People do ask,
“How do I learn Civil 3D?”
Everyone who’s used any civil design software before is positive they know the fundamentals of surface builds and construction. I can just about guarantee that after you use AutoCAD Civil 3D for a while your viewpoint of that assumed truth will be rebuilt (grin). Surface design is usually not what people mean by the question.
Autodesk has focused AutoCAD Civil 3D development (and Infraworks too) around alignments. Our historic CAD preconceptions about classic "alignments" can get in our way. Simply put: an Alignment in Civil 3D is much more than Horizontal Control.
The Alignment is the Design Control Manager for Civil 3D
Alignments are the most developed and complex Feature in AutoCAD Civil 3D. They are intimately related to Corridors, Intersections, Pipe Networks, and Site Parcels. The Alignment, in effect, underpins many if not arguably all of Civil 3D's powerful design capabilities.
Our state-of-the-art Style tools in the Framework for Civil 3D make that real.
Alignments also play a center role in publication. Let's call it - Intelligent Publish on Demand. They buttress the publication of Plan, Plan and Profile Sheets, Pages of Sections, and much more.
Don’t be a Crash Test Dummy
Register and become a Member so you get complete access to our deep AutoCAD Civil 3D collections of posts and video courses like this one...
(Hint: You also might want to get a Templates Only to follow along):
The Book of Alignments
A Study Guide to Alignment Strategies, Tactics, and Practice
- See the Better Deliverables Video Training course
- See the The Civil 3D Buckets help section
Civil 3D Alignment
- The Mission Critical nature of Civil 3D Alignment Features
Civil 3D Alignment Types
- Alignment Types - purposes and tasks in Civil 3D
An Alignment in Civil 3D
- The Design Control Manager in Civil 3D
Baseline Civil 3D Alignments
- Alignments and their important Relationships in Civil 3D Design
The Alignment End View in Civil 3D
- The role of the Alignment in Publish on Demand
Annotative Profiles in Civil 3D
- Using Alignment Reports to Generate Special Profile Annotation
Civil 3D Horizontal Control
- A Primer and Warnings on Horizontal Control in Civil 3D
- Topics covered include Segments, Reversals, Stationing, and Reference Points
Alignment Based Point Groups
- Using Alignment Reports to Generate Point Annotation related to an Alignment
- The written fundamentals of Plan and Profile annotation in Publish on Demand
Civil 3D Alignment Matters
- A post with an overview video of Alignments and Publish on Demand
Civil 3D Best Fits are Fast and Better
- A post with a in-depth video of overall Best Fit Alignments and Publish on Demand
Civil 3D Best Fit Segment Tools
- A post with a in-depth video of Best Fit Alignment Segments
Control By Intersections
- How Intersection based design helps us in Civil 3D
Alignment Fundamentals
The Vector Direction of Style in Civil 3D
- Direction Matters in in Civil 3D
- Alignment geometry construction requires we see it via Style and recognize the new possibilities