Autodesk Civil 3D 2005
Getting Started
23702-010000-5000A
September 2004
Copyright© 2004 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. AUTODESK, INC., MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS, AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK, INC., BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL, COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF PURCHASE OR USE OF THESE MATERIALS. THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO AUTODESK, INC., REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN. Autodesk, Inc., reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit. This publication describes the state of the product at the time of publication, and may not reflect the product at all times in the future.
Autodesk Trademarks The following are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries: 3D Props, 3D Studio, 3D Studio MAX, 3D Studio VIZ, 3DSurfer, 3ds max, ActiveShapes, ActiveShapes (logo), Actrix, ADI, AEC Authority (logo), AEC-X, Animator Pro, Animator Studio, ATC, AUGI, AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Map, Autodesk, Autodesk Envision, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk (logo), Autodesk Map, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, Autodesk University (logo), Autodesk View, Autodesk WalkThrough, Autodesk World, AutoLISP, AutoSketch, backdraft, Biped, bringing information down to earth, Buzzsaw, CAD Overlay, Character Studio, Cinepak, Cinepak (logo), cleaner, Codec Central, combustion, Design Your World, Design Your World (logo), EditDV, Education by Design, gmax, Heidi, HOOPS, Hyperwire, i-drop, Inside Track, IntroDV, Kinetix, lustre, MaterialSpec, Mechanical Desktop, NAAUG, ObjectARX, Physique, Planix, Powered with Autodesk Technology (logo), ProjectPoint, RadioRay, Reactor, Revit, Softdesk, Texture Universe, The AEC Authority, The Auto Architect, VISION*, Visual, Visual Construction, Visual Drainage, Visual Hydro, Visual Landscape, Visual Roads, Visual Survey, Visual Toolbox, Visual Tugboat, Visual LISP, Volo, WHIP!, and WHIP! (logo). The following are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries: AutoCAD Learning Assistance, AutoCAD LT Learning Assistance, AutoCAD Simulator, AutoCAD SQL Extension, AutoCAD SQL Interface, AutoSnap, AutoTrack, Built with ObjectARX (logo), burn, Buzzsaw.com, CAiCE, Cinestream, Civil 3D, cleaner central, ClearScale, Colour Warper, Content Explorer, Dancing Baby (image), DesignCenter, Design Doctor, Designer's Toolkit, DesignKids, DesignProf, DesignServer, Design Web Format, DWF, DWFit, DWG Linking, DXF, Extending the Design Team, GDX Driver, gmax (logo), gmax ready (logo),Heads-up Design, jobnet, ObjectDBX, onscreen onair online, Plans & Specs, Plasma, PolarSnap, Productstream, Real-time Roto, Render Queue, Visual Bridge, Visual Syllabus, and Where Design Connects.
Autodesk Canada Inc. Trademarks The following are registered trademarks of Autodesk Canada Inc. in the USA and/or Canada, and/or other countries: discreet, fire, flame, flint, flint RT, frost, glass, inferno, MountStone, riot, river, smoke, sparks, stone, stream, vapour, wire. The following are trademarks of Autodesk Canada Inc., in the USA, Canada, and/or other countries: backburner, Multi-Master Editing.
Third Party Trademarks All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
Third Party Software Program Credits ACIS Copyright© 1989-2001 Spatial Corp. Portions Copyright© 2002 Autodesk, Inc. Copyright© 1996-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed manual and help produced with Idiom WorldServer™. International CorrectSpell™ Spelling Correction System© 1995 by Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products, N.V. All rights reserved. InstallShield™ 3.0. Copyright© 1997 InstallShield Software Corporation. All rights reserved. PANTONE® Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match PANTONE-identified standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE® and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc.© Pantone, Inc., 2002 Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Autodesk, Inc., to distribute for use only in combination with certain Autodesk software products. PANTONE Color Data and/or Software shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution of this Autodesk software product. Portions Copyright© 1991-1996 Arthur D. Applegate. All rights reserved. Portions of this software are based on the work of the Independent JPEG Group. RAL DESIGN© RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002 RAL CLASSIC© RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002 Representation of the RAL Colors is done with the approval of RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e.V. (RAL German Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification, re. Assoc.), D-53757 Sankt Augustin. AnswerWorks 4.0 ©; 1997-2003 WexTech Systems, Inc. Portions of this software © Vantage-Knexys. All rights reserved. Typefaces from the Bitstream® typeface library copyright 1992. Typefaces from Payne Loving Trust© 1996. All rights reserved. The Director General of the Geographic Survey Institute has issued the approval for the coordinates exchange numbered TKY2JGD for Japan Geodetic Datum 2000, also known as technical information No H1-N0.2 of the Geographic Survey Institute, to be installed and used within this software product (Approval No.: 646 issued by GSI, April 8, 2002). Portions of this computer program are copyright © 1995-1999 LizardTech, Inc. All rights reserved. MrSID is protected by U.S. Patent No. 5,710,835. Foreign Patents Pending.
Portions of this computer program are Copyright ©; 2000 Earth Resource Mapping, Inc. Macromedia Flash™ Player Copyright © 1995-2003 Macromedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Macromedia and Flash are trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. Copyright © Stade de France - Macary, Zublena et Regembal, Costantini - Architectes, ADAGP - Paris - 2003 OSTN97 © Crown Copyright 1997. All rights reserved. OSTN02 © Crown copyright 2002. All rights reserved. OSGM02 © Crown copyright 2002, © Ordnance Survey Ireland, 2002. FME Objects Engine © 2004 SAFE Software. All rights reserved. Coordinate Systems Mapping Library © 2004 Mentor Software Inc.
GOVERNMENT USE Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in FAR 12.212 (Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights) and DFAR 227.7202 (Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software), as applicable.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Contents Chapter 1
Introduction ........................................................................... 1 CD Browser and Installation ................................................................... 2 Installing on a Single Computer ........................................................ 2 Installing on a Network ..................................................................... 2 Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D ............................................................. 3 Object Management System .............................................................. 3 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 How To Learn 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
i
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 Corridors ............................................................................................... 68 Corridors: LiveView Exercise ................................................................ 70
Glossary ......................................................................................................... 73 Index ............................................................................................................... 89
ii | Contents
1
Introduction
®
Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 is an easy-to-use design and drafting
In this chapter
program that supports a wide range of civil engineering tasks.
■
The Autodesk Civil 3D Getting Started Guide introduces the program and provides some initial hands-on experience, using the sample data included on the product CD. This first chapter
■
CD Browser and Installation Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D
■
User Interface Overview
■
Migrating Data From Autodesk Land Desktop
contains brief descriptions of the most significant features
■
Sample Data Provided with the Program
and provides a quick tour of the user interface. ■
How To Learn Autodesk Civil 3D
1
CD Browser and Installation You can install Autodesk Civil 3D from the CD Browser that opens automatically when you insert the product CD. The CD 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 CD 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.
CD Browser showing installation page
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 CD Browser, click the Network Deployment tab, then click Network Administrator’s Guide (.chm).
2 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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” on page 21 and “Feature-Specific Concepts” on page 39. NOTE If you have already installed Autodesk Civil 3D, you may want to open the sample file c:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005\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.
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
Profile view
Surface
Sample line
Site
Section
Parcel
Section view
Grading
Corridor
Alignment
Assembly
Profile
Subassembly
Autodesk Civil 3D objects and their icons
Highlights of Autodesk Civil 3D | 3
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: 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” on page 7.
4 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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, then choose 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” on page 30 and “Styles 2: Label and Table Styles” on page 32.
6 | Chapter 1 Introduction
User Interface Overview
4 3
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.
2
Item view. For a list view of the contents of the selected folder, or a graphic view of the selected object.
3
Layout tools. For creating and editing objects, such as gradings or alignments.
4
Standardized menus. For consistent access to the full range of commands.
5
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.
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
8 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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
User Interface Overview | 9
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
10 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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.
User Interface Overview | 11
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.
12 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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
User Interface Overview | 13
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
14 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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)
User Interface Overview | 15
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
16 | Chapter 1 Introduction
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 2005\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 2005\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 menu ➤ New. 2 In the Select Template dialog box, select the template you want to use.
18 | Chapter 1 Introduction
How To Learn 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: Printed Getting Started Guide (also 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 You can 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.
How To Learn 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.
20 | Chapter 1 Introduction
2
General Concepts
The sections in this chapter present the most important ®
Autodesk Civil 3D concepts in graphical form. They can prepare you for working with the “LiveView exercises” in
In this chapter ■
Object Model
■
Design Standards
■
Project Management
Chapter 3. If you need simply a brief explanation of an
■
Settings
unfamiliar term, try the Glossary at the back of this book.
■
Styles 1: Object Styles
■
Styles 2: Label and Table Styles
■
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 2 General 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, to ensure 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 initial drawing/laying out of parcels and 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. ■
24 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
STA=22+00.00
Units and precision for alignments are set in the template file.
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.
26 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
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 (top) indicates that an override has been set at a lower level. The check mark in the Override column in the Parcel Settings dialog box (bottom) indicates that the value set in this dialog box overrides the setting at a higher level.
28 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
Area units for parcel objects are acres, overriding the drawing setting. For other objects, area units remains 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 an clicking Edit.
30 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
1 Point style: using a custom marker 2 Surface style: smoothing contours 3 Alignment style: changing the color of the line components
1
2
3
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, 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). ■ ■
32 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
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.
34 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
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 on the Layer Properties Manager, 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. 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.
36 | Chapter 2 General Concepts
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
3
Feature-Specific Concepts
®
This chapter explains the concepts underlying Autodesk
In this chapter
Civil 3D features. Each feature section in this chapter has a
■
Points
■
Points: LiveView Exercise
corresponding drawing file. Each drawing illustrates the
■
Surfaces
concepts introduced in that section. You can open the file to
■
Surfaces: LiveView Exercise
see actual examples of the objects and their various
■
Grading
■
Grading: LiveView Exercise
■
Parcels
which gives you some basic hands-on experience with
■
Parcels: LiveView Exercise
Autodesk Civil 3D.
■
Alignments
■
Alignments: LiveView
components. There is also a LiveView exercise for each feature,
Exercise ■
Profiles
■
Profiles: LiveView Exercise
■
Sections
■
Sections: LiveView Exercise
■
Corridors
■
Corridors: LiveView Exercise
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 group’s 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 2005\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 menu ➤ Named Views. 2 In the View dialog box, double-click the view you want. Click OK.
40 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
Named view: points_all
Storm Manholes point group Road Centerline 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 2005 \Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_points.dwg if you have not already opened it. Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Window. Draw a rectangle in the upper left corner to zoom your view of the drawing so that it looks like this.
2
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.
3
Click the Road Centerline point group in the list. An item view of all the points contained in the group appears in Toolspace. Note that you can edit the individual points in the item view.
42 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
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.
5
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.
6
Click the Include tab. Clear the check box for With Raw Description Matching. Select With Numbers Matching. Type 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 regions to mask 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 2005\Getting Started Guide\GSG_features_surfaces.dwg The drawing contains two named views. To go to a named view, do the following: 1 Click View menu ➤ Named Views. 2 In the View dialog box, double-click the view you want. Click OK.
44 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
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 change styles in Autodesk Civil 3D 1
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_surfaces.dwg if you have not already opened it.
2
Click the Toolspace Settings tab. Expand the list of surface styles, as shown in the illustration. The triangle icon next to a surface style indicates that the style is applied to at least one surface in the drawing.
3
Right-click the Finish Grade surface style. Click Copy. In the Surface Style dialog box, on the Information tab, for Name, type Finish grade contours.
46 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
In the Surface Style dialog box, click the Display tab. In the Visible column, click the light bulb icons to turn on 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.
5
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 at the bottom of the Toolspace. Note that the name of the style assigned to the FG surface is Finish grade.
6
Right-click the FG surface in the list. Click Properties. In the Surface Properties dialog box, click the Information tab. For Object Style, select Finish grade contours from the list. Click OK.
7
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, then specifying a projection method and target, for example, grade at 3:1 to meet an existing surface. You can 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. As well as 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.
48 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
Face
Feature line
Target line Base 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
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting 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. The length of these line segments is proportional to the length of the face.
2
Click Grading menu ➤ Utilities ➤ Grading Volume Tools. This toolbar shows the volume of fill required for the grading as designed. Click to open or close the History pane. In the next few steps, you will lower the grading to reduce the fill volume.
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.
50 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
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.
5
Click Grading menu ➤ Grading Layout Tools.
6
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.
7
Click 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 2005\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: 1 Click View menu ➤ Named Views. 2 In the View dialog box, double-click the view you want. Click OK.
52 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
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
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting 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.
2
Click Parcels menu ➤ Create 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.
3
Click (Slide Angle - Create). In the Create Parcels - Layout dialog box, set the Parcel Style to Residential and the Area Label Style to Parcel Name & Area.
54 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
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 menu ➤ Labels ➤ Add. 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.
6
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 along the bottom edge of the residential parcels to place a label for the line that spans multiple parcels. Curved indicators called “crow’s 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 Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005\Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_alignments.dwg The drawing contains two named views, as shown on the opposite page. To go to a named view, do the following: 1 Click View menu ➤ Named Views. 2 In the View dialog box, double-click the view you want. Click OK.
56 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
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
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting 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.
2
Click the Toolspace Settings tab. Right-click the name of the drawing and click Edit Drawing Settings.
3
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.
58 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
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.
5
Click Alignments menu ➤ Create From Polyline. In the drawing, click the green polyline at the bottom of the drawing.
6
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.
7
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. You can 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. You can 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 Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005\Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_profiles.dwg The drawing contains two named views, as shown on the opposite page. To go to a named view, do the following: 1 Click View menu ➤ Named Views. 2 In the View dialog box, double-click the view you want. Click OK.
60 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
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
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_profiles.dwg if you have not already opened it.
2
Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Extents. Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Window. Draw a rectangle that includes the profile view at the top and the EastWest alignment at the bottom.
3
In 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.
62 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
In the drawing, click the alignment so that the blue grips appear, as shown in the illustration. You will drag the grips to modify the alignment dynamically. As you modify the alignment, the profile will update at the same time.
5
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.
6
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.
7
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 Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005\Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_sections.dwg The drawing contains two named views, as shown on the opposite page. To go to a named view, do the following: 1 Click View menu ➤ Named Views. 2 In the View dialog box, double-click the view you want. Click OK.
64 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
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
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting 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.
2
Click the Toolspace Prospector tab. 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.
3
Right-click the SL-8 sample line in the list and then click Properties. In the Properties dialog box, click the Sample Line Data tab and then, for Label Style, select Section AA. Click OK.
66 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
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. From the View menu, choose Named Views, double-click sections_view. Click OK.
5
On the Toolspace Prospector tab, expand the section views for the SL-8 sample line. Right-click the section view 3+50.00 (1). Click Properties.
6
In the Section View Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, for Object Style, select Standard. Click OK.
7
The section view is updated in the drawing, as shown in the illustration.
Sections: LiveView Exercise | 67
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 Open the file: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005\Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_corridors.dwg The drawing contains three viewports. The corridor, profile view, and assembly are all within the same drawing, but the viewports helps 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.
68 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
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 | 69
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
Open the file C:\Program Files\Autodesk Civil 3D 2005 \Getting Started Guide\ GSG_features_corridors.dwg if you have not already opened it.
2
Click Corridors menu ➤ View Corridor Section. 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.
3
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.
70 | Chapter 3 Feature-Specific Concepts
4
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 Corridor Section Toolbar.
5
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, then click to place it in the new location. The corridor rebuilds, and the cut slope with ditches is replaced with a fill slope.
6
Click the corridor, then right-click and 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. When the corridor is rebuilt, contour lines are displayed on the corridor surface.
That brings us to 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. For assistance at any time while you are using Autodesk Civil 3D, click the Help button.
Corridors: LiveView Exercise | 71
72
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 3- or 4-sided area, with each vertex potentially at a different elevation. You can view TINs (Triangulated Irregular Networks) as 3D faces. Using the SHADE command, you can shade 3D faces. Using the RENDER command, you can render the 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. 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 | 73
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 breakline’s 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 tangent and then increases to match the curvature of the adjacent curve. See also compound spiral, simple spiral.
74 | Glossary
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, compound 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. 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. curve to spiral A point on a horizontal alignment where a curve meets a spiral.
Glossary | 75
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 Earth’s 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, 3°30'36" equals 3.51 decimal degrees. definition list A list that contains all the operations performed on a surface. By turning the items in the list on and off, you can modify the surface, 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: N45°45'58"E. Using this format, 3°30'36" 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. 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. See also constraint.
76 | Glossary
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. 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. geodetic A basic relationship to the Earth that takes into account the curvature of the Earth’s 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.
Glossary | 77
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. 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 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 surveyor’s 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. 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.
78 | Glossary
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. See also 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. local elevation The elevation coordinate based on the surveyor's assumed vertical base point, or benchmark, versus a real world elevation value.
Glossary | 79
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. 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. official copy An object that is contained in the project. Compare with local copy.
80 | Glossary
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. 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. 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.
Glossary | 81
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 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.
82 | Glossary
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 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.
Glossary | 83
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 right-click. Shortcut menus are context-sensitive so that 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 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 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. spiral to tangent A point where a spiral meets a tangent. spot elevation The elevation of a single point in the drawing. Used to define areas that are sparse in contour data when generating a TIN using contour information. Areas that may also need spot elevations are the top of hills, valleys, and bottom of swales. ST See spiral to tangent.
84 | Glossary
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. style A logical collection of settings that applies to a class of objects (surface, alignment, etc.). Styles simplify the process of apply 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 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.
Glossary | 85
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 crow’s feet, that display 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. 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.
86 | Glossary
transition region An area of a grading that blends the control regions on either side of it. 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 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. 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 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
Glossary | 87
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.
88 | Glossary
Index A Add To Project command 26 alignments 14, 56, 58, 59, 60, 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 68 asymmetric parabolic curves 60 AutoCAD properties 16 Autodesk Civil 3D 1, 2, 3, 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 3 program code for 3 sample data 1 Autodesk Land Desktop, migrating from 17
B base line, grading 48 boundaries, definition of 44 boundary lines, parcels 52 breaklines, definition of 44
C CAD manager, and Autodesk Civil 3D 34 CD Browser 2 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 introduction to 5 item view of contents 12 of styles 9, 30 commands 11, 12, 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, 39, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68 alignments 56 corridors 68 feature-specific 39 general 21 grading 48 learning 19 overview of 21 parcels 52 points 40 profiles 60 sections 64 styles 32
Index | 89
surfaces 44 constraints, for alignments 56 content samples 18 copying styles to another drawing 34 corridors 68, 70 concepts for 68 LiveView exercise 70 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 73 dependencies between objects 23 deployment, network 2 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 documentation 19 list of 19 drafters, and Autodesk Civil 3D 3
90 | Index
drag-and-drop styles 34 drainage analysis, surface 44 drawing settings 28, 58 editing (exercise) 58 introduction to 28 drawings 24, 28, 39, 40 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, 14, 15, 31, 42, 50, 56, 60, 70 alignments 56 consistency of methods 12 corridors 70 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 alignments 58 corridors 70 files for 39 grading 50 parcels 54 points 42 profiles 62 purpose of 19 sections 66 surfaces 46 expanding folders 8
F
HTML Help 20
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
I
G Getting Started Guide 18, 19 description of 19 sample data location 18 glossary, using 21 grading 48, 50 concepts for 48 criteria 48 LiveView exercise 50 volume tools 48 grading group 48 graph 64 for section views 64 graphical view of objects 12 grid surfaces 44 grip editing 14, 56, 60, 62 introduction to 14 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
icons 3, 42, 46 for objects 3 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 introduction to 32 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 introduction to 6 label styles 32 location of 32 plan readability 32 preview window 6 rotating 32 styles and standards 24 LandXML, importing 17
Index | 91
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 alignments 58 corridors 70 grading 50 introduction to 39 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 Master View of projects 26 menus 10, 11 comparison between 10 consistency of 10 shortcut 11 merging parcels 52 migrating from Autodesk Land Desktop 17
N navigation, of objects 8 network 2, 26 and project files 26 installation on a 2
92 | Index
O object model 3, 22, 23 concept of 22 example of 3 illustration of 23 Object Viewer 50, 68 object-oriented 3, 8, 34 definition of 3 intelligent objects 34 view of projects 8 objects 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 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 3 properties of 15 relationships between 3 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 LiveView exercise 54
styles for 52 phases of a project 34 phrase, finding in Help 20 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 LiveView exercise 42 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 LiveView exercise 62 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 15, 16, 36, 42, 47 AutoCAD 16 changing styles 47 editing (exercise) 42 introduction to 15 of layers 36 Prospector tab 8, 11, 12, 15, 26 and project management 26 introduction to 8 item view 12 Master View 26 properties of objects 15
shortcut menus 11 PVIs, profile 60
R raw description 40, 43 introduction to 40 viewing (exercise) 43 rebuilding surfaces 44 regions, surface 44 relationships between objects 3, 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 LiveView exercise 66 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
Index | 93
expanding styles (exercise) 46 shortcut menus 11 shared access 26, 40 to points database 40 to project files 26 shortcut menus 11 sites 8, 52 and parcels 52 introduction to 8 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 5, 6, 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 for parcels 52 for points 40 for sample lines 64 for section views 64 for surfaces 44 for tables 32 introduction to 5 sample data for 18 standard, or default 30 table 5 types of 5 subassemblies 68 subdivisions, designing 52 support, technical 2
94 | Index
surface profile 61 surfaces 44, 46, 48, 60 analysis of 44 and profiles 60 concepts for 44 created from grading 48 drainage analysis 44 LiveView exercise 46 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 TIN surfaces 44 Toolspace 8, 9, 13 introduction to 8 item view 13 Prospector tab 8 Settings tab 9 topology, site 8, 52 triangulation, surface 44 tutorials 18, 19 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
vertical alignments 60 volume surfaces 44 volume tools, grading 48
workflow 10, 22, 24 creating and editing 10 engineering 24 of design team 22 World Coordinate System, and labels 32
W
Z
watershed analysis 44
zooming (exercise) 42
V
Index | 95
96
