AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Essentials
Description
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Essentials gets you quickly up to speed with the features and functions of this industry-leading civil engineering software. This full-color guide features approachable, hands-on exercises and additional task-based tutorials that help you quickly become productive as you master the fundamental aspects of AutoCAD Civil 3D design. Each chapter opens with a quick discussion of concepts and learning goals, and then briskly moves into tutorial mode with screen shots that illustrate each step of the process. The emphasis is on skills rather than tools, and the clear delineation between "why" and "how" makes this guide ideal for quick reference. The companion website provides starting and ending files for each exercise, so you can jump in at any point and compare your work with the pros. Centered around the real-world task of designing a residential subdivision, these exercises get you up to speed with the program's functionality, while also providing the only Autodesk-endorsed preparation for the AutoCAD Civil 3D certification exam.
* Master the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 interface and basic tasks
* Model terrain using imported field survey data
* Analyze boundaries, pipe networks, surfaces, and terrain
* Estimate quantities and create construction documentation
If you're ready to acquire this must-have skillset, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Essentials will get you up to speed quickly and easily.
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Eric Chappell, a 20-year veteran in the world of civil engineering software, is a recognized expert on Autodesk¯® AutoCAD Civil 3D¯®. He has written training materials and conducted training for end users, trainers, and Autodesk employees around the globe, and has worked with Autodesk in authoring and developing two Autodesk certification exams. Eric is a highly rated instructor at Autodesk University, where he has taught for over 10 years.
Content
Introduction xii
Chapter 1 Navigating the User Interface 1
Getting to Know the Civil 3D User Interface 2
Working with the Application Menu 3
Working with the Ribbon 5
Working with the Toolspace 8
Using the Drawing Area 11
Using the Command Line 12
Using Panorama 12
Using the Transparent Commands Toolbar 13
Using the Inquiry Tool 14
Chapter 2 Leveraging a Dynamic Environment 17
Connecting Objects and Styles 18
Connecting Labels and Label Styles 23
Connecting Objects to Objects 27
Connecting Objects to Labels 29
Appreciating the Richness of the 3-D Model 31
Sharing Data in a Dynamic Environment 33
Chapter 3 Establishing Existing Conditions Using Survey Data 37
What Is Survey Data? 38
Creating a Survey Database 39
Importing Survey Data 41
Automating Field-to-Finish 45
Editing Survey Points 57
Editing Survey Figures 59
Creating Additional Points 61
Chapter 4 Modeling the Existing Terrain Using Surfaces 65
Understanding Surfaces 66
Creating a Surface from Survey Data 67
Using Breaklines to Improve Surface Accuracy 71
Editing Surfaces 77
Displaying and Analyzing Surfaces 82
Annotating Surfaces 87
Chapter 5 Designing in 2-D Using Alignments 91
Understanding Alignments 92
Creating Alignments from Objects 92
Creating Alignments Using the Alignment Creation Tools 95
Editing Alignments 99
Applying Design Criteria Files and Check Sets 107
Chapter 6 Displaying and Annotating Alignments 113
Using Alignment Styles 114
Applying Alignment Labels and Label Sets 116
Creating Station/Offset Labels 121
Creating Segment Labels 123
Using Tag Labels and Tables 126
Chapter 7 Designing Vertically Using Profiles 131
Creating Surface Profiles 132
Displaying Profiles in Profile Views 133
Creating Design Profiles 134
Editing Profiles 136
Using Design Check Sets and Criteria Files 144
Chapter 8 Displaying and Annotating Profiles 149
Applying Profile Styles 150
Applying Profile View Styles 152
Applying Profile View Bands 154
Applying Profile Labels 157
Creating and Applying Profile Label Sets 159
Creating Profile View Labels 160
Projecting Objects to Profile Views 164
Chapter 9 Designing in 3D Using Corridors 169
Understanding Corridors 170
Creating an Assembly 173
Creating a Corridor 175
Applying Corridor Targets 176
Creating Corridor Surfaces 185
Chapter 10 Creating Cross Sections of the Design 191
Using the Section Editor 192
Creating Sample Lines 195
Creating Section Views 198
Sampling More Sources 202
Chapter 11 Displaying and Annotating Sections 207
Applying Section Styles 208
Applying Section Labels 210
Controlling Corridor Section Display with Code Set Styles 213
Applying Labels with Code Set Styles 215
Applying Section View Styles 217
Applying Section View Bands 220
Applying Group Plot Styles 223
Creating Section View Labels 225
Chapter 12 Designing and Analyzing Boundaries Using Parcels 229
Understanding Parcels 230
Creating Parcels from Objects 232
Creating Parcels by Layout 235
Editing Parcels 246
Chapter 13 Displaying and Annotating Parcels 253
Applying Parcel Styles 254
Applying Parcel Area Labels 258
Creating Parcel Segment Labels 261
Editing Parcel Segment Labels 264
Creating Parcel Tables 267
Chapter 14 Designing Gravity Pipe Networks 273
Understanding Gravity Pipe Networks 273
Creating Gravity Pipe Networks 277
Editing Gravity Pipe Networks 285
Chapter 15 Designing Pressure Pipe Networks 297
Understanding Pressure Pipe Networks 297
Creating Pressure Pipe Networks 300
Editing Pressure Pipe Networks 305
Chapter 16 Displaying and Annotating Pipe Networks 317
Displaying Pipe Networks Using Styles 318
Annotating Pipe Networks in Plan View 325
Annotating Pipe Networks in Profile View 331
Creating Pipe Network Tables 335
Chapter 17 Designing New Terrain 339
Understanding Grading 340
Understanding Feature Lines 341
Creating Feature Lines 342
Editing Feature Lines 344
Understanding Grading Objects 352
Creating Grading Objects 355
Editing Grading Objects 358
Chapter 18 Analyzing, Displaying, and Annotating Surfaces 361
Combining Design Surfaces 362
Analyzing Design Surfaces 368
Calculating Earthwork Volumes 376
Labeling Design Surfaces 380
Appendix AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Certification 385
Index 389
Introduction
When the first version of this book was born just over four years ago, my hope was for it to be one book in a long and successful series that would educate, inspire, and even excite many people about using the Autodesk® AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software. In order to make that happen, I decided that each book in the series had to meet the following criteria:
- It should be basic enough to enable anyone to learn Civil 3D.
- It should be in-depth enough to enable a person to be productive using Civil 3D for basic tasks.
- It should foster understanding by associating the things you do in Civil 3D with familiar things you see every day.
- The examples and exercises should be based on the real world.
- The book should not simply demonstrate random software features but should also teach the process of project completion using Civil 3D.
Since the first version of the book was released, I have received tons of great feedback about how well this book functions in many learning environments. I have also used the book myself to teach classes in a corporate environment, and I am very pleased with how it performs. I am confident that the goals I listed have been met, and for that reason I have held to the same writing style, format, and delivery that proved to be so successful in the previous versions.
As you work your way through the book as a teacher, a student, or an end user, you'll find that the first two chapters, although very important, are more general and introductory. After that, you're going to take a journey through the completion of a residential land development project-start to finish. In fact, the example project is based on a residential development that was built about 10 years ago, not far from my home. The topics are presented as though you have never touched a CAD program before, and wherever possible, there are sidebars and other forms of augmentation that relate what you're doing to the real world.
You'll also find that as I wrote this book, I tried to sympathize with future readers by thinking back to my college days when I was learning about surveying and civil engineering for the first time. There were many times when I felt frustrated and lost because I was learning new and foreign concepts and did not see how they related to the real world. I can remember being out in the field during my surveying class-looking through the survey instrument, writing down measurements, and having no idea why. That wasn't an enjoyable feeling, and it isn't one I want you to experience as you learn the new and foreign concepts in this book. Eventually I learned all about surveying, and now I have an in-depth understanding of how those measurements relate to designing and building roads, buildings, and other things-but it took many years. It's my sincerest hope that this book gives you a head start on some of those types of concepts while at the same time relating them to Civil 3D in ways that hit home for you.
What's New in This Book?
If you already own AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015 Essentials, you'll be happy to know that AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Essentials has been updated to address important changes in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016. All applicable images have been updated in this version of the book to account for changes to the user interface and changes to functionality. The dataset files have also been updated to ensure compatibility with AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016.
Who Should Read This Book?
This book should be read by anyone who needs or wants to begin learning AutoCAD Civil 3D. It's appropriate for ages ranging from high school to retirement, and although it's intended for those who have no experience or skill with Civil 3D, it can also serve as a great resource for refreshing your knowledge base or filling in any gaps. In addition, this book can be used as a resource for preparing to take the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Certified Professional exam. See www.autodesk.com/certification for more certification information and resources. You can also refer to this book's appendix to see which certification topics are covered and where they can be found in the book.
In addition to those pursuing a certification, here are some specific examples of individuals who would benefit from reading this book:
- High-school students following a design-related educational track
- College students learning to be designers or engineers
- Employees who have recently joined a company that utilizes Civil 3D
- Employees who work for companies that have recently implemented Civil 3D
- Experienced Civil 3D users who are self-taught and who want to fill in gaps in their knowledge base
What You Will Learn
This book covers the basic skills and concepts needed to begin using Civil 3D to design land development projects. The concepts include those related to Civil 3D as well as those related to civil engineering and surveying in general. It doesn't cover all topics or all Civil 3D features, but it provides a solid foundation you can use to perform basic tasks. This foundation can then serve as a stepping-off point as you learn more advanced skills and work toward an in-depth understanding of Civil 3D.
The first two chapters will give you a basic understanding of Civil 3D and help you to understand and appreciate how it "thinks." The remaining 16 chapters will teach you how to use the tools that Civil 3D provides to complete a typical land development design project.
What You Need
Specific hardware requirements for running AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 had not been released as this book went to press. See the Autodesk website (www.autodesk.com) for current requirements.
To perform the exercises in this book, you must have AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 installed on your computer. It's recommended that you use the default software setup with two exceptions: Change your drawing screen color to white, and dock the command line at the bottom of the screen. This book contains many screen captures of Civil 3D drawings, which were all produced with these distinctive changes to the user interface. Also, at times, the exercises refer to drawing entities by color, which is sometimes dependent on the background color.
To complete the exercises, you'll need to download the necessary files from www.sybex.com/go/civil3d2016essentials. Here you'll find a list of Zip files, one for each chapter. When you unzip the file for the first chapter to the local C: drive of your computer, a folder named Civil 3D 2016 Essentials will be created with the chapter folder inside it. As you unzip additional chapter files to the local simply merge the new Civil 3D 2016 Essentials folder into the old one. The resulting files and folders will appear similar to the following image:
Zip files are available in imperial and metric units. As you complete the exercises, metric values will be shown in parentheses. The imperial and metric values for a given item usually are not equivalent, to avoid using irregular values for the design. For example, the value for the width of a sidewalk would be shown as 3' (1m) even though 3' doesn't exactly equal 1m.
Finally, be sure to check the book's website for any updates to this book should the need arise. You can also contact me directly by email at CivilEssentials@gmail.com or visit my blog at http://ericchappell.blogspot.com to read even more about the book and Civil 3D in general.
Free Autodesk Software for Students and Educators
The Autodesk Education Community is an online resource with more than 5 million members that enables educators and students to download-for free (see the website for terms and conditions)-the same software used by professionals worldwide. You can also access additional tools and materials to help you design, visualize, and simulate ideas. Connect with other learners to stay current with the latest industry trends and get the most out of your designs. Get started today at www.autodesk.com/joinedu.
Attention: Instructors
As you know, the best classes start with good preparation, and you can get off to a good start by downloading the instructor materials that accompany this book. Please visit www.sybex.com/go/civil3d2016essentials to access the instructor materials, which contain suggested syllabi, PowerPoint files, additional exercises, and quiz questions that you can use to assist you in making your class a success.
What Is Covered in This Book?
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 Essentials is organized to provide you with the knowledge needed to master the basics of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016:
- Chapter 1: Navigating the User Interface Familiarizes you with the Civil 3D environment so that you can navigate more easily in the software.
- Chapter 2: Leveraging a Dynamic Environment Demonstrates the dynamic Civil 3D environment to establish its importance and encourage you to take full advantage of it whenever possible. This chapter focuses on important relationships between different components of a typical design model.
- Chapter 3: Establishing Existing Conditions Using Survey Data Demonstrates how to convert survey field measurements into a Civil 3D drawing while focusing on the survey functions of Civil 3D. This chapter covers creating a survey database, importing data, and processing the data to create a map of the project.
- Chapter 4: Modeling the Existing Terrain Using Surfaces Demonstrates how to create a model of the existing terrain...
