Civil 3d GSG

Autodesk Civil 3D 2006
Getting Started
23703-010000-5000A
March 2005
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction...........................................................................1
Media Browser and Installation .............................................................. 2
Installing on a Single Computer ........................................................ 2
Installing on a Network ..................................................................... 3
Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D ............................................................. 3
Object Management System .............................................................. 4
Easy-to-Use Interface .......................................................................... 4
Standard Controls for Styles and Labels ............................................ 5
User Interface Overview .......................................................................... 7
Toolspace for Object Management .................................................... 8
Menu Standardization ..................................................................... 10
Shortcut Menus ................................................................................ 11
Layout Tools ..................................................................................... 12
Consistent Editing Methods ............................................................ 12
Migrating Data From Autodesk Land Desktop ..................................... 17
Sample Data Provided with the Program ............................................. 18
Tutorial Drawing Files ...................................................................... 18
Getting Started Guide Drawing Files ............................................... 18
Sample Content Data ....................................................................... 18
Learning How to Use Autodesk Civil 3D .............................................. 19
Getting Started Guide ...................................................................... 19
Online Tutorials ............................................................................... 19
Help System ..................................................................................... 20
Chapter 2
General Concepts................................................................21
Object Model ......................................................................................... 22
Design Standards ................................................................................... 24
Project Management ............................................................................. 26
Settings .................................................................................................. 28
Styles 1: Object Styles ............................................................................ 30
Styles 2: Label and Table Styles ............................................................. 32
Display Management 1: Using Styles ................................................... 34
Display Management 2: Styles and Layers ........................................... 36
Chapter 3
Feature-Specific Concepts.................................................39
Points .................................................................................................... 40
Points: LiveView Exercise ...................................................................... 42
Surfaces .................................................................................................. 44
Surfaces: LiveView Exercise ................................................................... 46
Grading ................................................................................................. 48
Grading: LiveView Exercise ................................................................... 50

Parcels .................................................................................................... 52
Parcels: LiveView Exercise ..................................................................... 54
Alignments ............................................................................................ 56
Alignments: LiveView Exercise ............................................................. 58
Profiles ................................................................................................... 60
Profiles: LiveView Exercise .................................................................... 62
Sections ................................................................................................. 64
Sections: LiveView Exercise .................................................................. 66
Pipe Networks ....................................................................................... 68
Pipe Networks: LiveView Exercise ......................................................... 70
Corridors ............................................................................................... 72
Corridors: LiveView Exercise ................................................................ 74
Glossary.........................................................................................................77
Index...............................................................................................................93
ii|Contents
Introduction
Autodesk Civil 3D 2006 is an easy-to-use design and
In this chapter
Media Browser and Installation
Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D
engineering tasks. The Autodesk Civil 3D Getting Started
User Interface Overview
Guide introduces the program and provides some initial
Migrating Data From Autodesk
drafting program that supports a wide range of civil
Land Desktop
hands-on experience, using the sample data included on
the product CD. This first chapter contains brief
descriptions of the most significant features and provides
Sample Data Provided with the

Program
Learning How to Use Autodesk
Civil 3D
a quick tour of the user interface.
Media Browser and Installation

You can install Autodesk Civil 3D from the Media Browser that opens
automatically when you insert the product CD. The Media Browser (see the
illustration below) gives you access to several pages of links, from which you
can open online versions of the documentation and locate other information
to support the product.
Installing on a Single Computer

To install Autodesk Civil 3D on a single computer, click the Install link on
the first page of the Media Browser. Then, follow the instructions on screen.
If you have ever installed AutoCAD or any Windows software, the
installation process will be familiar.
Click here to
start the installation
process.
Media Browser showing installation page
2|Chapter 1Introduction
Installing on a Network
For more extensive information about deploying Autodesk Civil 3D on a
network, consult the Network Administrator's Guide. To access this guide, in
the Media Browser, click the Network Deployment tab, and then click Network
Administrators Guide (.chm).
Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D

Autodesk Civil 3D is designed for land-development professionals, such as
civil engineers, surveyors, engineering technicians, and drafters. It features a
consistent, modern interface that is easy to learn and to use. This section
reviews the most significant aspects of the program. For more detailed
information, see General Concepts (page 22) and Feature-Specific Concepts
(page 40).
NOTEIf you have already installed Autodesk Civil 3D, you may want to open the
sample file c:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006\Getting Started Guide\
GSG_introduction.dwg at this point. You can then relate the information in the
rest of this chapter to actual data and begin to explore the interface. Most of the
illustrations in this chapter are taken from this sample drawing file.
Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D|3
Object Management System

Autodesk Civil 3D uses an object-oriented architecture. As a result, each
drawing is composed of intelligent objects, such as points, surfaces, and
alignments, that understand their relationship with each other. For example,
if a breakline in a surface is moved or deleted, the surface can be updated
automatically, or, when a horizontal alignment is modified, any profiles and
sections based on that alignment are also changed.
Point
Section
Surface
Section view
Site
Pipe network
Parcel
Pipe
Grading
Structure
Alignment
Profile
Profile view
Sample line
Corridor
Assembly
Subassembly
Autodesk Civil 3D objects and their icons
Easy-to-Use Interface
The user interface of Autodesk Civil 3D has been designed to make the program
as easy as possible to use and learn:
The Toolspace window shows logical arrangement of objects and provides
management functions.
Menus are organized for consistency, with similar commands for all objects.
Layout tools provide quick access to creation and editing commands for
some objects.
Editing methods use consistent commands and grips.
For more detailed information about the interface design, see User Interface
Overview (page 7).
Standard Controls for Styles and Labels

Every Autodesk Civil 3D object has a style assigned to it. These styles are
created, assigned, and managed in a consistent way for all of the objects. Styles
also apply to labels and tables. All objects must have an object style and can
also have one or more label styles. Some objects have table styles as well. To
browse the collections of styles in a drawing, use the Settings tab of the
Toolspace window:
Each type of object has a

default style, called Standard,
that you can copy and
customize.
The triangle indicates that
the style is currently assigned
to an object.
Each type of label also

has 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 the
Settings tab, and then click Edit.
Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D|5
The Style dialog box for labels is called the Label Style Composer. It contains
a preview window that makes it easy to adjust label location and appearance
until you get the desired results.
Label Style Composer dialog box showing a point label style
For more information about styles and labels, see Styles 1: Object Styles (page
30) and Styles 2: Label and Table Styles (page 32).
User Interface Overview
4
1
5
2
Autodesk Civil 3D User Interface
1
Toolspace. For object management, using two tabs: Prospector, for navigating
through the object collections, and Settings, for managing styles and settings.
Item view. For a list view of the contents of the selected folder, or a graphic
view of the selected object.
Layout tools. For creating and editing objects, such as gradings or alignments.
Standardized menus. For consistent access to the full range of commands.
Tabbed property editors. For easy modification of individual objects.
User Interface Overview|7
Toolspace for Object Management

The Toolspace window provides an object-oriented view of your engineering
projects. The window is divided into two parts or tabs: Prospector tab and
Settings tab.
The Prospector Tab

On this tab, all of the objects in a drawing or project are arranged in a hierarchy
that you navigate in standard, Windows-Explorer fashion. A site collection
includes objects that are related to one another because they share topology.
In the following illustration, the Oak Street site folder contains collections for
alignments, grading groups, and parcels. The Parcels folder contains the parcel
objects defined for the Oak Street subdivision.
Objects are managed

in collections.
Expanding folders to the
lowest level shows the
individual objects.
The Prospector tab in Toolspace
The Settings Tab

This tab organizes the styles for different object types. Some objects have other
style-related collections that you can define and save for repeated use. For
example, in the following illustration, label and table styles for parcels have
been defined.
Each type of object can

have an unlimited
number of styles.
Predefined label styles

can be applied to any
parcel in the drawing.
The Settings tab in Toolspace
Menu Standardization
The menus in Autodesk Civil 3D are designed to be as consistent as possible
for all objects, making it easy to find the command you are looking for. This
standardization reflects the fact that the workflow of creating, editing, and
annotating various objects is quite similar.
Comparison of the Points, Parcels, and Alignments menus
Shortcut Menus
Autodesk Civil 3D uses shortcut menus extensively. These menus appear when
you right-click an object in the drawing, a set of items, or an individual item
in Toolspace. Shortcut menus provide quick access to common functions and
commands.
Here are two examples. The menu on the left opens when you right-click an
alignment object on the Prospector tab. The menu on the right opens when
you 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 similar
for different object types.
Layout Tools
Autodesk Civil 3D provides separate dialog boxes, called Layout Tools, for
designing surfaces, alignments, grading, and other features. Each layout tools
dialog box provides access to object-specific design and editing commands in
a floating dialog box.
Layout tools for Grading and Alignments
Consistent Editing Methods

Object editing in Autodesk Civil 3D is consistent, with all objects using the
same, or very similar, editing methods. The main methods are described in
the following sections.
Item View
When you click an object or an object collection on the Prospector tab, for
example, Points or Alignments, an item view appears. An item view can be
either a list view or a graphical view, depending on the object selected.
The list view presents a table in which you can review and edit data for each
object in the selected collection. For example, if you select a point group, the
item view table includes a row for each point in the group.
Click a table cell to

edit the value.
Item view showing a set of points
Grips
When you select an object in the drawing, grips appear on the object. You
can use these grips to edit the object dynamically. For example, when editing
alignments, you can use grips to move points of intersection or points of
line-arc tangency.
Direction of drag
Editing an alignment by dragging the grip in the center of a curve
Panorama Window
Some object types use the Panorama window to display a table of entities that
make up that object. The Panorama window is a floating, dockable window
that you can keep open as you work. It can include several tables, called vistas,
on different tabs. Some of the data in Panorama tables can be edited.
Double-click a table cell

to edit the value.
Panorama window showing an alignment
Properties Editor
When you right-click any object on the Prospector tab, and then click
Properties, you have edit access to all the properties of that object. For example,
this is one way to assign a different style to the 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, then click Properties, the
AutoCAD Properties dialog box is displayed. This dialog box provides a quick
way to change certain properties, such as the layer on which the object is
drawn. You can also view the style assigned to the object, but you cannot
change it here.
Click a table cell to
edit the value.
Editing AutoCAD properties for an alignment
Migrating Data From Autodesk Land Desktop

You can import existing project data and drawings created in Autodesk Land
Desktop. This allows you to use the features of Autodesk Civil 3D for tasks
such as grading design or parcel subdivision. It is not necessary to have
Autodesk Land Desktop installed on the computer to which you want to
migrate the data. You can also import data in LandXML format.
Select the data you want

to import from the project.
Importing surfaces from an Autodesk Land Desktop project
Some content is not imported, such as prototype data, drawing-specific settings,

and label styles. For more information about importing data, see the Help
topics for Migration.
Migrating Data From Autodesk Land Desktop|17
Sample Data Provided with the Program

To help you learn how to use Autodesk Civil 3D and start experimenting with
its features, the product CD includes sample drawings and data files.
Tutorial Drawing Files

These files are provided for use with the tutorials that are part of the Autodesk
Civil 3D Help system.
After installation, the files are located in the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006\Tutorial\Civil 3D Tutorials\Drawings
Getting Started Guide Drawing Files

Drawing files are provided for use with Chapter 3 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 about
Autodesk Civil 3D concepts.
After installation, the files are located in the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006\Getting Started Guide
Sample Content Data

Autodesk Civil 3D also provides several drawing files that contain content for
settings, styles, and organization of objects. You can use these files as a basis
for developing your own content.
After installation, the files are located in the same folder as the AutoCAD
templates. To create a file from a template:
1 Click File menuNew.
2 In the Select Template dialog box, select the template you want to use.
Learning How to Use Autodesk Civil 3D

Autodesk Civil 3D provides learning materials to get you started using the
software, and complete documentation to serve as a reference. User
documentation for Autodesk Civil 3D is in three parts:
Getting Started Guide (in PDF format)
Online tutorials
Help system
Getting Started Guide

The Getting Started Guide introduces the most important concepts in Autodesk
Civil 3D. After reading through it, and perhaps doing some of the suggested
exercises with the sample files provided, you should feel comfortable enough
with the application to start experimenting on your own.
Online Tutorials
Access the online tutorials on the Autodesk Civil 3D Help menu. The tutorials
offer a more in-depth guided tour of the major features of the application,
using realistic engineering drawings and data. For a thorough knowledge of
Autodesk Civil 3D, it is recommended that you explore the tutorials after you
have read through the conceptual information provided by the Getting Started
Guide.
Learning How to Use Autodesk Civil 3D|19
Help System
The Autodesk Civil 3D Help system is a Help file in HTML format with a table
of contents, an index, and two ways of searching for key words. You can print
out the Help topics that interest you.
Use the Search tab to look for topics that contain a particular word or phrase.
For the best results when searching for a phrase, enclose the words in quotation
marks, for example, Quantity Takeoff.
The phrase you searched for
is highlighted in the topic.
Using Search to find topics containing a phrase
Use the Ask Me tab to perform searches using a natural-language phrase, such
as, How do I set grading criteria? There is no need to enclose the phrase in
quotation marks.
General Concepts
The sections in this chapter present the most important
In this chapter
Object Model
Design Standards
prepare you for working with the LiveView exercises
Project Management
in Chapter 3. If you simply need a brief explanation of
Settings
Styles 1: Object Styles
Styles 2: Label and Table Styles
Autodesk Civil 3D concepts in graphical form. They can
an unfamiliar term, use the Glossary at the back of this

book.
Display Management 1: Using

Styles
Display Management 2: Styles and

Layers
21
Object Model
A design team typically spends many hours ensuring that revisions are
transferred correctly between surfaces, alignments, profiles, sections, and other
dependent design data. Redrafting, relabeling, and checking the work can be
time-consuming tasks. Autodesk Civil 3D eliminates the need for most of
these tasks by introducing dynamic links between design objects. The
underlying system of links and dependencies is a result of the object model
within the application design.
In the object model, changes in one object can be passed on automatically to
all the objects associated with it. For example, if you redesign an alignment
curve, any profile or section using that alignment is modified accordingly.
This is in addition to all the related stationing, labels, and other
alignment-specific data, which are also modified.
The following table shows which objects are updated when you edit each type
of object:
Type of Object
Objects Updated
Point
Point Group, Surface,

Corridor
Surface
Grading, Profile, Section, Corridor
Parcel
Grading
Alignment
Profile, Section, Corridor
Grading
Surface
22|Chapter 2General Concepts
Grading
Alignments
Parcels
Surfaces
Points
Exploded representation of the object model, showing dependencies between objects
Object Model|23
Design Standards
Autodesk Civil 3D provides a number of features that you can use to establish
standards compliance throughout the engineering workflow, which ensures
consistency in drawing creation and presentation. The principal features
involved in design standards are as follows:
Object styles. Control the design and display aspects of objects by creating
and applying different object styles. For example, you can have different
styles for existing ground (EG) and finished grade (FG) surfaces, or different
styles for the initial drawing/laying out of parcels and the
presentation/plotting of parcels.
Label styles. Ensure a consistent look for labels by applying a label style.
The example on the facing page shows a lot-area label that has been defined
to show the lot number, with the area in both square meters and hectares.
Drawing templates. Define a set of standards and save them as a default
for the creation of new drawings. Templates (.dwt files) typically include
object styles, label styles, and settings, such as drafting units, precision,
and coordinate systems.
Layer standards file. Set up labeling and style settings to derive their
layers from a layer standards file (.dws file). By applying styles that refer
to the list of layers in the layer standards file, you can ensure that objects
are drawn on specific layers with standard names.
Units and precision for

alignments are set in the
template file.
STA=22+00.00
LOT: 1
Area: 8321.86 sq. m
0.83 hectares
Lot labels are controlled by

a parcel label style, which
could also be defined in the
template file.
Defining standards using a template file and a label style
Design Standards|25
Project Management
Autodesk Civil 3D provides project management that supports shared access
to important project files by the entire design team. Typically, you have a set
of project folders on a server or somewhere on a network. These project folders
contain official copies of surfaces and point groups, as well as a database
containing points. When you want to work on a particular project, you open
a file on your own computer and then download the latest versions of the
official copies that you need. The directory structure of the projects you are
working with is displayed on the Prospector tab of the Toolspace when the
Master View is selected.
For example, in the following illustration, pond-grading.dwg is the current
drawing. A set of points and an existing surface are added to the drawing using
the Get From Project command. This results in a set of local copies of those
objects on your local drive. You then do the grading, save the resulting surface
under a different name, and add it to the project using the Add To Project
command.
If you want to make changes to the official copies of the points, point groups,
or surfaces, use the Check Out command instead of Get From Project. Then,
when you have finished making changes, use the Check In command.
The current open drawing

is pond_grading. Points
and surfaces are brought
in to this drawing.
Points
Copy of official surface
Work is done in the local

pond_grading drawing,
using copies of the
official points and
surfaces as a basis.
The new surface
created by grading is
saved under a
different name, and
may be checked in
as an official copy.
Master view of Prospector tab, showing official copies of objects
Project Management|27
Settings
Settings in Autodesk Civil 3D provide many preset values, ranging from
drawing units, scale, and coordinate system, to optional defaults, such as the
layers that the different objects are created on. You access the setting dialog
boxes by right-clicking the appropriate collection on the Settings tab of
Toolspace, then choosing Edit Settings.
You can work with three levels of settings. Each lower level object in the
settings hierarchy can either inherit or override settings in the level above it:
Drawing settings establish values for the whole drawing.
Feature settings control behavior for a particular feature, such as Parcels
or Grading.
Command settings apply to individual commands within a feature,
such as the CreateParcelByLayout command within the Parcels feature.
Settings can be overridden at lower levels. The following illustration shows

an override set for area units at the Parcels feature level. The arrow in the
Child Override column of the Drawing Settings dialog box (upper drawing)
indicates that an override has been set at a lower level. The check mark in the
Override column in the Parcel Settings dialog box (lower drawing) indicates
that the value set in this dialog box overrides the setting at a higher level.
Area units for parcel objects

are acres, overriding the
drawing setting. For other
objects, area units remain
set to square meters.
How feature settings can override drawing settings
Settings|29
Styles 1: Object Styles

The objects in Autodesk Civil 3D model real-world objects. Styles assigned to
these objects control their display and some aspects of their behavior. You
can change the styles applied to the objects as often as you want, giving you
convenient control over the design presentation.
Autodesk Civil 3D comes with a Standard style for each object type. Use this
style as it is, or as a basis for building new styles. You can create styles to meet
the needs of a particular project, a group of users, or any other design
requirement. Groups of styles can be collected into a template (.dwt) file, so
that all drawings based on that template will share the same style
configuration.
All object types have similar style controls, and a similar set of style collections
on the Toolspace Settings tab. You access the style editing dialog boxes by
right-clicking one of the styles and then clicking Edit.
1 Point style: using a custom

marker
2 Surface style: smoothing
contours
3 Alignment style: changing the
color of the line components
Editing the style for three different types of object
Styles 1: Object Styles|31
Styles 2: Label and Table Styles

Labels are associated with many objects, and their content is updated whenever
the object itself is changed. Labels are also controlled by label styles. You can
modify the label styles in the same way that you modify the object styles:
right-click a style on the Toolspace Settings tab, and then click Edit. Some
objects (parcels, alignments, and surfaces) also have styles for tables. These
are accessible on the Settings tab as well. For alignments, profiles, and sections,
you can create and save label sets, which allow you to apply multiple label
types in one operation. For example, an alignment label set can contain labels
for major stations, minor stations, and geometry points.
Labels can include text, blocks, lines, ticks, and leaders. You can easily create
labels and preview their appearance in the Label Composer dialog box, as
shown in the following illustration.
Some of the features you can work with when composing a label style:
Location. Place a label at any location in relation to the object.
Appearance and Visibility. Define color, lineweight, linetype, and
other aspects of label appearance, and set the visibility of any of the label
components.
Plan readability. Labels can be displayed upside-down if they are
oriented in relation to an object. The plan-readability setting automatically
rotates any upside-down label text elements so that they are readable in
plan view.
Orientation. Set the rotation angle of the labels in relation to the object
you are labeling, the current view, or the world coordinate system (WCS).
Alignment station labels and parcel area

labels appear in the drawing as they appear
in the preview of the Style Composer.
Table styles can also

be customized.
Previewing customized label styles for alignment stations and parcel area
Styles 2: Label and Table Styles|33
Display Management 1: Using Styles

Styles give you the flexibility needed to control object appearance and behavior
and to establish design standards. If you are the CAD manager in your
organization, you may find that time spent in creating styles for others to use
pays off in terms of efficiency and standards compliance. If you work with
styles that have been created for you, the additional control that styles provide
is worth the effort of learning how to use them.
Autodesk Civil 3D is an object-oriented program that works with intelligent
objects. The objects reference a style, which can be changed at any time. Any
style can be copied by dragging it from one drawing to another. The new
drawing knows where to put that style. You can then apply the new style to
existing objects.
You can use styles to manage the appearance of objects at different phases of
a project. In the following illustration, the upper drawing uses surface and
parcel styles appropriate for a preliminary layout, while the lower drawing
uses completely different styles for the final presentation.
Early layout phase
Final drawing phase
Using customized surface and alignment styles for different phases of a project
Display Management 1: Using Styles|35
Display Management 2: Styles and Layers

Most objects in Autodesk Civil 3D have several components. For example, a
surface includes contours, triangles, and points. You can control how these
components are displayed either through layers or by setting the display
properties directly in the object style.
The Display tab of the Style Editor dialog box provides a number of options
that are similar to those in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, such as
visibility, color, linetype, and lineweight. This duplication of functionality in
the Style Editor means that you can control object appearance using only
styles, only layers, or a combination of the two.
Display properties defined by styles override the settings defined for the
drawing layers in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box. For example, you
can use two different styles to distinguish the display of existing ground and
finished grade surfaces, even if they were drawn partially or completely on
the same layer.
The following illustration shows how you can use both style settings and
traditional layers to control the display characteristics of an object. The style
shown in the upper drawing directly modifies the color and visibility of the
surface 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 and
colored white in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.
The style shown in the lower drawing assigns the surface components to layers
already defined in the drawing. In this case, the color of the major and minor
contours is set by the C-TOPO-MAJR and C-TOPO-MINR layers.
Visibility and color

of the surface
components
are controlled by
settings on the
Display tab of the
Surface Style
dialog box.
Visibility and color

of the surface
components
are controlled by the
layer assignment.
Managing object appearance using style settings (above) and layers (below)
Display Management 2: Styles and Layers|37
38
Feature-Specific
Concepts
This chapter explains the concepts underlying Autodesk
In this chapter
Points
Points: LiveView Exercise
a corresponding drawing file. Each drawing illustrates
Surfaces
the concepts introduced in that section. You can open
Surfaces: LiveView Exercise
Grading
Grading: LiveView Exercise
Parcels
Parcels: LiveView Exercise
Alignments
Alignments: LiveView Exercise
Profiles
Profiles: LiveView Exercise
Sections
Sections: LiveView Exercise
Pipe Networks
Pipe Networks: LiveView Exercise
Corridors
Corridors: LiveView Exercise
Civil 3D features. Each feature section in this chapter has
the file to see actual examples of the objects and their

various components. There is also a LiveView exercise
for each feature, which gives you some basic hands-on
experience with Autodesk Civil 3D.
39
Points
The central repository for point information is the project database. The
database is typically located on a central server and shared by a number of
users, who attach the database to their drawings. However, point presentation
is handled in the drawing. Point groups reference the point data directly and
are responsible for drawing the points. Point groups have an override that
forces all points in the group to use that groups preferred point style and
preferred 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 the
insertion of points. Description keys use the raw description of incoming
points to control the creation of each drawing point, including the following
actions:
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 of
methods, which are all available in the Create Points dialog box.
LiveView of Drawing for Points

Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006\Getting Started
Guide\GSG_features_points.dwg
The drawing contains two named views. To go to a named view, do the
following:
1 Click View menuNamed Views.
2 In the View dialog box, click the view you want. Click Set Current. Click
OK.
40|Chapter 3Feature-Specific Concepts
Named view: points_all
Road Centerline
point group
Storm
Manholes
point group
Pond point group
Landscape Trees point group
Named view: points_detail
Point label style

Manholes includes an
arrow and leader line.
Point style
Tree-20ft Pine
has labels turned off.
Pond point group

uses the Number
and Elevation Only
point label style.
Some point groups showing different uses of point styles and point-label styles
Points|41
Points: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing points and examine some of the
ways to manage objects in Autodesk 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 Autodesk Civil 3D
1
Open the file C:\Program

Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006 \Getting
Started Guide\ GSG_features_points.dwg if you have not
already opened it.
Click View menuZoomWindow.
Draw a rectangle in the upper left
corner to zoom your view of the
drawing so that it looks like this.
Click the Prospector tab in Toolspace.

Expand the list of point groups, as
shown in the illustration.
The icon next to each point group
indicates that you cannot expand the
point group to the level of individual
points. You can view the points in the
item view.
Click the Road Centerline point group

in the list.
An item view of all the points contained in the group is displayed in
Toolspace.
Note that you can edit the individual
points in the item view.
Right-click the Road Centerline point

group. Click Properties.
In the Point Group Properties dialog
box, click the Include tab.
The point group contains all the
points with raw descriptions that
match CLRD.
In the Point Group Properties dialog

box, click the Query Builder tab.
Both tabs point to the same Raw Description data. These tabs provide two
different ways in which you can
modify a point group.
Click the Include tab. Clear the check

box for With Raw Description Matching.
Select With Numbers Matching. Enter
755,757 in the text box.
Click OK.
Note that only two points remain in
the point group item view and in the
drawing.
Points: LiveView Exercise|43
Surfaces
You can work with two types of surfaces: TIN surfaces and grid surfaces. For
each of these types, you can create volume surfaces, which are differential
surfaces created from two existing surfaces. Surface styles define the appearance
of any surface. They can also be used to control the visibility of any analysis
that has been performed on that surface; for example, the elevation analysis
shown in the following illustration. Watersheds can be drawn on the surface,
with information about the type of drainage area and where each area drains
to.
Boundaries define the visible area of a surface. Only the area within the
boundary is included in calculations, such as for total area and volume. You
can also define masks to hide or show parts of a surface for editing or
presentation purposes, while still including that area in calculations.
Breaklines are used on TIN surfaces to define linear features that triangles
cannot cross, such as retaining walls or streams. Breaklines affect triangulation
of the surface. You can define different sets of contours, for example, for
different intervals. Smoothing is provided for the surface object as a whole,
which gives better results than simply smoothing the contours.
In Autodesk Civil 3D, the build process for surfaces is incremental. Whenever
data is added or corrected, the surface is updated. Each surface has a definition
list. This list contains all the operations performed on the surface. By turning
the operations on and off, you can return a surface to a previous state or
modify it to support different types of analysis.
LiveView of Drawing For Surfaces

Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006\Getting Started
Guide\GSG_features_surfaces.dwg
The drawing contains two named views. To go to a named view, do the
following:
OK.
Named view: surfaces_all
EG surface boundary
FG surface boundary
Contours with smoothing
Watershed analysis
(labels turned off)
Named view: surfaces_detail
Elevation analysis
(colored 3D faces)
Slope arrows
turned on
Breakline
Some aspects of a surface
Surfaces|45
Surfaces: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing surfaces and look at some ways to
work with styles in Autodesk Civil 3D.
Using surfaces as an example, you will learn how to create new styles, and
how to use styles to change the appearance of an object.
To create or change a style in Autodesk Civil 3D
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_surfaces.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
Click the Toolspace Settings tab. Expand the list of surface styles, as
The triangle icon next to a surface
style indicates that the style is applied
to at least one surface in the drawing.
Right-click the Finish Grade surface

style. Click Copy.
In the Surface Style dialog box, on
the Information tab, for Name, enter
Finish grade contours.
Click the Display tab.

In the Visible column, click the light
bulb icons to turn on both Major
Contour and Minor Contour. Turn off
Elevations and Slope Arrows. Click
OK.
You have created a new surface style.
Next, you will apply it to a surface.
Click the Toolspace Prospector tab.

Expand the list of surfaces.
Click the Surfaces collection in the list.
An item view of the surfaces in the
drawing appears in Toolspace.
Note that the name of the style assigned to the FG surface is Finish
grade.
Right-click the FG surface in the list.

Click Properties.
In the Surface Properties dialog box,
click the Information tab. For Surface
Style, select Finish grade contours
from the list. Click OK.
The new style is applied to the FG

surface. The drawing is updated.
Surfaces: LiveView Exercise|47
Grading
You create a grading by selecting a base line in the drawing, and then
specifying a projection method and target, for example, grade at 3:1 to meet
an existing surface. Save time and effort by predefining such values and saving
them as grading criteria. Subsequent gradings you create will use the current
criteria. You can also create named grading styles that combine specific display
properties, such as colors. In addition to using the current criteria, any grading
you 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 figure
from which you want to project the grading. It can be a feature line or a lot
line. 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 can
be a surface, a distance, or an elevation (absolute or relative).
Each site can include grading groups, which bundle individual gradings into
named 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 be
updated if you change the grading.
After you create a grading group, volume tools within Autodesk Civil 3D show
you the amount of cut and fill required for the grading design. You can raise
or lower the grading group incrementally to adjust volume requirements. You
can also change the elevation of points along a grading base line, change the
grade of a base line, or modify the grading criteria.
Face
Base line
Feature line
Target line
Projection line
Criteria uses slope of 3:1

with a surface target .
Gradings using
different criteria
Grading group
The components of a grading object
Grading|49
Grading: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you examine the properties of a grading and adjust its elevation
to change cut and fill volumes.
At any time during this exercise, you can look at the grading in three
dimensions. To do this, right-click the grading object and click Object Viewer
To edit a grading in Autodesk Civil 3D
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_grading.dwg.
You see a grading that is projected to
a surface from a rectangular base line.
The grading surface has its own contour lines, separate from those of the
existing ground (surface Eg). The
faces of the grading have a slope
pattern with short line segments
along the upper edge of the face.
Click Grading menu UtilitiesGrading Volume Tools.

This toolbar shows the volume of fill
required for the grading as designed.
Click
pane.
to open or close the History
3
Click
to lower the grading group
by one meter.
Note the decrease in fill volume. The
upper left corner of the grading is almost at the ground surface.
Click
to automatically balance cut and
fill volumes. Click OK in the Auto-Balance Volumes dialog box.
The volumes are balanced, within a
tolerance factor, and a portion of the
grading is set below the existing
ground. You can identify cut slopes
in the 2D plan view wherever the
short lines of the slope pattern are on
the outside edge of the grading.
Click Grading menu Grading Layout Tools.
On the Grading Layout Toolbar, on

the middle menu, click Edit Elevations. Click any point along the rectangular base line of the grading.
A triangular marker appears at the
nearest corner of the base line. The
command line shows elevation, station, and grade data for this point.
The starting point for station distances
is the lower left corner of the rectangle.
To see this data for other corners,
press Enter. You can directly edit the
elevation values, or enter g on the
command line to edit the grade values.
Press ESC to end the command.
Click
and click the grading object to
open the Grading Elevation Editor,
where you can view and edit the data
for all points.
Grading: LiveView Exercise|51
Parcels
Autodesk Civil 3D provides a site topology that includes intelligent parcel
objects. Each parcel is an independent object that does not duplicate boundary
lines. You can also import parcels as simple polylines and then convert them
to parcel objects. Parcels consist of a series of segments that can be edited
individually. Editing parcel segments dynamically updates the parcel properties.
Deleting a segment results in one parcel merging with another.
Each site contains one collection of parcels. The hierarchy of parent site and
child parcels is managed on the Prospector tab in Toolspace. The parent site
represents the original area to be subdivided. By creating a number of separate
sites, 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 default
area and minimum frontage of each parcel. Parcel layout tools give you precise
control over parcel area and the angle of each lot line.
Parcel styles determine the appearance of the parcel, including fill patterns
for the area and linetypes for the segments. There are separate label styles for
parcel areas and parcel segments.
LiveView of Drawing For Parcels

Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2006\Getting Started Guide\
GSG_features_parcels.dwg
The drawing contains two named views, as shown on the opposite page. To
go to a named view, do the following:
OK.
Named view: parcels_all
Right-of-way parcel
Region for
residential lots
Named view: parcels_detail
Parcel style
uses area
fill
Area label
Segment label
Parcels and parcel components
Parcels|53
Parcels: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you create a series of equal-sized parcels and apply two different
styles of labels to them.
Using parcels as an example, you will learn how Autodesk Civil 3D has
automated some routine tasks in the design process.
To create parcels and their labels in Autodesk Civil 3D
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_parcels.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
Zoom in to the extents of the large
blue parcel, Oak Street_1.
Click Parcels menuCreate By Layout.

In the Parcel Layout Tools dialog box,
if necessary, click
to see the default settings for parcel creation. Set
Automatic Mode to On.
Click
(Slide Angle - Create).
In the Create Parcels - Layout dialog
box, and set the Parcel Style to Residential and the Area Label Style to
Parcel Name & Area. Click OK.
Follow the command-line prompts:
Pick a point inside the parcel to

be subdivided
Pick a frontage start point along

the bottom edge of the parcel,
near the curve on the left side
Pick a frontage end point near the

curve on the right side of the
parcel.
Press Enter to accept default values for frontage angle (90 degrees) and parcel area (1 acre).
The original parcel is subdivided into
six. The first one retains the original
name (Oak Street_1) and style.
5
Zoom in around a few of the new

residential parcels.
Click Parcels menuAdd Labels.
In the Add Labels dialog box, set the
Label Type to Multiple Segment. Click
Add, but do not close the dialog box.
Click the area label of any parcel to
automatically add a label to each
segment of the parcel. Click on a few
more parcels to label them.
In the Add Labels dialog box, set the

Label Type to Single Segment. Set the
Line Label Style to Span Bearing-Distance-Crows Feet. Click Add.
Click along the bottom edge of the
residential parcels to place a label for
the line that spans multiple parcels.
Curved indicators called crows feet
mark the ends of the labeled line.
This label is designed for placement
below a line. If you apply it to the top
segment of a residential parcel, rightclick the label and select Flip Label.
Parcels: LiveView Exercise|55
Alignments
Horizontal alignments are used to represent roads and other linear objects
that follow a path across a surface. Alignments can include lines, curves, and
clothoid 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 tangency to one another. You can create alignments from existing
polylines, or by using alignment layout tools in Autodesk Civil 3D. You can
edit an alignment by grip editing or by using the edit commands. Some of
the creation and editing options are as follows:
Draw single lines, curves, and spirals.
Draw a series of tangents, then add curves or spiral-curve-spiral groups at
the PIs (Points of Intersection).
Apply superelevation to the curves along an alignment.
View and edit the dimensions of alignment components.
Station equations allow you to change station-distance references at any point

without physically changing the geometry of the alignment.
LiveView of Drawing For Alignments

GSG_features_alignments.dwg
OK.
Named view: alignments_all
Alignments drawn
with tangent-totangent curves
Parallel alignment
labels used for
local roads
Preliminary center
lines sketched
using lines and
curves
Named view: alignments_labels
Station reference
point at start of
alignment
Major road uses
different line and
label styles from
local roads
Station label
Design speed label
Alignments: lines, curves, and labels
Alignments|57
Alignments: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing alignments and look at some ways
to work with drawing settings in Autodesk Civil 3D.
Using alignments as an example, you will learn how to edit the drawing
settings to specify the default layer on which new objects will be created.
To set up object layers in Autodesk Civil 3D
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_alignments.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
On the View menu, click Zoom
Window. Draw a rectangle that
includes the sketch lines at the bottom. Your view of the drawing should
look like this.
Click the Toolspace Settings tab.

Right-click the name of the drawing
and click Edit Drawing Settings.
In the Drawing Settings dialog box,

click the Object Layers tab.
This tab shows the default layers on
which the various objects are created.
You will change the default layer for
alignments.
On the Object Layers tab, in the

Alignment row, click the C-ROAD
value.
In the Layer Selection dialog box, select the C-ROAD-CNTR row. Click OK
twice to exit the Settings dialog
boxes.
Click Alignments menuCreate

From Polyline.
In the drawing, click the green polyline at the bottom of the drawing.
In the Create Alignment dialog box,

for Alignment Style, select Major
Road.
Note that the Alignment Layer is set
to C-ROAD-CNTR. New alignments
will be placed on this layer.
Click OK.
The new alignment is drawn on the

C-ROAD-CNTR layer, using the Major
Road style.
Alignments: LiveView Exercise|59
Profiles
Profiles (also known as vertical alignments), are derived from horizontal
alignments in the drawing. There are two types of profiles. Surface profiles,
often called existing ground (EG) profiles, are extracted from a surface. Layout
profiles, often called finished grade (FG) profiles, represent a designed surface
such as a road. A profile can be dynamic, in which case it is linked to a surface
to reflect updates to the surface or the horizontal alignment. It can also be
static, to preserve a record of a surface at a particular time. You can use three
types of vertical curves in a profile: parabolic, asymmetric parabolic, and
circular.
Create static profiles in various ways, such as importing a text file, importing
an XML file, or by using the Profile Layout Tools dialog box. Edit a profile by
grip editing or by using the edit commands in the Profile Layout Tools dialog
box. Some of the creation and editing options are as follows:
Draw tangents end-to-end with options to place curves between them.
Add, delete, or modify PVIs (points of vertical intersection).
Add, delete, or modify vertical curves.
View and edit the specifications of profile components.
Profiles are displayed in graphs called profile views. Profile views are separate
objects that have their own sets of styles. You can add data bands to annotate
the profile view with stations and elevations, horizontal geometry points, or
other useful data. You can save several data bands in a set that can be easily
applied to other profile views.
LiveView of Drawing For Profiles

GSG_features_profiles.dwg
OK.
Named view: profiles_all
Grade break and elevation profiles

defined by profile label styles
Axes and grid
defined by
profile view styles
Data bands
defined by
profile view
band styles
Named view: profiles_detail
Profile label shows a tangent grade
Surface and
layout
profiles
Surface and layout profiles displayed in a profile view
Profiles|61
Profiles: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing profiles and experiment with grip
editing in Autodesk Civil 3D.
Using profiles as an example, you will learn how objects can be dynamically
updated in response to changes in another object.
To make dynamic updates in Autodesk Civil 3D
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_profiles.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
Click View menuZoomExtents.

Click View menuZoomWindow.
Draw a rectangle that includes the
profile view at the top and the EastWest alignment at the bottom.
On the AutoCAD Layers toolbar, click

.
In the Layer Manager dialog box, click
the light bulb next to the C-ROADPROF-FGRD layer to turn it off. Click
OK.
This turns off the FG profile in the
profile view and makes the green EG
profile easier to see.
In the drawing, click the alignment

so that the blue grips appear, as
You will drag the grips to modify the
alignment dynamically. As you modify
the alignment, the profile will update
at the same time.
The green profile in the profile view

at the top of the drawing represents
the intersection of the alignment with
the existing ground surface.
The profile looks like this before you
modify the alignment.
Click the square grip at the far left of

the alignment
(Try to watch the green profile as you
complete the following step.)
The grip turns red to show that it is
active. Drag it a little farther to the
left and then release it.
Note that the profile has been extended to include the addition to the
alignment. It now looks something
like this.
(You may want to experiment further
and see the effect of editing the
alignment curves before you close this
drawing.)
Profiles: LiveView Exercise|63
Sections
Sections, or cross sections, are cut across a linear feature to a specified distance
on the left and right of a center line. Sections are typically sampled at given
stations along a horizontal road alignment. Edits to an alignment update the
sections as well.
Sections are located on sample lines that cut across the alignment. Sample
lines have their own styles and can be labeled. A set of sample lines makes up
a named collection called a sample-line group.
Sections are displayed in a graph called a section view. A section view is very
similar to a profile view. It consists of a grid or graph with attributes that are
controlled by section-view styles. You can also display data bands above or
below the section view. You can plot individual sections for a specific sample
line, 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 you
to save and apply an unlimited number of different types of labels.
LiveView of Drawing For Sections

GSG_features_sections.dwg
OK.
Named view: sections_detail
Sample lines belong to

the East-West sample
line group
Stations and sample-line

names are displayed by
the sample-line-group label
style
Section view
for this sample
line is shown
below
Named view: sections_view
Center line
Section line
Right swath width

Data band
A group of sample lines and a section view across one of them
Sections|65
Sections: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you open a file containing sections and revisit the process of
applying custom styles in Autodesk Civil 3D.
Using sections as an example, you will learn how to select an individual object
and apply a new label style to it.
To change label styles in Autodesk Civil 3D
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_sections.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
The drawing looks like this. There are
several sample lines crossing an
alignment.

Expand the list of alignments (under
Sites/Conway Farms).
Expand the East-West Drive alignment
until you can see the list of sample
lines, as shown in the illustration.
Next, you will select one of the
sample lines and change the style of
the label to an AA section.
Right-click the SL-8 sample line in the

list and then click Properties.
In the Sample Line Properties dialog
box, click the Sample Line Data tab
and then, for Label Style, select Section AA.
Click OK.
The sample line is updated in the

drawing, as shown in the illustration.
Next, you will update the existing
section view for this sample line.
Click View menuNamed Views.
Click sections_view. Click Set Current.
Click OK.
In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,

expand the section views for the SL8 sample line.
Right-click the section view 3+50.00
(1). Click Properties.
In the Section View Properties dialog

box, on the Information tab, for Object Style, select Standard. Click OK.
The section view is updated in the

drawing, as shown in the illustration.
Sections: LiveView Exercise|67
Pipe Networks
You can use the pipe networks feature to design and model networks that
support the flow and function of a utility system, such as a storm or sanitary
sewer.
You build a model of a pipe network using individual parts, much like a
real-world pipe network, connecting pipes in your network either with or
without using structures, such as manholes or catch basins, and adding inlet
or outlet structures, such as headwalls, to mark the terminating end of a pipe
run. After you have created your initial network design, you can view and edit
network parts in virtually unlimited ways within plan view or in a profile
view. You can also view the pipe network parts in a section.
As you create your pipe network design, preset design rules control the slope
of pipes and their depth relative to a surface, and the sizing of the structures
that connect the pipes. This is useful when you are designing a gravity system
such as a storm or sanitary sewer.
LiveView of Drawing For Pipe Networks

GSG_features_pipe_networks.dwg
The drawing file contains three viewports: the pipe network in plan view, the
profile view of some of the network pipes and structures, and the same parts
in a section view.
The left pane shows a pipe network segment made up of two manhole
structures connected by pipes. The network parts have been placed at a
specified offset from an alignment, and are drawn in a profile view created
using the same alignment (upper-right pane). A sample line placed at station
7+71 was used to create a section view (lower-right pane) that shows a
cross-section view of the pipe network parts located at the station.
You can edit the positions of the pipe network parts manually using editing
grips in either plan view or profile view, or by directly editing their properties.
You cannot edit pipe network parts using a section view.
Plan view shows the layout of

pipe network parts in relation to
other drawing objects
Profile view shows the vertical
layout of pipe network parts and
alignment
Road section includes cross-section

views of pipe network parts
Layout, profile, and section views of a pipe network segment
3D view of pipe network segment
Pipe Networks|69
Pipe Networks: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you edit a simple pipe network. Using the pipe network as an
example, you will learn how to configure the pipe network layout tools, and
to use the tools to create a new pipe that connects two structures.
To create pipe network parts
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_pipe_networks.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
The drawing window shows three
views of parts in a pipe network: plan
view, profile view, and cross-section
view.

Expand the list of Pipe Networks. Expand the Network (1) item.
When you select the Pipes or Structures item found under the pipe network collection, part information is
displayed in the item view, as shown
in the illustration.
Right-click Network (1). Click Edit.

The Network Layout Tools toolbar
contains all the tools you need to
create or edit a pipe network, including the name of the alignment and
surface that are referenced when
parts are created.
In the Pipe List, select 18 inch Concrete Pipe.

Ensure that the button to the right of
the Pipe List is toggled to
(Downslope).
Click the button to the right of the
Pipes list and click Pipes Only.
In the drawing window, in the layout

view, place your cursor over the
structure offset from station 7+71 on
Conway Farms Drive. A connection
marker is displayed (shown in the illustration) that indicates the pipe will
connect to the structure if you click
at that location.
Click the structure to connect the
pipe end to it.
Pan to the structure offset from station 1+00 on East-West Drive. With
the connection marker active, click
the structure to connect the pipe to
it.
Press ESC to end the command.
To adjust the structure offset from

station 1+00 on East-West Drive to
changes in pipe elevation, select it,
right-click, and then click Resize To
Model.
Repeat the resizing process for the
structure offset from station 7+71 on
Conway Farms Drive.
The final result is shown in the illustration.
Pipe Networks: LiveView Exercise|71
Corridors
Corridors are used for roads and similar structures that follow a designed route
across the terrain.
A corridor is a detailed three-dimensional design that combines data from a
horizontal alignment, a profile view, and an assembly. The corridor can
automatically reflect changes to any of the parent data.
Subassembly objects such as road lanes, curbs, and shoulders form the building
blocks for an assembly. When you apply the assembly to an alignment and a
profile, a corridor is generated in three dimensions. At each point along its
linear path, the corridor adapts to conditions such as superelevation and cut
or fill requirements.
LiveView of Drawing For Corridors

GSG_features_corridors.dwg
The drawing contains three viewports. The corridor, profile view, and assembly
are all within the same drawing, but the viewports help you see the object
relationships.
In the left pane, the horizontal alignment starts at the top of the corridor and
runs to station 1658 at the bottom. In the profile view, station 0 is on the left
side, and green vertical lines across the grid show the start and end points of
the horizontal curves. In the assembly view, you can see that the corridor
assembly 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, and
the ditches are visible along the corridor.
You can use the Object Viewer to see the corridor in a three-dimensional view
that shows the cut and fill regions. Click the corridor, then right-click and
click Object Viewer. Click near the bottom of the Object Viewer window, then
click and move the cursor up to tilt the corridor. If you want to pan or zoom
the display, right-click inside the Object Viewer window.
Corridor shows the design

in relation to the surface
Profile shows the vertical

layout and the surface
Assembly is a template
for corridor cross-sections
Elements of a corridor design
Corridors|73
Corridors: LiveView Exercise

In this exercise, you examine the section views along a corridor and
dynamically 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
1

Started Guide\ GSG_features_corridors.dwg if you have not already
opened it.
The drawing contains viewports that
display a corridor, profile view, and
assembly.
Click Corridors menu View/Edit

Corridor Section.
In the drawing window, click the
corridor.
The corridor is replaced with a view
of the corridor cross-section and the
existing ground surface at station 0.
Note that the fill slopes are shown at
this point.
On the View Corridor Section Toolbar, select station 5+50.

You see the section view at this station, which is in a filled area along the
first curve.
Select station 9+50.

This station is on the second curve,
where the corridor has deep cut
slopes. In the section, you can see the
ditch that is automatically inserted on
cut slopes.
If you want to see other sections in
this part of the corridor, click the arrows on the View/Edit Corridor Section toolbar.
Close the toolbar to close the view of
the corridor cross-section.
In this step, you change the cut slope

near the beginning of the corridor to
a fill slope.
In the profile view, click the layout
profile. The points of vertical intersection (PVIs) are marked with red triangles. Click and drag the first PVI
upward until the profile is completely
above the surface. Click to place it in
the new location.
The corridor rebuilds, and the cut
slope with ditches is replaced with a
fill slope.
Click the corridor. Right-click, and

then click Corridor Properties.
In the Corridor Properties dialog box,
on the Surfaces tab, click the Surface
Style entry (Standard) and change it
to Border & Contours.
Click OK twice.
When the corridor is rebuilt, contour
lines are displayed on the corridor
surface.
This is the end of the Autodesk Civil 3D LiveView exercises. We recommend

that you continue with the online tutorials to gain more understanding of
the features that have been introduced in this chapter.
Corridors: LiveView Exercise|75
76
Glossary
2D polyline
A polyline with all vertices at the same elevation.
3D face A 3D face is an AutoCAD object that represents the surface of a 3or 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 3D faces. 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 Transportation
Officials.
acre A measure of land: 160 square rods; 4,840 square yards; 43,560 square
feet.
alignment A series of 2D coordinates (northings and eastings), connected
by lines or curves, used to represent features such as the road centerlines, edges
of pavement, sidewalks, or rights-of-way.
angle The difference in direction between two convergent lines measured in
the units of degrees, radians, or grads.
area The quantity of plane space in a horizontal plane enclosed by the
boundary of any polygonal figure.
assembly The combination of one or more subassemblies forming a typical
section. The assembly is applied along a horizontal/vertical alignment to form
a singular path-like structure.
azimuth A clockwise angle measured from a reference meridian. Also known
as north azimuth. It can range from 0 to 360 degrees. A negative azimuth is
converted to a clockwise value.
base line The object to which grading criteria are applied. A base line can be
an open or closed 2D or 3D geometric figure that is a feature line or a lot line.
See also control region, feature line.
base surface An existing ground or undeveloped terrain. Specified when
creating volume surfaces. See also comparison surface, volume surface.
bearing An angle measured from North or South, whichever is nearest, with
the 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.
Glossary|77
border (surface) The visible limits of a surface. The border may or may not
be defined from a boundary or may be the result of a defined boundary and
operations performed on a surface, such as a Delete Line operation (a hole is
created in the surface). If a boundary is not defined on a surface, the exterior
border is always defined as the extents of the surface triangulation.
boundary (surface) One of three kinds of closed polylines that limit the
display area of the digital terrain model. Most common are outer surface
boundaries constructed just outside the extremities of the dataset, eliminating
unwanted interpolations across empty space where the surface has a concave
shape. Also used are two types of internal surface boundaries: hide boundaries,
to punch holes in a surface, (for example, a building footprint), or show
boundaries, to create smaller surfaces by eliminating areas that fall outside
the boundary.
bounded volumes A method of calculating volumes using an existing
AutoCAD 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 surface
feature, 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 surface
triangulation must first follow the breaklines, by placing triangle edges
coincident with the breakline segments. This ensures the feature in the model
is accurately depicted. Then, the rest of the interpolation is performed based
on proximity. Breaklines are typically critical to creating an accurate surface
model. It is the interpolation of the data, not just the data itself, that
determines the shape of the model. See also non-destructive breakline.
breakline point
vertices.
A point that is included in the defined breaklines list of
ByBlock A setting specifying that a component of an object inherits the color

or linetype associated with the object, or block, that contains it.
ByLayer A setting specifying that an object or component of an object inherits
the color or linetype associated with the assigned layer.
catchment area
The area tributary to a lake, stream, or drainage system.
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 curve
at these points.
clothoid spiral A spiral in which the curvature is a linear function of the
length of the spiral, so that the degree of curvature is zero when it meets the
78|Glossary
tangent and then increases to match the curvature of the adjacent curve. See
also compound spiral, simple spiral.
COGO Short for Coordinate Geometry.
COGO points The point objects that you create using the point-creation or
point-import commands. COGO points are referred to simply as points in
this documentation. The pieces of data associated with a point, such as point
number, northing, and easting, are referred to as properties. See also properties.
comparison surface A proposed or existing terrain surface used in the creation
of volume surfaces. See also base surface, volume surface.
composite volumes A method of calculating volumes using top and bottom
surfaces (a surface pair) to establish cut, fill, and net volume values.
compound curve A curve consisting of two or more arcs of different radii
curving in the same direction, and having a common tangent or transition
curve at their point of junction.
compound spiral A spiral that provides a smooth transition between two
adjoining curves of different radii but in the same direction. It has a finite
radius on either side/end. See also clothoid spiral, simple spiral.
control region A region that is defined by applying grading criteria to a base
line. A base line can have a single region along its entire length, or it may be
subdivided into a number of control, transition, and void regions. See also
base line, feature line.
contour A line that connects points of the same elevation or value relative
to a specified reference datum.
coordinates Values that specify exactly where a point is in space in terms of
three planes: X, Y, and Z (easting, northing, and elevation).
corridor Any path, the length and location of which is typically governed
by one or more horizontal and vertical alignments. Examples are roadways,
railways, traveled ways, channels, ditches, utility runs, airport runways, and
taxiways.
crest curve In a profile, a vertical curve on the crest of a hill or similar location
where the grade leading into the curve is greater than the grade leading out
of the curve. In a crest curve, the point of vertical intersection (PVI) for the
tangents is above the curve. See also sag curve.
cross section See section.
CS See curve to spiral.
Glossary|79
curve to spiral A point on a horizontal alignment where a curve meets a

spiral.
cut slope The slope created when the base line falls below the existing ground
line. The resulting slope matching up into the existing ground is called a cut
slope because the existing ground must be cut (removed) during construction.
data band A graphic frame that is associated with a profile view object or
section view object. The data band contains annotations for the profile or
section view, as well as for the parent horizontal alignment. Some common
annotations include elevation data, stations, and cut/fill depths.
datum A reference value. All elevations or coordinates are set relative to this
value. In surveying, two datums (horizontal and vertical) are generally used.For
global coordinate systems, a datum refers to the ellipsoid information and the
techniques used to determine positions on the Earths surface. An ellipsoid is
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,
330'36" 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, return
it 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 degree
60 minutes, and each minute 60 seconds. A typical bearing in DMS
measurement looks like: N4545'58"E. Using this format, 330'36" is entered
as 3.3036.
Delaunay triangulation A calculation method used in the creation of TIN
networks. Given a set of data points, Delaunay triangulation produces a set
of lines connecting each point to its natural neighbors.
DEM (Digital Elevation Model) An array of elevations taken on a regularly
spaced horizontal grid.
description keys A method of translating descriptions to help standardize
point data when a variety of data sources are used. For example, descriptions
of EROAD, EPAVE, ERD, and EDGEROAD can all be translated to a description
of EOP. The layer, point style, and point label style options can greatly enhance
automatic base plan generation and the overall organization of the drawing.
80|Glossary
design rule A set of automatic constraints for some objects in the drawing
that are enforced by applying a specific style. For example, if you are laying
out alignments, you can specify a rule for a curve radius.
drawing object An object that exists in a single drawing. See also project
object.
easting A linear distance eastwards from the North-South line which passes
through the origin of a grid. Equivalent to the X coordinate in an XYZ
coordinate system.
elevation The vertical distance from a datum to a point or object on the
Earth's surface. The datum is generally considered to be at sea level. Equivalent
to the Z coordinate in an XYZ coordinate system.
face A three-dimensional surface triangle. A face is represented by either a
3D face object or 3D line objects.
feature line An object in Autodesk Civil 3D that the grading commands can
recognize and use as a base line. Usually, a line that marks some important
feature in the drawing, such as a ridge line, or the bottom of a swale. See also
base line, control region.
fill slope The slope created when the base line falls above the existing ground
line. The resulting slope matching down into the existing ground is called a
fill slope because material must be brought in to fill the area during
construction.
fixed entity An alignment entity with a fixed position, not necessarily tangent
to another entity for the definition of its geometry. See also float entity, free
entity.
float entity An alignment entity that is tangent to one other entity (before
or after) for the definition of its geometry. See also fixed entity, free entity.
footprint vertices The endpoints that define the segments of a footprint
with an 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 key
matching has taken place.
geodesic On a surface, the shortest line between two points, either a line or
curve from one point along an ellipsoid to another.
Glossary|81
geodetic A basic relationship to the Earth that takes into account the
curvature of the Earths sea level surface. For example, a geodetic distance is
a distance or angle in which the Earth's curvature is taken into account, versus
a distance or angle measured on a flat paper map.
grade A method of reporting ground inclination in which the change in
elevation is expressed as a percentage of the horizontal distance travelled. For
example, if the ground rises one linear unit (meter or foot) over a horizontal
distance 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 projection
method.
grading face The area bounded by the base line, the target line and the two
projection lines. See also grading target, target line
grading target The grading target defines what the projection lines from the
footprint will intercept. The three choices for targets are: surface, relative or
absolute elevation, and distance. See also grading face, target line.
grads A system of angle measurement in which one grad equals 1/100 of a
90 angle, or 360 = 400 grads.
grid A system of lines parallel to a given set of axes at a specific spacing.
Grids are used to visualize surfaces and calculate volumes. A grid is also used
for geodetic purposes.
grid distance The distance between two points based on a coordinate zone,
not on local northing and easting coordinates.
grid easting The easting coordinate that is based on a selected coordinate
zone, as opposed to the local easting, which is based on the surveyors base
point. See also local easting.
grid northing The northing coordinate that is based on a selected coordinate
zone, as opposed to the local northing, which is based on the surveyor's base
point. See also local northing.
grid surface A type of surface created from a DEM or SDTS file, or imported
from a LandXML file. A grid surface consists of a sampled array of elevations
for a number of ground positions at regularly spaced intervals.
82|Glossary
grid volume surface A differential grid surface based on user-specified base

and comparison surfaces. The grid method of volume calculation measures
the difference in elevation between two surfaces at each intersection in a
user-defined grid.
grip A moveable point on an object that you can drag to edit the object
dynamically.
hectare A measure of area, generally relating to land, of 10,000 square meters
or approximately 2.47 acres.
intersection The point where two or more lines, arcs, figures, or objects join
or cross in two- or three-dimensional space.
Kriging A method of surface smoothing that uses known values and a
semivariogram to determine unknown values. Based on the semivariogram
used, optimal weights are assigned to known values to calculate unknown
ones. Since the variogram changes with distance, the weights depend on the
known sample distribution.
label component Text, a block, direction arrow, line, or tick that is used to
construct a label style. Label styles can be made up of multiple label
components.
label set A collection of label definitions for multiple label types, such as
station labels and geometry point labels. For example, alignment station
labeling can be composed of major station labels, minor station labels, and
geometry point labels.
latitude The angular distance measured on a meridian north or south from
the equator.
layout profile A profile object that represents the finished ground elevations
along a horizontal alignment or other linear feature that supports profile
views. 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
at each point of vertical intersection (PVI). This profile is also known as vertical
alignment, profile grade line, grade line, and finished grade profile.
layout toolbar A floating, dockable toolbar that groups together
object-specific design and editing tools.
local copy An object that is contained in a drawing that is attached to a
project. Compare with official copy.
local easting The easting coordinate that is based on the surveyor's assumed
horizontal base point, as opposed to the grid easting, which is based on the
global coordinate zone. See also grid easting.
Glossary|83
local elevation The elevation coordinate based on the surveyor's assumed

vertical base point, or benchmark, versus a real world elevation value.
local northing The northing coordinate that is based on the surveyor's
assumed horizontal base point, as opposed to the grid northing, which is
based on the global coordinate zone. See also grid northing.
longitude The angle between the plane of a given meridian and the plane
of the 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 them
in a clear area. Masking maintains legible text without destroying the objects
underneath.
match line See daylight line.
mid-ordinate On a circular arc, the distance from the midpoint of a chord
to the midpoint of the subtended arc.
modifier A formula for formatting property field values, such as decimal
precision 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 smoothing
supported on TIN surfaces. NNI uses Delaunay triangulation to determine the
elevation of an arbitrary point based on the elevations of known neighbor
points.
non-destructive breakline A breakline that is not crossed by triangulation
lines in a TIN. Instead, new vertices are added to the breakline at the
intersection of each TIN line and the breakline. The new points create
additional surface triangles. This is useful when you do not want the elevation
of a surface to be interpolated inside an area that you know to be a constant
elevation. See also breakline.
northing A linear distance northwards from the East-West line which passes
through the origin of a grid. Equivalent to the Y coordinate in an XYZ
coordinate system.
object In Autodesk Civil 3D, an element in a drawing, for example, a point,
surface, alignment, or profile, that can maintain a relationship with other
objects.
object model The underlying system of links and dependencies between
objects. In the object model, changes in one object can be passed on
automatically to all the objects associated with it.
84|Glossary
official copy An object that is contained in the project. Compare with local
copy.
override A value for a setting that replaces the value already set at the next
higher level.
Panorama A window that displays data in table form for the objects in a
collection that is selected in Toolspace. For example, if you select a point
group, the Panorama table displays a row for each point.
parcel A discrete piece of 2D area. For example, a subdivision is composed
of numerous 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
define an alignment. A pass-through point on a curve can be used as a grip
to control the position of the curve. However the alignment is edited, its
geometry has to go through the pass-through point.
passing sight distance The distance measured to a point where an
approaching vehicle comes into view ahead of a driver on an undivided road.
This is used to calculate vertical crest curves.
PC See point of curvature.
PI See point of intersection.
pipe An object that connects structures in a pipe network, often to convey
fluid in a utility system.
pipe network Collection that manages pipe objects and structure objects
representing the physical structure and function of a utility system such as a
storm 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 called
right-reading.
plan view The view of a site if you look straight down from an elevated
position.
point group Collection used to group the points in a project into smaller,
more manageable units. For example, you can create a point group that
contains 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.
Glossary|85
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 horizontal
alignment. Curves and spirals also have points of intersection, which indicate
where 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 lines
meet.
point symbol A point location marker. When you add points to a drawing,
point symbols are created to represent the points. The point style referenced
by a point describes how the point symbol is drawn.
polyface A 3-dimensional (polygon) mesh object. Each face is capable of
having numerous vertices.
profile An object that contains elevation data along a horizontal alignment
or other line. There are two main types of profiles: surface and layout. Profile
data 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
objects within a drawing. A profile view is essentially a graph with two primary
axes: the X-axis represents horizontal distance along the referenced horizontal
alignment (or other linear feature). The Y-axis represents elevations. Profile
view objects can also include grid display components and data bands.
project object An object that has been added to a project. See also drawing
object.
projection lines In a grading, the lines that designate face edges within a
region for break points on the base line or the target line, and for the facets
of 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 text
or graphics, along with format modifiers unique to specific features. Property
fields can be named and their values defined according to the feature with
which they are associated. See also modifier.
Prospector tab The part of Toolspace where you access drawing and project
objects. Objects are arranged in a tree or hierarchy with folders and subfolders
86|Glossary
that you navigate through in standard, Windows-Explorer fashion. See also

Settings tab.
proximity breakline A breakline that is drawn as a polyline without snapping
to points in the drawing. The northing, easting, and elevation of the breakline
vertices are determined from the nearest point contained in the surface point
data, 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 equal
parts. Quadrant 1 is the NE corner, and quadrants 2, 3, and 4 proceed clockwise
around the compass. Bearings are usually referenced by quadrant number.
quantity takeoff The analysis of detailed cut and fill requirements along an
alignment. A quantity takeoff report provides information on the total volume
of material required to create a finished grade surface, including the process
of cutting existing ground and refilling it with a different material, such as
coarse gravel.
radians A system of measure in which 2 pi radians equals 360.
raw description The original description of a point, before description key
matching takes place. Often corresponds to the point description entered in
the field by a surveyor.
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 a
feature line.
region lines The projection lines that designate the start and end of the
grading regions (criteria or transition) by connecting the base line to the target
line.
right of way The allowable work area for an alignment. Property lines of the
property owners who reside adjacent to the construction site generally specify
these limits, which are called right-of-way lines.
right-of-way parcel A parcel that is created from an alignment that crosses
the original parent parcel.
ROW See right of way.
sag curve In a profile, a vertical curve at the bottom of a valley or similar
location where the grade leading into the curve is less than the grade leading
Glossary|87
out of the curve. In a sag curve, the point of vertical intersection (PVI) for the
tangents is below the curve. See also crest curve.
sample The process of obtaining elevation information from an existing
terrain model or surface.
sample line A line that typically cuts across an alignment, and that can be
used 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 different
types of objects, including object labels and tables. See also Prospector tab.
shortcut menu A menu that is displayed when you select an object and then
right-click. Shortcut menus are context-sensitive. Only commands that are
relative to the object that you selected are displayed.
simple spiral A spiral where the large radius end has an infinite radius and
the small radius end has a finite radius, therefore providing a smooth transition
from a tangent (infinite radius end) to a curve (finite radius end). See also
clothoid spiral, compound spiral.
site A collection of objects that are managed via a common topology. The
objects 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 the
horizontal distance in which the elevation changes by one linear unit. For
example, if the ground rises 3 units over a horizontal distance of 15 linear
units (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:V
value) or Grade (percentage value).
Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) A file format designed as a
mechanism for the transfer of spatial data between various computer systems.
The SDTS format is designed to transfer data with complete content transfer
(no loss of information).
spiral See clothoid spiral, compound spiral, simple spiral.
spiral to curve A point where a spiral meets a curve.
88|Glossary
spiral to tangent A point where a spiral meets a tangent.

spot elevation The elevation of a single point in the drawing. Used when
generating a TIN using contour information to define areas that are sparse in
contour 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 can
be re-arranged by specifying settings for text justification, text height, and
relationship to borders.
standard breakline A breakline defined from selecting consecutive points
or point numbers, or selected 3D polyline or 3D line objects.
station A distance along a horizontal alignment.
stationing The labeling that provides a reference when talking about a specific
point along the reference base line.
station equation A point on an alignment that defines a change in the
station values after that point.
stopping sight distance The distance required to safely stop a vehicle,
traveling at design speed, to avoid a collision with any other non-moving
objects obstructing the travel path.
stratum The difference between two surfaces that exist in a drawing, usually
the existing ground surface and a finished ground surface, which is used for
calculating volumes.
structure A pipe network object that represents a specific engineering function
in 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 by
simply referencing a style. Modifying a style affects all the objects referencing
that 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 parcels
for purposes of sales.
surface A network of elevation data (either TIN or Grid). The points of a
surface are connected into either triangles or a grid, which are then used to
Glossary|89
interpolate contours, and to generate profiles and cross-sections. A surface

represents 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
ground surface. On a sloped surface, the distance between two points can also
be measured as a horizontal distance and a vertical distance.
surface profile A profile object that represents existing ground elevations
along a horizontal alignment or other linear feature that supports profile
views. Typically, this data is derived from an existing surface or data file, and
consists of a series of connected vertical tangent lines without vertical curves
defined. Vertical curves can be added if required.
surface smoothing A process that interpolates and extrapolates surface data
to derive additional elevation values. Kriging and Natural Neighbor
Interpolation (NNI) are the two methods of surface smoothing.
tangent A straight line segment that forms part of a horizontal alignment
or profile. Tangent distances are measured as the horizontal distance between
the two end points.
target The element of grading design criteria that determines what the grading
is going to intercept. A target can be a surface, absolute elevation, relative
elevation, or distance.
target line In a grading, the target line is either the resulting geometry created
by applying grading criteria to a base line, or a lot line that was selected as
the 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 crows feet, that are
displayed at the end of lines, arcs, or spirals.
tick A component of a label that is usually a mark (or short line) inserted in
a series at perpendicular angles to another object, such as a line or curve.
TIN surface Triangular Irregular Network. A TIN is the most common method
of interpolating elevation data. The points are connected into triangles that
are 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 also
3D face.
90|Glossary
TIN volume surface A differential surface created from a composite of points

based on base and comparison surface. Also known as a differential surface.
Toolspace A window that provides an object-oriented view of your
engineering projects. Toolspace is divided into two parts or tabs: Prospector
tab and Settings tab.
topography The features of the actual surface of the Earth.
topology A set of geometric connections between objects. Objects linked by
topology maintain their relationships with one another. In Autodesk Civil
3D, objects that share the same topology are grouped together in a site. See
also site.
transition region An area of a grading that blends the control regions on
either side of the grading. A transition region has no design criteria assigned
to it.
transparent command A command that can be run while another command
is in progress. Transparent commands begin with an apostrophe ().
triangle area The 2-dimensional (2D) area of a triangle face computed from
the northing and easting of each triangle point. The total triangle area is the
sum of all 2D triangle areas with the surface boundary(s).
trim (surface) The process of removing unwanted TIN lines from a surface,
thereby removing triangles.
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 are
three 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 calculate
the vertical exaggeration in profiles and cross sections. It does not actually
change the scale that is used when the drawing is plotted. See also vertical
exaggeration.
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 the
grid (differential) or TIN (composite) methods. The surface is created from the
two surfaces that make up the stratum. The elevation values of a volume
Glossary|91
surface are actually the difference between the two surfaces. For example, at
point 1000,1000, the bottom surface has an elevation of 100, and the top
surface has an elevation of 150. The elevation of point 1000,1000 on the
volume surface is the difference between the two surfaces, which is 50.
wall breakline A breakline that represents surface features, such as retaining
walls, curbs, bridge abutments, and so on.
watershed The catchment area for rainfall that is delineated as the drainage
area producing runoff. Base flow in a stream also usually comes from the same
area.
weeding The removal of points along a selected polyline representing a
contour. The weeding factors determine the amount of points removed. You
can use weeding to reduce the amount of point information taken from the
contours that may not be necessary to generate an accurate surface. See also
weeding factors.
weeding factors The settings used to reduce redundant points along the
contours by ignoring contour vertices that are close together or along a straight
line. A larger distance and deflection angle will weed a greater number of
points. See also weeding.
92|Glossary
Index
A
breaklines, definition of.....44
Add To Project command.....26

alignments.....14, 56, 5860, 64
and profiles.....60
and sections.....64
concepts for.....56
create (exercise).....59
editing with grips.....14
LiveView exercise.....58
alignments, horizontal.....56
analysis, of surface.....44
angle, of labels.....32
appearance.....32, 34
of labels.....32
of objects.....34
Ask Me tab, in Help.....20
assemblies.....72
asymmetric parabolic curves.....60
AutoCAD properties.....16
Autodesk Civil 3D.....14, 10, 12, 19, 21,
39
editing methods.....12
exercises with.....39
general concepts.....21
highlights of.....3
installation of.....2
introduction to.....1
learning.....19
menus in.....10
objects used by.....4
program code for.....4
sample data.....1
Autodesk Land Desktop, migrating from..
17
B
base line, grading.....48
boundaries, definition of.....44
boundary lines, parcels.....52
CAD manager, and Autodesk Civil 3D.....

34
center line, for sections.....64
Check In command.....26
Check Out command.....26
child override, explanation of.....28
circular curves.....60
civil engineers, and Autodesk Civil 3D.....
3
collections.....5, 9, 12, 30
item view of contents.....12
of styles.....9, 30
commands.....1112, 26, 28
check in and out.....26
from layout tools.....12
from shortcut menus.....11
settings for.....28
compliance, with standards.....24, 34
components.....32, 36, 49, 53, 56
of a grading object.....49
of alignments.....56
of an object.....36
of labels.....32
of parcels.....53
concepts.....19, 21, 32, 3940, 44, 48, 52,
56, 60, 64, 68, 72
alignments.....56
corridors.....72
feature-specific.....39
general.....21
grading.....48
learning.....19
overview of.....21
parcels.....52
pipe networks.....68
points.....40
Index|93
profiles.....60
sections.....64
styles.....32
surfaces.....44
constraints, for alignments.....56
content samples.....18
copying styles to another drawing.....34
corridors.....72, 74
concepts for.....72
criteria, grading.....48
cross sections.....64
curves.....56, 60, 63
editing (exercise).....63
in alignment.....56
in profiles.....60
D
data bands.....60, 64
for profiles.....60
for section views.....64
database, points.....40
defaults.....28, 30, 58
for drawing settings.....28
for layers.....58
standard style.....30
definition list, for surfaces.....44
definitions of terms.....77
dependencies between objects.....23
deployment, network.....3
description keys.....40
design standards.....24
dialog boxes.....12, 30, 32, 36, 40, 43, 46
Create Points.....40
Label Style Composer .....32
Layer Properties Manager.....36
Layout Tools.....12
Properties.....43
Style Editor.....30, 36
Style Editor (exercise).....46
differential surfaces.....44
display management.....34, 36
and layers.....36
and styles.....34
Display tab, using (exercise).....47
94|Index
documentation.....19
list of.....19
drafters, and Autodesk Civil 3D.....3
drag-and-drop styles.....34
drainage analysis, surface.....44
drawing settings.....28, 58
drawings.....24, 28, 3940
and point groups.....40
creation, consistency in.....24
for exercises.....39
presentation, consistency of.....24
settings for.....28
dws files.....24
dwt files.....24, 30
dynamic updates.....22
E
editing.....12, 1415, 31, 42, 50, 56, 60,
70, 74
alignments.....56
consistency of methods.....12
corridors.....74
grading.....50
of styles.....31
profiles.....60
properties (exercise).....42
properties of objects.....15
using grips.....14
with item view.....12
with Panorama window.....14
elevation analysis, illustration of.....44
engineering technicians, and Autodesk
Civil 3D.....3
exercises.....19, 39, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62,
66, 70, 74
alignments.....58
corridors.....74
files for.....39
grading.....50
parcels.....54
points.....42
profiles.....62
purpose of.....19
sections.....66
surfaces.....46
expanding folders.....8
F
face, grading.....48
feature line, grading.....48
features.....10, 19, 28, 39
concepts for.....39
learning about.....19
menus for.....10
settings for.....28
folders.....8, 26
and project management.....26
in Toolspace.....8
G
Getting Started Guide.....1819
description of.....19
sample data location.....18
glossary, using.....21
grading.....48, 50
concepts for.....48
criteria.....48
volume tools.....48
grading group.....48
graph.....64
graphical view of objects.....12
grid surfaces.....44
grip editing.....14, 56, 60, 62
of alignment (exercise).....62
of alignments.....56
profiles.....60
H
hatch pattern, for parcels.....52
Help system.....20
Ask Me tab.....20
introduction to .....20
search for words.....20
hierarchy.....8, 52
of objects.....8
of site and parcels.....52
horizontal alignments.....56
HTML Help.....20
I
icons.....4, 42, 46
for objects.....4
for point groups.....42
for styles.....46
importing.....17, 40
Autodesk Land Desktop data.....17
LandXML.....17
points.....40
installation.....2, 18
of sample data.....18
overview.....2
intelligent objects.....34
interface.....4, 7
ease of use emphasis.....4
overview.....7
item view.....12, 42, 47
as editing method.....12
displaying (exercise).....42
Style column.....47
L
label sets.....32, 64
for sections.....64
Label Style Composer.....6
labels.....6, 24, 32, 40, 52, 64
angle of.....32
appearance of.....32
components of.....32
customizing.....32
for parcel area and segments.....52
for points.....40
for sections.....64
Index|95
label styles.....32
location of.....32
plan readability.....32
preview window.....6
rotating.....32
styles and standards.....24
LandXML, importing.....17
Layer Properties Manager.....36, 62
using (exercise).....62
layers.....36, 40, 58
and styles.....36
for imported points.....40
properties of.....36
specifying (exercise).....58
layout profile.....61
layout tools, dialog boxes for.....12
layout tools, parcel.....52
learning Autodesk Civil 3D.....19
lines, projection.....48
list view of objects.....12
LiveView exercises.....39, 42, 46, 50, 54,
58, 62, 66, 70, 74
alignments.....58
corridors.....74
grading.....50
parcels.....54
points.....42
profiles.....62
sections.....66
surfaces.....46
local copies, of project files.....26
location, of labels.....32
lot lines, for grading.....48
M
masks, surface.....44
Master View of projects .....26
Media Browser.....2
menus.....1011
comparison between.....10
consistency of.....10
shortcut.....11
merging parcels.....52
96|Index
migrating from Autodesk Land Desktop...

17
N
navigation, of objects.....8
network.....3, 26
and project files.....26
installation on a.....3
O
object model.....4, 2223
concept of.....22
example of.....4
illustration of.....23
Object Viewer.....50, 72
object-oriented.....4, 8, 34
definition of.....4
intelligent objects.....34
view of projects.....8
objects...45, 812, 1415, 22, 30, 32, 34,
36
and Settings tab.....9
and Toolspace.....8
dependencies.....22
display of.....36
display of, using styles.....34
editing methods.....12
grip editing.....14
hierarchy.....8
item view of.....12
labeling of.....32
layout tools.....12
list of, with icons.....4
properties of.....15
relationships between.....4
right-clicking.....11
styles for.....30
styles, introduction to.....5
updated.....22
workflow for.....10
official copies, of project files.....26
overrides.....28, 36, 40
display properties.....36
explanation of.....28
for point groups.....40

for settings.....28
P
Panorama window, editing with.....14
parabolic curves.....60
parcels.....52, 54
concepts for.....52
styles for.....52
phases of a project.....34
phrase, finding in Help.....20
pipe networks.....68, 70
concepts for.....68
design rules.....68
LiveView exercises.....70
structures.....68
PIs, alignment.....56
plan readability, for labels.....32
plotting sections.....64
point groups.....40, 42
concepts.....40
icons for.....42
point-label styles.....41
points.....40, 42
concepts for.....40
styles for.....40
polylines.....48, 52, 56
convert to alignments.....56
convert to feature lines.....48
convert to parcels.....52
preview, for labels.....6
profile views, description of.....60
profiles.....60, 62
and alignments.....60
automatic update.....62
concepts for.....60
types of.....60
project database, for points.....40
projection lines, grading.....48
projection method, grading.....48
projects.....8, 17, 26, 34
Autodesk Land Desktop.....17
in Toolspace.....8
management of.....26
phases of.....34
properties.....1516, 36, 42, 47
AutoCAD.....16
changing styles.....47
of layers.....36
Prospector tab.....8, 1112, 15, 26
and project management.....26
item view.....12
Master View.....26
properties of objects.....15
shortcut menus.....11
PVIs, profile.....60
R
raw description.....40, 43
viewing (exercise).....43
rebuilding surfaces.....44
relationships between objects.....4, 22
and object model.....22
revisions, of design data.....22
right-click menu content.....11
rotating labels.....32
S
sample data.....1, 18, 39
for exercises.....39
for Getting Started Guide.....18
for tutorials.....18
overview.....1
provided on the CD.....18
styles and settings.....18
sample lines.....64
search engine, in Help system.....20
searching.....20
for a word or phrase.....20
section view.....64
sections.....64, 66
concepts for.....64
Index|97
plotting.....64
segments, parcel.....52
server.....26, 40
and points database.....40
for project files.....26
settings.....28, 36
display properties.....36
levels of.....28
overriding.....28
Settings tab.....9, 11, 28, 30, 32, 46
and drawing settings.....28
and label styles.....32
and styles.....30
expanding styles (exercise).....46
shared access.....26, 40
to points database.....40
to project files.....26
sites.....8, 52
and parcels.....52
smoothing, surface.....44
spirals, in alignments.....56
Standard style.....30
standards.....24, 34
and styles.....34
compliance with.....24
file for.....24
static profiles.....60
station equations, alignment.....56
Style Editor.....36
styles.....56, 9, 18, 24, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40,
44, 46, 48, 52, 64
and display management.....34
and layers.....36
and Settings tab.....9
and standards.....24
copying to another drawing.....34
creating (exercise).....46
editing method.....5
examples, different.....24
for grading.....48
for labels.....6, 32
for objects.....30
98|Index
for parcels.....52
for points.....40
for sample lines.....64
for surfaces.....44
for tables.....32
sample data for.....18
standard, or default.....30
table.....5
types of.....5
subassemblies.....72
subdivisions, designing.....52
support, technical.....2
surface profile.....61
surfaces.....44, 46, 48, 60
analysis of.....44
and profiles.....60
concepts for.....44
created from grading.....48
drainage analysis.....44
styles for.....44
types of.....44
symbol, point.....40
T
table, item view.....13
tables, styles for.....5, 32
tangents, for profiles.....60
target, grading.....48
technical support.....2
templates.....18, 24, 30
and standards.....24
and styles.....30
provided on the CD.....18
terms, definitions.....77
TIN surfaces.....44
Toolspace.....89, 13
item view.....13
Prospector tab.....8
Settings tab.....9
topology, site.....8, 52
triangulation, surface.....44
tutorials.....1819
description of.....19
sample data location.....18
U
update.....22, 32, 48, 52, 64
of labels.....32
of objects.....22
of parcels.....52
of sections.....64
of surfaces.....48
upside-down labels.....32
usability highlights.....4
volume surfaces.....44
volume tools, grading.....48
W
watershed analysis.....44
workflow.....10, 22, 24
creating and editing.....10
engineering.....24
of design team.....22
World Coordinate System, and labels.....
32
Z
zooming (exercise).....42
vertical alignments.....60
Index|99
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Autodesk Civil 3D 2006

Copyright 2005 Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk Canada Inc. Trademarks

Third Party Trademarks

Third Party Software Program Credits

Grading: LiveView Exercise ................................................................... 50

Autodesk Civil 3D 2006 is an easy-to-use design and

Media Browser and Installation

Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D

engineering tasks. The Autodesk Civil 3D Getting Started

User Interface Overview

Guide introduces the program and provides some initial

Migrating Data From Autodesk

drafting program that supports a wide range of civil

the product CD. This first chapter contains brief

descriptions of the most significant features and provides

Sample Data Provided with the

a quick tour of the user interface.

Media Browser and Installation

Installing on a Single Computer

Media Browser showing installation page

Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D

Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D|3

Object Management System

Autodesk Civil 3D objects and their icons

Standard Controls for Styles and Labels

Each type of object has a

Each type of label also

Style collection folders on the Settings tab of the Toolspace window

Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D|5

Label Style Composer dialog box showing a point label style

User Interface Overview

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

Tabbed property editors. For easy modification of individual objects.

User Interface Overview|7

Toolspace for Object Management

The Prospector Tab

Objects are managed

The Prospector tab in Toolspace

The Settings Tab

Each type of object can

Predefined label styles

The Settings tab in Toolspace

User Interface Overview|9

Comparison of the Points, Parcels, and Alignments menus

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

User Interface Overview|11

Layout tools for Grading and Alignments

Consistent Editing Methods

Click a table cell to

Item view showing a set of points

User Interface Overview|13

Editing an alignment by dragging the grip in the center of a curve

Double-click a table cell

Panorama window showing an alignment

User Interface Overview|15

AutoCAD Properties Editor

Editing AutoCAD properties for an alignment

Migrating Data From Autodesk Land Desktop

Select the data you want

Importing surfaces from an Autodesk Land Desktop project

Some content is not imported, such as prototype data, drawing-specific settings,

Migrating Data From Autodesk Land Desktop|17