3D CIVIL Cad Manual

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008

Getting Started

April 200723705-010000-5000A

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Third Party Software Program CreditsACIS Copyright © 1989-2001 Spatial Corp.Copyright © 1999-2000 The Apache Software Foundation. All rights reserved. This product includes software developed by the Apache SoftwareFoundation (http://www.apache.org) subject to its license terms and conditions (http://xml.apache.org/dist/LICENSE.txt).Typefaces from the Bitstream® typeface library Copyright © 1992.HLM © Copyright D-Cubed Ltd. 1996-2006. HLM is a trademark of D-Cubed Ltd.AutoCAD® 2008 and AutoCAD LT® 2008 are produced under a license of data derived from DIC Color Guide® from Dainippon Ink and Chemicals,Inc. Copyright © Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc. All rights reserved. DIC and DIC Color Guide are registered trademarks of Dainippon Inkand Chemicals, Inc.Portions of this software are based on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.Active Delivery™ 2.0 © 1999-2004 Inner Media, Inc. All rights reserved.ISYS and the ISYS logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of ISYS® Search Software Inc.Copyright © 1988-1997 Sam Leffler. Copyright © 1991-1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.Copyright © Lingea s.r.o. 2006.The New Features Workshop contains Macromedia Flash™ Player software by Macromedia, Inc. Copyright © 1995-2005 Macromedia, Inc. Allrights reserved. Macromedia® and Flash® are registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States or othercountries.Copyright © 1996-2006 Macrovision Corporation. All rights reserved.Copyright © 1996-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.Copyright © 2002 Joseph M. O'Leary.PANTONE® Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match -PANTONE-identified standards. Consultcurrent PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color.PANTONE® and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. © Pantone, Inc., 2004.Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Autodesk, Inc., to distribute for use only in combinationwith certain Autodesk software products. PANTONE Color Data and/or Software shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unlessas part of the execution of this Autodesk software product.Typefaces from Payne Loving Trust © 1992, 1996. All rights reserved.RAL DESIGN © RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2004.RAL CLASSIC © RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2004.Representation of the RAL Colors is done with the approval of RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e.V. (RAL GermanInstitute for Quality Assurance and Certification, re. Assoc.), D-53757 Sankt Augustin.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Installing on a Single Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Installing on a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Highlights of AutoCAD Civil 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2What’s New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Plan Production Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Lines and Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Annotation Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Pipe Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Parcels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Alignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Profile Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Sample Data Provided with the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

v

Tutorial Drawing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Getting Started Guide Drawing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Sample Drawing Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Learning How to Use AutoCAD Civil 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Getting Started Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Online Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Help System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Skill Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Autodesk Training Programs and Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Moving from Land Desktop to Civil 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 2 Designing with Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Object Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Object Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Object Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Toolspace for Object Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Prospector Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Survey Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Toolbox Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Menu Standardization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Shortcut Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Layout Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Consistent Editing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Item View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Grips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Panorama Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Property Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28AutoCAD Properties Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Standard Controls for Styles and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Precision Layout Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Object Building Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Pipe Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 3 Using Styles and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Managing Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Types of Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Object Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Label Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Table Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Band Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Using Styles with Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Label Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Object Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

vi | Contents

Chapter 4 Designing Drawing Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Creating Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Drawing Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Layer Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Object Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Label Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Plan Production Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Enhancing Drawings with Visualization Tools . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Chapter 5 Managing Project Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65The Collaborative Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Autodesk Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Access to Autodesk Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Autodesk Vault Set Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Database Projects and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68User Accounts and Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

External References (xrefs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Data Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Chapter 6 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Parcels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Alignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Pipe Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Object and Label Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Label Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Contents | vii

viii

Introduction

In this chapterAutoCAD® Civil 3D® is an easy-to-use design and drafting

program that supports a wide range of civil engineering tasks. ■ Installation

■ Highlights of AutoCADCivil 3DThe AutoCAD Civil 3D Getting Started guide introduces the

■ Sample Data Provided withthe Program

program and provides some initial hands-on experience, using

the sample data included with the product. This first chapter■ Learning How to Use

AutoCAD Civil 3Dcontains brief descriptions of the most significant features and■ Moving from Land Desktop

to Civil 3Dprovides advice for users of AutoCAD Land Desktop who are

learning about AutoCAD Civil 3D.

1

1

InstallationYou install AutoCAD Civil 3D using the Installation wizard that opensautomatically when you insert the product media. Using the Installationwizard you can access several pages of links, from which you can open onlineversions of the documentation and locate other information to support theproduct.

Installing on a Single Computer

To install AutoCAD Civil 3D on a single computer, click the Install Productslink on the first page of the Installation wizard. Then, follow the instructionson the screen. The Installation wizard provides links with answers to commoninstallation questions.

For information about installing AutoCAD Civil 3D on a single computer,consult the Stand-Alone Installation Guide. To access this guide, in theInstallation wizard, click either the Quick Start to Installation or the InstallationGuide link. You can also click the Documentation link to access a PDF versionof this guide.

Installing on a Network

To deploy AutoCAD Civil 3D on a network, click the Create Deployments linkon the Installation wizard. Then, follow the instructions on the screen. Forinformation about deploying AutoCAD Civil 3D on a network, consult theNetwork Administrator's Guide. To access this guide, in the Installation wizard,click the Documentation link, and then click Network Administrator’s Guide(PDF).

Highlights of AutoCAD Civil 3DAutoCAD Civil 3D® is designed for land-development professionals, such ascivil engineers, surveyors, engineering technicians, and drafters. It features aconsistent, modern interface that is easy to learn and to use. Subsequentchapters of this Getting Started guide introduce the objects and styles that arethe main structural features of the application.

2 | Chapter 1 Introduction

What’s New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008

This release of AutoCAD Civil 3D includes some new features andenhancements to existing features, as described in the following sections.More details about these enhancements are available in the New Features topicof the Help and in the New Features Workshop.

Plan Production Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D has new plan production tools that automate the processof creating construction documents from your designs. Two new wizardsquickly guide you through the process of creating plan only, profile only, orplan and profile sheets from an existing alignment.

Project Management

The feature is enhanced so that you can create a project using a projecttemplate. Modifications have been made to the Data Shortcuts vista as wellas to the the Properties - Civil 3D Projects dialog box.

Visualization

Enhancements to visualization features include the replacement of the Civil3D Render Material Style by AutoCAD render materials. You will no longersee a style collection for Render Material Styles in the Toolspace Settings tree.When you open a legacy drawing in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008, the AutoCADrender materials corresponding to the materials that were used in the rendermaterial styles are applied to the objects. A Drape Image command has beenadded to the Surfaces menu.

Lines and Curves

AutoCAD Civil 3D has added new line and curve creation commands whichcan be accessed in the new Lines/Curves menu.

What’s New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 | 3

Annotation Menu

You can use the new Annotation menu, available in the Annotation andDrafting workspace, to easily create and edit feature labels and tables.

Survey

You can import and export Survey LandXML data, manage LandXMLattributes, and create user-defined properties. You can now edit extendedproperties. Now, when a Survey Network object is inserted into a drawing itwill provide feedback by displaying tooltips. You can create survey points(control points and non-control points) from AutoCAD Civil 3D pointscontained in the current drawing. Modify figure commands are available whenyou right-click a figure collection or an individual figure.

Pipe Networks

You can now label a series of connected pipes with a single label, and createnew annotation tables for pipe and structure network parts.

Labels

You can use standard AutoCAD commands in the Object Property Managerto control labels, most of which are now independent objects. You controllabels using styles or with layer control.

Surfaces

Surface building and editing operations are enhanced with faster performance,direct import of more point file formats, and a new command to check forcontour problems.


Grading

You can easily edit Feature lines using new commands and enhancements.You can select Break and Trim commands on the Feature Lines toolbar. Featurelines now display on the Prospector tab and you can view individual featurelines in the list view. It is also now easier to edit feature line elevations withthe Elevation Editor.

Parcels

You can add multiple parcel area labels. You can also display multiple parcellabels in multiple viewports. The editing of multiple parcel styles and propertiesis facilitated with the Edit Parcel Properties dialog box.

Points

Points are now independent objects that you can individually select andmanipulate graphically. You can also list and modify point properties in theObject Property windows.

Alignments

You can create lines and arcs by best fit, add reverse floating curves with spiralsto fixed or floating entities. Alignments can now be created outside of a site.

Corridors

The process of defining corridor surface boundaries has been enhanced. Also,new subassemblies have been added for improved corridor modeling.

Profiles

Profile creation and editing has been improved with new options. Profile viewbands and Profile view styles have been enhanced. You can create Profile Line

What’s New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 | 5

and Curve elements based on a best fit. You can use new wizards to createsingle profile views and multiple profile views.

Profile Views

New grid clipping and grid padding options have been added to the profileview style.

Sections

Swath width editing has been facilitated with AutoCAD commands. You canuse the Section Sources dialog box to directly resample sections of a sampleline. In the Group Plot Style dialog box, visual cues are added to the Arrayand Plot Area tabs. You can also plot Volume and Material tables with theirsection views.

Sample Data Provided with the ProgramTo help you learn how to use AutoCAD Civil 3D and start experimenting withits features, the product media includes sample drawings and data files.

Tutorial Drawing Files

Use these files with the tutorials that are part of the AutoCAD Civil 3D Helpsystem.

After installation, the default location of the files is the following folder:

C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Help\Civil 3D Tutorials\Drawings

Getting Started Guide Drawing Files

Use these drawing files with the Exercises chapter of this Getting Started guide.There is one file for each feature-specific concept discussed in that chapter.You can open these files and follow some simple steps to learn more aboutAutoCAD Civil 3D concepts.


After installation, the default location of the files is the following folder:

C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting Started Guide

Sample Drawing Templates

AutoCAD Civil 3D also provides several drawing templates that contain samplecontent for settings, styles, and organization of objects. Use these files as abasis for developing your own content.

After installation, the files are located in the same folder as the AutoCADtemplates. To create a file from a template:

1 Click File menu ➤ New.

2 In the Select Template dialog box, select the template you want to use.The AutoCAD Civil 3D templates are at the top of the list, with namessuch as _AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS Base.dwt.

Learning How to Use AutoCAD Civil 3DAutoCAD Civil 3D provides learning materials to get you started using thesoftware and complete documentation to serve as a reference. Userdocumentation for AutoCAD Civil 3D is comprised of the following:

■ Getting Started guide (in PDF format)

■ Online tutorials

■ Help system

■ Skill builders

■ Moving From Land Desktop to Civil 3D guide

Getting Started Guide

The Getting Started guide introduces the most important concepts in AutoCADCivil 3D. After reading through it, and perhaps doing some of the suggestedexercises with the sample files provided, you should feel comfortable enoughwith the application to start experimenting on your own.

Sample Drawing Templates | 7

Online Tutorials

Access the online tutorials on the AutoCAD Civil 3D Help menu. The tutorialsoffer a more in-depth guided tour of the major features of the application,using realistic engineering drawings and data. For a thorough knowledge ofAutoCAD Civil 3D, it is recommended that you explore the tutorials after youhave read through the conceptual information provided by the Getting Startedguide.

Help System

The AutoCAD Civil 3D Help system is a Help file in HTML format with a tableof contents, an index, and a search function. You can print out the Help topicsthat interest you. To print entire sections, you might prefer to work from thePDF version of the Help system. By default, this document is available inC:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Help as civil_ug.pdf.

Use the Search tab in the Help to find topics that contain a particular wordor phrase. For the best results when searching for a phrase, enclose the wordsin quotation marks, for example, “Quantity Takeoff.” Search results appearin the left pane. The Help System home page lists topics by classifying themby task, by feature, and by job role. The home page also includes links toLearning Resources, Workflow Guide, the New Features Workshop, Tutorials,and the Moving from Land Desktop to Civil 3D guide.

Skill Builders

Autodesk Civil 3D Skill Builders are advanced learning exercises that enableyou to practice performing design tasks using Civil 3D drawings.

To download Autodesk Civil 3D Skill Builders, visithttp://www.autodesk.com/civil3d-skillbuilders.

Autodesk Training Programs and Products

Training programs and products from Autodesk help you learn the keytechnical features of your Autodesk software and improve your productivity.For the latest information about Autodesk training, visithttp://www.autodesk.com/training or contact your local Autodesk office.


http://www.autodesk.com/training

Autodesk Authorized Training Centers

Be more productive with Autodesk software. Get trained at an AutodeskAuthorized Training Center (ATC) with hands-on, instructor-led classes tohelp you get the most from your Autodesk products. Enhance your productivitywith proven training from over 1,400 ATC sites in more than 75 countries.For more information about Autodesk Authorized Training Centers, [email protected] or visit the online ATC locator athttp://www.autodesk.com/atc.

Autodesk Courseware

Autodesk publishes many courseware titles each year for users at all levels toimprove their productivity with Autodesk software. The preferred trainingmaterials of Autodesk partners, these books are also well-suited for self-paced,standalone learning. All courseware simulates real-world projects withhands-on, job-related exercises. Autodesk Official Training Courseware (AOTC)is developed by Autodesk. Autodesk Authorized Training Courseware (AATC)is developed by Autodesk partners, including titles in a growing number oflanguages. Autodesk Official Certification Courseware (AOCC) teaches theknowledge and skills assessed on the Certification examinations. Visithttp://www.autodesk.com/aotc to browse the Autodesk Courseware catalog.

Autodesk Certification

Gain a competitive edge with your career by obtaining Autodesk Certification,validating your knowledge and skills on Autodesk products. Autodesk providesan end-to-end solution for assessing your readiness for certification, preparingfor certification, and obtaining certification. For more information on AutodeskCertification, visit http://www.autodesk.com/certification.

e-Learning

Autodesk e-Learning for Autodesk Subscription customers features interactivelessons organized into product catalogs. Each lesson is 20-40 minutes in lengthand features hands-on exercises, with an option to use a simulation or thesoftware application. You can also use an online evaluation tool that identifiesgaps in skills, determines what lessons will be most helpful, and gauges learningprogress.

If you are a member of Autodesk subscription, you can access e-Learning andother subscription services from within your Autodesk product. For moreinformation about Autodesk subscription resources, visithttp://www.autodesk.com/subscription.

Autodesk Training Programs and Products | 9

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Moving from Land Desktop to Civil 3DMany Land Desktop users are transitioning to using Civil 3D. The new Movingfrom Land Desktop to Civil 3D guide, provides concepts, best practices, andprocedures for successfully moving from Land Desktop to Civil 3D. This guideis available from the Help menu as compiled (.chm) as well as PDF. It containsinformation on how to successfully plan for and transition an organizationfrom using Land Desktop to using Civil 3D. This guide also containsinformation on tools for moving Land Desktop data into Civil 3D.


Designing with Objects

In this chapterThe underlying object model in AutoCAD Civil 3D creates

some major efficiencies in the engineering design process. ■ Object Model

■ Object InterfaceBecause of this model, changes to one object can affect related

■ Standard Controls forStyles and Labelsobjects, and object styles can control many aspects of object

■ Precision Layout Strategiesappearance and behavior. This chapter describes both the

■ Object Building Blocksobject model and the AutoCAD Civil 3D user interface for

working with objects.

■ Exercise 1: FamiliarizationTour

2

11

Object ModelThe architecture of AutoCAD Civil 3D ensures that each object, such as analignment or a parcel, has a standard set of attributes and relationships toother objects. These objects are “intelligent” in the sense that theyautomatically react in predictable ways to changes in related objects. As aresult, you do not need to spend hours ensuring that design revisions aretransferred correctly among surfaces, alignments, profiles, sections, labels,tables, and other objects. The tedious tasks of redrafting and relabeling areeliminated. Design options and “what if” scenarios can be created more easilyand analyzed with precision, resulting in significant process improvements.

12 | Chapter 2 Designing with Objects

Points

Surfaces

Parcels

Alignments

Grading

Exploded representation of the object model

Object Model | 13

Object Relationships

The following illustration shows a simplified view of object relationships anddata flow in an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing:

Object relationships and data flow

Field survey data creates figures and points that can be used to generate anexisting ground surface and parcels. This surface is referenced as other objectsare created in the design process, resulting finally in a designed surface.

Solid-line relationships indicate required inputs. Dotted-line relationshipsindicate optional references. Parcels, existing ground surfaces, pipe networks,


and gradings have no solid-line inputs, which indicates that they can becreated independently, or from data sources not shown in the illustration.Such objects are usually linked to other objects during the design process, ifnot at the beginning. The object type with the most complex set ofrelationships is the corridor, as it requires data from an alignment, profile,and assembly. For the sake of clarity, this diagram does not show that in actualpractice a pipe network is built from pipes and structures.

Changes to any object automatically flow along the arrows to dependentobjects, with predictable results. For example, if you correct the elevations ofan existing ground surface, updates flow to any related grading objects,corridors, profiles and pipe networks. As a result, all values represented inlabels and tables are also updated.

In the design process, after you create an alignment you can create manyprofiles and sections. However, the display of these in profile views and sectionviews is optional and separate from the flow of data required to create thefinal product—a designed surface. Similarly, the data from objects, such asparcels and alignments, can be output to a table or report if desired.

Object Relationships | 15

Object InterfaceThe user interface of AutoCAD Civil 3D reflects the object architecture of theapplication. The major elements are shown in the following illustration:

AutoCAD Civil 3D User Interface

The following notes describe the numbered items in the illustration:

1 Toolspace. For object management. Uses four tabs: Prospector, fornavigating through the object collections, Settings, for managing stylesand settings, Survey for managing survey data, and Toolbox for generatingobject reports.

2 Item view. For a list view of the contents of the selected folder or a graphicview of the selected object.

3 Layout tools. For creating and editing objects, such as gradings oralignments.

4 Standardized menus. For consistent access to the full range of commands.

5 Tabbed property editors. For modifying individual objects and theirattributes.


Each part of the user interface is described in more detail in the followingsections.

Toolspace for Object Management

The Toolspace window provides an object-oriented view of your engineeringprojects. The window is divided into four parts or tabs: Prospector tab, Settingstab, Survey tab, and Toolbox tab.

Prospector Tab

On this tab, all of the objects in a drawing or project are arranged in a hierarchythat you navigate in standard, Windows Explorer–like fashion. To access thistab, click General menu ➤ Toolspace. To view all the collections in theProspector tree, select Master View from the list at the top of the Prospectortab. The three collections available here are Open Drawings, Projects, andDrawing Templates. Note that Projects lists projects available after you havelogged into an Autodesk Vault server and Vault database. A site collectionincludes objects that are related to one another because they share topology.

The following illustration shows a typical structure. The Oak Street site foldercontains collections for alignments, grading groups, and parcels that belongto the site. The Parcels folder contains the parcel objects defined for the OakStreet subdivision. Note that the view selected is Active Drawing.

Toolspace for Object Management | 17

Objects are managedin collections.

Expanding folders to thelowest level shows theindividual objects.

The Prospector tab in Toolspace


Settings Tab

On this tab, styles are organized for different object types. Even in a blankdrawing, most of these styles are present in a standard hierarchy. You cancreate and modify styles in a drawing, then save it as a template. Subsequentdrawings based on the template will automatically have the same set of stylesavailable. You can modify object, label, and table styles. You can also controlsettings for drawings and commands. To access this tab, click Generalmenu ➤ Toolspace. In the following illustration, label and table styles forparcels have been defined:

Each type of object canhave an unlimitednumber of styles.

Predefined label stylescan be applied to anyparcel in the drawing.

The Settings tab in Toolspace

Toolspace for Object Management | 19

Survey Tab

To access this tab, click Survey menu ➤ Open Survey Toolspace. This tabdisplays survey project data, organized within databases for survey projects,equipment, and figure prefixes. The project databases record the survey points,networks, and figures. The equipment databases record standard deviationsand other operational parameters of individual pieces of survey equipment.The figure prefix databases record the conversion routines that are appliedwhen creating lots, buildings, or other figures from survey points.

The Survey tab in Toolspace

Unlike the Prospector and Settings tab, the contents of the Survey tab are notspecific to a drawing. This tab reflects the survey data in your AutoCAD Civil3D Projects folder, so it facilitates access to survey data from multiple drawings.

The surveyed points and figures in a project can be converted to Civil 3Dpoints and parcels.

Toolbox Tab

To access this tab, click General menu ➤ Toolbox. This tab organizes reportsfor each object type. The reports provide useful engineering data from adrawing in a compact, portable format. AutoCAD Civil 3D includes manystandard reports. Some are in LandXML format, with predefined or custom


XSL style sheets. Other reports are VBA programs, with custom dialog boxesthat allow you to select the data and various options.

The Toolbox tab in Toolspace

You can add your own reports to the Toolbox menu. These reports can be ina variety of formats, including XML, VBA, COM, or .NET.

Menu Standardization

The menus in AutoCAD Civil 3D are designed to be as consistent as possiblefor all objects, making it easy to find the command you are looking for. Thisstandardization reflects the fact that the workflows for creating, editing, andannotating various objects are quite similar.

Menu Standardization | 21

Comparison of the Pipes, Parcels, and Alignments menus

AutoCAD Civil 3D comes with several workspaces that you can use as-is orchange according to your preferences. Workspaces are sets of menus andtoolbars grouped together to enable you to customize workspace settings.AutoCAD Civil 3D workspaces include Civil 3D Complete, Design, Annotationand Drafting, Survey and Topographical, and Visualization and Rendering.For more information about using workspaces, see the Help system.

The Annotation menu in the Annotation and Drafting workspace is designedto ease the creation of annotation labels and tables. The Annotation menuprovides access to all label and table commands. The feature menus, such asthe Pipes, Parcels, and Alignment menus, also include options for the creationof labels.

To modify label styles and settings, use the Add Labels command to accessthe Add Labels dialog box. This command is located on both the feature (Civil3D Complete workspace) and Annotation (Annotation & Drafting workspace)menus. For a quicker method to add labels when your styles are already set,you can use the direct creation method for specific label types. For example:Parcels menu ➤ Add Parcel Labels ➤ Single Segment. To access the Add Labelsdialog box to edit or create features label styles, use Parcels menu ➤ Add ParcelsLabels ➤ Add Parcels Labels. See the Help system for instructions on creatinglabels for features and objects.


Annotation Label and Table menus

Menu Standardization | 23

Shortcut Menus

AutoCAD Civil 3D uses shortcut menus extensively. These menus appear whenyou right-click one or more objects in the drawing, or an individual item inToolspace. Shortcut menus provide quick access to common functions andcommands.

Here are two examples. The menu on the left opens when you right-click analignment object on the Prospector tab. The menu on the right opens whenyou right-click a parcel.

Shortcut menus for an alignment and a parcel on the Prospector tab

The options on the shortcut menus on the Settings tab are also very similarfor different object types.


Layout Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D provides separate dialog boxes, called Layout Tools, fordesigning surfaces, alignments, grading, and other features. Each layout toolsdialog box provides access to object-specific design and editing commands ina floating dialog box.

Layout tools for Grading, Alignments, and Pipe Networks

Consistent Editing Methods

Object editing in AutoCAD Civil 3D uses an approach that is quite consistentfor all objects. The main editing tools are described in the following sections.

Item View

When you click an object or an object collection on the Prospector tab, forexample, Points or Alignments, an item view appears. An item view can beeither a list view or a graphical view, depending on the object selected.

Layout Tools | 25

The item view presents a table in which you can review and edit data for eachobject in the selected collection. For example, if you select a point group, theitem view table includes a row for each point in the group.

Click a table cell toedit the value.

Item view showing a set of points

Grips

When you select an object in the drawing, grips appear on the object. Youcan use these grips to click and drag the object to a new location. For example,when editing alignments, you can use grips to move points of intersection orpoints of line-arc tangency.

Direction of drag

Editing an alignment by dragging the grip at the midpoint of a curve


When you use a grip to drag a label object to a new location, a round resetgrip appears. You can click this round grip to return the label to its originallocation. No matter how many times you have moved the label, the reset gripwill restore it to its original location.

Use the round grip to reset label location

Panorama Window

Some object types, such as alignments and profiles, use the Panorama windowto display a table of entities that make up that object. The Panorama windowis a floating, dockable window that you can keep open as you work. It caninclude several tables, called vistas, on different tabs. Panorama data shownin black text can be edited; data shown in gray text cannot be edited.

Double-click a table cellto edit the value.

Panorama window showing an alignment

Consistent Editing Methods | 27

Property Editors

When you right-click any object on the Prospector tab, and then clickProperties, you can view all the AutoCAD Civil 3D properties of that objectand edit some of them. These properties typically include the styles, labels,related objects, and some structural details of the current object.

Properties editor showing properties for a surface (above) and a point group (below)


AutoCAD Properties Editor

When you right-click an object in the drawing, and then click Properties, theAutoCAD Properties dialog box is displayed. You can use this dialog box toreview and edit AutoCAD properties, such as the layer on which the object isdrawn. You can view the style assigned to the object, but you cannot changeit here. You can edit an object style on the Settings tab. Right-click the objectstyle and click Edit to open the <feature> Style dialog box.

Click a table cell toedit the value.

Editing AutoCAD properties for an alignment

Standard Controls for Styles and LabelsEvery AutoCAD Civil 3D object has a style assigned to it. These styles arecreated, assigned, and managed in a consistent way for all objects. All objectshave an object style and can have one or more label styles. Some objects havetable styles as well. To browse the collections of styles in a drawing, see theSettings tab of the Toolspace window:

Standard Controls for Styles and Labels | 29

Each type of object has adefault style, called Standard,that you can copy andcustomize.

The triangle indicates thatthe style is currently assignedto an object.

Each type of label alsohas a default style.

Style collection folders on the Settings tab of the Toolspace window

To create a new style or to edit an existing style, right-click the style on theSettings tab, and then click Edit.

The Style dialog box for labels is called the Label Style Composer. It containsa preview window that makes it easy to adjust label location and appearance.


Label Style Composer dialog box showing a point label style

For more information about styles and labels, see the chapter Using Styles andSettings (page 39) in this guide.

Precision Layout StrategiesWhen creating objects such as horizontal alignments, parcels, and profiles,you may need to use several different methods. Sometimes you want to drawquick freehand versions, other times you have specific distances and anglesto enter. AutoCAD Civil 3D supports both methods of working.

The main layout tools have settings that you can use to control some designelements while you draw each object. For example, when drawing alignmentsor profiles, you can create a series of linked tangents and add curves later, oryou can have curves of standard dimensions inserted at each tangentintersection as you draw. Similarly, with parcels you can specify a default areafor each one and a minimum frontage distance.

You can also use the transparent commands feature to specify precise pointlocations while you are laying out an object. From a current point in analignment or parcel you can specify the next point using standard surveyingmethods, such as angle and distance, northing and easting, latitude andlongitude, or point number. As shown in the following figure, for a profile,you can specify a point by methods such as station and elevation or gradeand distance. In each case, you use the command by entering a short code on

Precision Layout Strategies | 31

the command line (for example, ‘bd for bearing and distance) or by clickingan icon on the Transparent Commands toolbar.

Distance transparent command in progress on a profileview

Object Building BlocksCorridors and pipe networks share a similar complex structure, in that bothobjects are built up from standard components. These components exist in acatalog, and you can modify them to create additional components.

Corridors

A corridor is created from one or more assemblies, which are standard roadwaycross-sections. You design an assembly from subassemblies, such as lanes,curbs, shoulders, and ditches. The subassemblies are provided in a set ofcatalogs, which you can review by clicking General menu ➤ Catalog or Generalmenu ➤ Tool Palette Window.

Roadway assembly (left), with subassemblies shown in a tool palette (right)


Each subassembly has a defined cross-section, and some subassembliesautomatically adapt to their location. For example, the slope of a road lanechanges as superelevation is applied, and a side slope automatically createseither a cut or fill slope, depending on the relative elevation of the existingsurface.

The dimensions of a subassembly, such as the width of a lane or the heightof a curb are stored as properties. If you want to create a new subassemblybased on an existing one, use this simple procedure:

1 Right-click a subassembly in the Tool Palette, copy it, and paste it.

2 Right-click the copy and click Properties.

3 Rename the subassembly and modify the numeric parameters.

You can also create custom subassemblies from AutoCAD polylines. In thiscase, you must also specify the subassembly behavior within an assembly andin the process of corridor creation. You can define custom subassemblies andtheir behavior using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) scripts, then use theAutoCAD Civil 3D COM application programming interface (API) to link theseto the main application.

A subassembly definition references point, link, and shape codes. Points arethe vertices of the subassembly, and they can be attachment points for adjacentassemblies. Links are the line segments or curves between the points. Shapesare two-dimensional polygons that represent the cross-sectional shape of thesubassembly. The following figure shows a coding diagram for a Basic Curband Gutter subassembly:

Pipe Networks

A pipe network is constructed from various pipes and structures that appearin a parts list. You can see the available lists on the Toolspace Settings tab byexpanding the Pipe Network ➤ Parts Lists collection.

Pipe Networks | 33

AutoCAD Civil 3D includes a utility called Part Builder, which you can use toedit the dimensions of parts and create new ones. You can create a new partby saving an existing one with a new name, then modifying its dimensionsin various tables.

Detail from a PartBuilder edit window for a concentric cylindricalstructure.


Exercise 1: Familiarization TourIn this exercise, you will explore the Toolspace and Workspace settings.

Using an alignment as an example, you will explore objects and styles locatedon the Toolspace Prospector and Settings tabs. You will also examine theworkspace menus.

To view Toolspace tabs in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\ProgramFiles\Autodesk Civil 3D 2008 \GettingStarted Guide\GSG_alignments.dwg.To access the Toolspace, click Generalmenu and click Toolspace.In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, ex-pand the Alignment collection. Notethe Alignment Styles, Label Styles,Table Styles, and Commands collec-tions.

1

Right-click the drawing GSG_align-ments.dwg. The context menuprovides access to dialog boxes whereyou can edit drawing settings, labelstyle defaults, and LandXML settings.

2

Exercise 1: Familiarization Tour | 35

In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the Sites collection and ex-pand the Conway Farms and itsAlignments. Right-click East-WestDrive. The context menu enables youto open dialog boxes to view andchange properties such as Object Styleand reference points.Make changes as desired and click OK.Now expand the Parcels collection andobserve how parcel data is displayedby opening the Properties dialog box.You can also edit object styles, createmapcheck or inverse reports, or editproperties that you can define such asparcel address.

3

Now you will explore the workspacesettings. You can customize the work-space menus to suit your particulartasks or preferences.Select Annotation and Drafting andobserve how the menus are reorgan-ized.

4


Select the Annotation menu. Note thecommands for adding feature labelsand tables. This menu facilitates thelabeling process during the draftingstage of your project. Experiment withthe workspace settings and customizefor your design needs.

Click , located in the toolbar menuas shown in the illustration in step 4,to open the Workspace Settings dialogbox. Use this to customize the orderand display of the settings.

5

Exercise 1: Familiarization Tour | 37

38

Using Styles and Settings

In this chapterStyles determine the display format and some aspects of the

behavior of objects and their labels. Together with settings, a ■ Managing Styles

■ Types of Stylesversatile set of styles can help to establish CAD standards and

promote efficiency at every stage of the design process.■ Using Styles with Layers

■ Label Objects

■ Object Settings

■ Exercise 2: Object andLabel Styles

3

39

Managing StylesStyles give you the flexibility needed to control object appearance and behaviorand to establish design standards. If you are the CAD manager in yourorganization, you may find that time spent in creating styles for others to usepays off in terms of efficiency and standards compliance. If you work withstyles that have been created for you, you should find that they are easy touse and provide the right look to your drawings.

AutoCAD Civil 3D is an object-oriented program that works with intelligentobjects. The objects reference a style, which can be changed at any time. Anystyle can be copied by dragging it from one drawing to another. The newdrawing knows where to put that style in the Settings tree. You can then applythe new style to existing objects.

Any style can be copied by creating a child style. Child styles derive theirdefault settings from its parent, the existing style. To create a child style fora label, in the Toolspace Settings tab, right-click a label style and click New toopen the Label Style Composer dialog box. Make changes to the settings asdesired and click OK. The child style will appear underneath the parent stylein the Settings tree. See the Labels and Settings exercise at the end of thischapter.

You can use styles to manage the appearance of objects at different phases ofa project. In the following illustration, the upper drawing uses surface andparcel styles appropriate for a preliminary layout, while the lower drawinguses completely different styles for the final presentation:

40 | Chapter 3 Using Styles and Settings

Early layout phase

Final drawing phase

Using customized surface and alignment styles for different phases of a project

Managing Styles | 41

Types of StylesAutoCAD Civil 3D includes styles for objects, their labels, data tables, and thebands that annotate profile views and section views. Each of these types isdescribed in the following pages.

Object Styles

Each object type includes a Standard style. Use this style as it is, or as a basisfor building custom styles. You can create styles to meet the needs of aparticular project, a group of users, or any other design requirement. Groupsof styles can be collected into a template (.dwt) file, so that all drawings basedon that template will share the same style configuration.

All object types have similar style controls, and a similar set of style collectionson the Toolspace Settings tab. You access the style editing dialog boxes byright-clicking one of the styles and then clicking Edit.

The following illustration shows some common style editing tasks for points,surfaces, and alignments:


1 Point style: using a custommarker

2 Surface style: smoothingcontours

3 Alignment style: changing thecolor of the line components

1

2

3

Editing the style for three different types of object

Object Styles | 43

In addition to feature-specific styles, AutoCAD Civil 3D includes multipurposestyles that apply to several objects. Most of these styles apply to grading objectsand corridor assemblies, and control the appearance of components, such asmarkers, feature lines, and slope patterns.

Label Styles

Labels are associated with many objects, and their content is updated wheneverthe object itself is changed. Labels are also controlled by styles. You can modifythe label styles in the same way that you modify the object styles: right-clicka style name on the Toolspace Settings tab, then click Edit. You can createand save label sets for alignments, profiles, and sections, which allows you toapply multiple label types in one operation. For example, an alignment labelset could include labels for major stations, minor stations, and geometrypoints.

Labels can include text, blocks, lines, ticks, and leaders. You can easily createlabels and preview their appearance in the Label Style Composer dialog box,as shown in the following illustration:


Alignment station labels and parcel arealabels appear in the drawing as they appearin the preview of the Style Composer.

Table styles can alsobe customized.

Previewing customized label styles for alignment stations and parcel area

Label Styles | 45

When composing a label style, you work with the following types of attributes:

■ Location. Control the location of the label in relation to the object.

■ Text. Specify which object data is displayed, and set the size, color, andfont for the text.

■ Appearance and Visibility. Define the bounding box, color, lineweight,linetype, and other aspects of label appearance, and set the visibility ofany of the label components.

■ Dragged State. Determine how a label changes if it is dragged away fromthe default location to a place where it is more readable. For example, youcan specify the addition of a leader line with arrow.

■ Plan readability. Automatically rotate any upside-down label text so it isreadable in plan view. Otherwise, if labels are oriented in relation to anobject, they can be displayed upside-down.

■ Orientation. Set the rotation angle of the labels in relation to the objectyou are labeling, the current view, or the world coordinate system (WCS).

Setting the label style defaults provides an efficient way to standardize somekey aspects of label appearance and behavior for all objects in the drawing.To review and edit these defaults, right-click the drawing name on theToolspace Settings tab and click Edit Label Style Defaults.

All label text is controlled by the Text Component Editor. To access the TextComponent Editor: In the Label Style Composer dialog box, click the Layouttab. Select a component from the Component Name list, or create a new textcomponent. Under Text, click the Value column for Contents, and then click

. You can use this editor to simultaneously edit the text for an entire groupof labels.


Use the Properties list at the top of the dialog box to specify which objectproperty to include in the label. For example, a parcel area label can includeproperties such as the parcel area, perimeter, number, and street address. Eachproperty component can include character strings and data codes, as shownon the screen on the right. After you select a property to include, use the tableon the left to specify the format of text inside the double brackets (<[text]>).When you finish modifying the values, click the right arrow at the top of thedialog box to send the updated component to the screen on the right. Usethe screen on the right to modify the standard text strings outside the bracketsand to cut and paste entire components.

Table Styles

AutoCAD Civil 3D provides automated data tables for points, surfaces, parcels,alignments, and quantity takeoff. As shown in the following illustration, thesetables provide a concise display of object data as an alternative to using objectlabels. The table styles control the data properties and the displayedcomponents of the table. Data properties include the data format, order ofcolumns, text style, and whether the table title and column headers arerepeated if the table is split. Display components include the borders,separators, fill, and text. You can control each component’s visibility, color,linetype, and scale.

Table Styles | 47

Example data table for the Ridge Road alignment

Band Styles

Profiles and sections are displayed in a graph format. These profile views andsection views can be annotated with data bands along the top and bottom ofthe grid. Each band marks significant points along the length of the profileor section. In a profile view, for example, you can have separate bands forvertical geometry, horizontal geometry, superelevation data, and pipe networks.

The following illustration shows part of a profile data band above a horizontalgeometry band. In the profile data band, at each major station you see theelevations of the existing ground and finished grade profiles. The horizontalgeometry band shows the location of a curve and some engineering data aboutthe curve.

Part of two profile view data bands


Separate band styles exist for each band type. In each style definition, youcan specify what data to display and details of the band format, such as theheight and position of the band (above or below the grid), and the color ofcomponents, such as borders and labels. If you want a standard set of bandsfor use with profile or section views, you can define these as a band set andapply them as needed.

Using Styles with LayersMost objects in AutoCAD Civil 3D have several components. For example, asurface includes contours, triangles, and points. You can control how thesecomponents are displayed either by using layers or by setting the displayproperties directly in the object style. You use the Layer Properties Managerdialog box and the Object Style dialog box respectively to do this.

The Display tab of the <Object> Style dialog box provides a number of settingsthat are similar to those in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, such asvisibility, color, linetype, and lineweight. This duplication means that youcan control object appearance using only styles, only layers, or a combinationof the two.

Display properties defined in the <Object> Style dialog box override thesettings defined for the drawing layers in the Layer Properties Manager dialogbox. For example, you can use two different styles to distinguish the displayof existing ground and finished grade surfaces, even if they are drawn on thesame layer.

The following illustration shows how you can use both style settings andtraditional layers to control the display characteristics of an object. The styleshown in the upper drawing directly modifies the color and visibility of thesurface components, so that the surface points are turned on and colored red,even though the layer on which the points are drawn (0) is turned off andcolored white in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.

The style shown in the lower drawing assigns the surface components to layersalready defined in the drawing. In this case, the color of the major and minorcontours is set by the C-TOPO-MAJR and C-TOPO-MINR layers.

Using Styles with Layers | 49

Visibility and colorof the surfacecomponentsare controlled by thelayer assignment.

Visibility and colorof the surfacecomponentsare controlled bysettings on theDisplay tab of theSurface Styledialog box.

Managing object appearance using style settings (above) and layers (below)

Label ObjectsAutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 includes an expansion of new independent labelobjects. In previous releases, the majority of labels were subentities of theobjects they were annotating. In this release, most labels are implemented asindependent label objects and are not highlighted when the parent object is


selected. Label object properties are separate from the parent object. You canuse the command line List command to display the label properties.

Label objects can include references to other AutoCAD Civil 3D objects byincluding Referenced Text components.

The layer behavior of these labels is different. For example, their new defaultlayers are specified in the Drawing Settings and can be changed using theAutoCAD Object Property Manager (OPM) (instead of by modifying the labelstyle with the Label Properties dialog box). To manage label behavior withthe OPM, use the feature context menu.

You can control the behavior of labels in one of two ways, either by referencingthe layer in the style or the layer that the label resides on.

In previous releases of AutoCAD Civil 3D, all group type labels were subentitiesof the parent object. If the parent object was frozen, the labels would disappearwith the frozen parent object. Independent object labels are no longersubentities of the parent object. However, if you desire to control the objectlayer in conjunction with a parent object, you can set the layers that the labelresides on to 0, which will make it behave as if it were a subentity of the parentobject. In this case, with the layer set to 0, if the layer of the parent object isfrozen, the label will also be frozen (and will no longer be visible).

Now you can use the AutoCAD Object Property Manager (OPM) to managemost labels. The OPM displays the Standard AutoCAD properties and the labelproperties such as Label Style and whether the label is visible, flipped, orpinned.

To edit a group of labels, right-click a label (to highlight the group) and clickeither Label Properties or Properties to access the AutoCAD Object PropertyManager. You are able to simultaneously edit an entire group of labels. Forexample, you can create additional label text for inclusion on all labels byperforming a single action.

Also, label objects allow you to select and edit a single label if desired. To edita single label within a label group, use Ctrl+left-click to select a label. Thishighlights the label, which is a subentity of the label group. Right-click thelabel and click either Label Properties or Properties to access the Object PropertyManager. To select more than one label (subentity) continue to press Ctrl andclick additional labels.

Label Objects | 51

Object SettingsSettings in AutoCAD Civil 3D provide many preset values, ranging fromdrawing units, scale, and coordinate system, to optional defaults, such as thelayers that the different objects are created on, and the use of tooltips. Youcan access the setting dialog boxes by right-clicking the appropriate collectionon the Toolspace Settings tab, then clicking Edit Feature Settings.

You can work with three levels of settings:

■ Drawing settings establish values for the whole drawing. If you are creatinga drawing template, ensure that these are set correctly.

■ Feature settings control behavior for a particular feature, such as Parcelsor Grading.

■ Command settings apply to individual commands within a feature, suchas the CreateParcelByLayout command within the Parcels feature.

Each lower level object in the settings hierarchy can either inherit or overridesettings in the level above it. The following illustration shows an override setfor area units at the Parcels feature level. The arrow in the Child Overridecolumn of the Drawing Settings dialog box (upper drawing) indicates that anoverride has been set at a lower level. The check mark in the Override columnin the Parcel Settings dialog box (lower drawing) indicates that the value setin this dialog box overrides the setting at a higher level. At the drawing levelyou can cancel an override by clicking it. You can prevent overrides by lockinga setting.


Area units for parcel objectsare acres, overriding thedrawing setting. For otherobjects, area units remainset to square meters.

How feature settings can override drawing settings

Exercise 2: Object and Label StylesIn this exercise, you create and modify a child label style.

Exercise 2: Object and Label Styles | 53

Using parcel labels as an example, you will learn how to create a child styleand observe how changes to parent styles affect the child styles.

To create and change label styles in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\ProgramFiles\Autodesk Civil 3D 2008\GettingStarted Guide\GSG_styles.dwg.In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, ex-pand the Parcel collection, and thenexpand the Label Styles collection.Now expand Area and right-click theStandard style. Click New.

1

On the Label Style Composer dialogbox Information Tab, the new stylename is Standard: [Child].Make changes as desired and click OK.Observe that in the Toolspace SettingsLabel Style collection, the new childstyle appears under Standard.

2


Right-click Standard and click Edit.In the Label Style Composer dialogbox, on the Layout tab, change theBorder Visibility setting to True. Notethat now a visible border is displayedaround the label.

3

Right-click the Standard [Child] Labeland click Edit.

4

On the Label Style Composer LayoutTab, observe that the change to theparent style has affected the childstyle, which now also has a BorderVisibility setting of True.

Exercise 2: Object and Label Styles | 55


Designing DrawingStandards

In this chapterThis chapter outlines a process for creating drawing templates

that can help you establish a consistent format for drawings

and a standard design process.

■ Creating Templates

■ Exercise 3: DrawingSettings

4

57

Creating TemplatesAutoCAD Civil 3D provides a number of features that contribute to a standardappearance and behavior for all your drawings. These can all be contained ina drawing template, which is saved as a .dwt file. Your organization may needseveral templates for different customers or project types. Ideally, wheneveryou start a new drawing, you can open a template that contains all the requiredsettings and styles. The general process for setting up a template is describedin the following sections.

Lot labels are controlled bya parcel label style, whichcould also be defined in thetemplate file.

Units and precision foralignments are set in thetemplate file.STA=22+00.00

LOT: 1Area: 8321.86 sq. m0.83 hectares

Defining standards using a template file and a label style

58 | Chapter 4 Designing Drawing Standards

Drawing Settings

As a basis for configuring your drawing settings, choose an existing templatethat is closest to your needs. To see the available templates, click Filemenu ➤ New. If you want some preset object styles, the four templates thathave names beginning with “_AutoCAD Civil 3D”, are recommended. Thenames of these templates, such as AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS Base.dwt,indicate some of their settings. The metric or imperial label indicates the mainunit of measure.

After choosing your initial template, the next logical step is to review and editsettings. On the Toolspace Settings tab, right-click the drawing name and clickEdit Drawing Settings. The Drawing Settings dialog box includes five tabs andmany settings.

The Object Layers tab provides a convenient table for assigning objects tolayers, and creating or renaming layers. When designing your use of layers,consider the following points:

■ Objects on the same layer are turned on and off together if you changethe layer visibility. For maximum display flexibility, spread objects andtheir components across several layers.

■ The color of a layer affects all objects assigned to that layer that are drawnin a style that uses the ByLayer color setting. If you set up styles this way,you can change the color of many objects by simply changing the layercolor.

The Abbreviations tab is a central location in which to set the abbreviationsused in object labels, especially for alignment and profile geometry points.

The Ambient Settings tab requires a careful review, because it provides globaldefault settings, such as the precision of numeric values, and the visibility oftooltips. One very useful setting is the General setting, Save Command Changes

Drawing Settings | 59

To Settings. If you set this to Yes, then whenever you change a setting, suchas the radius of an alignment curve, it is saved as the default value for nexttime. Another important setting is Independent Layer On. This must be setto No if you want to be able to control object visibility by turning layers onand off.

On the Ambient Settings tab, you see a blue arrow in the Child Overridecolumn next to any setting that is changed for one or more features (objects)in the drawing. You can cancel the override by clicking the arrow, and youcan click the lock icon to lock any setting and prevent overrides at the featurelevel.

After configuring the ambient settings, you should work down through Point,Surface, and other features in the Settings tree, right-clicking each feature andselecting Edit Feature Settings. Doing this allows you to examine the defaultstyles for each feature and its labels, the feature name format, and other settingsthat you may want to modify. The ambient settings you configured at thedrawing level are available at the feature level in case you want to overridethem.

Layer Standards

Maintaining a standard for the use of layers is easier if you have a drawingtemplate with predefined layers, and styles that reference those layers whenobjects are created. For additional consistency, save your template as anAutoCAD standards file (.dws format). Then, in the template, enter theSTANDARDS command and in the Configure Standards dialog box, link thestandards file to the template. If you want to enforce the standards, you canclick the Settings button and activate notifications of standards violations, oroverride such violations. For more information, see Define Standards in theAutoCAD help.


Object Styles

Ideally, your drawing template will have the perfect set of styles for yourprojects, but this usually takes some time to evolve. To assist the process,create a demonstration drawing that contains one or more surface, alignment,and other object types. This provides a good laboratory in which to displayand develop styles. Consider designing styles to reflect the informationrequirements at different times in the project. For example, create styles forobjects in the design phase, and other styles for their final presentation. Also,you can create styles for different users of the drawings, showing object detailsand labels that present the data each type of user needs.

Label Styles

The styles for labels are another template item that should be developed witha top-down approach, similar to drawing settings and feature settings. At thedrawing level, click Edit Label Style Defaults. In this context, you can set globalstandards such as those for text font, size, and label behavior around curves.As with the object styles, after setting label style defaults you can review thefeature-level settings and apply any required overrides.

Plan Production Tools

You can use AutoCAD Civil 3D plan production tools to automate the processof creating construction documents from your designs. Using the Create ViewFrames and Create Sheets wizards, you can create sheets that automaticallydisplay segments of alignments and profiles in your plans. You can createview frame groups that automatically capture predefined areas along analignment. The view frame groups save you time, as you don’t have tomanually create viewports along an alignment, or recreate sheets when yourdesign data changes. Select an alignment in your drawing, and with the planproduction tools you can quickly create sheets that automatically display thedesired data.

Click General menu ➤ Plan Production Tools ➤ Create View Frames to openthe View Frames wizard. You can use the View Frames Wizard to quickly createview frames along an alignment. Click General menu ➤ Plan ProductionTools ➤ Create Sheets to open the Create Sheets wizard to easily create sheetsfor construction plans. For information about Plan Production tools, see The

Object Styles | 61

Next Move in the Moving From Land Desktop to Civil 3D guide and PlanProduction Tools in the Help system.

Enhancing Drawings with Visualization Tools

AutoCAD render materials can greatly enhance the appearance of yourdrawings by simulating real world materials for a more realistic view of thedesign. Experiment with the render materials to determine which will workbest for your drawings. You can use this feature to enhance renderings ofsurfaces, corridors, and pipe networks. Click View menu ➤ Render ➤ Renderto render the object with the selected material. Click View menu ➤ Render ➤ Materials to open the Render Materials dialog box, in which you can createnew materials and add or remove materials from the current drawing. Formore information, see Render Materials in the Help system.

Exercise 3: Drawing SettingsIn this exercise, you open a file containing alignments and look at some waysto work with drawing settings in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Using alignments as an example, you will learn how to edit the drawingsettings to specify the default layer on which new objects will be created.

To set up object layers in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\ProgramFiles\Autodesk Civil 3D 2008 \GettingStarted Guide\GSG_alignments.dwg.

Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Window.Draw a rectangle that includes thesketch lines at the bottom. Your viewof the drawing should look like this.

1


In Toolspace, on the Settings tab,right-click the name of the drawingand click Edit Drawing Settings.

2

In the Drawing Settings dialog box,click the Object Layers tab.This tab shows the default layers onwhich the various objects are created.You will change the default layer foralignments.

3

On the Object Layers tab, in theAlignment row, click the C-ROADvalue.In the Layer Selection dialog box, se-lect the C-ROAD-CNTR row. Click OKtwice to exit the Settings dialog boxes.

4

Click Alignments menu ➤ CreateAlignment From Polyline.In the drawing, click the green poly-line at the bottom of the drawing.

5

In the Create Alignment dialog box,for Alignment Style, select Major Road.Note that the Alignment Layer is setto C-ROAD-CNTR. New alignmentswill be placed on this layer.Click OK.

6

Exercise 3: Drawing Settings | 63

The new alignment is drawn on theC-ROAD-CNTR layer, using the MajorRoad style.

7


Managing Project Data

In this chapterThe project management feature of AutoCAD Civil 3D is based

on Autodesk Vault, a database for storing and sharing data ■ The CollaborativeEnvironment

among members of a project team. This chapter explains how■ Autodesk Vault

to set up and use Autodesk Vault most effectively to manage ■ Access to Autodesk Vault

■ Autodesk Vault Set Upyour projects. The project management system also includes

■ External References (xrefs)the data reference methods known as External References

■ Data Shortcuts

■ Exercise 4: Creating a DataShortcut

(xrefs) and Data Shortcuts, which you can use for less complex

and smaller projects.

5

65

The Collaborative EnvironmentThe project management system supports shared access to project files by anentire design team. There are three mechanisms for the sharing of design datawithin a project:

■ Object References in Autodesk Vault

■ External References

■ Data Shortcuts

Before deciding which method to use, consider the complexity of drawings,the number of drawings involved, the size of your project team that will accessand edit the files, and your requirements for ease of use as opposed to yourneed for data security. Each mechanism is best suited to particular projectrequirements.

Autodesk VaultThe heart of the project management system is a set of project folders in anAutodesk Vault database. These folders can contain databases of point objects,along with official copies of surfaces, alignments, and other objects. Whenyou want to edit a particular drawing, you can check it out from the database,which locks it so that other users can get a read-only copy, but cannot editthe drawing.

As shown in the following illustration, you can import some read-onlyreference objects from the Vault database, such as surfaces or alignments intoa drawing. These reference objects participate in the design process withinyour local drawing. You can change their style and labeling, but you cannotchange their geometry.

66 | Chapter 5 Managing Project Data

ReferenceAlignments

ReferenceSurface

ParcelDrawing

A user with edit permissions for the reference object can check out the drawingthat contains the master copy and change it. When the edited version ischecked back into the database, any open drawing that contains a referencecopy is updated with markers in the Prospector tree and the Windows SystemTray, advising the user that their drawing does not include the latest versionof the reference object. The user can choose to update the object or not.Whenever a drawing that contains a reference object is opened, it automaticallyretrieves the latest version of the reference object.

Access to Autodesk VaultWhen you install AutoCAD Civil 3D, you have the option of installing astand-alone Autodesk Vault database on your computer. This database is goodfor experimenting with project management commands, but it cannot supportmultiple users. The other option is to install the Autodesk Vault server on anetwork, which creates a multi-user production system.

In either case, you can access the Autodesk Vault database on the ToolspaceProspector tab, Master View. Simply right-click the Projects icon and click LogIn. Alternatively, on the Windows Start menu, launch the application AutodeskVault Explorer.

Access to Autodesk Vault | 67

Autodesk Vault Set UpIf you follow a few general guidelines for creating user accounts and databases,you can ensure that your system balances data security with ease of use.

Database Projects and Folders

You can create project directories and folders within either AutoCAD Civil 3Dor Autodesk Vault. However, a drawing can contain objects from only oneproject. In the same project you should include all data and drawings thatcan possibly relate to each other, to facilitate object sharing.

The standard project folder structure for AutoCAD Civil 3D is shown in thefollowing illustration:

In this example, a project named Park Project includes collections of drawings,alignments, and surfaces. Placeholders exist for points, pipe networks, and asurvey database. The object collections, such as Alignments, include all objectsthat are shared within the project, for read-only use by members of the projectteam.

The security framework for project folders is described in the following section.


User Accounts and Roles

Each person using your Autodesk Vault database has one of three main userroles:

■ Administrator

■ Vault Editor

■ Vault Consumer

The Administrator role has the highest level of permissions, and is able to doall tasks on the server and within Autodesk Vault databases. Only anadministrator can create user accounts, user groups, and databases on theserver, and set access permissions. For security purposes, only a few usersshould have administrator permissions, but enough so that an administratoris always available during work hours.

A Vault Editor has full read-write permissions within Autodesk Vault, and isable to create new projects and folders in the database, add files, and edit files.Assign this user role to anyone who needs to create drawings and share objectswithin the database.

A Vault Consumer has read-only access to the database, and is able to getreference versions of objects for use in drawings saved outside of the database.Assign this role to anyone who does not regularly share objects or add drawingsto a project.

Permissions can be applied to individual users and to user groups. With carefulplanning, you can minimize the amount of configuration required and createa flexible security system. For example, rather than assigning permissions toeach user, you can save time by creating project-specific user groups orjob-based groups, such as Engineers, Project Managers, and Data Technicians.Then, you can add users to the groups and set permissions once for each group.Later, you can move users from one group to another to change theirpermissions.

User Accounts and Roles | 69

External References (xrefs)You can insert into your current drawing an external reference (xref) of theentire contents of another drawing as a display-only object. To insert an xref,click Insert menu ➤ External Reference and using the Select Reference Filewindow, insert a specified drawing (.dwg) into your current drawing. Objectsin the referenced drawing cannot be edited, but you can control the displayof separate components with the Layer Manager.

Xrefs may be as simple as a single object or as complex as a complete design.The advantage of xrefs is that they can be used with different DWG types.xrefs are ideally used when you will not need to manipulate objects withinthe referenced file. They can also be used with either data shortcuts or AutodeskVault.

Keep in mind that xrefs are display-only, and they provide no access to objectdata such as surface elevations or alignment length. For example, you cannotcreate a surface profile from a surface in an xref. Both data shortcuts and Vaultobject references provide access to object data. Xrefs are best used when youdon’t need to edit objects within the referenced file. Use caution as xrefs donot provide the security mechanism that Autodesk Vault does. Links can beeasily moved and reference files renamed with ease.

Data ShortcutsYou can use a data shortcut to import a complete reference copy of an objectinto one or more drawings. Data shortcuts offer great flexibility, and you caneasily learn to use them. The data shortcut method is ideal for use by smalldesign teams in which all members have access to a shared network location.

Data shortcuts are a convenient way to share object data that is entirely basedon drawings without the complication of maintaining a database. These objectsautomatically update when you open a file in which you have referenced data.Reference objects are data shortcuts that can have styles and labels that aredifferent from the source drawing. Data shortcuts can be used to referencesurface, alignment, profile, pipe network, and view frame group objects.

An example of a data shortcut would be to reference an alignment into adrawing in which you want to create profiles. You can use the data shortcut


to keep profiles in a separate drawing from the alignment, to abide by the bestpractice of “one object per drawing.”

Data shortcuts do not provide data versioning or security controls. Keep thisin mind, as they should be used only when team members have equal accessto project files.

Surface Object

Parcel Drawing

Data Shortcut

Use a data shortcut to reference alignment object into a drawing

Data Shortcuts | 71

Exercise 4: Creating a Data ShortcutIn this exercise, you will learn how to create a data shortcut by referencingdata from another drawing. You will reference surface object data into a parceldesign drawing. This exercise will demonstrate how to use the data shortcutsvista.

To create a data shortcut in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\ProgramFiles\Autodesk Civil 3D 2008\GettingStarted Guide\GSG_parcels.dwg. Keepthe drawing open, but minimize it fornow.Open the file C:\ProgramFiles\Autodesk Civil 3D 2008\GettingStarted Guide\GSG_alignments.dwg.

Click General menu ➤ Data Shortcuts

➤ Edit Data Shortcuts to open theData Shortcuts vista as shown here.

1

In the Data Shortcuts vista, click Create Data Shortcut By Selection. Youwill be prompted to select an entity.In the drawing, click the surface (EGTOPO FINAL). Note that in the DataShortcuts window, EG TOPO FINALappears in the Surface Data Shortcutscollection.

2


Click Export Data Shortcuts ToFile. Save the shortcut to a drive folderas GSG_data_shortcut_surface_ob-ject.xml.On the vista, select the surface short-cut and click Delete Data Shortcut.When prompted, click Yes to delete.Minimize the drawing.

3

In the Alignments drawing, click Gen-

eral menu ➤ Data Shortcuts ➤ Edit

4

Data Shortcuts. Click Surface DataShortcuts.

Click Import Data Shortcuts FromFile. In the Import Data Shortcutswindow, select GSG_data_shortcut_sur-face_object.xml and click Open.

The data shortcut is imported fromthe xml file. Under the Surface DataShortcuts collection, EG TOPO FINALis displayed (the data shortcut, FileName and Source Drawing are listedin the vista).In the vista, click the Surface DataShortcuts collection to select it. Click

5

Create Reference to open theCreate Surface Reference dialog box.Click OK.

Exercise 4: Creating a Data Shortcut | 73

An Events tab opens on the panoramawith the message ‘Surface EG TOPOFINAL created.’In the Prospector Tree, expand theSurfaces collection, to verify that theEG TOPO FINAL surface object is dis-played. The data shortcut has beensuccessfully entered and is now refer-enced in the GSG_alignments.dwg.

6

Right-click EG TOPO FINAL and clickZoom. The drawing view zooms tothe surface object as shown here.


Exercises

In this chapterThis chapter explains and demonstrates the concepts

underlying AutoCAD Civil 3D features. Each feature section ■ Points

■ Surfacesin this chapter has a corresponding drawing file. Each drawing

■ Gradingillustrates the concepts introduced in that section. You can

■ Parcels

■ Alignmentsopen the file to see actual examples of the objects and their

■ Profilesvarious components. There is also a LiveView exercise for each

■ Sectionsfeature, which gives you some basic hands-on experience with

■ Pipe Networks

■ CorridorsAutoCAD Civil 3D. The drawings also provide a good

■ Survey“sandbox” environment in which to explore product features

and settings beyond the exercises.■ Object and Label Styles

■ Visualization

■ Label Objects

6

75

PointsThe central repository for point information is the project database. Thedatabase is typically located on a central server and shared by a number ofusers, who attach the database to their drawings. However, point presentationis handled in the drawing. Point groups reference the point data directly andare responsible for drawing the points. Point groups have an override thatforces all points in the group to use both that group’s preferred point styleand point-label style, rather than the styles assigned to the individual points.

You can insert or import points from different sources and in different formats.For example, you can define sets of description keys to help organize theinsertion of points. Description keys use the raw description of incomingpoints to control the creation of each drawing point, including the followingactions:

■ Assigning the point to a specific layer

■ Assigning a point style

■ Assigning a point label style

■ Translating the raw description into a full description

■ Rotating or scaling the point symbol

Points can also be created directly in the drawing, using a wide variety ofmethods, which are all available in the Create Points dialog box.

LiveView of Drawing for Points

Open the file: C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_points.dwg.

The drawing contains two named views. To go to a named view, do thefollowing:

1 Click View menu ➤ Named Views.

2 In the View dialog box, click the view you want. Click Set Current. ClickOK.

76 | Chapter 6 Exercises

Pond point group

Landscape Trees point group

Point styleTree-20ft Pinehas labels turned off.

Pond point groupuses the Numberand Elevation Onlypoint label style.

Point label styleManholes includes anarrow and leader line.

Road Centerlinepoint group

StormManholespoint group

Named view: points_all

Named view: points_detail

Some point groups showing different uses of point styles and point label styles

Points | 77

Points: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing points and examine some of theways to manage objects in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Using points as an example, you will learn how to use an item view of objects,and how to use the Properties dialog box.

To view lists and edit properties in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_points.dwg.

Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Window.Draw a rectangle in the upper leftcorner to zoom your view of thedrawing so that it looks like this.

1

In Toolspace, click the Prospector tab.Expand the list of point groups, asshown in the illustration.The icon next to each point group in-dicates that you cannot expand thepoint group to the level of individualpoints. You can view the points in theitem view.

2

Click the Road Centerline point groupin the list.An item view of all the points con-tained in the group is displayed inToolspace.Note that you can edit the individualpoints in the item view.

3


Right-click the Road Centerline pointgroup. Click Properties.In the Point Group Properties dialogbox, click the Include tab.The point group contains all the pointswith raw descriptions that matchCLRD.

4

In the Point Group Properties dialogbox, click the Query Builder tab.Both tabs point to the same Raw De-scription data. These tabs provide twodifferent ways in which you canmodify a point group.

5

Click the Include tab. Clear the checkbox for With Raw Description Match-ing.Select With Numbers Matching. Enter755,757 in the text box.Click OK.Note that only two points remain inthe point group item view and in thedrawing.

6

Points: LiveView Exercise | 79

SurfacesYou can work with two types of surfaces: TIN (triangulated irregular network)and grid. For each of these types, you can create volume surfaces, which aredifferential surfaces created from two existing surfaces. Surface styles definethe appearance of any surface. They can also be used to control the visibilityof any analysis that has been performed on that surface. An example ofelevation analysis is shown in the following illustration. Watersheds can bedrawn on the surface, with information about the type of drainage area andwhere each area drains to.

Boundaries define the visible area of a surface. Only the area within theboundary is included in calculations, such as for total area and volume. Youcan also define masks to hide or show parts of a surface for editing orpresentation purposes, while still including that area in calculations.

Breaklines are used on TIN surfaces to define linear features that trianglescannot cross, such as retaining walls or streams. Breaklines affect triangulationof the surface. You can define different sets of contours, for example, fordifferent intervals. Smoothing is provided for the surface object as a whole,which gives better results than simply smoothing the contours.

In AutoCAD Civil 3D, the build process for surfaces is incremental. Wheneverdata is added or corrected, the surface is updated. Each surface has a definitionlist. This list contains all the operations performed on the surface. By turningthe operations on and off, you can return a surface to a previous state ormodify it to support different types of analysis.

LiveView of Drawing For Surfaces

Open the file: C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_surfaces.dwg.

The drawing contains two named views. To go to a named view, do thefollowing:




Elevation analysis(colored 3D faces)

Slope arrowsturned on

Breakline

EG surface boundary

FG surface boundary

Contours with smoothing

Watershed analysis(labels turned off)

Named view: surfaces_all

Named view: surfaces_detail

Some aspects of a surface

Surfaces | 81

Surfaces: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing surfaces and look at some ways towork with styles in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Using surfaces as an example, you will learn how to create new styles, andhow to use styles to change the appearance of an object.

To create or change a style in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_surfaces.dwg.

1

In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, ex-pand the list of surface styles, asshown in the illustration.The triangle icon next to a surfacestyle indicates that the style is appliedto at least one surface in the drawing.

2

Right-click the Finish Grade surfacestyle. Click Copy.In the Surface Style dialog box, on theInformation tab, for Name, enter Fin-ish Grade Contours.

3


Click the Display tab.In the Visible column, click the lightbulb icons to turn on both MajorContour and Minor Contour. Turn offElevations and Slope Arrows. Click OK.You have created a new surface style.Next, you will apply it to a surface.

4

In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the list of surfaces.Click the Surfaces collection in the list.An item view of the surfaces in thedrawing appears in Toolspace.Note that the name of the style as-signed to the FG surface is Finishgrade.

5

Right-click the FG surface in the list.Click Properties.In the Surface Properties dialog box,click the Information tab. For Surface

6

Style, select Finish Grade Contoursfrom the list. Click OK.

The new style is applied to the FGsurface. The drawing is updated.

7

Surfaces: LiveView Exercise | 83

GradingYou create a grading by selecting a base line in the drawing, and thenspecifying a projection method and target, for example, grade at 3:1 to meetan existing surface. Save time and effort by predefining such values and savingthem as grading criteria. Subsequent gradings you create will use the currentcriteria. You can also create named grading styles that combine specific displayproperties, such as colors. In addition to using the current criteria, any gradingyou create uses the current style.

A grading normally consists of a face bounded by a base line, a target line,and several projection lines. The base line can be any open or closed figurefrom which you want to project the grading. It can be a feature line or a lotline. A feature line is any linear feature in the drawing, such as a ridge line,building footprint, or the bottom of a swale. The target for the grading canbe a surface, a distance, or an elevation (absolute or relative).

Each site can include grading groups, which bundle individual gradings intonamed sets. Before creating a grading, you must create a new grading group,or select one that already exists. A surface can be created from a grading group,and a grading group can be pasted into a surface. The surface will then beupdated if you change the grading.

After you create a grading group, volume tools within AutoCAD Civil 3D showyou the amount of cut and fill required for the grading design. You can raiseor lower the grading group incrementally to adjust volume requirements. Youcan also change the elevation of points along a grading base line, change thegrade of a base line, or modify the grading criteria.


Criteria uses slope of 3:1with a surface target

Gradings usingdifferent criteria

Grading group

Base line

Feature line

Projection lineTarget line

Face

.

The components of a grading object

Grading | 85

Grading: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you examine the properties of a grading and adjust its elevationto change cut and fill volumes.

At any time during this exercise, you can look at the grading in threedimensions. To do this, right-click the grading object and click Object Viewer.

To edit a grading in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_grading.dwg.You see a grading that is projected toa surface from a rectangular base line.The grading surface has its own con-tour lines, separate from those of theexisting ground (surface EG). The facesof the grading have a slope patternwith short line segments along theupper edge of the face.

1

Click Grading menu ➤ Grading Utilit-

ies ➤ Grading Volume Tools.This toolbar shows the volume of fillrequired for the grading as designed.

Click to open or close the Historypane.

2

Click to lower the grading groupby one meter.Note the decrease in fill volume. Theupper left corner of the grading is al-most at the ground surface.

3


Click to automatically balance cutand fill volumes. Click OK in the Auto-Balance Volumes dialog box.The volumes are balanced, within atolerance factor, and a portion of thegrading is set below the existingground. You can identify cut slopes inthe 2D plan view wherever the shortlines of the slope pattern are on theoutside edge of the grading.

4

Click Grading menu ➤ Create Grad-ing to open the Grading CreationTools.

5

On the Grading Layout Toolbar, near

the right end, click Elevation Edit-or. Click any point along the rectangu-lar base line of the grading.The Grading Elevation Editor opens,showing the elevation and grade ateach corner of the base line.As you click each row of the table, atriangular marker appears in the

6

drawing to mark the correspondingcorner of the base line.You can click in the elevation cell forany row in the table and change theelevation. The related grades changeautomatically.

Grading: LiveView Exercise | 87

ParcelsAutoCAD Civil 3D provides a site topology that includes intelligent parcelobjects. Each parcel is an independent object that usually represents real estateparcels or lots. You can also import parcels as simple polylines and then convertthem to parcel objects. Parcels consist of a series of segments that can be editedindividually. Editing parcel segments dynamically updates the parcel properties.Deleting a segment can result in one parcel merging with another.

Each site contains one collection of parcels. The hierarchy of parent site andchild parcels is managed on the Prospector tab in Toolspace. The parent siterepresents the original area to be subdivided. By creating a number of separatesites, you can manage large projects with many lots grouped in separate blocks.

You can create parcels one at a time or as a group, with settings for the defaultarea and minimum frontage of each parcel. Parcel layout tools give you precisecontrol over parcel area and the angle of each lot line.

Parcel styles determine the appearance of the parcel, including fill patternsfor the area and linetypes for the segments. There are separate label styles forparcel areas and parcel segments.

LiveView of Drawing For Parcels

Open the file: C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_parcels.dwg.

The drawing contains two named views, as shown on the following page. Togo to a named view, do the following:




Segment label

Area label

Parcel styleuses areafill

Right-of-way parcelRegion forresidential lots

Named view: parcels_all

Named view: parcels_detail

Parcels and parcel components

Parcels | 89

Parcels: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you create a series of equal-sized parcels and learn how to editparcel styles and parcel command settings.

Using parcels as an example, you will learn how AutoCAD Civil 3D hasautomated some routine tasks in the design process.

To create parcels and their labels in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_parcels.dwg.Zoom in to the extents of the largeblue parcel, Oak Street_1.

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Click Parcels menu ➤ Create Parcel ByLayout.In the Parcel Layout Tools dialog box,

if necessary, click to see the de-fault settings for parcel creation. SetAutomatic Mode to On.

2

Click (Slide Angle - Create)to open the Create Parcels - Layoutdialog box. Set the Parcel Style toResidential and the Area Label Style toParcel Name & Area. Click OK.

3


Follow the command-line prompts:Pick a point inside the parcel to besubdivided.Pick a frontage start point along thebottom edge of the parcel, near thecurve on the left side.Pick a frontage end point near thecurve on the right side of the parcel.Press Enter to accept default values forfrontage angle (90 degrees) and parcel

4

area (1 acre). The original parcel issubdivided into six. The first one re-tains the original name (Oak Street_1)and style.

Zoom in around a few of the new res-

idential parcels. Click Parcels menu ➤

Add Labels. In the Add Labels dialogbox, set the Label Type to MultipleSegment. Click Add, but do not closethe dialog box. Click the area label ofany parcel to automatically add a labelto each segment of the parcel. Clickon a few more parcels to label them.

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In the Add Labels dialog box, set theLabel Type to Single Segment. Set theLine Label Style to Span Bearing-Dis-tance-Crows Feet.Click along the bottom edge of theresidential parcels to place a label forthe line that spans multiple parcels.Curved indicators called “crow’s feet”mark the ends of the labeled line.This label is designed for placementbelow a line. If you apply it to the top

6

Parcels: LiveView Exercise | 91

segment of a residential parcel, right-click the label and select Flip Label.

On the Toolspace Settings tab expandthe Parcel collection. Expand ParcelStyles. Right-click Residential, and clickEdit to display the Parcel Style dialogbox.On the Display tab, set the ParcelSegments component type setting to

7

Not Visible by deselecting the Light-bulb.

For further exploration, you can editParcel command settings. In theToolspace Settings tab, expand theCommands collection. Right-clickCreateParcelByLayout to display theEdit Command Settings - CreatePar-celByLayout dialog box. Expand theDefault Styles. Set the Parcel Styleproperty to Parent Parcel and click OK.Open the Create Parcels - Layout dia-log box as you did in Step 1 and Step

8

2. Note that the default Parcel Style isnow Parent Parcel.


AlignmentsHorizontal alignments are used to represent roads and other linear objectsthat follow a path in space. Alignments can include lines, curves, and spirals,which can be joined by constraints. When you edit an alignment, for example,by dragging a grip, the components of the alignment can maintain tangencyto one another. You can create alignments from existing polylines, or by usingalignment layout tools in AutoCAD Civil 3D. You can edit an alignment eitherby grip editing or by using the edit commands. Some of the creation andediting options are as follows:

■ Draw a series of tangents, then add curves or spiral-curve or spiral-linegroups at the PIs (Points of Intersection).

■ Draw single lines, curves, and spirals.

■ View and edit the dimensions of alignment components.

■ Apply superelevation to the curves along an alignment.

Use Station equations to change station-distance references at any pointwithout physically changing the geometry of the alignment.

LiveView of Drawing For Alignments

Open the file: C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_alignments.dwg.




Alignments | 93

Design speed label

Station label

Major road usesdifferent lineand label stylesfrom local roads

Station referencepoint at startof alignment

Alignments drawnwith tangent-to-tangent curves

Parallel alignmentlabels used forlocal roads

Preliminary centerlines sketchedusing lines andcurves

Named view: alignments_all

Named view: alignments_labels

Alignments: lines, curves, and labels


Alignments: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you explore the Alignment Layout toolbar and learn how toedit alignments with grips. You can edit alignments, create new alignments,and use a variety of AutoCAD commands, while still having access to theAlignment Layout Tools toolbar, in order to perform layout commands. Youcan edit alignment geometry using the Panorama and Layout Parameterswindows, and use grip edits to update the alignment dynamically.

To edit alignments

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_alignments.dwg.

Click Alignments menu ➤ CreateAlignment by Layout, open the CreateAlignment - Layout dialog box. ClickOK to open the Alignment LayoutTools window. Note how you cankeep working within the drawingwithout having to close it.

1

Alignments: LiveView Exercise | 95

In the drawing, click the alignment sothat the blue grips are displayed. In

the Alignment Layout Tools, click to display the alignment’s Panoramavista, which lists alignment entity in-formation, such as Type, Length, andDirection. Click another alignment and

2

observe that the Panorama windownow lists the data for that alignment.

Now you will create and edit analignment. In the Create Alignment -

3

Layout dialog box, set the Site toConway Farms. Click OK. The Align-ment Layout Parameters window isdisplayed and will be populated whenthe alignment is created.

On the toolbar, click Tangent-Tangent (No Curves). Observe that

4

the Alignment Layout Parameters PassThrough Point Point 1 is active.

In the drawing, specify a startingpoint. Observe that data values arepopulated. Specify an end point. ClickEnter to end the command. MajorStation Labels are displayed, lookingsomething like this.

Click to select the new alignment. Onthe Alignment Layout Tools , click theAlignment Grid View to open thePanorama window.

5

Click the square grip at the right endof the alignment. The grip turns redto show that it is active. Drag it to theright to lengthen the alignment. Ob-serve that the Length, End Station,and End Point data is updated.


Now you will explore how to editdrawings using Lines and Curvesdrafting tools. Zoom in on the rightside of the drawing so that it appearsas shown here. First you will create aline perpendicular to an existing line.

Click Lines/Curves menu ➤ Create

Lines ➤ Line Perpendicular From Point.You are prompted to select an arc orline object. Select the top horizontalline in the drawing view. Now selectthe point where the perpendicular line

6

will start. Enter 55 to select the lengthof the perpendicular line. The drawingappears as shown here.

Click Lines/Curves menu ➤ Create

Lines ➤ Line Tangent From Point.You are prompted to select an arc orline object. Select the vertical line inthe drawing as shown here.

7

Alignments: LiveView Exercise | 97

Now select the point where the tan-gent line will start. When prompted,click the line to select the length ofthe tangent line (where it will end).The drawing appears as shown here.

8

Now you will create a curve betweentwo connected lines. Click

Lines/Curves menu ➤ Create

Curves ➤ Curve Between Two Lines.At the bottom of the drawing, selecta horizontal line as the first tangentand then select the connected verticalline. Now you are prompted withmultiple options with which to determ-ine the size of the arc. Select length

9

(L) and enter 111. The drawing ap-pears as shown here. For further ex-ploration, try using the various meth-ods of determining the size of linesand arcs.

Now you will convert the newly cre-ated arc entity to an alignment. Openthe Alignment Layout Tools and click

Convert AutoCAD Line and Arc.You are prompted to select an arc orline to convert. Select the arc and ob-serve that it is now defined as analignment.

10


ProfilesProfiles (also known as vertical alignments), are derived from horizontalalignments in the drawing. There are two types of profiles. Surface profiles,often called existing ground (EG) profiles, are extracted from a surface. Layoutprofiles, often called finished grade (FG) profiles, represent a designed surfacesuch as a road. A profile can be dynamic, in which case it is linked to a surfaceto reflect updates to the surface or the horizontal alignment. It can also bestatic, to preserve a record of a surface at a particular time. You can use threetypes of vertical curves in a profile: parabolic, asymmetric parabolic, andcircular.

Create static profiles in various ways, such as importing a text file, importingan XML file, or by using the Profile Layout Tools dialog box. Edit a profile bygrip editing or by using the edit commands in the Profile Layout Tools dialogbox.

Profiles are displayed in graphs called profile views. Profile views are separateobjects that have their own sets of styles. You can add data bands to annotatethe profile view with stations and elevations, horizontal geometry points, orother useful data. You can save several data bands in a set that can be easilyapplied to other profile views.

LiveView of Drawing For Profiles

Open the file: C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_profiles.dwg.




Profiles | 99

Surface andlayoutprofiles

Profile label shows a tangent grade

Grade break and elevation profilesdefined by profile label styles

Axes and griddefined byprofile view styles

Data bandsdefined byprofile viewband styles

Named view: profiles_all

Named view: profiles_detail

Surface and layout profiles displayed in a profile view


Profiles: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing profiles and experiment with gripediting in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Using profiles as an example, you will learn how objects can be dynamicallyupdated in response to changes in another object.

To make dynamic updates in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_profiles.dwg.

1

Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Extents.

Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Window.Draw a rectangle that includes theprofile view at the top and the East-West alignment at the bottom.

2

On the AutoCAD Layers toolbar, click

.In the Layer Manager dialog box, clickthe light bulb next to the C-ROAD-PROF-FGRD layer to turn it off. ClickOK.

3

This turns off the FG profile in theprofile view and makes the green EGprofile easier to see.

Profiles: LiveView Exercise | 101

In the drawing, click the alignment sothat the blue grips appear, as shownin the illustration.You will drag the grips to modify thealignment dynamically. As you modify

4

the alignment, the profile will updateat the same time.

The green profile in the profile viewat the top of the drawing representsthe intersection of the alignment withthe existing ground surface.The profile looks like this before youmodify the alignment.

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Click the square grip at the far left ofthe alignment.(Try to watch the green profile as youcomplete the following step.)The grip turns red to show that it isactive. Drag it a little farther to the leftand then release it.

6

Note that the profile has been exten-ded to include the addition to thealignment. It now looks something likethis.(You may want to experiment furtherand see the effect of editing thealignment curves before you close thisdrawing.)

7


SectionsSections, or cross sections, are cut across a linear feature to a specified distanceon the left and right of a center line. Sections are typically sampled at givenstations along a horizontal road alignment. Edits to an alignment update thesections as well.

Sections are located on sample lines that cut across the alignment. Samplelines have their own styles and can be labeled. A set of sample lines makes upa named collection called a sample-line group.

Sections are displayed in a graph called a section view. A section view is verysimilar to a profile view. It consists of a grid or graph with attributes that arecontrolled by section-view styles. You can also display data bands above orbelow the section view. You can plot individual sections for a specific sampleline, or all the sections for a group of sample lines. To plot multiple sections,use a paperspace viewport to set up the sheet.

Sections, like alignments and profiles, support label sets. Label sets allow youto save and apply an unlimited number of different types of labels.

LiveView of Drawing For Sections

Open the file C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_sections.dwg.




Sections | 103

Centerline

Right swath width

Data band

Section line

Stations and sample-linenames are displayed bythe sample-line-group labelstyle

Sample lines belong tothe East-West sampleline group

Section viewfor this sampleline is shownbelow

Named view: section_detail

Named view: section_view

A group of sample lines and a section view across one of them


Sections: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing sections and revisit the process ofapplying custom styles in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Using sections as an example, you will learn how to select an individual objectand apply a new label style to it.

To change label styles in AutoCAD Civil 3D

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_sections.dwg.The drawing looks like this. There areseveral sample lines crossing an align-ment.

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In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the list of alignments (underSites/Conway Farms).Expand the East-West Drive alignmentuntil you can see the list of samplelines, as shown in the illustration.Next, you will select one of the samplelines and change the style of the labelto an AA section.

2

Right-click the SL-8 sample line in thelist and then click Properties.In the Sample Line Properties dialogbox, click the Sample Line Data taband then, for Label Style, select Sec-tion AA. Click OK.

3

Sections: LiveView Exercise | 105

The sample line is updated in thedrawing, as shown in the illustration.Next, you will update the existingsection view for this sample line.

Click View menu ➤ Named Views.Click section_view. Click Set Current.Click OK.

4

In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the section views for the SL-8sample line.Right-click the section view 3+50.00(1). Click Properties.

5

In the Section View Properties dialogbox, on the Information tab, for Ob-ject Style, select Standard. Click OK.

6

The section view is updated in thedrawing, as shown in the illustration.

7


Pipe NetworksYou can use the pipe networks feature to design and model networks thatsupport the flow and function of a utility system, such as a storm or sanitarysewer.

You build a model of a pipe network using individual parts, much like areal-world pipe network, connecting pipes in your network either with orwithout using structures, such as manholes or catch basins, and adding inletor outlet structures, such as headwalls, to mark the terminating end of a piperun. After you have created your initial network design, you can view and editnetwork parts in virtually unlimited ways within plan view or in a profileview. You can also view the pipe network parts in a section.

As you create your pipe network design, preset design rules control the slopeof pipes and their depth relative to a surface, and the sizing of the structuresthat connect the pipes. This is useful when you are designing a gravity systemsuch as a storm or sanitary sewer.

LiveView of Drawing For Pipe Networks

Open the file C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_pipe_networks.dwg.

The drawing file contains three viewports: the pipe network in plan view, theprofile view of some of the network pipes and structures, and the same partsin a section view.

The left pane shows a pipe network segment made up of two manholestructures connected by pipes. The network parts have been placed at aspecified offset from an alignment, and are drawn in a profile view createdusing the same alignment (upper-right pane). A sample line placed at station7+71 was used to create a section view (lower-right pane) that shows across-section view of the pipe network parts located at the station.

You can edit the positions of the pipe network parts manually by using editinggrips in either plan, profile, or section view, or by directly editing theirproperties.

Pipe Networks | 107

Plan view shows the layout ofpipe network parts in relation toother drawing objects Profile view shows the vertical

layout of pipe network parts andalignment

Road section includes cross-sectionviews of pipe network parts

Layout, profile, and section views of a pipe network segment

3D view of pipe network segment


Pipe Networks: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you edit a simple pipe network. Using the pipe network as anexample, you will learn how to configure the pipe network layout tools, andto use the tools to create a new pipe that connects two structures.

To create pipe network parts

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_pipe_networks.dwg.The drawing window shows threeviews of parts in a pipe network: planview, profile view, and cross-sectionview.

1

In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the collections of Pipe Net-works and Networks. Expand theNetwork – (1) item.When you select the Pipes or Struc-tures item found under the pipe net-work collection, part information isdisplayed in the item view, as shownin the illustration.

2

Right-click Network – (1). Click Edit.The Network Layout Tools toolbarcontains all the tools you need to cre-

3

ate or edit a pipe network, includingthe name of the alignment and surfacethat are referenced when parts arecreated.

Pipe Networks: LiveView Exercise | 109

In the Pipe List, select 18 inch Con-crete Pipe.Ensure that the button to the right of

the Pipe List is toggled to (Downslope).

4

Click the button to the right of thePipes list and click Pipes Only.

In the drawing window, in the layoutview, place your cursor over thestructure offset from station 7+71 onConway Farms Drive. A connectionmarker is displayed (shown in the illus-tration) that indicates the pipe willconnect to the structure if you click atthat location.Click the structure to connect the pipeend to it.

5

Pan to the structure offset from station1+00 on East-West Drive. With theconnection marker active, click thestructure to connect the pipe to it.Press Esc to end the command.


CorridorsCorridors are used for roads and similar structures that follow a designed routeacross the terrain.

A corridor is a detailed three-dimensional design that combines data from ahorizontal alignment, a profile view, and an assembly. The corridor canautomatically reflect changes to any of the parent data.

Subassembly objects such as road lanes, curbs, and shoulders form the buildingblocks for an assembly. When you apply the assembly to an alignment and aprofile, a corridor is generated in three dimensions. At each point along itslinear path, the corridor adapts to conditions such as superelevation and cutor fill requirements.

LiveView of Drawing For Corridors

Open the fileC:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_corridors.dwg.

The drawing contains three viewports. The corridor, profile view, and assemblyare all within the same drawing, but the viewports help you see the objectrelationships.

In the left pane, the horizontal alignment starts at the top of the corridor andruns to station 1658 at the bottom. In the profile view, station 0 is on the leftside, and green vertical lines across the grid show the start and end points ofthe horizontal curves. In the assembly view, you can see that the corridorassembly includes two road lanes, a curb on the left, a sidewalk on the right,and side slopes on each side. The side slope subassembly(BasicSideSlopeCutDitch) is designed to create a ditch only on cut slopes, andthe ditches are visible along the corridor.

You can use the Object Viewer to see the corridor in a three-dimensional viewthat shows the cut and fill regions. Click the corridor, then right-click andclick Object Viewer. Click near the bottom of the Object Viewer window, thenclick and move the cursor up to tilt the corridor. If you want to pan or zoomthe display, right-click inside the Object Viewer window.

Corridors | 111

Assembly is a templatefor corridor cross-sections

Profile shows the verticallayout and the surface

Corridor shows the designin relation to the surface

Elements of a corridor design


Corridors: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you examine the section views along a corridor anddynamically update the corridor by changing the layout profile.

Using corridors as an example, you will learn how to review and edit a design.

To review and edit corridor sections

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_corridors.dwg.The drawing contains viewports thatdisplay a corridor, profile view, andassembly.

1

Click Corridors menu ➤ View/EditCorridor Section.In the drawing window, select nearthe beginning of the corridor.The corridor is replaced with a viewof the corridor cross-section and the

2

existing ground surface at station 0.Note that the fill slopes are shown atthis point.

Corridors: LiveView Exercise | 113

On the View Corridor Section Toolbar,select station 5+50.You see the section view at this sta-tion, which is in a fill area along thefirst curve.

3

Select station 9+50.This station is on the second curve,where the corridor has deep cutslopes. In the section, you can see theditch that is automatically inserted oncut slopes.If you want to see other sections inthis part of the corridor, click the ar-

4

rows on the View/Edit Corridor Sectiontoolbar.Close the toolbar to close the view ofthe corridor cross-section.

In this step, you change the cut slopenear the beginning of the corridor toa fill slope.In the profile view, click the layoutprofile. The points of vertical intersec-tion (PVIs) are marked with red tri-angles. Click and drag the first PVIupward until the profile is completelyabove the surface. Click to place it inthe new location.

5

The corridor rebuilds, and the cutslope with ditches is replaced with afill slope.


Click the corridor. Right-click, andthen click Corridor Properties.In the Corridor Properties dialog box,on the Surfaces tab, click the SurfaceStyle entry (Standard) and change itto Border & Contours.Click OK twice.When the corridor is rebuilt, contourlines are displayed on the corridorsurface.

6

Corridors: LiveView Exercise | 115

SurveyThe survey tools in AutoCAD Civil 3D enable you to import survey field data,analyze and correct it, and convert survey data into Civil 3D objects.

Survey data is organized into databases, visible in Toolspace, on the Surveytab. The survey databases can be integrated with your Autodesk Vault projectmanagement database, or stored locally.

LiveView of Drawing For Survey

Open the file C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting Started Guide\GSG_survey.dwg.


Survey data imported from a field book

Buildings, lots, and roadway figures created from the survey data

Survey | 117

Survey: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you import a fieldbook data file and create figures thatrepresent buildings, lots, and roadways in a residential area.

NOTE To prepare for this exercise, copy the fieldbook file Cedar-3.fbk fromC:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting Started Guide and paste it intoyour Civil 3D Projects folder. Default location of this folder is C:\Civil 3D Projects.

To import a field book

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_survey.dwg. Click Survey

menu ➤ Open Survey Toolspace.

1

In the upper left corner of the

Toolspace Survey tab, click (UserSettings). Set Import Defaults to

2

■ Show Interactive Graphics YES

■ Insert Figure Objects NO

■ Insert Survey Points YES

In the Figure Prefix Databases collec-tion, right-click Sample and click New.In the New Figure Prefix dialog box,set the name to BLDG and the Styleto Building Outline.This setting ensures that each surveyfigure that has a name prefixed with

3

BLDG will be drawn with the presetstyle Building Outline.


Right-click Survey Databases and cre-ate a new database. Open that data-base, right-click Networks and createa new network named Cedar Proper-ties.

4

Right-click the network Cedar Proper-ties, click Import Field Book, then se-lect the file Cedar-3.fbk. Review theImport Defaults, then click OK.The network of survey points is loadedinto your drawing. Each point is alsoa Civil 3D point object that you cansee on the Toolspace Prospector tab.

5

In the Cedar Properties collection,

right-click Figures ➤ Insert Into Draw-ing.The figures for buildings, lots, andother details are drawn.Further exploration: On the Surveytab, refresh the Figures collection andensure that the figures are visible inthe List View. Then go to the Prospect-or tab, Survey collection. Right-click a

6

figure and click Browse to Survey Data.On both Prospector and Survey tabsyou can right-click a figure and ZoomTo it.

Survey: LiveView Exercise | 119

Object and Label StylesThe object styles in AutoCAD Civil 3D work with general attributes such asobject color, visibility of components, linetypes, and fill patterns.

Similarly, label styles work with text format, data content, location, and graphicelements such as leader lines and bounding boxes.

Within your design process, object and label styles should be created withspecific purposes in mind, such as representing objects at different approvalstages, or displaying the right information for different types of users. Beforeyou can create your object styles, it makes sense to experiment with editingstyles for different objects and learn the available controls.

Style components vary according to object type, but most object and labelstyles are accessible in the same two common ways:

■ In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click an object and clickProperties to see the object style. Some objects also show the label stylehere. Click the list button beside the style name and select Edit CurrentSelection to review or edit the style components.

■ In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the object collection to see allthe styles for that object, organized by types. Right-click any style nameand click Edit.

For objects, you can access labels from the main object menu by clicking Add<feature> Label or you can use the Annotation menu (available when theAnnotation and Drafting workspace is selected).

You can create sets of labels for alignments, profiles, and sections in order tomanage multiple labels easily. After the set is defined, it can be applied to orremoved from an object in a single operation.

The LiveView exercises for object styles and label styles make use of the samedrawing.

LiveView of Drawing For Object and Label Styles

Open the file C:\Program Files\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting Started Guide\GSG_styles.dwg.


Object styles for a surface, parcels, and an alignment, showing stylization

Label styles, including two alignment labels in a dragged state

Object and Label Styles | 121

Object Styles: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you examine object styles for alignments and parcels, andlearn how to change them.

To review and modify object styles

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_styles.dwg.

Click View menu ➤ Named Views, andset the current Model View to Align-ment CloseUp.You now have a good view of thealignment Oak CL, which is drawn inDesign Style.

1

In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the Sites, Oak Street, andAlignments collections. Right-click OakSt. CL and click Properties. On the In-formation tab, change the ObjectStyle to Plot Style. This demonstrateshow easy it is to change an object’sappearance if you have preset stylesavailable.

2

Click View menu ➤ Named Views, andset the current view to Parcels.In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,expand the Parcels collection in theOak Street site.

3


In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,right-click one of the parcels, thenclick Properties. In the Parcel Proper-ties dialog box, on the Informationtab, note the Object Style name. Onthe list beside the style name, clickEdit Current Selection to see thecomponents of the style on the Dis-play tab and the Design tab. Feel freeto change style definitions here andapply the results to the drawing. See

4

Style Notes following this exercise forsample style details to change.

In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,right-click the Parcels collection andclick Properties. Note the Parcel StyleDisplay Order field, which determineshow styles overlap in the drawing.While the Parent Parcel style is at thetop, you see the magenta border ofthe site parcel. Select a different style,then use the Up and Down arrows to

5

move this style to the top. In thedrawing, note that the outer borderof a parcel with the selected style isvisible instead of the magenta border.

Style notes

■ In the Parcel Style dialog box, Display tab, use the light bulbs to controlvisibility of parcel borders and fill patterns.

■ Residential style, used on Oak St_1, has a fill distance of 50 feet, whichindicates how far in from the border the fill is applied.

■ New Parcel style, used on New Parcels 2 & 5, has a dashed line in the filltype, and fill pattern ANSI31 rotated 315 degrees (–45).

Object Styles: LiveView Exercise | 123

Label Styles: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you examine label styles for alignments and parcels, and learnhow to change them.

To review and modify label styles

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_styles.dwg.

Click View menu ➤ Named Views, andset the current view to Label View.

1

On the alignment, click one of theDesign Speed labels. A blue editinggrip appears. Click the grip (it turnsred) and drag it to a new location. Yousee the dragged state of this label. Toreturn the label to its normal place,you can select it, then right-click andclick Reset Label. Click one of the

2

green curve labels, then right-click andclick Flip Label.

Now we will examine the style settingsfor the design speed labels.In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, ex-

pand the Alignment Labels ➤ Sta-

tion ➤ Design Speed collection. Right-click the Standard label and click Edit.

3


In the Label Style Composer dialogbox, on the General or Layout tab, setthe Preview window to show theDesign Speed Label Style. The Previewwill change to show the effects of yourchanges to style settings.

4

On the Layout tab, note that youchange settings separately for threecomponents of this label.Select Design Speed and experimentwith changing the settings on the

5

Layout tab for Anchor Component,Anchor Point, Border Visibility, andBorder Type. Select the Line compon-ent and experiment with changingsettings for line Length and Angle.

Select the Station Component, selectthe Text Contents value in the right

column, then click . The Text

6

Component Editor dialog box is dis-played. Note that the Properties listprovides many preset values that youcan add to the label by pressing theblue arrow at the upper right.In the editing window on the right,change the text STA to STATION, thenclick OK. The style change is displayedin the Preview. In the Label StyleComposer dialog box, click OK. Thestyle change is displayed in the draw-ing.

Label Styles: LiveView Exercise | 125

VisualizationYou can use visualization tools in AutoCAD Civil 3D to create enhanced designdrawings using model rendering materials that correspond to specific realworld materials in a design. AutoCAD render materials simulate thecharacteristics of materials such as asphalt, concrete, and gravel.

To visualize a material with a render material, the material must be includedin the current drawing. You can easily add materials to a drawing from thetool palette or by dragging materials used in one drawing into another drawing.You can also create a new render material, and save it to use as part of adrawing template or copy it into other drawings.

In AutoCAD Civil 3D, you can apply render materials to features such assurfaces and surface masks, corridor surfaces and corridor surface boundaries,and pipes and structures.


View using Civil 3D styles such as 2D wireframe and 3D realistic

Rendered image of a surface object simulated with grass and the underlying concretedrainage pipes and catch basins

Visualization | 127

Visualization: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you explore how to select AutoCAD render materials tosimulate the appearance of pipe networks. When a pipe is created, the rendermaterial assigned to the pipe is defined in the Pipe or Structure part(s) list.After you add a part to the drawing, you can edit the render material for thepart by using the Render Material option on either the Pipe Properties or theStructure Properties (Information tab) dialog box.

To select render materials

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\ GSG_pipe_networks.dwg.

1

In the drawing, right-click a pipe seg-ment and select Pipe Properties todisplay the Pipe Properties - Pipe dia-log box. Click the Information tab andnote the Render Material at the bot-tom of the dialog box. The defaultmaterial is Concrete.Cast-In-Place.Flat.Grey.1.

2


Click the displayed render material toopen the list of available materials.

Click . You are prompted to selectan object from the drawing. Selectanother segment of the pipe and ob-serve that the Pipe Properties dialogbox is displayed again.

3

Click View menu ➤ Render ➤ Mater-ials to display the Render Materialsavailable in the drawing. You can usethe tool palette to add, remove, orcreate new render materials for thecurrent drawing. You can also copymaterials from one drawing to anotherdrawing.

4

Visualization: LiveView Exercise | 129

Alternatively, you can select rendermaterials for pipes or structures bynavigating into the Toolspace Prospect-or tab. Expand the Pipe Networkscollection. Then expand the Networkscollection and expand Network - (1).Click Pipes or Structures to open theProspector list view shown here. Selecta pipe and click its correspondingmaterial in the Render Materialcolumn to display the Select RenderMaterial dialog box.Select a material. Click View

menu ➤ Render menu ➤ Render to

5

render the pipe in the drawing withthe selected material.


Label ObjectsYou manage label objects in AutoCAD Civil 3D with standard AutoCADcommands as well as Civil 3D commands. You can use the AutoCAD ObjectProperty Manager to edit multiple labels in a single operation. For example,you can use the Object Property Manager to access the Text Component Editorin order to simultaneously edit text content for a group of any number oflabels. If you are editing a design drawing that includes dozens of pipe networkparts with corresponding labels, you can edit the text, change the appearance,or reset the location of all of the labels at the same time by using multipleselection. It is important to remember that you can also select subentities ofgroup type labels with the Ctrl-click selection method in order to editindividual labels one at a time.

As independent objects, label objects are not “subentities” of a parent object.They reside on their own layer, the default of which is controlled using drawingsettings.

The LiveView exercises for label objects makes use of the same drawing asprofiles.

Label Objects | 131

Standard AutoCAD Properties

Label Properties

Label Properties controlled with AutoCAD ObjectProperty Manager

Group Labels Context Menu


Managing Label Objects: LiveView Exercise

The label objects in AutoCAD Civil 3D enable you to manage multiple labelsby editing one or more properties with the AutoCAD Object Property Manager(OPM). The label objects are versatile. You can select individual label subentitiesusing Ctrl-click in order to edit single labels belonging to the group.

Label objects are controlled using standard AutoCAD commands in the ObjectProperty Manager. You can control properties such as color, layer, linetype,and lineweight in addition to the label style and placement options.

In this exercise, you will explore how to manage labels with the AutoCADObject Property Manager. Using profile labels as an example, you will learnhow to edit a group of label objects and also how to select and edit a singlelabel object. You will also explore how to use grips to manage label placement.

To manage labels

Open the file C:\Program Files\Auto-CAD Civil 3D 2008\Getting StartedGuide\GSG_profiles.dwg.

Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Window.Draw a rectangle in the top center tozoom your view of the drawing so thatProfile View: East-West Drive displaysat the top as it does here.On the profile, double-click one of theEG labels. The group of labels is high-lighted with square grips as shown

1

here. Note that the label group styleis Standard and the labels are blue.The Object Property Manager is alsodisplayed.

Managing Label Objects: LiveView Exercise | 133

In the Object Property Manager, un-der Labeling, click Profile Grade BreakLabel Style and change the settingfrom Standard to Grade over Eleva-tion.Note that the entire label group haschanged to the Grade Over Elevationstyle. The result is shown in the illustra-tion.

2

Now you will select a subentity of thelabel group and change its style.Zoom out of the drawing so that youcan see several components of the la-bel group.Use Ctrl+left-click to select one of thelabels. Note that only this label ishighlighted (with the blue square grip)as shown in the illustration and theObject Property Manager is displayed.

3


Change the Label Style setting toStandard and note that the label stylereverts back to Standard. The label isnow blue. The result is shown in thelower illustration.

4

Now you will learn how to reset labellocation. Select a label and click it. Thegrip color is now red, indicating thatit can be moved.Drag the label with the square gripand move the cursor away from thegrip. The square grip is blue and an-other round blue grip is visible along-side the square grip. This round gripis a reset grip which can be clicked torestore the label to its original loca-tion. Click the round grip. You can

5

make multiple drag edits to the labeland the reset grip will reset the labelto its original location. If you move anumber of group labels, right-click alabel and select Reset All Label Loca-tions.

This is the end of the AutoCAD Civil 3D LiveView exercises. For more detailedexercises, go to the online Tutorials (select Help menu ➤ Tutorials).

Managing Label Objects: LiveView Exercise | 135


Glossary

2D polyline A polyline with all vertices at the same elevation.

3D face An AutoCAD object that represents the surface of a 3- or 4-sided area,with each vertex potentially at a different elevation. You can view TINs(Triangulated Irregular Networks) as 3D faces. Using the SHADE command,you can shade 3D faces. Using the RENDER command, you can render the 3Dfaces. See also TIN surface.

3D polyline A polyline with vertices at varying elevations.

A.A.S.H.T.O. American Association of State, Highway, and TransportationOfficials.

acre A measure of land: 160 square rods; 4,840 square yards; 43,560 squarefeet.

alignment A series of 2D coordinates (northings and eastings), connected bylines or curves, used to represent features such as the road centerlines, edgesof pavement, sidewalks, or rights-of-way.

angle The difference in direction between two convergent lines measured inthe units of degrees, radians, or grads.

area The quantity of plane space in a horizontal plane enclosed by theboundary of any polygonal figure.

assembly The combination of one or more subassemblies forming a typicalsection. The assembly is applied along a horizontal/vertical alignment to forma singular path-like structure.

azimuth A clockwise angle measured from a reference meridian. Also knownas north azimuth. It can range from 0 to 360 degrees. A negative azimuth isconverted to a clockwise value.

base line The object to which grading criteria are applied. A base line can bean open or closed 2D or 3D geometric figure that is a feature line or a lot line.See also control region, feature line.

Glossary | 137

base surface An existing ground or undeveloped terrain. Specified whencreating volume surfaces. See also comparison surface, volume surface.

bearing An angle measured from North or South, whichever is nearest, withthe added designation of East or West. The angle is always less than 90 degrees(PI/2 radians or 100 grads) and is usually referenced by a quadrant number.

border (surface) The visible limits of a surface. The border may or may notbe defined from a boundary or may be the result of a defined boundary andoperations performed on a surface, such as a Delete Line operation (a hole iscreated in the surface). If a boundary is not defined on a surface, the exteriorborder is always defined as the extents of the surface triangulation.

boundary (surface) One of three kinds of closed polylines that limit thedisplay area of the digital terrain model. Most common are outer surfaceboundaries constructed just outside the extremities of the dataset, eliminatingunwanted interpolations across empty space where the surface has a concaveshape. Also used are two types of internal surface boundaries: hide boundaries,to punch holes in a surface, (for example, a building footprint), or showboundaries, to create smaller surfaces by eliminating areas that fall outsidethe boundary.

bounded volumes A method of calculating volumes using an existingAutoCAD object (for example, a polyline or polygon) to calculate the cut, fill,and net volume for the area bounded by the object.

breakline A line used to connect the data representing a distinct surfacefeature, like a ridge line, edge of pavement, toe of a slope, centerline of a road,or flowline of a ditch or stream. When a breakline is defined, the surfacetriangulation must first follow the breaklines, by placing triangle edgescoincident with the breakline segments. This ensures the feature in the modelis accurately depicted. Then, the rest of the interpolation is performed basedon proximity. Breaklines are typically critical to creating an accurate surfacemodel. It is the interpolation of the data, not just the data itself, thatdetermines the shape of the model. See also non-destructive breakline.

breakline point A point that is included in the list of vertices for a definedbreakline.

ByBlock A setting specifying that a component of an object inherits the coloror linetype associated with the object, or block, that contains it.

ByLayer A setting specifying that an object or component of an object inheritsthe color or linetype associated with the assigned layer.

catchment area The area tributary to a lake, stream, or drainage system.

138 | Glossary

chord A straight line connecting two points on a curve: the Point of Curvature(PC) and Point of Tangency (PT). The curve joins with a line or another curveat these points.

clothoid spiral A spiral in which the curvature is a linear function of thelength of the spiral, so that the degree of curvature is zero when it meets thetangent and then increases to match the curvature of the adjacent curve. Seealso compound spiral, simple spiral.

COGO Short for Coordinate Geometry.

COGO points The point objects that you create using the point-creation orpoint-import commands. COGO points are referred to simply as “points” inthis documentation. The pieces of data associated with a point, such as pointnumber, northing, and easting, are referred to as properties. See also properties.

comparison surface A proposed or existing terrain surface used in the creationof volume surfaces. See also base surface, volume surface.

composite volumes A method of calculating volumes using top and bottomsurfaces (a surface pair) to establish cut, fill, and net volume values.

compound curve A curve consisting of two or more arcs of different radiicurving in the same direction, and having a common tangent or transitioncurve at their point of junction.

compound spiral A spiral that provides a smooth transition between twoadjoining curves of different radii but in the same direction. It has a finiteradius on either side/end. See also clothoid spiral, simple spiral.

contour A line that connects points of the same elevation or value relativeto a specified reference datum.

control region A region that is defined by applying grading criteria to a baseline. A base line can have a single region along its entire length, or it may besubdivided into a number of control, transition, and void regions. See alsobase line, feature line.

coordinates Values that specify exactly where a point is in space in terms ofthree planes: X, Y, and Z (easting, northing, and elevation).

corridor Any path, the length and location of which is typically governed byone or more horizontal and vertical alignments. Examples are roadways,railways, traveled ways, channels, ditches, utility runs, airport runways, andtaxiways.

crest curve In a profile, a vertical curve on the crest of a hill or similar locationwhere the grade leading into the curve is greater than the grade leading out

Glossary | 139

of the curve. In a crest curve, the point of vertical intersection (PVI) for thetangents is above the curve. See also sag curve.

cross section See section.

CS See curve to spiral.

curve to spiral A point on a horizontal alignment where a curve meets aspiral.

cut slope The slope created when the base line falls below the existing groundline. The resulting slope matching up into the existing ground is called a cutslope because the existing ground must be cut (removed) during construction.

data band A graphic frame that is associated with a profile view object orsection view object. The data band contains annotations for the profile orsection view, as well as for the parent horizontal alignment. Some commonannotations include elevation data, stations, and cut/fill depths.

data collector A device surveyors use to automatically record the observationdata they collect in the field. The raw survey data is downloaded and convertedinto a field book file, which is written in the Survey Command Languageformat, or a LandXML file, which uses the LandXML schema to describe theSurvey data. Surveyors can then import this file to create points in the databaseand figures in the drawing.

datum A reference value. All elevations or coordinates are set relative to thisvalue. In surveying, two datums (horizontal and vertical) are generally used.

For global coordinate systems, a datum refers to the ellipsoid information andthe techniques used to determine positions on the Earth’s surface. An ellipsoidis part of a datum definition.

daylight line A line showing the line of zero cut or fill within the job area.Daylight lines are also known as match lines.

decimal degree The measure of an angle in decimal units. For example,3°30'36" equals 3.51 decimal degrees.

definition list A list that contains all the operations performed on a surface.By turning the items in the list on and off, you can modify the surface, returnit to a previous state, and so on.

degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS) A representation of an angle in degrees,minutes, and seconds in which a full circle contains 360 degrees, each degree60 minutes, and each minute 60 seconds. A typical bearing in DMSmeasurement looks like: N45°45'58"E. Using this format, 3°30'36" is enteredas 3.3036.

140 | Glossary

Delaunay triangulation A calculation method used in the creation of TINnetworks. Given a set of data points, Delaunay triangulation produces a setof lines connecting each point to its natural neighbors.

DEM (Digital Elevation Model) An array of elevations taken on a regularlyspaced horizontal grid.

description keys A method of translating descriptions to help standardizepoint data when a variety of data sources are used. For example, descriptionsof EROAD, EPAVE, ERD, and EDGEROAD can all be translated to a descriptionof EOP. The layer, point style, and point label style options can greatly enhanceautomatic base plan generation and the overall organization of the drawing.

design rule A set of automatic constraints for some objects in the drawingthat are enforced by applying a specific style. For example, if you are layingout alignments, you can specify a rule for a curve radius.

drawing object An object that exists in a single drawing. See also projectobject.

easting A linear distance eastwards from the North-South line which passesthrough the origin of a grid. Equivalent to the X coordinate in an XYZcoordinate system.

elevation The vertical distance from a datum to a point or object on theEarth's surface. The datum is generally considered to be at sea level. Equivalentto the Z coordinate in an XYZ coordinate system.

face A three-dimensional surface triangle. A face is represented by either a 3Dface object or 3D line objects.

feature line An object in AutoCAD Civil 3D that the grading commands canrecognize and use as a base line. Usually, a line that marks some importantfeature in the drawing, such as a ridge line, or the bottom of a swale. See alsobase line, control region.

fill slope The slope created when the base line falls above the existing groundline. The resulting slope matching down into the existing ground is called afill slope because material must be brought in to fill the area duringconstruction.

fixed entity An alignment entity with a fixed position, not necessarily tangentto another entity for the definition of its geometry. See also float entity, freeentity.

float entity An alignment entity that is tangent to one other entity (beforeor after) for the definition of its geometry. See also fixed entity, free entity.

Glossary | 141

footprint vertices The endpoints that define the segments of a footprint withan XYZ location and stationing starting at the first vertex.

free entity An entity that is tangent to two other entities (before and after)for the definition of its geometry. See also fixed entity, float entity.

full description The expanded description of a point after description keymatching has taken place.

geodesic On a surface, the shortest line between two points, either a line orcurve from one point along an ellipsoid to another.

geodetic A basic relationship to the Earth that takes into account the curvatureof the Earth’s sea level surface. For example, a geodetic distance is a distanceor angle in which the Earth's curvature is taken into account, versus a distanceor angle measured on a flat paper map.

grade A method of reporting ground inclination in which the change inelevation is expressed as a percentage of the horizontal distance travelled. Forexample, if the ground rises one linear unit (meter or foot) over a horizontaldistance of five units, the grade is 20%. See also slope.

grade line See layout profile.

grading The process used to model the finished ground surface.

grading criteria The parameters that describe how a grading is accomplished.Two main components of grading criteria are the target type and the projectionmethod.

grading face The area bounded by the base line, the target line, and the twoprojection lines. See also grading target, target line

grading target The grading target defines what the projection lines from thefootprint will intercept. The three choices for targets are: surface, relative orabsolute elevation, and distance. See also grading face, target line.

grads A system of angle measurement in which one grad equals 1/100 of a90° angle, or 360° = 400 grads.

grid A system of lines parallel to a given set of axes at a specific spacing. Gridsare used to visualize surfaces and calculate volumes. A grid is also used forgeodetic purposes.

grid distance The distance between two points based on a coordinate zone,not on local northing and easting coordinates.

142 | Glossary

grid easting The easting coordinate that is based on a selected coordinatezone, as opposed to the local easting, which is based on the surveyor’s basepoint. See also local easting.

grid northing The northing coordinate that is based on a selected coordinatezone, as opposed to the local northing, which is based on the surveyor's basepoint. See also local northing.

grid surface A type of surface created from a DEM or SDTS file, or importedfrom a LandXML file. A grid surface consists of a sampled array of elevationsfor a number of ground positions at regularly spaced intervals.

grid volume surface A differential grid surface based on user-specified baseand comparison surfaces. The grid method of volume calculation measuresthe difference in elevation between two surfaces at each intersection in auser-defined grid.

grip A moveable point on an object that you can drag to edit the objectdynamically.

hectare A measure of area, generally relating to land, of 10,000 square metersor approximately 2.47 acres.

intersection The point where two or more lines, arcs, figures, or objects joinor cross in two- or three-dimensional space.

Kriging A method of surface smoothing that uses known values and asemivariogram to determine unknown values. Based on the semivariogramused, optimal weights are assigned to known values to calculate unknownones. Since the variogram changes with distance, the weights depend on theknown sample distribution.

label component Text, a block, direction arrow, line, or tick that is used toconstruct a label style. Label styles can be made up of multiple labelcomponents.

label set A collection of label definitions for multiple label types, such asstation labels and geometry point labels. For example, alignment stationlabeling can be composed of major station labels, minor station labels, andgeometry point labels.

latitude The angular distance measured on a meridian north or south fromthe equator.

layout profile A profile object that represents the finished ground elevationsalong a horizontal alignment or other linear feature that supports profileviews. Typically this data is designed, not derived from a pre-existing source,and consists of a series of vertical tangents connected by vertical curves located

Glossary | 143

at each point of vertical intersection (PVI). This profile is also known as verticalalignment, profile grade line, grade line, and finished grade profile.

layout toolbar A floating, dockable toolbar that groups together object-specificdesign and editing tools.

local copy An object that is contained in a drawing that is attached to aproject. Compare with official copy.

local easting The easting coordinate that is based on the surveyor's assumedhorizontal base point, as opposed to the grid easting, which is based on theglobal coordinate zone. See also grid easting.

local elevation The elevation coordinate based on the surveyor's assumedvertical base point, or benchmark, versus a real world elevation value.

local northing The northing coordinate that is based on the surveyor'sassumed horizontal base point, as opposed to the grid northing, which isbased on the global coordinate zone. See also grid northing.

longitude The angle between the plane of a given meridian and the plane ofthe Greenwich meridian.

mask (surface) A polygon used to mask the visible portions of the surface.

masking A process of obscuring objects so that text can be placed over themin a clear area. Masking maintains legible text without destroying the objectsunderneath.

match line See daylight line.

mid-ordinate On a circular arc, the distance from the midpoint of a chordto the midpoint of the subtended arc.

modifier A formula for formatting property field values, such as decimalprecision for an area. You can use predefined modifiers, such as acres, feet,and meters, or you can define a custom modifier. See also property fields.

Natural Neighbor Interpolation (NNI) A method of surface smoothingsupported on TIN surfaces. NNI uses Delaunay triangulation to determine theelevation of an arbitrary point based on the elevations of known neighborpoints.

non-destructive breakline A breakline that is not crossed by triangulationlines in a TIN. Instead, new vertices are added to the breakline at theintersection of each TIN line and the breakline. The new points createadditional surface triangles. This is useful when you do not want the elevation

144 | Glossary

of a surface to be interpolated inside an area that you know to be a constantelevation. See also breakline.

northing A linear distance northwards from the East-West line which passesthrough the origin of a grid. Equivalent to the Y coordinate in an XYZcoordinate system.

object In AutoCAD Civil 3D, an element in a drawing, for example, a point,surface, alignment, or profile, that can maintain a relationship with otherobjects.

object model The underlying system of links and dependencies betweenobjects. In the object model, changes in one object can be passed onautomatically to all the objects associated with it.

object reference A read-only copy of an object in the project database. Thereferenced object can be used in multiple drawings and stylized locally. Whenthe official copy of the object is updated in the database, drawings withreferences to it are notified of the opportunity to update their local copy.

official copy An object that is contained in the project database. Comparewith local copy.

override A value for a setting that replaces the value already set at the nexthigher level.

Panorama A window that displays data in table form for the objects in acollection that is selected in Toolspace. For example, if you select a pointgroup, the Panorama table displays a row for each point.

parcel A discrete piece of 2D area. For example, a subdivision is composed ofnumerous parcels. Synonymous with lot.

parcel node A point where two or more parcel segment ends join.

parcel segment A parcel boundary element, a line or a curve.

pass-through point A point on the path of a line or curve, often used to definean alignment. A pass-through point on a curve can be used as a grip to controlthe position of the curve. However the alignment is edited, its geometry hasto go through the pass-through point.

passing sight distance The distance measured to a point where an approachingvehicle comes into view ahead of a driver on an undivided road. This is usedto calculate vertical crest curves.

PC See point of curvature.

PI See point of intersection.

Glossary | 145

pipe An object that connects structures in a pipe network, often to conveyfluid in a utility system.

pipe network Collection that manages pipe objects and structure objectsrepresenting the physical structure and function of a utility system such as astorm or sanitary sewer.

plan readable Text that can be read easily in a normal plan view, that is,placed at an angle less than 270 degrees and more than 90 degrees. Also calledright-reading.

plan view The view of a site if you look straight down from an elevatedposition.

point group Collection used to group the points in a project into smaller,more manageable units. For example, you can create a point group thatcontains all of the points in a project that meet certain elevation criteria.

point list The list of the points that belong to a point group.

point marker See point symbol.

point of curvature The point where an arc is drawn from a tangent.

point of intersection The point where two tangents meet on a horizontalalignment. Curves and spirals also have points of intersection, which indicatewhere the tangents would meet if they were extended outward.

point of tangency The point where a curve meets a tangent.

point of vertical intersection In a profile, the point where two tangent linesmeet.

point symbol A point location marker. When you add points to a drawing,point symbols are created to represent the points. The point style referencedby a point describes how the point symbol is drawn.

polyface A 3-dimensional (polygon) mesh object. Each face is capable ofhaving numerous vertices.

profile An object that contains elevation data along a horizontal alignmentor other line. There are two main types of profiles: surface and layout. Profiledata objects can be viewed within a profile view object.

profile grade line See layout profile.

profile view An object that manages the graphic display of profile data objectswithin a drawing. A profile view is essentially a graph with two primary axes:the X-axis represents horizontal distance along the referenced horizontal

146 | Glossary

alignment (or other linear feature). The Y-axis represents elevations. Profileview objects can also include grid display components and data bands.

project object An object that has been added to a project. See also drawingobject.

projection lines In a grading, the lines that designate face edges within aregion for break points on the base line or the target line, and for the facetsof curves (corner cleanup, vertical curves).

properties The settings that apply to a particular instance of an object.

property fields The placeholders in labels that contain content, such as textor graphics, along with format modifiers unique to specific features. Propertyfields can be named and their values defined according to the feature withwhich they are associated. See also modifier.

Prospector tab The part of Toolspace where you access drawing and projectobjects. Objects are arranged in a tree or hierarchy with folders and subfoldersthat you navigate through in standard, Windows-Explorer fashion. See alsoSettings tab.

proximity breakline A breakline that is drawn as a polyline without snappingto points in the drawing. The northing, easting, and elevation of the breaklinevertices are determined from the nearest point contained in the surface pointdata, after generating the surface.

PT See point of tangency.

PVI See point of vertical intersection.

quadrant One of the sections resulting from dividing a circle into four equalparts. Quadrant 1 is the NE corner, and quadrants 2, 3, and 4 proceed clockwisearound the compass. Bearings are usually referenced by quadrant number.

quantity takeoff The analysis of detailed cut and fill requirements along analignment. A quantity takeoff report provides information on the total volumeof material required to create a finished grade surface, including the processof cutting existing ground and refilling it with a different material, such ascoarse gravel.

radians A system of measure in which 2 pi radians equals 360°.

raw description The original description of a point, before description keymatching takes place. Often corresponds to the point description entered inthe field by a surveyor.

Glossary | 147

raw station A station value on an alignment, either formatted or unformatted,that does not take into account any station equations applied to the alignment.

region (grading) The area where grading criteria is applied to a lot line or afeature line.

region lines The projection lines that designate the start and end of thegrading regions (criteria or transition) by connecting the base line to the targetline.

right of way The allowable work area for an alignment. Property lines of theproperty owners who reside adjacent to the construction site generally specifythese limits, which are called right-of-way lines.

right-of-way parcel A parcel that is created from an alignment that crossesthe original parent parcel.

ROW See right of way.

sag curve In a profile, a vertical curve at the bottom of a valley or similarlocation where the grade leading into the curve is less than the grade leadingout of the curve. In a sag curve, the point of vertical intersection (PVI) for thetangents is below the curve. See also crest curve.

sample The process of obtaining elevation information from an existingterrain model or surface.

sample line A line that typically cuts across an alignment, and that can beused for creating cross sections.

SC See spiral to curve.

SDTS See Spatial Data Transfer Standard.

section An object that contains elevation data along a sample line.

settings A collection of properties and styles that apply to an object.

Settings tab The part of Toolspace where you access the styles for the differenttypes of objects, including object labels and tables. See also Prospector tab.

shortcut menu A menu that is displayed when you select an object and thenright-click. Shortcut menus are context-sensitive. Only commands that arerelative to the object that you selected are displayed.

simple spiral A spiral where the large radius end has an infinite radius andthe small radius end has a finite radius, therefore providing a smooth transitionfrom a tangent (infinite radius end) to a curve (finite radius end). See alsoclothoid spiral, compound spiral.

148 | Glossary

site A collection of objects that are managed via a common topology. Theobjects that participate in the topology are parcels, alignments, and grading.See also topology.

slope A method of reporting surface inclination as a ratio that expresses thehorizontal distance in which the elevation changes by one linear unit. Forexample, if the ground rises 3 units over a horizontal distance of 15 linearunits (meters or feet), the slope is 5:1 (5 to 1). See also grade.

slope projection The method of grading to a target that is either Slope (H:Vvalue) or Grade (percentage value).

Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) A file format designed as a mechanismfor the transfer of spatial data between various computer systems. The SDTSformat is designed to transfer data with complete content transfer (no loss ofinformation).

spiral See clothoid spiral, compound spiral, simple spiral.

spiral to curve A point where a spiral meets a curve.

spiral to tangent A point where a spiral meets a tangent.

spot elevation The elevation of a single point in the drawing. Used whengenerating a TIN using contour information to define areas that are sparse incontour data. Areas that may also need spot elevations are the top of hills,valleys, and bottom of swales.

ST See spiral to tangent.

stacked text When a label is dragged from its point of origin, label text canbe re-arranged by specifying settings for text justification, text height, andrelationship to borders.

standard breakline A breakline defined from selecting consecutive pointsor point numbers, or selected 3D polyline or 3D line objects.

station A distance along a horizontal alignment.

station equation A point on an alignment that defines a change in the stationvalues after that point.

stationing The labeling that provides a reference when talking about a specificpoint along the reference base line.

stopping sight distance The distance required to safely stop a vehicle, travelingat design speed, to avoid a collision with any other non-moving objectsobstructing the travel path.

Glossary | 149

stratum The difference between two surfaces that exist in a drawing, usuallythe existing ground surface and a finished ground surface, which is used forcalculating volumes.

structure A pipe network object that represents a specific engineering functionin the design, such as a manhole, catch basin, or headwall.

style A logical collection of settings that applies to a class of objects (surface,alignment, and so on). Styles simplify the process of applying settings bysimply referencing a style. Modifying a style affects all the objects referencingthat style.

subassembly An individual segment or portion of a physical corridor design.Examples of subassemblies include lanes, curbs, and shoulders.

subdivision An unimproved tract of land surveyed and divided into parcelsfor purposes of sales.

surface A network of elevation data (either TIN or Grid). The points of asurface are connected into either triangles or a grid, which are then used tointerpolate contours, and to generate profiles and cross-sections. A surfacerepresents the ground condition at a particular time or event.

surface border See border (surface).

surface boundary See boundary (surface).

surface distance The distance between two points, measured along the groundsurface. On a sloped surface, the distance between two points can also bemeasured as a horizontal distance and a vertical distance.

surface profile A profile object that represents existing ground elevationsalong a horizontal alignment or other linear feature that supports profileviews. Typically, this data is derived from an existing surface or data file, andconsists of a series of connected vertical tangent lines without vertical curvesdefined. Vertical curves can be added if required.

surface smoothing A process that interpolates and extrapolates surface datato derive additional elevation values. Kriging and Natural NeighborInterpolation (NNI) are the two methods of surface smoothing.

Survey tab The tab in Toolspace where you access and manage survey settings,survey-related databases, and survey project data.

tangent A straight line segment that forms part of a horizontal alignment orprofile. Tangent distances are measured as the horizontal distance betweenthe two end points.

150 | Glossary

target The element of grading design criteria that determines what the gradingis going to intercept. A target can be a surface, absolute elevation, relativeelevation, or distance.

target line In a grading, the target line is either the resulting geometry createdby applying grading criteria to a base line, or a lot line that was selected asthe target. See also grading face, grading target.

template A collection of default settings and styles used to create a drawing.

terminators Graphics, such as arrowheads, ticks, or crow’s feet, that aredisplayed at the end of lines, arcs, or spirals.

tick A component of a label that is usually a mark (or short line) inserted ina series at perpendicular angles to another object, such as a line or curve.

TIN surface Triangular Irregular Network. A TIN is the most common methodof interpolating elevation data. The points are connected into triangles thatare used to interpolate for contours, and to generate profiles and cross-sections.The lines that make up the surface triangulation are called TIN lines. See also3D face.

TIN volume surface A differential surface created from a composite of pointsbased on base and comparison surface. Also known as a differential surface.

Toolspace A window that provides an object-oriented view of your engineeringprojects. Toolspace is divided into four parts or tabs: Prospector tab, Settingstab, Survey tab, and Toolbox tab.

topography The features of the actual surface of the Earth.

topology A set of geometric connections between objects. Objects linked bytopology maintain their relationships with one another. In AutoCAD Civil3D, objects that share the same topology are grouped together in a site. Seealso site.

transition region An area of a grading that blends the control regions oneither side of the grading. A transition region has no design criteria assignedto it.

transparent command A command that can be run while another commandis in progress. Transparent commands begin with an apostrophe (‘).

triangle area The 2-dimensional (2D) area of a triangle face computed fromthe northing and easting of each triangle point. The total triangle area is thesum of all 2D triangle areas with the surface boundary(s).

Glossary | 151

trim (surface) The process of removing unwanted TIN lines from a surface,thereby removing triangles.

vault A database managed by Autodesk Vault.

vertical alignment See profile.

vertical curve A curve used on a profile (most commonly on layout profiles)to provide a gradual change in slope from one tangent to the other. There arethree types of vertical curve: parabolic, circular, and asymmetrical.

vertical exaggeration An increase of vertical scale relative to horizontal scale,used to make grade changes easier to differentiate. See also vertical scale.

vertical scale The scale that is compared to the horizontal scale to calculatethe vertical exaggeration in profiles and cross sections. It does not actuallychange the scale that is used when the drawing is plotted. See also verticalexaggeration.

void region An area along a base line where grading has not been applied,creating a gap in the grading.

volume surface A surface that is created by calculating volumes using thegrid (differential) or TIN (composite) methods. The surface is created from thetwo surfaces that make up the stratum. The elevation values of a volumesurface are actually the difference between the two surfaces. For example, atpoint 1000,1000, the bottom surface has an elevation of 100, and the topsurface has an elevation of 150. The elevation of point 1000,1000 on thevolume surface is the difference between the two surfaces, which is 50.

wall breakline A breakline that represents surface features, such as retainingwalls, curbs, bridge abutments, and so on.

watershed The catchment area for rainfall that is delineated as the drainagearea producing runoff. Base flow in a stream also usually comes from the samearea.

weeding The removal of points along a selected polyline representing acontour. The weeding factors determine the amount of points removed. Youcan use weeding to reduce the amount of point information taken from thecontours that may not be necessary to generate an accurate surface. See alsoweeding factors.

weeding factors The settings used to reduce redundant points along thecontours by ignoring contour vertices that are close together or along a straightline. A larger distance and deflection angle will weed a greater number ofpoints. See also weeding.

152 | Glossary

Index

A

alignments 26, 62–63, 93, 99, 103and profiles 99and sections 103concepts for 93create (exercise) 63editing with grips 26LiveView exercise 62

alignments, horizontal 93analysis, of surface 80angle, of labels 46appearance 40, 46

of labels 46of objects 40

assemblies 111asymmetric parabolic curves 99AutoCAD Civil 3D 1–2, 7, 21, 25, 75

editing methods 25exercises with 75highlights of 2installation of 2introduction to 1learning 7menus in 21sample data 1

AutoCAD properties 29

B

base line, grading 84boundaries, definition of 80boundary lines, parcels 88breaklines, definition of 80

C

CAD manager, and AutoCAD Civil3D 40

center line, for sections 103child label style, creating 53

child override, explanation of 52circular curves 99civil engineers, and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2collections 25, 29, 42

introduction to 29item view of contents 25of styles 42

commands 24–25, 52from layout tools 25from shortcut menus 24settings for 52

compliance, with standards 40, 58components 44, 49, 85, 89, 93

of a grading object 85of alignments 93of an object 49of labels 44of parcels 89

concepts 7, 44, 75–76, 80, 84, 88, 93, 99, 103, 107, 111, 116, 120, 126, 131

alignments 93corridors 111feature-specific 75grading 84label objects 131learning 7parcels 88pipe networks 107points 76profiles 99sections 103styles 44, 120surfaces 80survey 116visualization 126

constraints, for alignments 93copying styles to another drawing 40corridors 111, 113

concepts for 111LiveView exercise 113

criteria, grading 84

Index | 153

cross sections 103curves 93, 99, 102

editing (exercise) 102in alignment 93in profiles 99

D

data bands 99, 103for profiles 99for section views 103

data flow between objects 14data shortcuts 70database, points 76defaults 42, 52, 63

for drawing settings 52for layers 63standard style 42

definition list, for surfaces 80definitions of terms 137dependencies between objects 13deployment, network 2description keys 76design standards 58dialog boxes 25, 42, 44, 49, 76, 79, 82

Create Points 76Label Style Composer 44Layer Properties Manager 49Layout Tools 25Properties 79Style Editor 42, 49Style Editor (exercise) 82

differential surfaces 80display management 40, 49

and layers 49and styles 40

Display tab, using (exercise) 83documentation 7

list of 7drafters, and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2drag-and-drop styles 40drainage analysis, surface 80drawing settings 52, 62

editing (exercise) 62introduction to 52

drawing templates 7

drawings 52, 58, 75–76and point groups 76creation, consistency in 58for exercises 75presentation, consistency of 58settings for 52

dwt files 42dynamic updates 12

E

editing 25–28, 43, 78, 86, 93, 99, 109, 113, 118, 122, 124

alignments 93consistency of methods 25corridors 113grading 86of styles 43pipe networks 109profiles 99properties (exercise) 78properties of objects 28styles 122, 124survey data 118using grips 26with item view 25with Panorama window 27

elevation analysis, illustration of 80engineering technicians, and AutoCAD

Civil 3D 2exercises 7, 53, 62, 72, 75, 78, 82, 86,

90, 101, 105, 109, 113, 118, 122, 124, 128, 133

alignments 62corridors 113create a child label style 53creating a data shortcut 72files for 75grading 86managing label objects 133parcels 90pipe networks 109points 78profiles 101purpose of 7sections 105

154 | Index

styles 122, 124surfaces 82survey 118visualization 128

expanding folders 17external references (Xrefs) 70

F

face, grading 84feature line, grading 84features 8, 21, 52, 75

concepts for 75learning about 8menus for 21settings for 52

folders 17, 66and project management 66in Toolspace 17

G

Getting Started Guide 6–7description of 7sample data location 6

grading 84, 86concepts for 84criteria 84LiveView exercise 86volume tools 84

grading group 84graph 103

for section views 103graphical view of objects 25grid surfaces 80grip editing 26, 93, 99, 101

introduction to 26of alignment (exercise) 101of alignments 93profiles 99

H

hatch pattern, for parcels 88

Help system 8introduction to 8search for words 8

hierarchy 17, 88of objects 17of site and parcels 88

horizontal alignments 93HTML Help 8

I

icons 78, 82for point groups 78for styles 82

importing 76points 76

installation 2, 6of sample data 6overview 2

Installation wizard 2intelligent objects 40interface 16

ease of use emphasis 16overview 16

item view 25, 78, 83as editing method 25displaying (exercise) 78Style column 83

L

label objects 131label sets 44, 103

for sections 103introduction to 44

Label Style Composer 31labels 30, 44, 46, 76, 88, 103

angle of 46appearance of 46components of 44customizing 44for parcel area and segments 88for points 76for sections 103introduction to 30label styles 44

Index | 155

location of 46plan readability 46preview window 30rotating 46

Layer Properties Manager 49, 101using (exercise) 101

layers 49, 62, 76and styles 49for imported points 76properties of 49specifying (exercise) 62

layout profile 100layout tools, dialog boxes for 25layout tools, parcel 88learning AutoCAD Civil 3D 7lines, projection 84list view of objects 25LiveView exercises 62, 75, 78, 82, 86,

90, 101, 105, 109, 113, 118, 122, 124, 128, 133

alignments 62corridors 113grading 86introduction to 75managing label objects 133parcels 90pipe networks 109points 78profiles 101sections 105styles 122, 124surfaces 82survey 118visualization 128

location, of labels 46lot lines, for grading 84

M

masks, surface 80menus 21–24

annotation 23comparison between 22consistency of 21shortcut 24

merging parcels 88

N

navigation, of objects 17network 2, 66

and project files 66installation on a 2

O

object model 12–13concept of 12illustration of 13

Object Viewer 86, 111object-oriented 17, 40

intelligent objects 40view of projects 17

objects 14, 17, 19, 21, 24–26, 28–29, 40, 42, 44, 49

and Settings tab 19and Toolspace 17dependencies 14display of 49display of, using styles 40editing methods 25grip editing 26hierarchy 17item view of 25labeling of 44layout tools 25properties of 28right-clicking 24styles for 42styles, introduction to 29workflow for 21

official copies, of project files 66overrides 49, 52, 76

display properties 49explanation of 52for point groups 76for settings 52

P

Panorama window, editing with 27parabolic curves 99

156 | Index

parcels 88, 90concepts for 88LiveView exercise 90styles for 88

phases of a project 40phrase, finding in Help 8pipe networks 107, 109

concepts for 107design rules 107LiveView exercises 109structures 107

PIs, alignment 93plan readability, for labels 46plotting sections 103point groups 76, 78

concepts 76icons for 78

point-label styles 77points 76, 78

concepts for 76LiveView exercise 78styles for 76

polylines 84, 88, 93convert to alignments 93convert to feature lines 84convert to parcels 88

preview, for labels 30profile views, description of 99profiles 99, 101

and alignments 99automatic update 101concepts for 99LiveView exercise 101types of 99

project database, for points 76projection lines, grading 84projection method, grading 84projects 17, 40, 66

in Toolspace 17management of 66phases of 40

properties 28–29, 49, 78, 83AutoCAD 29changing styles 83editing (exercise) 78introduction to 28

of layers 49Prospector tab 17, 24–25, 28

introduction to 17item view 25properties of objects 28shortcut menus 24

R

raw description 76, 79introduction to 76viewing (exercise) 79

rebuilding surfaces 80relationships between objects 12

and object model 12render materials 129reset label location, with grip 27revisions, of design data 12right-click menu content 24rotating labels 46

S

sample data 1, 6–7, 75for exercises 75for Getting Started Guide 6for tutorials 6overview 1provided on the product media 6styles and settings 7

sample lines 103searching 8

for a word or phrase 8section view 103sections 103, 105

concepts for 103LiveView exercise 105plotting 103

segments, parcel 88server 66, 76

and points database 76for project files 66

settings 49, 52display properties 49levels of 52overriding 52

Index | 157

Settings tab 19, 24, 42, 44, 52, 82and drawing settings 52and label styles 44and styles 42expanding styles (exercise) 82shortcut menus 24

shared access 66, 76to points database 76to project files 66

shortcut menus 24sites 17, 88

and parcels 88introduction to 17

smoothing, surface 80spirals, in alignments 93Standard style 42standards 40, 58

and styles 40compliance with 58

static profiles 99station equations, alignment 93Style Editor 49styles 7, 19, 29–30, 40, 42, 44, 49, 76,

80, 82, 84, 88, 103, 120, 122, 124, 128

and display management 40and layers 49and Settings tab 19concepts for 120copying to another drawing 40creating (exercise) 82editing method 30for grading 84for labels 30, 44for objects 42for parcels 88for points 76for sample lines 103for section views 103for surfaces 80introduction to 29LiveView exercise 122, 124, 128sample data for 7standard, or default 42table 29types of 29

subassemblies 111subdivisions, designing 88support, technical 2surface profile 100surfaces 80, 82, 84, 99

analysis of 80and profiles 99concepts for 80created from grading 84drainage analysis 80LiveView exercise 82styles for 80types of 80

survey 116, 118concepts for 116LiveView exercise 118

Survey tab 20symbol, point 76

T

table, item view 26tables, styles for 29target, grading 84technical support 2templates 6, 42

and styles 42provided on the product media 6

terms, definitions 137TIN surfaces 80Toolspace 17, 19–20, 26

introduction to 17item view 26Prospector tab 17Settings tab 19Survey tab 20

topology, site 17, 88triangulation, surface 80tutorials 6, 8

description of 8sample data location 6

U

update 14, 44, 84, 88, 103of labels 44

158 | Index

of objects 14of parcels 88of sections 103of surfaces 84

upside-down labels 46usability highlights 16

V

vertical alignments 99visualization 126volume surfaces 80volume tools, grading 84

W

watershed analysis 80workflow 21, 58

creating, editing, and annotating 21engineering 58

World Coordinate System, and labels 46

Z

zooming (exercise) 78

Index | 159

160

Documents

3D CIVIL Cad Manual