#HOW TO CREATE A TOOL PALETTE IN AUTOCAD CIVIL 3D SOFTWARE#

Fortunately, Autodesk has made this much easier for users by pre-programming the software to do re-projections automatically. Many people lack the cartographic and/or math skills to re-project one coordinate system into another coordinate system accurately. GIS data comes in many different coordinate systems. Each coordinate system uses different mathematical formulas to accommodate the curvature of the earth’s surface.

#HOW TO CREATE A TOOL PALETTE IN AUTOCAD CIVIL 3D HOW TO#

It is also important to download the projection file (*.prj) so that the AutoCAD Civil 3D software knows how to automatically re-project the dataset into the project’s coordinate system.įigure 2: GIS dataset for floodplains in Utah Trick #2 – Set the Geographic LocationĬoordinate systems are used in engineering and mapping to uniquely identify the position of geographical elements. dbf file to see the data behind the linework. If you find a shape file for your project, you must download the. Figure 2 shows all the files associated with a floodplain dataset for Utah.

I recommend downloading all the associated files to ensure you have everything you need. Once you find data, it is extremely important to download the right information. Wikipedia ( ) has links to many sources worldwide. To find data for your project, do a search on the Internet. Here in Utah, we have the Automated Geographic Reference Center ( ) along with many other county and city government agencies that provide GIS data. Depending on where your project is located, you can find a lot of data online. Agencies around the world recognize the benefits of sharing information such as parcel linework, soil data, land use information, wetland data, and much more. GIS data is available from many different sources. You can also bring in parcel data, existing road centerlines, and many more readily available GIS datasets from government and other agencies.įigure 1 Planning and Analysis workspace Trick # 1 – Finding GIS Datasets

Taking advantage of these tools allows you to bring in elevation data before a survey crew even steps foot on the project site. They help you attach and analyze geographic information systems (GIS) data for more efficient planning of projects before starting a design. The Planning and Analysis Workspace (shown in Figure 1) in the AutoCAD Civil 3D software provides access to tools found in the AutoCAD Map 3D software.

This means that you have a lot more tools available than you may realize. You see, Civil 3D was built on top of Map 3D which was built on top of AutoCAD. However, I am constantly surprised by how few people know that they have access to AutoCAD® Map 3D® commands as well. When you first learned AutoCAD® Civil 3D®, did you take official training? What did that training include? Did you just learn how to create AutoCAD Civil 3D objects such as surfaces from survey points, parcels, alignments, profiles, and corridors? Many seasoned users of AutoCAD Civil 3D realize that they can use generic AutoCAD commands to complete tasks more efficiently in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

#HOW TO CREATE A TOOL PALETTE IN AUTOCAD CIVIL 3D FULL#

Back May 28th, 2015 Are You Taking Full Advantage of Civil 3D? Tip #1 – Learn What You Need to Learn

How to create a tool palette in autocad civil 3d