Datasheet
Chapter 1 • Navigating the Civil 3D User Interface
8
functions are accessed through right-click menus such as the one used in Step 5
of the previous exercise. A good rule of thumb when using Prospector is, “When
in doubt, right-click it.”
Settings Tab
Civil 3D has a lot of settings that control nearly every aspect of how the soft-
ware behaves. In fact, one of the things that makes Civil 3D so powerful is that
you can customize its settings to accommodate nearly any design needed. The
Settings tab is where these settings are managed; however, you won’t be spend-
ing much time here for the early part of your Civil 3D career. This area is more
often the territory of a CAD manager or Civil 3D guru.
To explore the Settings tab, follow these steps (you should still have
User
Interface.dwg open from the previous exercise):
1. Click the Settings tab of the Toolspace.
2. Expand Surface
➢ Surface Styles and take note of the list of styles
shown there. These styles control the appearance of models that rep-
resent the shape of the ground.
3. Expand Surface
➢ Label Styles ➢ Contour and take note of the list of
styles shown there. These styles control a certain type of label that is
used to annotate surface models.
4. Keep this drawing open for the next exercise.
Survey Tab
The Survey tab is specifically for working with survey data. You could call it
“Prospector for surveyors,” because it serves the same functions and works in
much the same way as the Prospector tab. It displays survey data in a tree struc-
ture, and it allows you to launch commands through right-click menus.
Toolbox Tab
As if Civil 3D didn’t have enough stuff packed into it already, the Toolbox is a place
where other add-ons can be plugged in. Your company may have some custom
programming that is designed to run in Civil 3D, or some add-on modules pro-
vided by Autodesk such as a Subscription Advantage Pack. This is the place where
you can load and run these additional enhancements to Civil 3D.
Certification
Objective
If the Settings tab
is not visible, click
the Settings icon on
the Palettes panel
of Home tab of the
ribbon.