Prerequisite: Your DWG must be linked to an Allsite.ai project. See the setup guide here.
Level AI Workflow
Configure the project’s default settings in Allsite.ai, including Cut/Fill settings.
Make sure the correct coordinate system is assigned.
Select the existing surface for your site.
Create roads using one of the following approaches. You can combine them, for example a generated road corridor with hand-drawn curbs in a car park:
Recommended: convert your road centerline alignments or polylines into Allsite.ai Road (Simple Corridor) objects, then click Generate Road Corridor to build the full Civil 3D corridor, intersections, cul-de-sacs and knuckles included. Follow the guidance here.
If you are building corridors by hand, create road corridors and intersections, then convert each road's centerline alignment to a Road (Simple Corridor) and set its longitudinal grade information there.
Add parcels, and set the type for residential parcels to NORMAL.
Optional: Add existing sanitary and storm networks, set their status to “EXISTING,” and populate invert levels. This helps Level AI grade the ground so gravity networks can function correctly.
Add your Earthworks Extent. This tells Level AI where it is allowed to modify the ground surface.
Add other Level AI grading elements, such as grade breaks, ponds, overland flow paths, and buildings. See Allsite objects below. If these elements already exist in your DWG, select the item and convert it.
You are now ready for your first Level AI Run.
After reviewing your run results, you can add more grading elements and potential grade breaks before the next run.
Default Level AI settings
Your DWG is linked to a project in Allsite.ai. The project settings define defaults for many Civil 3D and Allsite.ai objects. To view the default settings, open the project properties, go to the Settings tab, and apply the Level AI filter. Detailed explanations of individual Level AI settings are provided on the detailed grading pages.
Service AI Workflow
Configure the project's default settings in Allsite.ai.
Make sure the correct coordinate system is assigned.
Select the existing surface for your site.
Select the proposed surface for your site. This can be a surface produced by Level AI or you may supply your own.
Select your storm and sanitary networks via dropdowns.
Add parcels, and set type for residential parcels to NORMAL.
Add existing sanitary and storm networks, set their status to “EXISTING,” and set invert levels (this informs Level AI how to grade ground for gravity networks to work).
Add your Servicing Extent. This tells Service AI where it can place pipes and manholes. Make sure the servicing extent is within the coverage of your existing and proposed surfaces.
Make sure roads are set up as Civil 3D corridors, built with Generate Road Corridor or by hand. See the Level AI workflow above.
Optional: Add other Service AI elements (see Allsite objects below) such as ponds, catchments and custom primary paths.
Set up sub networks (subnets) on existing infrastructure.
You are now ready for your first Service AI run.
After your run is complete, click Load results in the AI Design panel; this loads the proposed storm and sanitary pipes.
Default Service AI Settings
Use the “Service AI” filter to view the settings required for Service AI. These settings are copied from the closest matching template project when the project is created in Allsite.ai.
Existing Surface
Set your existing surface. It should extend at least 7 feet beyond your Earthworks Extent. Level AI uses the existing surface as the starting ground surface and modifies it as little as possible while still achieving earthworks balance and engineering design constraints. The more accurate the existing surface is, the more accurate the site balance will be. The existing surface can be referenced into the DWG using a Civil 3D data shortcut. For Service AI, also set the proposed surface.
DEM surfaces are fully supported.
Note - for Non DEM surfaces there is a limit of 2.5million triangles, use the simplify surface tool to prune points down (non destructive).
Setting up the Coordinate system
Level AI models require accurate spatial information. Use the MAPCSASSIGN command to configure the coordinate system of your DWG.
If you are using a non-standard EPSG code but a valid Esri-supported WKID coordinate system, define the WKID code in the project’s Spatial settings.
You can also provide Grid to Ground offsets in your Allsite.ai project settings. This helps project thumbnails and 3D digital twins display in the correct location.
If your data is not spatially located within 20 miles of the project location created in Allsite.ai, validation will fail.
If the thumbnail or digital twin is misaligned with GIS data, the project may be missing a Grid to Ground scale factor or reference point.
Allsite.ai Objects
Allsite.ai works natively with Civil 3D objects. When Civil 3D objects are created or linked, Allsite.ai data is appended as extended data:
Parcels - Grading and servicing data added to parcel objects.
Road Settings - Road longitudinal, network placement and lot layout information is added to each road's centerline alignment as a Road (Simple Corridor); curb information is added to subassembly objects.
Gravity Pipes - Additional information required for Service AI and Level AI is added to pipe and structure objects.
You can also add Allsite.ai objects to your model. These objects can be created from scratch when no model item is selected, or converted from an existing selected item. Only compatible item types can be converted. For example, a grade break must be converted from a polyline, and a building must be converted from a closed polyline or a block reference containing a closed polyline.
Earthworks Extent - Defines boundary of your Level AI model.
Grade Break - Defines a wall or a slope.
Ground Control - Allows custom control of ground areas, including grading, locking, and other constraints.
Grading Relationship - Define relationships between objects in your Level AI model.
Manual Feature Lines - Lock areas of the site to specific elevations.
Impervious Proposed - Defines impervious surface areas, such as roads, driveways, and sidewalks, and controls their grading.
Lots
Buildings - Add buildings to your model.
Building Tie-Ins - Adds controls along the edge of a building for fine adjustment of garage and building interfaces.
Drainage
Ponds - Adds detention or retention ponds with sizing information.
Overland Flow Paths - Informs Level AI where low points can occur in the road network or where a drainage ditch is located.
Servicing
Catchments - Defines servicing catchments and boundaries that can be set as high points for Level AI runs.
Servicing Extent - Defines where Service AI can place pipes and structures. All existing connections must be within the servicing extent to be included in the model.
Custom Primary Path - A line you draw where you want a storm, sanitary or water supply main that no road corridor produces, such as through a reserve. Click Servicing -> Custom Primary Path and draw the line, or select existing lines, polylines, 3D polylines or feature lines first to convert them. Drawing a line on the AS-PRIMARY-PATH-CUSTOM layer does not make it a primary path on its own. Then set the Storm Offset, Sanitary Offset and Water Supply Offset in Extended Data: 0 puts the main on the line, and a blank offset leaves that network off it. Only the part inside the servicing extent is used. Where a path stops short of a road main, Service AI extends it by up to 30 m (98 ft) to meet the main ahead of it. If a path runs more than 10 m (33 ft) along a road that already carries the same network, Service AI's Check Inputs adds a CustomPathInRoadCorridor review, because that produces two mains there: clear the offset on the path, or on the road centreline, if you want only one.
Geotech
Geotech Data Points - Bore logs that are built into a surface with grading parameters.