The “Local Save” app improves version control in combination with files that are managed by the Desktop Connector (DC).

During normal design work in Autodesk® Civil 3D®, it is common practice to save your file from time to time, certainly before doing a major change. When you are working locally or on a shared network this does not have any secondary consequences, because there is no version control in a standard windows environment. The Desktop Connector changes this, every save is seen as a new version and is uploaded to your cloud environment (Autodesk® BIM 360® or Autodesk® Construction Cloud®). Resulting in a very high number of versions in your cloud environment that do not represent important changes that should be shared.

To remedy this, users set the Desktop Connector in “Work Offline” or copy the file to another folder on their pc. In both workarounds the connection to the cloud is severed during the design work, opposite to the collaborative workflow that the Desktop Connector aims to enable.

The “Local Save” app enables saving, a file managed by the Desktop Connector, to a secondary location on your pc without doing an upload (create new version) or breaking your connection to the cloud.

The app creates a new command “LSave”. This command creates a .SV$ file (backup of the current working design DWG file) with the same name as the DWG file in the preconfigured “Automatic Save File Location”.

The installation also contains a Partial Customization File “CIVIL_3D_CLOUD”, containing a Local & Cloud save button for the standard Add-ins ribbon and a extended quick access toolbar “Civil 3D Cloud Quick Access Toolbar”. The quick access toolbar includes two new buttons: Local & Cloud Save, the quick access toolbar is not activated when installing the plugin (only the buttons in the Add-in ribbon. To add the quick access toolbar the user needs to edit their workspace using the CUI command. If your workspaces are managed centrally, then please discuss with responsable parties on the best method of adding the Local Save app.

Now the user can choose whether to save locally or to the cloud (creating a new version).

Key-board shortcuts:

- Local Save = CTRL + B

- Cloud Save = CTRL + E