Outline
Tutorial Civil3D#2
Point Data Structure
A. C3D OBJECTS
C3D objects include:
11 Objects are listed in the
Prospector Tab:
Points
Point Groups
Surfaces
Alignments
Sites
Pipe Networks
Corridors
Assemblies
Subassemblies
Intersections
Survey
View Frame Groups
The SETTINGS tab sets the
"styles" of the objects – all the
specifications and display
choices.
The SETTING tab sets styles
for the above 11 objects and
others such as:
Parcel
Grading
Profiles
Profile View
Sample Line
Section
Sectional View
B. Investigate the DEFAULT
TEMPLATE – AutoCAD Civil
3D (Imperial) NCS.
Let’s find some information on
this.
Pick the HELP question mark,
top bar. Once loaded, select
INDEX, left task bar. In the
blank space, type the
KEYWORD, “templates.”
Then select “default”. This is
an OUT OF THE BOX
template – could be used as it,
customized and changed, or
not used where the user builds
their own template.
The command for a new
drawing QNEW automatically
loads this default template, but
you can specify another
template to automatically load
for a new file – see blue
lettering.
Scroll down, the C3D layers
follow the National CAD
Standards NCS rules. NCS
layer names have four parts
1. The DISCIPLINE A for
architecture, C for civil
engineering, V for
surveying
2. MAJOR GROUP
3. MINOR GROUP (with up
to two minor groups)
4. STATUS (new, etc)
Now click on the NCS link.
You’ll be directed to a new
organization name: BUILDING
SMART ALLIANCE, part of the
National Institute of Building
Sciences – with member
organizations of architects
AIA, and contractors CSI. It’s
clear that these national
organizations are trying to get
a national standard for layers
and drawings to permit more
interchangeability of files.
Now click on NCS CONTENT,
at left. Pick “guidelines” form
LAYER GUILDLINES. On
later pages, is a list of
disciplines V for
SURVEYING/MAPPING, A for
ARCHITECT, C for CIVIL, etc.
Then sample civil layer names
are given.
Now going back to C3D, pull
down the list of layer names.
See A layers for architectdeveloped layers on buildings,
C layers for civil objects, and V
layers for surveying/mapping.
The templates include the
three major professions
involved in a major land
development/construction
project.
C. CREATE NEW POINT
STYLES
Let’s investigate the
PROSPECTOR and
SETTINGS data structure.
Create a new drawing. pick
top left icon, NEW. From now
on, we will not use the NCD
default template. We will load
the ACAD basic template to
create new POINT STYLES.
Pick SETTINGS in
TOOLSPACE, expand POINT.
Right click on any existing
POINT STYLES such as
BASIC, and see choices EDIT,
COPY, DELETE, REFRESH.
But we’re going to make a new
style.
Right click on POINT STYLES,
NEW. A dialog box opens.
NAME the new style:
INFORMATION, NAME, enter
the new name such as
“PROPCORNER”. Notice
creation, modification info and
description.
MARKER sets a symbol for
the new style:
MARKER -- select 1. The
ACAD point, 2. Custom C3D
marker, or 3. ACAD standard
blocks. We’ll make a custom
marker: Pick the X, and the
superimposed circle.
SIZE: USE DRAWING SCALE,
0.1” -- means it will plot this
size in Layout View paper
space.
DISPLAY –
Create LAYER: click on the
desired marker’s layer. Pick
the NEW box, enter the new
layer as
CTRL-IPF - meaning we have
found iron pipes at the
boundary corners.
Choose RED as the color, use
the “…” box. Leave all the rest
default. OK. In the Layer
Selection box, highlight the
new layer at the bottom, OK.
C3D created the marker as an
ACAD block where the color,
line type, etc. are the block
settings.
Every point style has two
graphics associated with it –
its MARKER and its LABEL.
Set the point’s LABEL style.
Pick LABEL
Enter a new Layer for the text:
LAYER, NEW,
CTRL-TEXT. Set color
GREEN, OK, select new layer,
OK, pick the Color box, select
“BYLAYER”, OK because we
don’t have a graphic marker
block, just text.
Now picking OK on the main
dialog box will create the new
style. Notice the
PROPCORNER listed in the
point styles.
CREATE ANOTHER POINT
STYLE
We will now create another
POINT STYLE for topographic
ground elevation points.
Repeat the above process.
Rt. Click Point Styles: NEW
INFORMATION: Name: enter
PLANIMETRICS
MARKER: choose the DOT
3DGEOMETRY: no change
DISPLAY:
MARKER:Layer:New:enter
TOPO-PLAN COLOR: … :
RED
OK highlight new
layer OK
LABEL:Layer:New:enter
TOPO-TEXT COLOR: … :
GREEN. OK, highlight new
layer, OK, Change Color
setting BYLAYER.
Now pick APPLY and OK.
See the new style listed under
Settings.
C. CREATE LABEL STYLES
Now we will create a new
Label Style. In SETTINGS,
expand Label Styles
See some preset style
choices, but we will make a
new one.
Rt click on LABEL STYLES,
NEW, a dialog box comes up
INFORMATION:Name:enter
MyPtLabelStyle
GENERAL: Set text style to
STANDARD If we had
preset a different style in the
drawing, then we could pick
that. Leave all else as is.
LAYOUT: notice three
COMPONENTS will be
displayed – Point number,
elevation, and point
description.
We will accept all these
settings: APPLY, OK. Notice
the new Point Label in the list.
D. CREATE DESCRIPTION
KEY SET
Description Key Sets – Very
similar to Land Desktop -each point will have a
description, usually a 2 or 3
capital letter shorthand for a
ground feature such as: IPF
for iron pipe found, AC for air
conditioning unit, or MB for
mail box, etc.
A firm will have a full set of
these, maybe 100 to 200, to
cover each possible ground
feature that may be tied in by
field survey.
When the field survey crew
enters the DESC along with
the field measured data in the
data collector, this data file is
then brought into C3D. The
DESC key then directs C3D to
enter the point into a
particular:
LAYER
POINT STYLE
POINT LAYER STYLE, and
POINT GROUP, another C3D
object.
C3D has one short DESC KEY
SET called "Civil 3D".
PROSPECTOR, SETTINGS,
expand DESC KEY SETS,
click on the Civil 3d. At the
bottom of TOOLSPACE, the
settings for several DESC
KEYS are shown for example.
We will create a new
Description Key set in C3D.
Rt click on DESC KEY SETS,
NEW. Enter the name MY
DESCRIPTIONS for the new
name. OK, see it now listed.
Rt click on the new DESC KEY
SET, EDIT KEYS. A short
table appears at the bottom of
TOOLSPACE. We could enter
specifications there.
But a "PANORAMA" box also
opens for a bigger picture
which is easier to use.
ENTER A DESC KEY FOR AN
AC UNIT:
Code: AC*
Style: check on, pick "default",
choose PLANIMETRICS for
our preset point style.
Point Label Style: on, choose
POINT# ELEVATION
DESCRIPTION
Format: type "AC UNIT" – C3D
will always label the point with
this text.
Layer: on, pick VZ NODE
TOPO, the layer we previously
created. Leave all other
settings as is.
ENTER A DESC KEY FOR A
IRON PIPE FOUND: IPF
rt click on the first one, COPY
Code: IPF*
Style: PROP CORNER
Point Label Style: POINT#
ELEVATION DESC
Format: "IRON PIPE FOUND"
Layer: VZ NODE CTRL IPF
ENTER A DESC KEY FOR A
MAIL BOX: MB
rt click on the first one, COPY
Code: MB*
Style: PLANIMETRICS
Point Label Style: POINT#
ELEVATION DESC
Format: "MAIL BOX"
Layer: VZ NODE TOPO
Now pick the check box upper
right to save and close. You
see the list of keys at the
bottom, and our new set is
darkened in the list. This
means it is current in the
drawing.
E. CREATE POINT GROUPS
PROSPECTOR tab, find
POINT GROUPS
C3D has a default group "all
points", but we're going to
make our own.
MAKE A GROUP:
PLANIMETRICS
Rt click, NEW.
Information: enter name of the
new group PLANIMETRICS –
to house all planimetric
features on a typical site: mail
box, AC unit, etc. (typically
shown on an x-y planimetric
map in plan view)
Raw Description Matching:
select AC* and MB*, meaning
that these are the only two
features that should go into
this group. OK. See your new
group in the list.
MAKE A GROUP: CONTROL
Rt click, NEW
Information: CONTROL
Raw Description: IPF*
OK, see your new group.
F. ENTER TRIAL POINTS
Now we will CREATE POINTS
to use these new settings.
Pull down: POINTS,
CREATE POINTS MISC,
MANUAL, see command line
prompt for the location x,y
1000,1000
point desc: AC
elev: 112.33
(command line is ready for
second point)
1100,1000
IPF
114.32
(next point)
1100,1100
MB
114.32 (has same elev as the
iron pipe)
esc to terminate the command.
ZOOM, EXTENTS to see the
three points. If there's a yellow
exclamation point, rt click,
UPDATE.
Notice:
The IPF has a marker
consistent with the PROP
CORNER point style
previously created, since the
iron pipe is a boundary corner.
The MB and AC also have
marker2, consistent with the
PLANIMETRIC point style
created previously.
Also, PROSPECTOR, point
groups, rt click on CONTROL,
edit points, a PANORAMA
comes up with only one point
in the group. Whereas, two
points come up in the
PLANIMETRICS group.
Good.
Also, lets see what layer they
have been put on? Select the
IPF, rt click, properties, see
the layer: VF NODE
CONTROL IPF, good. Either
of the other two points should
be on the VF NODE TOPO,
good. The STYLE, LABEL
STYLE, and primary GROUP
are also listed.
Also notice that the third text
line is not the DESC KEY, but
the "format" text entered when
we created the DESC KEY
SET.
G. POINT FILE FORMATS -for a text file that can be
imported into or exported from
C3D .
SETTINGS, POINT FILE
FORMAT, expand to see
some of the most common in
use such as the PNEZD
(comma delimited). POINT
NUMBER,NORTHING,
EASTING,ELEVATION,DESC
RIPTION KEY.
We can create a new format,
but not at this time.