Jump Kit

The Framework for Civil 3D
Get More

Templates Only

See The Framework Work
Get More

Become a Member

Master Civil 3D
Get More

Autodesk Civil Videos

Free Civil 3D Training
Get More

Framework Videos

Free Civil 3D Videos
Get More

What is a Civil 3D Project Sandbox? If we create, edit, and manage Civil 3D Templates, Civil 3D Styles, and other Civil 3D production resources we have a Civil 3D Project Sandbox. We may not call it that. At the bare minimum this vital and mission critical Civil 3D resource is a single example drawing we employ to develop, edit, and manage Civil 3D Styles and Sets that we employ in our daily civil engineering and survey production work.

In Civil 3D Land, this resource is more than a drawing.

Civil 3D 2023 Project Sandboxes

Most of the successful folks that perform that Civil 3D customization and management work for others employ a Civil 3D Project dataset or two or three. Why? There are probably a Top 10 reasons to have and employ a Civil 3D Project Sandbox.

Let’s start with the Top Three Reasons for a Civil 3D Project Sandbox:

Civil 3D Style + Civil 3D Data Behind = $

Civil 3D Templates and Styles are effectively meaningless without the Civil 3D data behind.
All that data stored in all the many properties of Civil 3D Features (Objects in the Civil 3D Toolspace).

The Civil 3D data behind is rendered into the Civil 3D Feature Styles and annotative Label Styles and Sets that represent our production work and, in some publication form(s), become our paid deliverables.

What we used to call the Civil 3D Dynamic Model is today a project-based Managed Dynamic Model.

“Civil 3D isn’t just about Civil 3D Projects.
Civil 3D is the Project.”

Almost all effective and efficient Civil 3D production workflows are Civil 3D project-based not drawing based. Data References are vital in our Civil 3D projects. This is true for Civil 3D real world performance, stability, and adaptability reasons.

We all learn quickly that if more than one person works on a project, the structure, health, and daily maintenance and management of Civil 3D project is a vital Civil 3D User skill set and practice.

A Civil 3D Project Sandbox provides a safer place to develop, test, and exercise those Civil 3D User skills and best practices.

How We See the Known Good

We also need some method for everyone to visualize the current production version of the Known Good apart from our on-going project work which is far more subject to the vagaries of human behavior and skill level.

A well-built Civil 3D Project Sandbox helps everyone see how all the many Civil 3D parts work together (or not) in a Civil 3D production environment.

A new idea must survive in the Project Sandbox to become a useful part of the new Known Good.

Some folks believe the Civil 3D Known Good is stored in a Civil 3D Template. Sadly, it cannot be. The Known Good cannot really be stored in a Civil 3D Project Sandbox either, but that is a bit closer to the practical reality.

Register. Become a site Member. Visit our Style Maintenance Handbook for a series of important posts on the topic of the Known Good in Autodesk Civil 3D.

Framework for Civil 3D 2023 Project Sandboxes

We have always supplied multiple Civil 3D Project Sandboxes for the many supported releases and flavors of the Framework for Civil 3D. The dataset remains the same. Are the Civil 3D project-based results consistent?
See the Blog Videos page for example videos with links to posts.

The upcoming release of the Framework for Civil 3D 2023 includes major updates, upgrades, and improvements to the supplied Civil 3D Project Sandboxes.

A New Default Install Location

We moved the default install location for the Civil 3D 2023 Project Sandboxes to the Windows 10 (and Windows 11) Autodesk public documents location: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Civil 3D Projects.

Updated Project Sandboxes and Drawings

We took the time to rebuild the old 2022 and new 2023 Framework for Civil 3D Project Sandboxes in considerable detail.

The Project Sandboxes employ multiple Civil 3D Reference Templates (TREF) and similar Style Collections particular to the Civil 3D release, plot mechanism, and the Framework flavor.

Every drawing is new and updated. We removed some old project content and added additional new content like set up Grading drawings for Grading Optimization.

New Topical Civil 3D Sandbox Projects

We include new topical and smaller Civil 3D Project Sandboxes to address two important sets of important Civil 3D workflows and best practices.

See the Release 8 Details page for the many Release 8 2023 details and specific changes.

Turn Lanes and Medians Project

The Medians Project Dataset explores Civil 3D Project Data Reference (DREF) method and practice to fully support Multiple Baseline Corridor design options.

Multiple design options are supplied including two shared design options and a separate grading Datum surface the employs a separate Set of Assemblies.

The project also explores use of Corridor Frequency Models to help produce faster deliverables annotation in Civil 3D. The Corridor naming convention employed is documented with a PDF included in the dataset.

The Civil 3D project Dataset explores the Corridor creation and construction of a complex 4-way Intersection with Turn Lanes and Medians with lots of nuanced Alignment and Profile design control.

See the Civil 3D Turn Lane and Median Corridors post and video series for topics and details related to the Medians Project Dataset.

Label Style Expression Sets Project

The Label Style Expression Set (LSES) Project Dataset explores the usage and mechanics of Framework for Civil 3D Labels in multiple grading annotation scenarios.

Included scenarios include typical and atypical Surfaces, multiple design Corridors for Ponds, Roads, and Parking Lot grading projects.

The Civil 3D project Dataset explores the use of Framework Label Style Expression Set (LSES) resources with Variable and/or Fixed Truncation combined with Code(s) Property Set Label Style annotation to generate production deliverables annotation from these common Civil 3D grading scenarios.

See the Blog Videos page for videos and posts on Label Style Expression Set topics and details.

Of Sandboxes and Project Templates

Do your Civil 3D Project Sandboxes help you produce better Civil 3D Project Templates?

Your best investment in Civil 3D customization are Civil 3D Project Templates.

See the Civil 3D Projects and Setup page for videos and links to Civil 3D Project Template posts.

Better managed Civil 3D Projects always produce better project deliverables faster.

Get the Civil 3D Toolset to Make Civil 3D Work
Get the Framework for Civil 3D Release 8