The backup file is stored in the default backup directory of your SQL Server “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Backup”. For restoring the database SQL Server Management Studio must be used.

Here we offer web links to the Helios 3D website, the Helios 3D forum and to the Stöhr & Sauer website.

. Here you can call the program information displayed below.

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Figure 23: Info Dialog of Helios 3D

The information given on top of this dialog is very often needed for support, especially the program and database version. The entry “Dongle” contains information about the license and the subscription period.

Start Ribbon On Start ribbon the main functions of the database application are available. A part of these functions can also be found in the context menu of the selected record.

Figure 24: Tool Palette Groups of the Start Ribbon

The Edit group contains Helios functions for creating, copying, editing and deleting an entry of the application window that is in focus. The Windows Clipboard commands, cut, copy and paste, can also be used by the common shortcuts. Export/Import can be used for transferring projects or drawings between different Helios 3D environments. The dialogs are displayed including an explanation in Figure 36 on page 44 respectively in Figure 37 on page 45. The command group View provides functions for refreshing all records and for calling the start page of the application. At Reports you can call the print dialog for system reports. The command group Window Layout offers different possibilities of organizing the application interface and storing these settings into a profile. And you can close any open module. In the group Settings you can manage the behavior of the Helios system. Show Records from Subfolders 36

means, that for folders of the folder structure (described in section 3.1) the content of subfolders is displayed for upper folders, too. Otherwise just the records directly located in the selected folder are displayed. Show Module Quick Start Bar enables or disables the quick start bar described later in this section. Show Help Windows is needed, if you want to display the yellow help boxes (tooltips), when remaining above an element with your mouse cursor (option must be hooked).

Module Ribbon On Module ribbon you can call any of the modules available. We explain these modules in section 3 Database Application. Alternatively you can use the module quick start bar for opening a module, so you do not need to switch between Start ribbon and module ribbon.

Figure 25: Modules Ribbon of the Database Application

Hit on the module you want to call and on startup of the module, its button gets marked.

Module Quick Start Bar You can call any available module with this quick start bar, so going to the Modules ribbon is not necessary.

Figure 26: Module Quick Start Bar

When moving above a module with your mouse cursor, that module will be highlighted.

2.3.2

Helios 3D Palette

The Helios 3D palette contains any function we added to Civil 3D. Please continue reading in section 4 for further details about the Helios Palette.

2.4

License Management (Sentinel Admin Control Center)

The licensing is managed by dongles (hardlocks). A dongle needs the SafeNet Sentinel driver being installed on the Helios 3D station and on the license server, as far as network licensing is concerned. The local installation procedure and the client setup already include that driver, so a manual driver installation is only needed for license servers or after copying a Helios 3D installation to another workstation. You will find a description of that in section 1.6 Licensing. The control center of the local driver can be called on any station via web browser: “http://localhost:1947”. The following figure shows the start screen.

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Figure 27: Control Center of the SafeNet Sentinel Driver

2.4.1

Available Licenses

Information about availability and validity of licenses can be found at “Sentinel Keys”. Other points of interest might be “Configuration” and for supporting license issues the point “Diagnostics”.

 overview about available licenses

 configuration of the local driver  allows generating diagnostic files for support

At “Sentinel Keys” there is a list similar to that in the next figure:

Figure 28: "Sentinel Keys" Entries for different Helios 3D Licenses 38

Licenses which are not listed in the “Sentinel Keys” list cannot be found by that workstation!

Any entry shows 

the Location of the license (all local in the figure, but for red network dongles usually at a server),



the Vendor (96978 for Stöhr + Sauer; other vendor codes indicate the availability of other SafeNet Sentinel licensed software in the same network),



the Key ID (identifies the dongle; the ID is part of the name of an update file),



the Key Type (HASP HL Time: black local Dongle, HASP SL Legacy: local demo license, HASP HL NetTime 10: red network dongle (usually connected to a server)),



Configuration,



Version,



Sessions (displays the number of active sessions, when Helios 3D is running),



Actions.

In the “Actions” column you can find additional information of interest, when pushing

.

Figure 29: Features Overview for a Helios 3D Dongle

Meaning of the points of interest: 

Product: name of the product



Feature: feature ID (8351: program start, 8352: database access, 8353: CAD access, 8354: updates allowed, 8355: Electric module access)



Logins: current user accesses to a license feature



Limit: maximum number of licenses available (for network dongles you will find listed the number of purchased licenses)



Restrictions: The update feature will always show the expiration date of your subscription and for time bombed licenses the start feature has an expiration date, too.



Sessions: currently active sessions to a license feature

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2.4.2

Licensing Issues

2.4.2.1 Waiting until Sentinel HASP is available … When Helios 3D does not find a valid license, the following message appears:

Figure 30: Sentinel Message while Seeking for Licenses

The message occurs, no matter if no license is available or if all available licenses have expired. Possible reasons for that issue are (amongst others) expiration of a demo license, a disconnected dongle or a connection problem to the license server.

2.4.2.2 Subscription is expired A possible Helios message concerning the license can be

Figure 31: Helios 3D Message, when the Subscription is Expired

This message appears, if your try starting a Helios 3D version that has been released after your subscription expired. It also shows up if your license key has not been updated on the last subscription renewal. That means if no V2C file has been applied to your license key.

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3

Database Application

In the database application you can manage all records stored to the database in different modules. This includes creating and changing projects and data they contain, like drawings. That also applies to component records, customer and supplier records, as well as assembly parts to panel records. Additionally you can manage the settings for users, rights groups, workstations and the Helios 3D system. When changing records, the following navigation bar is displayed at the top of the editing dialog.

Figure 32: Navigation Bar for Editing Dialogs

There you can go to the very first , to the previous , to the next or very last record of the respective list. When a record has been changed on moving to another record, a request appears that asks for saving or discarting the changes. The option “Save automatically” avoids that request and changes are always saved.

3.1

Folder Structure

In most modules you there is a folder structure for better overview. There you can categorize your elements by creating and managing folders of the structure tree. Below you can find a figure that displays the structure tree including its context menu for the projects module.

Figure 33: Folder Structure Tree including its Context Menu

New Creates a folder.

Edit... Opens the dialog for changing the name of the folder. Besides you can add a translation for that name by right clicking the dialog. The following languages are supported: German, Spanish and French. Helios 3D will display a translation when started with the corresponding language setting.

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Delete Deletes an element and all data it contains.

Refresh Refreshes the tree structure.

Expand all Extends all child nodes of the selected node.

Collapse all Collapses all child nodes of the selected node.

3.2

Project Management

In Project Management you can create and manage projects and you can categorize them in a folder structure. An example for that is displayed in the following figure.

Figure 34: Projects List and Folder Structure of the Project Management Tab

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The list of projects can be managed by the following context menu.

Figure 35: Context Menu of the Projects List

New... Opens the dialog for creating a new project.

Insert Copy... Inserts a copy to the projects list and opens the dialog for creating/changing a project. The name of the copy must be changed. Changing more of the available options is optional. The copy does not include records connected to the original project, like drawings.

Edit... Opens the dialog for changing the settings of the selected project (dialog equals that for creating a project).

Delete Deletes all selected projects and all data they contain. That means that all drawings are deleted, too, without any additional request!

Cut Equals the Windows function, i.e. an element is copied to the clipboard and will get deleted on paste.

Copy Equals the Windows function, i.e. an element is copied to the clipboard. 43

Paste Equals the Windows function, i.e. an element is pasted from the clipboard.

Refresh Refreshes the projects list. Select Folder from Selected Record When elements (projects) of multiple nodes are displayed in the current view, you can select an element and use this function, so the node of the structure tree that contains the element is selected, too. In doing that the list of projects also gets refreshed / filtered.

Open Project Directory Opens the project directory of the selected project in Windows Explorer.

Comparison: Evaluation Lists of several Projects (out of order!!!) Opens the dialog for comparing the evaluation lists of several projects.

Comparison: Evaluation Lists of this Project (out of order!!!) Opens the dialog for comparing the evaluation lists of the selected project. This dialog equals that of the upper menu point but some pre-filled settings.

Export Project Open the dialog for “Project Export” as displayed below. You can export the complete project including all files or just parts of it. The results will get stored into a ZIP file to the set location. This ZIP file can be reimported into an equal or later version of HELIOS 3D.

Figure 36: Project Export Dialog

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You can change the offered name for the Export File and you can change the offered Target Directory, too. The options Export Project Folder Completely and Export Drawings Only can be used for just exporting the drawings of the project or all data inside the project folder. The option Export Documents can be set for exporting documents linked to the project on “Documents” tab.

Import Project Imports a project export file from an equal or former Helios 3D version into Helios 3D, including all data needed in the database. For that the dialog displayed below appears on pushing the button. There you can decide for any element if it should be created in the database, if it should replace a potentially equal or outdated record (like an update) or if no action should proceed.

Figure 37: Import Dialog for Projects

In the structure list of the import dialog all available records from the import file are displayed. Already existing records (based on an internal database id) are displayed in green letters in the "Import" column. In contrast, all red lettered records do not yet exist in the database and for that reason must be imported. Though Helios 3D presents you a recommendation at its best for any sub record, the "Action" column offers you maximum control. If you want to proceed with the same action for all child nodes, please just set the corresponding parent node to keep the number of selections for you at a minimum. The available actions for new records / nodes are: "No action" and "New". For records which exist in the local database, but with a different configuration (e.g. array definition with fitting database id, but a different number of post rows) the action "Overwrite" is available. The next figure shows how this kind of copy conflict is displayed.

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Figure 38: Import Dialog for Helios 3D Records. The Array Definition of the Local Database has a Different Number of Posts than the Definition for Import.

Selects the action “New” for all records which do not exist in the local database. These selections can be changed by hand before you start the import process.

Selects the action “Overwrite” for all records, which already exist in the local database but with a different configuration / settings. These selections can be changed by hand before you start the import process.

Sets all actions back to “No action”.

Additional Data Below the projects list there are additional data for a selected project, categorized in different tabs. You can find a description of these data in the following subsections. For reason the "Master Data" tab and the "Record Info" tab contain no further functionality but only offer quick access to information about the project record we skip both of them for our detailed descriptions.

3.2.1

Create New Project

If you want to store the project in a special folder, please first select that folder in structure tree. 46

A new project can be created by right clicking the project list and by using the menu entry “New...”. You can enter all project information in the upcoming dialog which is displayed in the next figure.

Figure 39: Dialog for Creating a New Project

Number

Here you can enter a project number up to 32 characters, in case the option is not active in your system settings.

Name

Here you can enter the project name up to 64 characters.

Project type

Select a project type from the list. (optional)

Country

Select a country from the list. (optional)

City

Enter a city. (optional)

Project Manager

Enter a project manager (max. 64 characters). (optional)

Customer Number

Select a customer from Customer Management. (optional)

State

Select a project state from the list. (optional)

Backup Medium

Enter a backup medium (max. 255 characters). (optional)

Date / Closing

Here you can enter a start date for the project and a closing date. (optional)

Hide

When the option “Hide Project” is active, the current project will be hidden in project list, but only if the option