SUR Civil 3D Survey Tutorials


Survey Tutorials

Survey Tutorials

  • SUR110 Civil 3D: Survey
    Originally written for Civil 3D 2009 but the same concepts apply in 2010 and 2011. Includes: point occupation, field book import, traverse definition, compass rule analysis, least squares analysis, face1 face 2 traverse analysis, unlocking points, setting up point styles. Also includes AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 & 2011 linework examples. 37 Pages. Zipped file also includes 3 types of traverse fieldbooks (.fbk) files for reference.
  • SUR109 Point Coordinate Transformation
    Coordinate transformation (e.g. from NAD83 UTM Zone 15 Meters to NAD83 Louisiana State Plane, South Zone, US Foot) may not work properly if you simply use point functionality. However, the transformation seems to hold in every case if you work via the Survey functions. This video shows how to proceed.
  • SUR108 Label Northing, Easting, Area Using Fields
    Northings, Eastings, Elevations, Areas (and more) can all be labeled using core AutoCAD functionality.
  • SUR107 Point Settings: Label Used to Label Symbol (e.g. Water Meter, Water Valve). This video walks through setting up a description key to cover the following scenario: Need to place text near a symbol, but want the flexibility to control the placement of the text – such is the case with a water valve labeled WV, or a water meter labeled WM. Ideally, you want the WM or WV above their respective symbols to be movable via grips. In Civil 3D, a point can not have both a node and a symbol as was the case in Land Desktop. The symbol in Civil 3D is the “node” per se, and it has an object snap “node” definition (meaning you can snap to the node of a symbol used to mark a point).
  • SUR106 Point Settings: Label Off, but Symbol On
    This video walks through setting up a description key to cover the following scenario: You need to leave a symbol on but turn off the point label text. In Civil 3D, a point can not have both a node and a symbol as was the case in Land Desktop. The symbol in Civil 3D is the “node” per se, and it has an object snap “node” definition (meaning you can snap to the node of a symbol used to mark a point).
  • SUR105 Importing Points Without Using Survey.
    A short video tutorial about importing points from a text file.
  • SUR104 How To Set the Current Points Layer
    A short video tutorial about the location of the default points layer. It is not found in the drawing settings.
  • SUR103 Adding Linework (Survey Figures) to a Surface as Breaklines. This tutorial outlines creating breaklines from survey figures created in the filed. Although the option to generate these breaklines for a surface automatically does exist in the software, you probably don’t want to use this functionality. This video shows the best alternative approach. This video was created in AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010.
  • SUR102 Set Working Folder and Create Survey Database
    This tutorial outlines the location of the “Working Folder,” as well as the location of the survey database, and the survey networks associated with a survey database. This video was created in AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 but covers 2011 functionality as well.
  • SUR101 Survey Workflow in AutoCAD® Civil 3D®
    The workflow in Civil 3D is quite different when compared to its predecessor, Land Desktop. Land Desktop used a project based approach, storing point data externally, while Civil 3D stores a survey database externally, but at first look, seems to store points in a single drawing file. This tutorial walks the user through the process of creating a survey database, importing points, and then using the same point data in several drawings at once. This process is one of the most challenging when learning the Survey functionality within Civil 3D for the first time. Once mastered, the process is powerful, yet simple, and goes well beyond the functionality of Land Desktop. This process does not require the Vault.
  • SUR100 Figure Command Examples for Land Surveying
    Linework commands, also known as figure commands, have changed dramatically for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 & 2011. This page covers many of the possibilities.

    • Survey Related Tutorials

    • POI102 Changing Point Display, and hiding points using groups.
      A short video tutorial about controlling what points are visible on the screen using Point Groups.
    • POI107 Create a Description Key
      Video tutorial outlining the creation of a description key in Civil 3D. Styles make this somewhat more complicated than they may have been in Land Desktop. This video unlocks the secret for great description key design.

    Survey Links

    Civil 3D Tutorials
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Tutorials

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