ekistics plan and design

Civil 3D Training
Work-shops

Day One

Styles

Styles determine how objects are going to Look or Textual information is displayed within Labels.

Properties

Properties of items can be changed on the fly or controlled rigidly through Styles.

Templates

Templates are the means to control Styles and Properties for everything inside the software.
Companies general have a variety of templates that they use. These can be client, discipline or visual presentation specific.
In addition Civil 3D does not work well at switching units of measure so historically a metric and imperial version of each template is created.
Template management is another important aspect.

Day Two

Surfaces, Alignments, Profiles and Corridors

Surfaces, Alignments, Profiles and Corridor concepts

Feature Lines and Grading Tools and Assemblies

Drainage Flow Path Analysis and Catchments, Pipe Networks, Section Views, Cut and Fill Analysis
Day One
Styles
Properties
Templates
Useful Information
Important: Some of the folders noted in this list are subfolders within the AutoCAD installation folder (C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2018).
This is due to the way that AutoCAD-based applications like AutoCAD Civil 3D are now installed.

Assemblies folder - C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2018\enu\Assemblies\

Note: The ProgramData folder may not be displayed by default on your computer. To view this folder, select the option to Show Hidden Files,
Folders, and Drives on the View tab of the Folder Options dialog box in Windows Explorer.

Autodesk Documents folder - C:\Users\[user name]\My Documents\Autodesk

Civil 3D Projects folder - C:\Civil 3D Projects

Civil 3D Project Templates folder - C:\Civil 3D Project Templates

Data folder - C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2018\enu\Data\

Local Template folder - C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Autodesk\C3D 2018\enu\Template\

tutorial folder - C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2018\C3D\Help\Civil Tutorials

tutorial drawings folder - C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2018\C3D\Help\Civil Tutorials\Drawings

My Civil Tutorial Data folder - C:\Users\[user name]\My Documents\Autodesk

If this folder does not already exist, create it at the following location to save the tutorial drawings as you work on them:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-civil-3d/getting-started?sort=score
But First

Before we jump into the “bones” of Civil 3D, we have to understand drawing settings and templates. Also that
there is an Imperial and Metric version of Civil 3D and why that is.

The drawing settings define the environment in which Civil 3D runs. Here we establish Units, Scales, Coordinate
Zones, Object Layers, Abbreviations and Ambient Settings.. Some of these settings are guided by the Drawing
Templates and others are defined for each drawing, for example Units and Zones.

Lets explore how these setting effect the

drawing environment.

Lets also look at the Prospector, Settings,

Survey and Toolbox tabs…
Styles
Styles

The style of an object determines how that object will look. Styles generally behave the same, with some exceptions.

There are OBJECT styles, such as Points and Surfaces and LABEL Styles such as .. Points and Surfaces.. This usually
where the confusion sets in.

Again, consider that OBJECT Styles define how an Object will look or behave and LABEL Styles will define how textural
information will look and behave for an OBJECT Style…

We will compare some basic styles with more complicated styles within a single drawing
and also compare a drawing template (.dwt) with a sample drawing. This exercise will
help illustrate how some of the basic styles compare to a drawing that has undergone
style additions and revisions. When starting out with AutoCAD Civil 3D, focus on the
layout and use of the Toolspace Settings and Prospector tabs as they are critical
components for style creation, control, and identification.
Style Suggestions

While learning to use AutoCAD Civil 3D styles, consider the following:

•Start out with as few styles as possible until you become more comfortable with the product.
•Track your new styles so that you can keep them straight until you can remember the visible indications for each one.
•Take time to explore the wide range of style components and options. You may discover useful aspects of the tools that
are not readily apparent.
•Only create new styles as you need them. Remember that styles should serve your designs, and are tools to help
improve your drawings and facilitate the process. They should not make your job more difficult. Once you become
accustomed to their use and how they are created, copied, and edited, the application of styles will greatly enhance your
drawings and make your job easier.
Good Practices

Prevent Scaling
If you are using a 3D drawing, insert your 3D survey drawing into this file. You must ensure that the units of measure are not accidentally scaled to another
unit. For example, if your drawing uses imperial units, it may accidentally be scaled to metric. To prevent scaling, set the INSUNITS value to 0.

Use References to Reduce Drawing Size

Create a surface directly from the point file rather than importing the points as COGO points. This practice avoids the use of system memory to keep the point
data labels up to date. Rather than starting a design in the same drawing as the surface, create a data shortcut to the surface. This practice will dramatically
reduce the active drawing size.

Apply Meaningful Names to Objects

Adopt a naming convention that applies useful names to differentiate objects. Because multiple people in your company may work with your drawings, it is
important to use consistent and meaningful names.
Use Minimal Object Styles

For most efficient processing, use styles that have very little
or no displayed elements. Minimal display styles draw
faster, and are especially relevant for large objects, such as
surfaces, point groups, and corridors.
Minimal display styles are useful in conceptual designs, the
early stages of a project, and whenever you want to
suppress the display of a surface or other large object. They
can also apply to other objects, subject to the nature of
your drawings. Minimal styles for objects, such as surfaces
and corridors, should be configured in both 2D and 3D
display modes for efficient use.
When designing corridors, you can create more efficient
subassemblies by ensuring that the shape style for each
one is defined with no fill, or at least with a solid fill rather
than hatch patterns.
Turn Off Labels

As with object styles, you can design separate label styles for use at different
project stages, and for different audiences. For example, an empty “No Label”
style is useful, especially for alignments, profile views, and other objects with
label sets. You can switch off all labels for an object by applying this style. You can
turn off labels to reduce clutter and drawing time for some design phases.
To turn off all labels for a feature:
Right-click the feature node on the Toolspace Settings tab.
Click Edit Label Style Defaults.
In the Edit Label Style Defaults dialog box, set label visibility to false

If you want to create a label design that has just the essential data and can be
drawn quickly, simplify all text and graphic elements, including the use of
rotation, borders, and plan readability. Another useful tactic is to leave a style in
place, but temporarily edit the style with the Label Style Composer to turn off the
label visibility
Use of Layers to Manage Display

For faster processing, freeze or turn off the drawing

layers that contain objects. By default, design objects
and their labels are divided across multiple layers. For
example, as shown in figure 5, alignments, profiles,
and other road design objects are spread across many
layers, all beginning with C-ROAD. If you consolidate
the road design objects on fewer layers, it is easier to
turn them on or off.
Civil 3D 2017… check for 2015..

The Sample_ styles.dwg, provided with AutoCAD Civil 3D, can

be used to preview Standard AutoCAD Civil 3D styles and note
the differences between them. This drawing demonstrates how
styles can be managed and the various ways in which styles can
be transferred to other drawings. Review Sample_ styles.dwg
and see which styles you might want to change at the outset.
Sample_styles.dwg is available in the Civil Best Practices Guide
folder in the AutoCAD Civil 3D installation, for example,
C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2017\C3D\Help\Civil Best Practices
Guide.
Every object has default styles and settings that you should become familiar with, and learn to configure for best
results in your projects. However, it is not practical to try and master these for all objects as you learn to design with
AutoCAD Civil 3D. Instead, become familiar with the default styles for objects and labels in your template and over
time modify them to suit your needs.

Create Styles for Project Stages

Create a default style for initial object creation, then others for different stages of the design process, for different
users, for different types of analysis, and for final presentation purposes. For many objects, the default styles may be
adequate and you will require minimal changes as your requirements evolve.

As with object styles, create different label styles for different stages and purposes in the project lifecycle. During the
design phase, use simple, fast-drawing labels for most objects to display only the essential data that supports the
design process.

Best practices for the use of styles involve making additional styles available for composite drawings, turning layers
off in some contexts to hide labels, and perhaps having multiple label styles on different layers.
There are various ways to duplicate or copy styles between
drawings and templates. This practice saves the time it would
take to re-create styles.

Copy Style in Master View

You can use drag and drop to transfer styles from one open
drawing or template to another.
To copy a style
1.Open the Sample_styles.dwg and another drawing. On the
Toolspace Settings tab, select Master View.
2.Click and drag a style from one of the drawings and drop it on
top of the other drawing name. In the example shown in figure
9, the Grading Standard style was selected from the
Sample_styles.dwg, and dragged and dropped onto the
Breaklines.dwg name.
3.If the targeted drawing contains a style with the same name,
the Duplicate Item Name dialog box enables you to either
overwrite, rename, or cancel (skip) copying the item. You can
also apply your choice (Overwrite, Rename, or Skip) to all
future name conflicts during this work session. If the copied
style transfers successfully, it appears when you expand the
drawing’s style collection. No dialog box or prompt is displayed.
From any drawing, you can delete layers that contain objects.
When you create a standard template file, it is a good practice
to delete the layers that you do not intend to use.
To delete unwanted layers from a drawing or template file
1.At the command line, enter LayDel.
2.Select the drawing objects on the layers that you want to
delete, or use the Name option to select the layers from the
Delete Layers dialog box as shown in figure 10.
3.Press the Shift or Ctrl key to select multiple layers from the
list.

Note: When deleting layers from a template (DWT) file, verify

that required/active styles or settings do not reference the
layers.
If you create a new style and want to use it as a default,
you can change the command settings to use this style as
the default when creating new objects. You should also
adhere to this practice when creating label styles. There
are several ways to do this.
To set a style as the default style
1.On the Toolspace Settings tab, right-click the drawing
name. Click Edit Drawing Settings.
2.Click the Ambient Settings tab, and expand the General
property. Set the Save Command Changes To Settings
property to Yes as shown in figure 11.

OR
1.On the Toolspace Settings tab, right-click any object collection. Click Edit Feature Settings.
2.Click the Ambient Settings tab, and expand the General property. Set the Save Command
Changes To Settings property to Yes.
OR
1.On the Toolspace Settings tab, right-click a specific command item in an objects Commands
collection. Click Edit Command Settings.
2.Click the Ambient Settings tab, and expand the General property. Set the Save Command
Changes To Settings property to Yes.
 For conceptual drawings/landscape plans, you can adjust the visual style to resemble a rough sketch.

This render style is scale dependent, so you may have to set an appropriate zoom level before you start the adjustment.
Note: These styles are similar to the NAPKIN command options that create sketch effects, but these adjustments do not add
additional entities to the drawing, they just display the styles differently.
Transparent Surface Style
Another possible use of visual styles is to display a surface as transparent. You can create a new visual style and set the
global Opacity to a small number, or you can assign different kinds of glass render materials to the different surfaces and
then render the drawing.
Properties
AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties can be modified using the
AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties dialog boxes, the Properties
palette, and the Quick Properties palette.
AutoCAD Civil 3D Object Properties
Each AutoCAD Civil 3D object has its own dialog box which
contains most properties relevant to that object.
Use these dialog boxes as the primary interface for adjusting
AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties. For example, use the
Alignment Properties dialog box to adjust properties for a
selected alignment object in a drawing.
To access comprehensive AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties
•Select an AutoCAD Civil 3D object and click <Object Name>
Properties on the Modify panel of the contextual ribbon tab.
OR
•Right-click an AutoCAD Civil 3D object and click <Object
Name> Properties in the context menu.
Properties Palette
The Properties palette can be used as an alternate method of
editing AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties. By exposing these
properties in the Properties palette, they are also available to
be used with the QSELECT command. For more information,
see the AutoCAD Help.
To access AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties in the Properties
palette
•Select an AutoCAD Civil 3D object and click Properties on the
General Tools panel of the contextual ribbon tab. OR
•Right-click an AutoCAD Civil 3D object and click Properties in
the context menu.
Quick Properties Palette
For each civil object, the name, description, style, and layer are
available for editing in the Quick Properties palette. You can
easily customize the quick properties for any object in the
Customize User Interface (CUI) editor. For more information,
the AutoCAD Help.
To access AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties in the Quick
Properties palette
1.Enable the Quick Properties mode by entering QPMODE at
the command line and entering 1.
2.Select an AutoCAD Civil 3D object in the drawing.
3.In the Quick Properties palette, edit the desired properties.
Matching Object Properties
The Match Properties command can be used with AutoCAD
Civil 3D objects. When you use the Match Properties command
between civil objects, the style and object display properties of
the selected source object are applied to the selected
destination objects.
Templates
Templates

Templates simply help to setup the environment so that you don’t have to edit the settings every time you want to work
on something. They can be Metric Templates, Imperial Templates, Client Templates, Visualization Templates, etc.… They
are the most powerful component of Civil 3D. They can be both a savior and a nightmare. Template creation and
management have cost firms incredible amounts of lost revenue. But, they are actually so easy that it is amazing how
they have caused so many issues. And with each release they get easier to use.

You can configure the drawing templates used to standardize

your project drawings in several ways to support large data
sets. In particular, you need a range of object and label styles
for different project phases and drawing types.
The following templates, supplied with AutoCAD Civil 3D,
include styles with minimal displayed elements:
•_AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt
•_AutoCAD Civil 3D (Metric) NCS.dwt
For example, see the surface styles “_No Display” and “Border
Only,” and the profile view style “First View.” These are useful
as is, and also used as a basis for developing minimal styles for
other objects.
Make sure to use the correct template when designing your drawing. When you select Application Menu New to
access the Select Template dialog box, a large number of templates are available. The template, acad.dwt, is a
default AutoCAD drawing template. Rather than using this template (acad.dwt) to create your drawings, use
customized AutoCAD Civil 3D templates.

Specify a template to use with the QNEW Command

When you start AutoCAD Civil 3D using the imperial
profile, the default template for a new drawing is
_AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt. When you start
AutoCAD Civil 3D using the metric profile, the default
template for a new drawing is _AutoCAD Civil 3D
(Metric) NCS.dwt. The default template is applied
when you start AutoCAD Civil 3D or create a new
drawing (QNEW command). You can specify a different
default template that better suits your needs.
To change the default template
Enter Options at the command line.
In the Options dialog box, on the Files tab, expand
Template Settings.
Change the value for Default Template File Name for
QNEW to the template that you want to use.
NCS Templates
If your company uses the United States National CAD Standard® (NCS), then you need to use a template that is set up
with NCS standards.
For metric data sets, use the AutoCAD Civil 3D (Metric) NCS template.
For imperial data sets, use the AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS template.

You can configure the drawing templates used to standardize your project drawings in several ways to support large
data sets. In particular, you need a range of object and label styles for different project phases and drawing types.
The following templates, supplied with AutoCAD Civil 3D, include styles with minimal displayed elements:
_AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt
_AutoCAD Civil 3D (Metric) NCS.dwt
For example, see the surface styles “_No Display” and “Border Only,” and the profile view style “First View.” These are
useful as is, and also used as a basis for developing minimal styles for other objects.
Types of Object and Label Styles we can play with…

Point Styles

Contour Styles

Alignment Styles

Profile Styles

Corridor Styles

Section Styles

And many more…

Day Two
Surfaces
Alignments
Profiles
Corridor
Surfaces
About Creating a TIN Surface
A TIN surface comprises the triangles that form a triangulated irregular network.
TIN lines form the triangles that make up the surface triangulation. To create TIN lines, AutoCAD Civil 3D connects the surface points that are closest together.
The elevation of any point in the surface is defined by interpolating the elevations of the vertices of the triangles that the point lies in.
TIN surfaces are most useful for:
•Mapping highly variable surfaces with irregularly distributed sample data representing the influence of streams, roads, and lakes.
•Examining localized areas (large-scale maps)
TIN surfaces generally take longer to build and require more disk space than grid surfaces.
When AutoCAD Civil 3D creates a TIN surface from point data, it computes the Delaunay triangulation of the points. With Delaunay triangulation, no point lies
inside the circle determined by the vertices of any triangle.
Breakline data (from breaklines, contours, or boundaries) influences how the surface is triangulated. A breakline edge between the points causes the program
to connect these points with a triangle edge in the TIN, even if doing so violates the Delaunay property.
Lets create a simple TIN Surface by using points.

Firstly we need a point file, usually provide by a land surveyor, or a client.

Next we need to understand the format of the file. I does not matter if it is a *.txt or a *.csv file. The important
thing is how the columns are arranged. Usually it is P for Point Number, N for Northing, E for Easting, Z for Elevation
and D for Description, known as PNEZD. But it can also be PENZ or PENZD etc.

Also, Civil 3D only likes true point data. Sometimes a point file will contain additional information. For example a
Surveyor may have something like “NSCM 1234” as a point number, Civil 3D cannot read this. To fix it, edit the point
file with Excel or a Text editor and give the erroneous number a true number.

Also Civil 3D does not like to have points with the same number, so use an unused number in the edits.

Likewise, when adding additional points to a drawing new added points will have to be renumbered when placing.
This can create some problems, especially when communicating back to the surveyor. Good management of data is
important. When working with a Surveyor, let them know you are using Civil 3D and to only use true numbers for
points and to not use the same point number on a project.
Points are basic building blocks in AutoCAD Civil 3D. You can use points in land development projects to identify
existing ground locations and design elements.
Points are numbered and named uniquely. Each point has properties that can include information such as northing,
easting, elevation, and description. A point that is displayed in a drawing can have additional properties that
control its appearance, such as a point style, a point label style, and a layer.
A point can be included in an AutoCAD Civil 3D project so that it can be accessed by multiple users, or it can exist
outside a project in a single drawing. For more information about the differences between project and drawing
points, see About Managing Points.
The points created by AutoCAD Civil 3D are called Coordinate Geometry (COGO) points, which are very different
from AutoCAD point nodes. AutoCAD point nodes have only coordinate data (XYZ values) associated with them.
However, COGO points, in addition to coordinate data, have a variety of properties associated with them, including
point number, point name, raw (field) description, and full (expanded) description. Unlike AutoCAD point nodes,
which exist in a single drawing, COGO points can be stored in a project outside a drawing and referenced by
multiple users. In AutoCAD Civil 3D, the term point refers to a COGO point, not to an AutoCAD point node.
Editing Points
Use the Point Editor to edit point properties. You can also use
AutoCAD commands to edit points graphically.
Creating Points
Choose from many point creation commands to create points.
You can also create points by importing point data from a file.
When you create or import points, you can use description keys
to automatically control the appearance of a point in the
drawing based on its raw (field) description.
Managing and Organizing Points
You can group related points into point groups using a variety
of criteria. You can use point groups to control the appearance
of points in a drawing, to create surfaces, or to export selected
points to a file.
Use a project to manage and protect the points needed for a
design project. When you use a project as a central repository
for your project points, the points can be viewed and copied by
others, but not necessarily modified.
Point Groups

When adding Points to a drawing, we can assign them to point groups. This is very useful.

For example, the first survey on a project will likely be Topo data of Existing Ground. I like to have these points in a EG
Point Group. Some points may also have zero elevation, such as lot corners, place these in a separate point group.
Further, some points may contain weird elevations that could effect a surface such as tops of hydrants, underside of
eaves on a building, etc.

You can use named collections of points, called point groups, to

organize points and to control their appearance in a drawing.
A point group has the following characteristics:
•It has persistent properties you can easily review or change.
•A points list displays the points included in a point group. The
point list can be updated automatically. This might be
necessary when you change the point group’s properties,
create new points that match the point group’s properties, or
erase or modify points that match the point group’s properties.
•A point group can be locked to prevent changes within a
drawing.
Reasons to Use Point Groups
Point groups provide a flexible and convenient way to identify
points that share common characteristics or that are used to
perform a task, such as creating a surface. You can use point
groups to create groupings of points using point number, point
name, point elevation, raw (field) or full description, and other
characteristics.
Point groups also play a fundamental role in controlling how a
point displays in a drawing. If you have a set of points that
share common display characteristics, you can use a point
group to identify the point style and point label style for all the
points in the point group, instead of assigning a point style and
a point label style to each individual point. Also, using a point
group you can quickly change the style or label style for all the
points in a point group at once, instead of changing each point
individually.
The point group display order, the point group default styles,
and the point group override styles can all affect how a point is
drawn.
Point Group Properties
A point group is defined by properties which describe the
criteria that a point must match to belong to a point group,
such as its point number, its name, its raw or full description, or
its elevation. Points that match the specified criteria are added
to the point group’s point list.
You can create a point group either before or after you create
the points that belong to it. The point list is maintained
dynamically, which means you are notified whenever a change
occurs that could affect the point list.
Note: A point can belong to more than one point group.
The _All Points Point Group
The _All Points point group is created automatically when you
create a drawing. It is listed on the Prospector tab under the
Point Groups collection, with the other drawing point groups.
When you create a drawing point, it is added to the _All Points
point group point list. When you delete a drawing point, it is
removed from the _All Points point group point list. A point can
belong to other point groups in the drawing, but it is always a
member of the _All Points point group.
The _All Points point group serves the following purposes:
•It provides a default display for points that are created without
a point style or point label style and do not belong to any other
point group. The appearance of a point in the drawing can be
controlled both by the point groups it belongs to and the order
in which the point groups are displayed.
•It provides a complete list of all the points in a drawing.
Because the _All Points point group point list is automatically
managed, you cannot change the point group properties using
the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, Exclude, and
Query Builder tabs in the Point Group Properties dialog box.
You can, however, change properties, such as styles and
overrides using the Information tab and the Overrides tab.
Alignments
You create alignments as a combination of lines, curves, and spirals that are viewed as one object.
Alignment objects can represent road centerlines, pipe networks, and other construction baselines. Creating and
defining a horizontal alignment is one of the first steps in roadway, railroad, or site design. You can draw the
alignment geometry as a polyline, and then create the named alignment from that geometry. For greater control, you
can create an alignment object using the Alignment Layout Tools. You can also make edits to alignments using grips,
or the commands on the Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, while automatically maintaining tangency between the
alignment components.

Alignments can be stand-alone objects or the parent object of profiles, sections, and corridors. If you edit an
alignment, the changes are automatically reflected in any related objects.
When creating an alignment, assign it a type of centerline, offset, curb return, rail, or miscellaneous. You can use
these alignment types to categorize your data based on alignment function. Select the centerline type for a road
centerline, the rail type for a railway, or the miscellaneous type for other uses, such as a utility conduit. These types
are independent objects.

Offset alignments and curb return alignments can also be independent, but are often dynamically linked to other
alignments. Both offset alignments and curb returns can be created automatically as components of an intersection.
Offsets can also be used in widenings.
After an alignment has been created, you can calculate how the corridor behaves around curves. You can calculate
superelevation along centerline, offset, and curb return alignments, or you can calculate cant along rail alignments.
Alignments are listed in either the Alignments collection or a Site collection in the Prospector tab. From these
collections, you can change alignment properties, generate reports, and export LandXML.

If an alignment exists in a site, its geometry interacts with that of other objects in the site, such as parcels and feature
lines. For example, an alignment subdivides any parcels it intersects within the site. Any lot lines or feature lines that
cross an alignment assume the same elevation at the intersection point. The elevation is set by whichever object is last
edited. To prevent an alignment from interacting with other objects in a site, set the site property to <None> or move
the alignment to a separate site.

Note: There is no limit to the number of alignments a user may define in an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing.
Control the visual appearance of alignment components and labels through styles. You can create specific styles to use
in the various phases of a project. When you create an alignment, you specify a style for the alignment object and styles
for the alignment labels. In the Alignment Labels dialog box, you can create groups of styles for alignment labels, and
then save those labels as a label set to use with other alignments.

Use station equations to change station-distance references at any point without physically changing the geometry of
the alignment.
Use the Alignment collection in the Prospector tree to access the alignments
in a drawing.

As alignment objects are created, they are displayed as named alignments,

organized by type, in one of two collections:

The top-level Alignments collection.

When alignments are in the top-level Alignments collection, they do not
interact with parcels contained in Site collections.

A project Site collection.

An alignment object can exist in only one Site. When an alignment is in a Site
collection, its geometry interacts with that of other objects in the site, such as
parcels and feature lines.

Right-click an individual alignment in the Alignment collection to:

•View and edit the alignment properties
•Move or copy an alignment to either another Site or the top-level Alignments collection
•Zoom or pan to the alignment
•Export the alignment to LandXML
Expand an individual alignment name to display superelevation views, cant views, profiles,
profile views, and sample line groups that are associated with the alignment.
Manage alignment settings, alignment styles, alignment label styles, alignment table styles, and alignment command
settings in Toolspace, on the Settings tab.

Right-click the Alignment collection to:

•Edit the alignment feature settings.
•Edit the default alignment label styles.
•Refresh the display of the settings tree.

Expand the Alignment collection to display and edit the alignment styles, label and table styles, and command settings.

You can use alignment settings to specify the default behavior for alignment commands.

Settings are handled in a standard way throughout AutoCAD Civil 3D. You access settings using the Settings tree. Control
settings at three levels: the drawing level, the object collection (feature) level, and the command level.

Use the Settings tree Alignment collection context menu to establish defaults for all alignment commands. You can change
alignment-specific settings at this level, such as Station Indexing and also override the drawing ambient settings.
Use the Commands collection under the Alignment collection to change alignment settings for a specific command. You
can change alignment-specific settings at this level, or override the drawing ambient settings. Expand the Alignment
Commands collection, on the Settings tab, to display a list of commands for an alignment. Right-click a command name
and click Edit Command Settings to open the Edit Command Settings dialog box for the command. Change the settings as
needed.
Profiles
The main purpose of a profile is to show surface elevations along a horizontal alignment.
Use profiles to visualize the terrain along a route of interest or across a particular region. There are several types of
profiles: surface profiles, layout profiles, superimposed profiles, quick profiles, and corridor profiles.
•A surface profile—often called an existing ground (EG) profile—is extracted from a surface, showing the changes in
elevation along a particular route.
•A layout profile, by contrast, is a designed object that shows the proposed elevation changes to be constructed. The
layout profile—often called a design profile or finished grade (FG) profile—is typically used for a roadway or other
graded site. For a road, the layout profile can include slopes and curves that are designed for safe driving at a
particular speed.
•A superimposed profile is a profile of an alignment superimposed onto profile views of different alignments. These
profiles are always dynamic and update when changes are made in the originating profile/alignment.
•A quick profile is a temporary object that shows the elevations along any existing line or series of selected points.
•A corridor profile is created from a corridor feature line, such as an edge of pavement. This profile is displayed on the
profile view of the baseline alignment from which it is derived.
An offset profile is another type of profile commonly used in road design. While the road centerline
provides the main horizontal alignment, various lines offset from the centerline mark other linear
features, such as edges of pavement, ditches, and sidewalks. Profiles along these offsets can be
analyzed in relation to each other and to the centerline profile for a more complete view of the surface
along a corridor. Offset profiles are created and managed independently from any offset alignments
that may exist, though both can be used together in the design process.
When you create a surface profile, you specify whether it is dynamic or static. A dynamic profile
automatically changes if the surface elevation changes. Such changes can occur if you move the
horizontal alignment or edit the surface. A static profile represents the terrain at the time it is created,
and does not respond to changes in the surface.
Profiles are displayed as graphed lines in a grid known as a profile view. Typically, you create a profile
view to display surface profiles. Then, you draw layout profiles on the same grid to show elevation
differences between the two surfaces. Profiles can be created and saved in a drawing, and displayed
later when a profile view is created.
You can use a quick profile to view surface elevations along an object or through a selection of points.
This quick profile is for temporary use and is not saved in the drawing.
Profile Object Relationships
A profile object is the child of a horizontal alignment. The
horizontal alignment must exist to define the route of a profile
across the terrain. If you edit a horizontal alignment after
creating dynamic surface profiles along its length, the profiles
automatically change.
A profile view object is also dependent on a horizontal
alignment. The length of the alignment can control the
horizontal extents of the profile view grid, and the alignment
stationing controls the annotation of horizontal axes. The
vertical extents of the profile view have an optional
relationship with one of the profiles in the profile view. You can
set the vertical extents to a fixed value, but normally they are
dynamically linked to one of the profiles. The dynamic link
ensures that the profile view always has several grid lines
above and below the profiles.
A profile view can contain projected objects such as points,
feature lines, or AutoCAD blocks. These objects exist in plan
view and are projected into a profile view so that you can
visualize them in relation to a profile.
You typically use a profile view to display several profiles along
a proposed route for a road, pipe, fence, or a similar structure.
Use profile views to compare elevations of several surfaces or
design profiles along the alignment.
Within a profile view, you can superimpose the profile of
another alignment. For example, in the profile view for a road,
you can superimpose the profile of a culvert that occupies the
same corridor. By superimposing a profile, you can analyze
culvert elevations in relation to the same alignment stations
used for the road surfaces.
A profile view can include projected objects from the drawing
that you want to see in relation to a profile.
If you design a road, pipeline, or a similar structure across the
landscape, and you want to compare the feasibility of several
possible routes, a profile view of each route can help with the
comparison.
AutoCAD Civil 3D allows profiles to split to fit within a specified
profile view height and displayed in either single or multiple
profile views.
Corridors
Corridors are created from and based on existing AutoCAD Civil 3D objects, which include:
•Horizontal Baselines (alignments or feature lines). Used by a corridor as its centerline.
•Vertical Baselines (profiles or feature lines). Used to define surface elevations along the horizontal baseline.
•Surfaces. Used to establish elevations along baselines (by way of profiles or feature lines) and as corridor targets. .
•Subassemblies. A fundamental component of a corridor model. Subassemblies define the geometry of a corridor
section (assembly). For example, a typical roadway may be composed of paved lanes (on either side of the centerline),
a paved shoulder, a gutter and curb, and a roadside grading. These parts are defined independently as subassemblies.
You can stack any type of subassembly to make up a typical assembly and apply the same assembly for a station range
along a horizontal baseline.
•Assemblies. Represent a typical section of a corridor. Assemblies comprise one or more subassemblies connected
together.
After you have created a corridor, you can extract data from it, including surfaces, feature lines (as polylines,
alignments, profiles, and grading feature lines), and volume (quantity takeoff) data.
Note: There is no limit to the number of feature lines that can be created at a AutoCAD Civil 3D corridor station or
range of stations.
Corridors have their own display style and also inherit styles from their components.
Feature Lines and Grading Tools
A feature line represents an object in the drawing from which you want to grade, such as a swale or a ridge line.
A feature line is a special type of line that grading commands recognize and use as a footprint.
You can draw feature lines, create them by converting existing objects, or export feature lines from corridors. Surfaces
can use a feature line as a breakline. You can select a parcel lot line or feature line as the grading footprint.

Curved Feature Lines

Unlike 3D polylines, feature lines support arcs without
tessellation. Tessellation is undesirable in a grading footprint
because it results in many small grading faces joined by radial
corners. To avoid tessellation, you can create a feature line
from a 2D polyline with arcs, and then apply elevations using
the Grading Elevation Editor. If you want to create a grading
from a footprint that has tessellated curves, you can use the Fit
Curve command to convert the tessellation to true arcs.
You can create a feature line by converting existing 2D or 3D polylines, lines, or arcs. You can select objects in the
current drawing or from an Xref.
Names can be assigned to feature lines. Any command that prompts to select a feature line includes an option to
select by name from a list. The name is optional so that you can just name the significant feature lines in your
drawing.
You can specify the CreateFeatureLines command settings prior to creating feature lines.
Settings control which layer the lines are placed on and whether the original objects are deleted.

You can create a feature line from an alignment, and use this
feature line to grade from the alignment geometry.
You can also create a link from the feature line to the alignment
so that it updates dynamically if the alignment is edited. If the
feature line is linked to the alignment, you cannot edit it
directly.
However, it updates automatically when you make edits to the
alignment or its profile. These edits also update any gradings
attached to the feature line. If the feature line is not
dynamically linked, it does not maintain its relationship with
the alignment and you can edit it.
You can specify the CreateFeatureLineFromAlign command
settings prior to creating feature lines.
Assembles
To complete the definition of an assembly object, you typically
add multiple subassembly objects, such as lanes, curbs, or
ditches, along an alignment. Each subassembly can connect to
the assembly baseline point, any assembly offset point, or to
another subassembly already associated with the assembly. A
subassembly can also be attached to these points with a
relative offset and/or elevation from the point.
Note: There is no limit to the number of slope segments a user
may define in an AutoCAD Civil 3D assembly.
After creating assembly objects, you can proceed with other
corridor modeling tasks, such as creating corridor objects,
feature lines, and section views.
Drainage Flow Path Analysis and Catchments
Pipe Networks
Section Views
Cut and Fill Analysis