Datasheet

CHAPTER 1 GETTING DIRTY: THE BASICS OF CIVIL 3D

As you can see from the table, each of these workspaces was designed with user roles in mind.

By using these as templates for your own workspaces, you can make Civil 3D work the way you do.

The Bottom Line

Find any Civil 3D object with just a few clicks. By using Prospector to view object data col-

lections, you can minimize the panning and zooming that are part of working in a CAD program.

When common subdivisions can have hundreds of parcels or a complex corridor can have doz-

ens of alignments, jumping to the desired one nearly instantly shaves time off everyday tasks.

Master It Open SampleSite.dwg from the sample data set and find the parcel Property : 9

without using any AutoCAD commands.

Modify the drawing scale and default object layers. Civil 3D understands the end goal of

most drawings is to create hard-copy construction documents. By setting a drawing scale and

then setting many sizes in terms of plotted inches or millimeters, Civil 3D removes much of the

mental gymnastics that other programs require when sizing text and symbology. By setting

object layers at a drawing scale, Civil 3D makes uniformity of drawing files easier than ever to

accomplish.

Master It Change SampleSite.dwg from a 40-scale drawing to a 200-scale drawing.

Modify the display of Civil 3D tooltips. The interactive display of object tooltips makes it

easy to keep your focus on the drawing instead of an inquiry or report tools. When too many

objects fill up a drawing however, it can be information overload, so Civil 3D gives you granular

control over the heads-up display tooltips.

Master It Within the same Sample Site drawing, turn off the tooltips for the Carson’s Way

alignment.

Profiles ××

Corridors ××

Sections ×

Pipes ×

Survey ×

Annotation × ×

Inquiry ×× ×

Express ×× × ×

Window ×× × × ×

Help ×× × ×

Table 1.1: Workspace and Menu Reference Table (continued)

Civil 3D

Complete

Design

Annotation

and Drafting

Surveying and

Topographical

Visualization

and Rendering

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