Getting Started Tutorials

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These tutorials will get you started with the application workspace and some important design tools and tasks.

In AutoCAD Civil 3D, design data is organized as object collections in the Toolspace window. In Toolspace,
the Prospector tab displays the hierarchy of design objects, such as points, surfaces, and alignments. The
Settings tab displays a hierarchy of object styles, including styles for labels and tables.

The Panorama window displays data in a horizontally oriented grid, which makes it easier to see many
columns at once. Each type of data displayed in Panorama uses a separate tab, known as a vista, that is specific
to that data type.

There are many ways to view AutoCAD Civil 3D objects, including Visual Styles, Named Views, and the
Object Viewer.

Note:
All drawings used in these tutorials are available in the tutorials drawings folder. If you want to save your
work from these tutorials, save the drawings to the My Tutorial Data folder so that you do not overwrite the
original drawings.

Topics in this section

 Tutorial: Understanding the AutoCAD Civil 3D User Interface
In this tutorial, you will examine some of the major components of the AutoCAD Civil 3D user interface.
 Tutorial: Using Basic Functionality
In this tutorial, you will learn how to navigate around AutoCAD Civil 3D and how to use some common
features of the interface.
 Tutorial: Viewing AutoCAD Civil 3D Objects
This tutorial demonstrates several ways to display objects in plan and model views.

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Tutorial: Understanding the AutoCAD

Civil 3D User Interface
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In this tutorial, you will examine some of the major components of the AutoCAD Civil 3D user interface.

The AutoCAD Civil 3D user interface enhances the standard AutoCAD environment with additional tools for
creating and managing civil design information.

Standard AutoCAD features, such as the command line and ribbon, work the same way in AutoCAD Civil
3D as they do in AutoCAD.

Topics in this section

 Exercise 1: Finding Tools
In this exercise, you will learn how to locate the tools that are available for a given task.
 Exercise 2: Understanding the Toolspace
In this exercise, you will learn how to use the AutoCAD Civil 3DToolspace, which provides an object-
oriented view of your engineering data.
 Exercise 3: Using the Panorama Window
In this exercise, you will learn how you can use and customize the Panorama window.

Parent topic: Getting Started Tutorials

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Exercise 1: Finding Tools

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In this exercise, you will learn how to locate the tools that are available for a given task.

The drawing you use contains AutoCAD Civil 3D objects to explore. The objects in this drawing are the site
elements that you will create in the following tutorials.
Explore the basic user interface elements

1. Open drawing Intro-1.dwg, which is available in the tutorials drawings folder.

This drawing contains an existing ground surface, two corridors that intersect, a storm sewer pipe network,
and property parcels.

2. Examine the elements at the top of the AutoCAD Civil 3D window. Click the buttons as described in the
following paragraphs to examine the tools that are contained in each element.

 Application Menu—Provides access to file-related commands, such as open, print, export, and
publish.

 Quick Access Toolbar—Contains frequently used commands.

Click and then More Commands to add an unlimited number of tools to the Quick Access toolbar.
Note:
You also can right-click a tool on the ribbon to send it to the Quick Access toolbar.

 InfoCenter—Enables you to search for

information through key words.
 Ribbon—Provides a single, compact location for commands that are relevant to the current task. The
ribbon eliminates the need to display multiple toolbars, which reduces clutter in the application and
maximizes the drawing space. In the top row, click to successively minimize the ribbon display.
Explore the ribbon

1. On the Home tab, on the Create Design panel, click the bar at the bottom of the panel.
The panel expands to display additional tools. If is displayed in the bottom bar of a ribbon panel, then
additional tools are available.

2. Click the Modify and Analyze tabs.

Each of these tabs contains tools that are relevant to a category of tasks.

3. Click the Home tab.

The Home tab contains commands that are commonly used to create AutoCAD and AutoCAD Civil
3D objects.

4. In the drawing, click one of the contour lines to select the surface.
 The TIN Surface tab is displayed on the ribbon. This is known as a contextual tab, and it contains all the
tools related to surfaces. Depending on the type of object that is selected, different tools are displayed on
the contextual tab. The tools on all AutoCAD Civil 3D contextual tabs are arranged in a similar series of
panels:

 Labels and Tables

 General Tools
 Modify
 Analyze
 Surface Tools
 Launch Pad
5. Press Esc.
6. Select the corridor.
 The Corridors tab is displayed on the ribbon. When an object is selected, the appropriate object contextual
tab is available on the ribbon.

7. Press Esc.
The corridor is deselected, and the Home tab is active, and the contextual tab is removed.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 2: Understanding the Toolspace.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Understanding the AutoCAD Civil 3D User Interface

Exercise 2: Understanding the

Toolspace
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In this exercise, you will learn how to use the AutoCAD Civil 3DToolspace, which provides an object-oriented
view of your engineering data.

This exercise continues from Exercise 1: Finding Tools.

Explore the Prospector tab

Note:

This tutorial uses Intro-1.dwg from the previous tutorial.

1. In Toolspace, click the Prospector tab.
Toolspace can be docked, but it can also float. The Prospector tab provides you with a categorized view of
all objects in the drawing.

Note:
If the Toolspace is not visible, enter ShowTS on the command line. The command line is not case
sensitive, but in this document, commands are written in mixed case.

2. Click next to the Sites collection.

The drawing contains only one site, Site 1.

3. Expand the Site 1 collection.

Notice that the Site 1 collection includes sub-collections for the following objects:

 Alignments
 Feature Lines
 Grading Groups
 Parcels
A site provides a logical grouping of objects that form part of the same design project, or are otherwise
related. An object can belong to only one site.

4. Expand the Parcels collection to see the names of individual parcels in Site 1.
Notice that the drawing includes different types of parcels, such as Single-Family and Easement.

5. Click a parcel name.

The parcel is displayed in a preview region of the Prospector tab.

Note:
If the preview does not work, you can activate it. First, ensure that the item preview button at the top of
the Prospector tab is pressed in. Then, right-click the Parcels collection and click Show Preview.
6. Right-click one of the Single-Family parcels. Click Properties.
The properties of the parcel are displayed in a dialog box. Note the detailed survey data shown on
the Analysis tab. Review these properties as you wish, but do not change anything.

7. Click the Information tab. Change the Object Style from Single-Family to Open Space. Click OK.
Notice that the appearance of the parcel changes in the drawing, and in the item view preview. The name
of the parcel changes in the Parcels collection on the Prospector tab. This happened because the style
name is part of the naming template that is associated with the parcel.
 A distinct set of custom styles for each AutoCAD Civil 3D object type can be saved in a drawing
template. Object styles can be changed as needed to change the display of an object.

Explore the Settings tab

1. Click the Settings tab.

The Settings tab contains a tree structure of object styles and settings for the drawing. Like
the Prospector tab, it has object collections at several levels.

2. Expand the Settings tree by clicking next to the Intro-1. Expand the Parcel Parcel
Styles collection.
This collection displays the styles that are available in the current drawing.

3. Right-click the Standard parcel style. Click Edit.

The object style dialog box displays the current style attributes. Explore the contents of the tabs to see the
various attributes that can be changed when you create a style.

4. Click Cancel.
Further exploration: Expand the Settings tree and look at several style objects and commands. Right-
click various objects to see the available menu selections, but do not change anything.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 3: Using the Panorama Window.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Understanding the AutoCAD Civil 3D User Interface

Exercise 3: Using the Panorama

Window
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In this exercise, you will learn how you can use and customize the Panorama window.

This tutorial continues from Exercise 1: Understanding the Toolspace.

Display object data in the Panorama window

Note:
 This tutorial uses Intro-1.dwg from the previous tutorial.

1. Use the Pan and Zoom controls to locate the beginning of the alignment and pipe network on the far
right side of the site.
2. In the drawing, click the green alignment.

3. Click Alignment tab Modify panel Geometry Editor Find.

4. In the Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, click .
A table called Alignment Entities is displayed in a separate window called the Panorama. Notice that the
table name appears on a tab. The main control bar is labeled Panorama. Each table in Panorama is called
a vista. These tables are useful for editing object attributes. You can edit data in cells that appears as black
text. You cannot edit data in cells that are shaded (unavailable). In the next few steps, you will learn to use
some of the Panorama controls.

5. If the Panorama window covers the alignment, move it by clicking the middle part of the vertical control
bar where you see the Panorama title, and then dragging the window to a new location.
Tip:
To move the Panorama window, hold down the Ctrl key to prevent the Panorama window from docking
when you move it.
6. Press Esc to deselect the alignment.
7. In the drawing, click the blue structure marker.
8. Click Pipe Networks tab Modify panel Edit Pipe Network Find.
9. In the Network Layout Tools toolbar, click .
Two additional tables, called Structures and Pipes are displayed in the Panorama window.

10. Click the three vista tabs in turn to switch from one table to the other. Bring the Alignment Entities table
to the front.
Rearrange the columns of a vista

1. Scroll to the right until you see the Chord Length column.
2. Click the Chord Length column heading, drag the column to the left, and drop it to the right of
the Length column.
Notice that each column heading is highlighted as the cursor passes through it. You can rearrange the
columns like this to make the table easier to use.

3. Right-click the Radius column heading. Click Customize Columns.

The Customize Columns dialog box allows you to modify the appearance of the columns in the current
vista. You can hide unnecessary columns by clearing the appropriate check boxes in the Visibility column,
or change the width of columns using the Width column. Clicking the New button allows you to save a
custom vista configuration for later use.

4. Click Cancel to close the Customize Columns dialog box.

Change the appearance of the Panorama window

1. On the Panorama control bar, click to temporarily close the window.

2. Without clicking, move your pointer over the Panorama control bar.
The window opens while the pointer is on the bar. It closes when you move the pointer off the vista. This
is Auto-Hide Mode, indicated by . It is useful when you want to periodically consult a table while
working in the drawing.

3. Click to turn off Auto-Hide Mode.

4. On the Panorama control bar, click . Click Transparency.

5. In the Transparency dialog box, move the General slider to a position in the middle of the range.
Click OK.
6. Drag the Panorama window.
When you move the cursor away from the window, notice that you can see some drawing details through
the table.

7. In Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, click .

The Pipes and Structures vistas remain open until you click in the Network Layout Tools toolbar.

To continue to the next tutorial, go to Tutorial: Using Basic Functionality.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Understanding the AutoCAD Civil 3D User Interface

Tutorial: Using Basic Functionality

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In this tutorial, you will learn how to navigate around AutoCAD Civil 3D and how to use some common
features of the interface.

Panning and Zooming

You can use the zoom and pan commands to change the viewing scale of the drawing or move to a different
area of the open drawing. This exercise demonstrates using the context menu to pan and zoom. The pan and
zoom commands also are available on the Home tab View panel.

Use context menus to pan and zoom

1. Open Intro-2.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.
2. Right-click the XGND surface name in the Prospector tree. Click Zoom To.
3. In the drawing, right-click and click Zoom. Click and drag upwards to zoom in closer to the surface.
4. To stop zooming and use the normal pointer, right-click and click Exit.
5. With no objects selected in the drawing, right-click in the drawing and click Pan.
6. Click and drag in any direction to move around the drawing.
7. To stop panning and use the normal pointer, right-click and click Exit.

Selecting and Deselecting

There are several ways to select objects in AutoCAD Civil 3D:

 To select an object, click it in the drawing window.

 To select an individual object that is part of a group of objects, press and hold Ctrl while clicking the
object.
 To select several objects by enclosing them within a rectangular area, drag your cursor from left to right.
A rectangle with a solid line appears. Only objects that are enclosed in the rectangular area are selected.
 To select several objects by crossing over them with a rectangular area, drag your cursor from right to left.
A rectangle with a dashed line appears. Any objects that the dashed line crosses over are selected.
If you select the wrong object, press Esc to deselect it.

Experiment with the selection methods using the objects in drawing Intro-2.dwg.

Object Snapping
This standard AutoCAD feature is useful for precision drafting, when you want the line you are drawing to
snap to entity edges or specific points. In these tutorials, you may prefer to use a freehand mode for drawing
and editing objects, such as horizontal alignments and layout profiles.

Object snaps, also known as OSNAPs, can be used in either of two ways:

 Individual, or single-point OSNAPs— To snap to a specific type of point, hold the Shift key down and
right-click. Select an object snap from the context menu. The object snap stays in effect only for the next
point that you click.
 Multiple, or running OSNAPs—You can toggle Object Snap on and off by clicking on the status bar
at the bottom of the main application window, or by pressing F3 or Ctrl+F. Object Snap is off when the
button is in a raised position.
Experiment with OSNAPs

1. Press F1 to open AutoCAD Civil 3D Help.

2. In the left pane, click Search.
3. In the Type In The Word(s) To Search For field, enter Osnap.
4. In the Select A Section To Search list, select All Documentation.
5. Click Search. Select from the topics that are displayed.
In most cases, it is recommended that you also turn off other cursor controls on the status bar, such
as Snap, Grid, and Ortho. The Model button, however, should remain on.

Dynamic Input
Dynamic input is an AutoCAD feature that displays prompts from the command line beside the cursor.
Dynamic input provides a place for you to enter values when a command is active. For these tutorials, you may
want to toggle off the dynamic input feature. To turn dynamic input off, click on the status bar at the
bottom of the main application window, or press F12.

For more information about dynamic input, see AutoCAD Help.

To continue to the next tutorial, go to Viewing AutoCAD Civil 3D Objects.

Parent topic: Getting Started Tutorials

Tutorial: Viewing AutoCAD Civil 3D

Objects
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This tutorial demonstrates several ways to display objects in plan and model views.

There are a variety of ways to view AutoCAD Civil 3D objects. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use some
of the most common methods, including viewports, named views, display representations, 3D views, and
visual styles.

Topics in this section

 Exercise 1: Setting Up the Drawing Window
In this exercise, you will configure the drawing window, using named views and viewports.
 Exercise 2: Changing the Display of an Object
In this tutorial, you will change the appearance of a surface by changing its style. You will examine the
style settings that affect how an object is represented in plan, profile, and model views.
  Exercise 3: Viewing a Drawing in Model
In this exercise, you will learn some ways to view drawing objects in three-dimensional views.

Parent topic: Getting Started Tutorials

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Exercise 1: Setting Up the Drawing

Window
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In this exercise, you will configure the drawing window, using named views and viewports.

Divide the drawing area into separate viewports

1. Open Intro-2.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

This drawing contains an existing ground surface, several alignments, and several profile views that
contain existing ground and layout profiles.

2. Click View tab Model Viewports panel Viewport Configuration List Two: Vertical.
Two viewports are displayed. Each viewport is a separate window in which you can pan and zoom to
different views of the drawing. You can create custom viewport configurations and save them for later
use.

3. Click in each of the viewports.

Notice that as you click in a viewport, the border darkens to indicate which viewport is currently active.
Click the viewport on the left side to make it active.

4. On the command line, enter ZE.

The surface and profile views are displayed in the left viewport.

Apply a saved drawing view

1. Click the viewport on the left side to make it active.

2. Click View tab Views panel Surface Extents.
The extents of the EG surface appears in the left viewport.

Three views have been created in this drawing. Each named view consists of a specific magnification,
position, orientation, and layer status. Named views are saved with a drawing and can be used any time.
When your drawing is displaying a specific view to which you want to return, you can save it as a named
view by clicking View tab Views panel View Manager.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 2: Changing the Display of an Object.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Viewing AutoCAD Civil 3D Objects

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Exercise 2: Changing the Display of

an Object
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In this tutorial, you will change the appearance of a surface by changing its style. You will examine the style
settings that affect how an object is represented in plan, profile, and model views.

This exercise continues from Exercise 1: Setting Up the Drawing Window.

Modify the display of a surface

Note:

This tutorial uses Intro-2.dwg from the previous tutorial.

1. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, expand the tree under the drawing name. Expand
the Surfaces collection to see the surface name XGND.
2. Right-click the surface, XGND, and click Surface Properties.
3. In the Surface Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, under Surface Style, select a different style,
such as Border & Elevations.
4. Click Apply.
The appearance of the surface now reflects the settings of the style you selected.

5. To show a different view of the surface, repeat steps 2 through 4, selecting a different style.
6. After you have explored other styles, set the original style, Visualization. Click Apply. Leave the Surface
Properties dialog box open.
Examine the object style settings

1. In the Surface Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, in the Default Styles area, notice the Render
Material list.
This list indicates the material that is applied to the surface object. When the surface is rendered in model
view, the surface will be displayed using this material.

2. Click Cancel.
3. In the right viewport, zoom in to one of the profile grids. Select the blue, layout profile line. Right-click.
Click Profile Properties.

4. In the Profile Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, in the Object Style area, click .
5. In the Profile Style dialog box, click the Display tab. In the View Direction list, make sure that Profile is
selected.
The table identifies how the profile components are displayed in a profile view. The basic appearance of
the individual object components is controlled on this tab. Components that have in
 the Visibility column are visible when the profile is displayed in a profile view.
The Layer, Color, Linetype, LT Scale, and Lineweight of the components are controlled on this table. In
the drawing window, notice that the layout profile line is blue, as identified in the Color column.

Other AutoCAD Civil 3D object styles use the same basic structure to control display components. Most
other objects, such as alignments, have a Plan view direction in place of the Profile view direction. The
Plan view direction identifies how the object components are displayed in plan view.

6. In the View Direction list, select Model.

In the table, notice that the Layer and Color settings are different from the Profile view direction. When
the layout profile line is viewed in model, it uses the display settings listed in this table.

Note:
In the View Direction list, notice that a Section selection is available. This View Direction specifies how
the surface will be displayed when it is viewed as part of a corridor section. You will learn about viewing
and editing corridor sections in the Viewing and Editing Corridor Sections tutorial.
7. Click Cancel to close the Profile Style and Profile Properties dialog boxes.
8. Press Esc to deselect the layout profile.
To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 3: Viewing a Drawing in Model.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Viewing AutoCAD Civil 3D Objects

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Exercise 3: Viewing a Drawing in

Model
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In this exercise, you will learn some ways to view drawing objects in three-dimensional views.

This exercise continues from Exercise 2: Changing the Display of an Object.

Examine object display in model views

Note:

This tutorial uses Intro-2.dwg from the previous tutorial.

1. Click the left viewport to make it active.
2. Click View tab Views panel views list SE Isometric.
A Southeast isometric view of the surface is displayed in the left viewport, and the right viewport stays in
plan view.

3. Zoom in to the isometric view of the surface.

Notice the green and blue lines. The green lines are the layout profiles that you examined in profile view.
They are green because the Model view direction in its style indicated that they will display as green. The
blue lines under the surface are the horizontal alignments from which the profiles were created.

The SE Isometric 3D View

Change the visual style of the surface

1. Click View tab Visual Styles panel Visual Styles drop-down 3D Wireframe.
AutoCAD visual styles give a fast, basic visualization of an object that is useful for on-screen presentation
in AutoCAD Civil 3D. The 3D Wireframe visual style displays the surface in model view without
applying a fill material to the object.

The 3D Wireframe visual style

 Notice that a cube is displayed in the upper right-hand corner. This is the AutoCAD ViewCube, which
provides visual feedback of the current orientation of a model. You can use the ViewCube to adjust the
viewpoint of the model when a visual style has been applied.

2. Click a corner of the ViewCube, and drag it to a new position. Experiment with dragging the ViewCube to
various positions. When you are finished, click to return the model and ViewCube to their original
positions.
3. Click View panel Visual Styles panel Visual Styles drop-down Conceptual.
The Conceptual visual style shades the object and smooths the edges between polygon faces. The shading
in this style uses the Gooch face style, a transition between cool and warm colors rather than dark to light.
The effect is not realistic, but it can make the details of the model easy to see.

The conceptual visual style

4. Click View tab Visual Styles panel Visual Styles drop-down Realistic.
The Realistic visual style shades the surface and smooths the edges between polygon faces. The render
material that is specified in the surface style is displayed.

The realistic visual style

 Parent topic: Tutorial: Viewing AutoCAD Civil 3D Objects
Points Tutorials

These tutorials will get you started working with coordinate geometry (COGO) points, which are the
basis for modeling land surfaces. These tutorials demonstrate how to import survey points into a
drawing from a database, and how to classify a large set of points into more manageable groups.

Before you import a large set of points, it is a good idea to structure your drawing environment so
that as the points are created, they are sorted into meaningful groups, with appropriate styles and
other attributes.

Note:
All drawings used in these tutorials are available in the tutorials drawings folder. If you want to save
your work from these tutorials, save the drawings to the My Tutorial Data folder so that you do not
overwrite the original drawings.

Topics in this section

 Tutorial: Creating Point Data

This tutorial demonstrates several useful setup tasks for organizing a large set of points.
 Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points
This tutorial demonstrates how to use point groups, layers, external references, and styles to display
points. It also explains the various ways to edit points using standard AutoCAD tools.
 Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points
This tutorial demonstrates how to add custom properties to points.
 Was this helpful?
Tutorial: Creating Point Data

This tutorial demonstrates several useful setup tasks for organizing a large set of points.

In this tutorial, you will learn about managing a set of points related to stormwater manholes and
detention ponds. You will create description keys and point groups to sort the points as they are
imported into a drawing. Then, you will import the points from an existing file.

Description keys can help you automate many point-handling tasks at the time that points are
created or imported. A description key uses the raw description code of a point to determine how to
process the point. For example, you can configure a description key to apply different styles or place
points on different drawing layers.

You can classify a set of points into several point groups, based on the type of point, elevation, date
of creation, source, or other criteria. Then you can run various queries or operations for point display
against a point group, rather than the whole set.

Points can be imported from a text file or a Microsoft Access database. Data created in Autodesk
Land Desktop can be migrated to AutoCAD Civil 3D by importing points directly from a project
database.

You can create a large point set and organize it later. However, it is usually more efficient to classify
points into several groups as they are being created.

Topics in this section

 Exercise 1: Creating Description Keys

In this exercise, you will create description keys to sort the points as they are imported into a
drawing.
 Exercise 2: Creating Point Groups
In this exercise, you will create point groups to sort the points as they are imported into a drawing.
 Exercise 3: Importing Points from a Database
In this exercise, you will import points from a database to a drawing that uses description keys to
sort points into groups.
Parent topic: Points Tutorials

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Exercise 1: Creating Description Keys

In this exercise, you will create description keys to sort the points as they are imported into a
drawing.

Create a description key set

1. Open Points-1.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

2. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the Point collection.
3. Right-click Description Key Sets. Click New.
4. In the Description Key Set dialog box, Name field, enter Stormwater Keys.
5. In the Description field, enter Stormwater manhole and pond points.
6. Click OK.
The new description key set is created.

Create description keys

1. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the Description Key Sets collection. Right-
click Stormwater Keys. Click Edit Keys. The DescKey Editor vista is displayed in
the Panorama window.
In the DescKey Editor, you will enter the raw description codes, and specify how AutoCAD Civil
3D handles new points that have these codes. All entries in the Code column of the DescKey
Editor are case sensitive.

2. In DescKey Editor, in the Code column, click the default entry. Change it to POND*.
The asterisk is a wild-card character. The asterisk causes any imported point with a description code
that begins with POND, followed by any other characters, to be handled according to the settings in
this table row.

3. In both the Style and Point Label Style columns, clear the check box to deactivate these settings.
Clearing these settings allows you to control these settings by using point group properties.

Note:
The Format column contains the entry $*, which specifies that a point’s raw description is copied
without changes and used for the full description in the point label. This is an acceptable setting for
the POND points.

4. In the Layer column, select the check box. Click the cell to open the Layer Selection dialog box.
5. In the Layer Selection dialog box, select V-NODE-STRM. Click OK.
This setting means that the POND points reference the V-NODE-STRM layer for their display
attributes. In the next few steps, you create another description key.

6. In the Code column, right-click the POND* entry. Click New.

7. In the new description key, click the default Code entry and change it to MHST*.
8. Set the same styles and layer as you did for POND* by repeating Steps 3 through 5.
9. In the Format column, enter STORM MH.
This setting ensures that points with a raw description of MHST* (stormwater manholes) are labeled
in the drawing as STORM MH.

10. Click to save the description keys and close the editor.
To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 2: Creating Point Groups.
 Parent topic: Tutorial: Creating Point Data

Exercise 2: Creating Point Groups

In this exercise, you will create point groups to sort the points as they are imported into a drawing.

This exercise continues from Exercise 1: Creating Description Keys.

Create point groups

Note:

This exercise uses Points-1.dwg with the modifications you made in the previous exercise.

1. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the Point Groups collection. Click New.
2. In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, in the Name field, enter Detention
Pond. Optionally, enter a short description in the Description field.
3. On the Raw Desc Matching tab, select POND*. Click Apply.
This option specifies that all points with the POND* raw description are added to the Detention Pond
point group.
Notice how the description key setting is recorded on both the Include and Query Builder tabs. If you
know SQL, you can see how you could add more criteria to the Query Builder tab to select a more
specific set of points for the point group.

4. Click OK.
5. Create another point group by repeating Steps 1 through 4, but use the following parameters:
Name: Storm Manholes
Raw Desc Matching: MHST*
Your drawing should now contain the same description keys and point groups shown in sample
drawing Points-1a.dwg.

Note:
The _All Points point group is created automatically. A point can belong to other point groups in the
drawing, but it is always a member of the _All Points point group.

Change the point group label style

1. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, expand the Point Groups collection.

2. Right-click the _All Points collection. Click Properties.
3. In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, change the Point Label
Style to Standard.
4. Click OK to close the Point Group Properties dialog box.
To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 3: Importing Points from a Database.
 Parent topic: Tutorial: Creating Point Data

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Exercise 3: Importing Points from a Database

In this exercise, you will import points from a database to a drawing that uses description keys to
sort points into groups.

This exercise continues from Exercise 2: Creating Point Groups.

Import points from a database

Note:

This exercise uses Points-1.dwg with the modifications you made in the previous exercise, or you
can open Points-1a.dwg from the tutorials drawings folder.

1. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click Points. Click Create.

2. In the Create Points dialog box, click . Expand the Default Layer parameter, then change the
value to V-NODE.
3. In the Create Points dialog box, click Import Points.
4. In the Format list, select External Project Point Database.

5. Click . Browse to the tutorial folder. Select points.mdb. Click Open.

6. In the Import Points dialog box, clear the Advanced Options check boxes.
7. Click OK.
The points are imported.

8. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the _All Points point group. Click Zoom To.
The points are displayed both in the drawing and in tabular form in the Toolspace list view. In the
drawing window, if you move the cursor over a point, a tooltip displays basic data about the point.
Notice that the two stormwater point groups appear to be empty. This is because they have not been
updated with their new content. In the next few steps, you will see how AutoCAD Civil 3D provides
several ways to check the point data before adding it to your drawing.

Update point groups

1. Right-click the Point Groups collection. Click Properties.

The Point Groups dialog box is displayed. Point groups are listed here according to their display
order, with the highest priority group at the top. Arrows at the side of the dialog box allow you to
change the display order. The icon indicates that an update is pending for a point group.

2. To show the contents of the update for each point group, click . Review the list of points that the
application is prepared to add to the Storm Manholes and Detention Pond point groups.
3. In the Point Group Changes dialog box, click Close.
4. To update the point groups, click . Click OK.
Alternatively, you can right-click the Point Groups collection and click Update.
The point groups update. Now, you can display their points in the list view and zoom to them in the
drawing.

5. Right-click a point group. Click Edit Points.

The points are displayed in the Point Editor table. Review and change their attributes.

Note:
For information about changing the contents and display of the Panorama window, see the Using the
Panorama Window tutorial.
To continue to the next tutorial, go to Displaying and Editing Points.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Creating Point Data

Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points

This tutorial demonstrates how to use point groups, layers, external references, and styles to display
points. It also explains the various ways to edit points using standard AutoCAD tools.

You can use point groups to organize points and to control their appearance in a drawing. While
points are independent objects that do not have to be categorized into specific point groups, every
point in a drawing is always part of the _All Points point group. The point group display
order determines which point group’s properties take precedence. For example, if a point belongs to
a point group that is higher in the display order than the _All Points point group, the higher group’s
properties override the properties set in the _All Points point group.

The point layer controls the display attributes of the point. To see this, open the Point Group
Properties dialog box, click the Point List tab, and look at the Point Layer column. This column also
appears in the Prospector list view when the point group is selected. The point layer can be
assigned by using a description key. If a point layer is not assigned during creation, points are
placed on the default point layer specified in the drawing settings.

An external reference drawing (xref) is a useful way to see points in relation to other surface features
without adding these features to your drawing. You can reference another drawing and make it
appear as an underlay in your current drawing. Then, you can detach the external drawing when you
no longer need it.

Changing the point or label style of a point group can help you distinguish these points more easily
from other points in the drawing.

Each point is an object that can be individually selected and manipulated. Point objects have
commands, property attributes, and grip behavior that are similar to other AutoCAD entities.

Topics in this section

 Exercise 1: Displaying an Externally Referenced Drawing
In this exercise, you will use a standard AutoCAD operation to display another drawing of the region
around your set of points.
 Exercise 2: Changing the Style of a Point Group
In this exercise, you will change the style of a point group. Point styles can help you distinguish the
points more easily from other points in the drawing.
 Exercise 3: Changing Point Group Display Order
In this exercise, you will use the point group display order to change the appearance of points.
 Exercise 4: Removing an Externally Referenced Drawing
In this exercise, you will remove the externally referenced drawing that you added previously.
 Exercise 5: Editing Points
In this exercise, you will move and rotate point objects to improve their position in the drawing.
Parent topic: Points Tutorials

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Exercise 1: Displaying an Externally Referenced Drawing

In this exercise, you will use a standard AutoCAD operation to display another drawing of the region
around your set of points.

This exercise continues from the Creating Point Data tutorial.

Display an externally referenced drawing

Note:

This exercise uses Points-1a.dwg with the modifications you made in the previous tutorial, or you
can open Points-2.dwg from the tutorial drawings folder.

1. Click Insert tab Reference panel Attach.

2. In the Select Reference File dialog box, make sure that Files Of Type is set to Drawing (*.dwg).
Navigate to the tutorial drawings folder and open Existing Basemap.dwg. Select it and click Open.
3. In the External Reference dialog box, specify the following parameters:
 Reference Type: Overlay
 Insertion Point: Cleared
 Scale: Cleared
 Rotation: Cleared
4. Click OK.
The basemap appears on the screen, allowing you to see the points of interest in relation to the road
design and other contextual features. This external reference remains separate from your drawing.
There is no risk of unexpected changes to your drawing. In a later exercise, you will learn how to
detach the external reference.
 To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 2: Changing the Style of a Point Group.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points

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Exercise 2: Changing the Style of a Point Group

In this exercise, you will change the style of a point group. Point styles can help you distinguish the
points more easily from other points in the drawing.

This exercise continues from Exercise 1: Displaying an Externally Referenced Drawing.

Change the style of a point group

Note:

This exercise uses Points-2.dwg and Existing Basemap.dwg with the modifications you made in the
previous exercise.

1. Zoom in to the upper left area of the screen where you can clearly see the labels for several POND
points and one or more STORM MH points. Notice that both types of points use the same marker
style (X).
2. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the point group _All Points. Click Properties.
3. In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, change the Point Label
Style to <none>.
4. Click OK.
Labels for all points that do not have a label style set in another point group are hidden. The point
markers are still visible because markers are controlled by the point style, which you did not change.

5. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the point group Storm Manholes. Click Properties.
6. In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, change the Point Style to Storm
Sewer Manhole.
7. Click OK.
The stormwater manhole points are now marked with the symbol defined in the Storm Sewer
Manhole point style.
To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 3: Changing Point Group Display Order.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points

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Exercise 3: Changing Point Group Display Order

In this exercise, you will use the point group display order to change the appearance of points.
 Change the point group display order

Note:

This exercise uses Points-2.dwg and Existing Basemap.dwg with the modifications you made in the
previous exercise.

1. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, expand the Point Groups collection.

Notice the order of the point groups in the Prospector tree. The point group display order determines
how points that belong to more than one point group are displayed in a drawing. When a drawing is
opened or regenerated, AutoCAD Civil 3D searches down the point group display order to determine
how the point will appear.
For example, if a point belongs to all three groups, AutoCAD Civil 3D will first look in the Storm
Manholes point to determine if a point label style has been assigned to that point group. If it has
not, AutoCAD Civil 3D will look in the Detention Pond point group, and then the _All Points group
until the point label style setting is found.

2. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the Point Groups collection. Click Properties.
3. In the Point Groups dialog box, select the Storm Manholes point group.
4. Click to move the Storm Manholes point group to the bottom of the display order.
5. Click OK.
Notice that the point style for the STORM MH points has changed to an X, and the label has
disappeared. This happened because when the Storm Manholes point group was placed below
the _All Points point group, the _All Points point group’s point style and point label style settings took
precedence over those of the Storm Manholes point group.

6. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the _All Points point group. Click Properties.
7. In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Overrides tab, select the Point Label Style box.
Click OK.
This option ensures that the Point Label Style setting of the point group overrides the Point Label
Style setting of the individual points included in the point group.

8. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click the Point Groups collection. Click Properties.
9. In the Point Groups dialog box, select the _All Points point group. Click to move the _All
Points point group to the top of the display order.
10. Click OK.
Notice that all point labels in the drawing are hidden. This happened because the _All Points point
group’s point label style set to <none>, and you placed the _All Points point group at the top of the
display order.
To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 4: Removing an Externally Referenced Drawing.

Exercise 4: Removing an Externally Referenced Drawing

In this exercise, you will remove the externally referenced drawing that you added previously.
 This exercise continues from Exercise 1: Displaying Point Groups.

Remove an externally referenced drawing

Note:

This exercise uses Points-2.dwg and Existing Basemap.dwg with the modifications you made in the
previous exercise.

1. Click any entity in Existing Basemap.dwg to select the whole drawing.

2. Right-click, and click Xref Manager.
3. In the External References dialog box, right-click the reference name Existing Basemap.
Click Detach.
The reference drawing disappears from view.

4. Close the External References dialog box.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 5: Editing Points.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points

Parent topic: Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points

Exercise 5: Editing Points

In this exercise, you will move and rotate point objects to improve their position in the drawing.

Change the point style

Note:

This exercise uses Points-3.dwg, which is similar to the drawing you used in the other exercises in
the Displaying and Editing Points tutorial.

1. Open Points-3.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

2. Locate point 992 near the left side of the drawing.
Notice that the label for point 992 is obscured by the hatching. In the next few steps, you will change
the point marker style. You will rotate the point marker so that it is parallel with the nearby road, and
then move the label to a more readable location.

3. Select point 992. Right-click. Click Properties. The AutoCAD Properties palette displays the
properties of individual points.
4. Under Information, select Catch Basin in the Style property.

Rotate the point

1. In the drawing window, hover the cursor over the grip.

 A menu of options is displayed. These options are related to the point marker, as well as the point
object, which consists of both the point marker and the point label.

Tip:
To rotate a group of points, use the AutoCAD ROTATE command. To rotate a point marker or point
label, you can enter rotation angle on the Properties palette.

2. Click Rotate Label and Marker.

3. Rotate the point clockwise until the point marker is parallel to the edge of the road, then click to
position the point.
The point marker now matches the angle of the road, but the label is still obscured by the hatching.
You will correct this in the following steps.

Drag the point label

1. Hover the cursor over the grip.

A menu of options is displayed. These options are related to the point label.

2. Click Toggle Sub Item Grips.

This toggles the display of the drag label grip. Three grips are available. These grips can be used
to drag each line in the point label independently.

3. Hover the cursor over the grip.

4. Click Toggle Sub Item Grips.

5. Hover the cursor over the grip.

6. Click Move Label.
7. Drag the label down and to the left, until it is in an unobstructed area. Click to place the label in its
new orientation.
To continue to the next tutorial, go to Adding User-Defined Properties to Points.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Displaying and Editing Points

Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points

This tutorial demonstrates how to add custom properties to points.

A user-defined property can be any useful attribute, such as date of acquisition or source. To create
user-defined properties, you first create a property classification, which is a container for one or
more related properties.

If you want to define a value for a point, but the applicable property does not exist, you can define it
as a custom, user-defined property.

You assign classifications and their associated properties to the points in your drawing using point
groups. After you have added the user-defined properties to a point group, you can add values for
 each property either by editing the properties of individual points or by importing values from an
external point file.

Topics in this section

 Exercise 1: Creating User-Defined Properties

In this exercise, you will learn how to create a user-defined property classification and add items to
it.
 Exercise 2: Creating a Label Style That Displays a User-Defined Property
In this exercise, you will create a label style that displays user-defined property information for a
point.
 Exercise 3: Assigning User-Defined Properties to Points
In this exercise, you will use point groups to associate user-defined properties with points in your
drawing.
 Exercise 4: Importing Points with User-Defined Properties
In this exercise, you will create a custom point file format, and then import point information that
includes user-defined properties from an external file.
 Exercise 5: Querying User-Defined Property Information
In this exercise, you will create a point group. The list of points included in the group is determined
by a query that contains user-defined properties.
Parent topic: Points Tutorials

Exercise 1: Creating User-Defined Properties

In this exercise, you will learn how to create a user-defined property classification and add items to
it.

Create a user-defined property classification

1. Open Points-4a.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

The drawing is similar to the ones you used earlier in the Points tutorials, except only the points for
storm manholes and the detention pond are visible.

2. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the Point collection. Right-click User-Defined Property
Classifications. Click New.
3. In the User-Defined Property Classification dialog box, enter Manhole UDP.
4. Click OK.
The new classification is created and added to the list of user-defined property classifications.

5. Repeat Steps 2 to 4 to create an additional user-defined property classification named Trees.

Define classification properties

1. On the Settings tab, expand User-Defined Property Classifications. Right-click Manhole UDP.
Click New.
2. In the New User-Defined Property dialog box, for Name, enter MH_Pipe In Invert.
3. In the Property Field Type list, select Elevation.
4. Use the default values for all other properties. Click OK.
The property is added to the list of Manhole UDP properties.

5. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 to add additional properties to the Manhole UDP classification, using the
following parameters:

Note:
The next exercise uses Points-4b.dwg, which contains all of the properties and classifications. To
save time, you can skip Steps 5 and 6 and proceed to Exercise 2: Creating a Label Style That
Displays a User-Defined Property.

Name Property Field Type

MH_Material String

MH_Diameter Dimension

MH_Pipe In Diameter Dimension

MH_Pipe In Material String

MH_Pipe Out Invert Elevation

MH_Pipe Out Diameter Dimension

MH_Pipe Out Material String

6. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 to add properties to the Trees classification using the following parameters:
 Name Property Field Type

Tree_Common Name String

Tree_Genus String

Tree_Species String

Tree_Diameter Dimension

Tree_Height Distance

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 2: Creating a Label Style That Displays a User-Defined
Property.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points

Exercise 2: Creating a Label Style That Displays a User-Defined

Property

In this exercise, you will create a label style that displays user-defined property information for a
point.

This exercise continues from Exercise 1: Creating User-Defined Properties.

Create a label style that displays user-defined property information

1. Open Points-4b.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

2. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the Point collection. Expand the Label Styles collection.
3. Under Label Styles, right-click Standard. Click Copy.
4. In the Label Style Composer, on the Information tab, for Name, enter Manhole UDP.
5. On the Layout tab, in the Preview list on the upper right side of the tab, select Point Label Style.
 Now, any edits you make to the point label style will be displayed in the preview pane.

6. Click to create a text component for the label.

7. For the new text component, specify the following parameters:
 Name: Invert In
 Anchor Component: Point Description
 Anchor Point: Bottom Left
 TextAttachment: Top Left
8. Under Text, for Contents, click the default value. Click .
9. In the Text Component Editor – Contents dialog box, on the Properties tab, specify the following
parameters:
 Properties: MH_Pipe In Invert
 Precision: 0.01
10. Click .
11. In the text editing window, delete the text “Label Text” from the label. Enter Invert In: before the
property field, which is enclosed in angle brackets(<>). The text in the editor should look like this:

12. Click OK.

13. In the preview pane, your label should look like this:

14. Click OK.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 3: Assigning User-Defined Properties to Points.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points

Exercise 3: Assigning User-Defined Properties to Points

In this exercise, you will use point groups to associate user-defined properties with points in your
drawing.

This exercise continues from Exercise 2: Creating a Label Style That Displays a User-Defined
Property.
 Assign user-defined properties to points

1. Open Points-4c.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

2. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, click Point Groups.
3. In the item view, click the Storm Manholes entry. In the Classification column, select Manhole UDP.

Apply the user-defined property point label style

1. In the Prospector tree view, expand Point Groups. Click Storm Manholes.
2. In the item view, right-click in a column heading.
3. Clear the check mark from all items in the list, except the following:
 Point Number
 Point Label Style
 MH_Pipe In Invert
 MH_Pipe In Material
Clearing the check boxes turns off the display of columns you do not need to see for this exercise.

4. Click the row for point 307.

5. Click the Point Label Style cell to display the Select Label Style dialog box.
6. In the Select Label Style dialog box, select Manhole UDP as the label style. Click OK.
7. Repeat Steps 4 to 6 to apply the Manhole UDP for point 667.

Specify user-defined property values

1. For point 307, click the MH_Pipe In Invert cell. Enter 93.05.
2. Right-click the row for point 307. Click Zoom To.
The value is displayed with the other point information in the drawing window.

3. For point 667, click the MH_Pipe In Invert cell. Enter 93.00.
4. Right-click the entry for point 667. Click Zoom To.
To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 4: Importing Points with User-Defined Properties.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points

Exercise 4: Importing Points with User-Defined Properties

In this exercise, you will create a custom point file format, and then import point information that
includes user-defined properties from an external file.

This exercise continues from Exercise 3: Assigning User-Defined Properties to Points.

Create a point file format for importing user-defined properties

1. Open Points-4d.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.
2. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the Point collection. Right-click Point File Formats.
Click New.
3. In the Point File Formats – Select Format Type dialog box, select User Point File. Click OK.
4. In the Point File Format dialog box, specify the following properties:
 Format Name: Manhole Data
 Comment Tag: #
 Format Options: Delimited By
 Delimited By: , (a comma)
5. In the table of column names, click the first column heading (labeled <unused>).
6. In the Point File Formats – Select Column Name dialog box, in the Column Name list, select Point
Number. Click OK.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to name additional columns using the following values:
 Column 2: MH_Material
 Column 3: MH_Diameter
 Column 4: MH_Pipe In Invert
 Column 5: MH_Pipe In Diameter
 Column 6: MH_Pipe In Material
 Column 7: MH_Pipe Out Invert
 Column 8: MH_Pipe Out Diameter
 Column 9: MH_Pipe Out Material
8. Click OK.

Import user-defined property data from a text file

1. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, ensure that the Point Groups collection is expanded, and select
the Storm Manholes group.
In the item view, note that this group contains only nine points, and some of the data columns are
blank.

2. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click Points. Click Create.

3. In the Create Points dialog box, click Import Points.
4. In the Import Points dialog box, in the Format list, select Manhole Data.

5. Click . Browse to the tutorial folder. Select manhole_data.txt. Click Open.

6. Click OK.
7. In the Duplicate Point Number dialog box, in the Resolution list, select Merge. Click OK.
The point data is imported.
8. On the Prospector tab, click the Storm Manholes point group.
The point data from the file import is displayed in the item view, including specific values for manhole
data.

9. Close the Create Points dialog box.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 5: Querying User-Defined Property Information.

Parent topic: Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points

Exercise 5: Querying User-Defined Property Information

In this exercise, you will create a point group. The list of points included in the group is determined
by a query that contains user-defined properties.

This exercise continues from Exercise 4: Importing Points with User-Defined Properties.

Create a point query

1. Open Points-4e.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

2. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, right-click Point Groups. Click New.
3. In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, for Name, enter Storm Manholes -
Invert In.
4. On the Query Builder tab, select Modify Query.
5. Right-click the Query Builder table. Click Insert Row.
6. Click the row you created. Click Name in the Property column. In the Property list, select MH_Pipe
In Invert.
7. Click the Operator value. In the Operator list, select < (less than).
8. Click the Value value. Enter 93.
9. Click OK.
10. On the Prospector tab, click Storm Manholes - Invert In.
A list of points that match your query is displayed in the item view. Points number 307 and 667 are
excluded, because in a previous exercise you set their values for MH_Pipe In Invert to 93.05 and
93.00.
Parent topic: Tutorial: Adding User-Defined Properties to Points