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The ORIS Plugin for Autodesk Civil 3D: Connecting Your Model to ORIS
Extracting carbon data directly from Civil 3D without manual uploads.
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The ORIS Civil 3D Plugin embeds ORIS directly into your Autodesk Civil 3D environment. Instead of exporting your model and uploading it manually, the plugin reads quantities and material data directly from your Civil 3D drawing and pushes them into ORIS. From there, the full ORIS open BIM Module workflow applies: grouping, material mapping, AI-assisted matching, and carbon assessment. |
Managing Multiple Models or Large Schemes
What the Plugin Does?
The plugin creates a live connection between your Civil 3D drawing and an ORIS project. It reads object data and quantities directly from the model, maps them to materials using the same AI mapping available in the ORIS open BIM Module, and initialises or updates a project in ORIS without requiring a manual file export or upload.
The plugin does not replace the ORIS open BIM Module. It is the entry point that keeps your Civil 3D data in sync with it. Everything that happens after the data lands in ORIS, including categorisation, material mapping, carbon calculation and results, follows the same workflow described in the ORIS open BIM Module articles.
Choosing the right mode
The plugin offers two workflow modes.
- Use Mode 1 if your model already has 3D corridor solids generated.
- Use Mode 2 if you want to avoid generating 3D solids entirely, or if your model is large and generating solids would slow Civil 3D down significantly.
MODE 1: Object Selection
For models with 3D corridor solids or any selectable Civil 3D objects
In this mode you select objects directly from the Civil 3D drawing. The plugin reads the properties of the selected objects, including their geometry and any property sets attached to them, and uses this data to build the bill of quantities in ORIS. Any Civil 3D object type is supported: 3D solids, lines, surfaces, alignments, hatching, and more.
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Open the plugin and connect Launch the ORIS plugin from within Civil 3D and sign in to your ORIS account. |
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Select your objects In the Civil 3D drawing, select the objects you want to include in the assessment. These can be 3D corridor solids, lines, surfaces, or any other element relevant to the carbon scope. |
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Create a configuration in the open BIM module Define how you want to structure the extracted data. Choose the property or properties to use for grouping elements and select a material library. The Codename property is typically the most reliable for corridor assemblies, as it stores the assembly name. You can add additional properties to improve AI matching accuracy. |
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Run AI mapping The plugin uses the same AI mapping available in the ORIS open BIM Module to propose material matches from your selected carbon database. The AI reads the Codename and any additional properties you have included. Review the suggested matches and adjust any that do not fit your project context. |
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Create or update the project in ORIS Confirm the mapping and send the data to ORIS Material Assessment. Choose a project name and confirm the location from the drawing. A new project is created in ORIS with your bill of quantities pre-filled and ready for carbon assessment. |
MODE 2: Quantity Takeoff
For models where generating 3D solids is impractical or not required
In this mode you use the Civil 3D quantity takeoff tool to generate the volume data, then connect the plugin directly to that report. This avoids generating 3D corridor solids entirely, which keeps models lighter and is particularly suited to large schemes or complex corridors.
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Open the plugin and connect Launch the ORIS plugin from within Civil 3D and sign in to your ORIS account. |
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Create your material list from “Compute Material” in Civil 3D Define your material list in the “Compute Material” before connecting to ensure each entry maps cleanly to a line item in ORIS. |
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Select the “QT report” mode in the plugin In the plugin, choose the quantity takeoff mode. The plugin reads the quantity takeoff report directly, extracting material names, quantities and units in the same way Civil 3D generates its native volume report. |
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Create a configuration in the open BIM module Define the structure for the extracted data based on the quantity takeoff layout. The plugin will group entries according to the categories defined in the takeoff |
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Select your Material Library and Run AI mapping The module proposes material matches from your selected carbon database based on the material names in the quantity takeoff. Review suggestions and adjust any that need correction. Where confidence is low, apply conservative assumptions and update later as the design develops. |
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Create or update the project in ORIS Confirm the mapping and send the data to ORIS Material Assessment. The project is created with the quantity takeoff data as the bill of quantities, ready for carbon assessment. |
What Happens in ORIS?
Once the data is in ORIS, you are working within the ORIS open BIM Module. The same principles apply: groups and sub-groups structure your assessment, materials carry the carbon and cost data, and the results dashboard reflects the hierarchy you defined. For detailed guidance on what to do once your data is in ORIS open BIM module, refer to the articles that cover the following content:
- The Assessment Hierarchy: Projects, Groups, and Materials.
- Practical Guidance for ORIS open BIM Module
- Accelerating Carbon Assessments with AI Mapping
Managing Assessment Updates
Design changes are inevitable. The ORIS Civil 3D Plugin detects when your model has changed and lets you push those changes directly into your ORIS assessment, without re-exporting or re-uploading the model.
UPDATING YOUR ASSESSMENTS
The plugin monitors the objects or quantity takeoff data you connected when the project was created. It tracks each element using its unique identifier in Civil 3D, and watches for changes to properties, volumes, or the addition and removal of objects.
The plugin uses a visual status indicator to show the current state of the connection:
- Green: the data in ORIS is up to date with the current state of the model.
- Orange: a change has been detected in the model. The assessment has not yet been updated.
Click on “New Version” to keep your carbon calculations aligned with the latest design.
Note on corridor solids
When corridor solids are regenerated in Civil 3D, their object IDs may change. To ensure the plugin can correctly track updates, generate your corridor solids with the option to keep the link between the corridor and the solids enabled. Without this link, the plugin cannot detect that a regenerated solid is the same element as the previous one.
VERSIONING AND DESIGN TRACEABILITY
The current version of the plugin maintains a live connection to the active state of your Civil 3D drawing. To record a specific design state for traceability, create a “New Version” from that state before making further changes.
HANDLING REMOVED ELEMENTS
If an element is removed from the Civil 3D drawing, the plugin detects its absence during the next update. When quantities are pushed to ORIS, the corresponding line item is removed from the bill of quantities automatically. No manual cleanup is required in ORIS.
Managing Multiple Models or Large Schemes
On large schemes it is common to split a corridor into multiple Civil 3D models, for example one per 5 or 10 kilometres section. Each model can have its own plugin connection and its own ORIS project. You can then compare scenarios across sections or manage them independently within ORIS.