It is Civil 3D Update time again. It is that time of year. We are rapidly approaching the release of the first Autodesk Civil 3D 2026.1 Update. How can we know that? Isn’t it a little early in the summer for a Civil 3D 2026 Update 1? Maybe a little.
Perhaps you noticed the earlier schedule for this year's Autodesk University in Nashville, TN? There is early bird pricing.
Why not an early bird Civil 3D Update?
Surprise. Surprise. This week Autodesk released incremental updates for Autodesk Civil 3D 2025, Autodesk Civil 3D 2024, and Autodesk Civil 3D 2023.
These important Civil 3D Updates represent the horses that pull the caisson so to speak.
We civil engineering and survey types out here in Civil 3D Land at times enjoy the odd historic reference and a pun, don’ ya know. We have parades on the mind for some reason. Everyone loves a parade.
The Civil 3D Updates Arrive in a Pack
The Autodesk Civil 3D Updates include important Data Shortcut fixes and upgrades to support Civil 3D Object Model backwards compatibility upgrades that support that upcoming Civil 3D 2026.1 Update.
Here are the links to the Civil 3D Update News items:
The News items above all include links to the specific Release Notes.
Notice none of them mention anything about how these Civil 3D Updates change the Civil 3D Object Model in our drawings.
They do.
The Framework for Civil 3D Product Support and the Updates
We can confirm that each of these Civil 3D Updates appear to run fine in the available builds of the Framework for Civil 3D Jump Kit and Templates Only products for the appropriate release. Imagine that? Promises made and promises kept.
We will release new Jump Kit and Templates Only product builds for the 2024 and 2025 releases real soon now. Our Jump Kit products also include our famous Civil 3D Sandbox projects with in-depth working examples to help our customers build and maintain better and more functional production environments for Civil 3D.
Don’t Miss the Other Important Autodesk Updates
Back in the day most of us learned the hard way not to just punch the Civil 3D Update magic button. Autodesk often requires other code dependences for the Civil 3D Updates.
“Come on, man.”
Map 3D and AutoCAD Updates
We all know that Autodesk Civil 3D is based on AutoCAD Map 3D which is based on raw AutoCAD. Yada, yada, yada. We know the drill.
This means we need to check that we also pull the levers on the latest Updates for Map 3D and AutoCAD before upgrading to a new Update build of Civil 3D. No biggy.
At Autodesk the times are always new. We have new parts and pieces to deal with like it or not.
We’re not out of the woods yet…
Autodesk Licensing Service
In mid-June, Autodesk released an update to the Autodesk Licensing Service 15.5.0.13374.
A new Civil 3D Update that is out of synch with our installed version of ALS (Autodesk Licensing Service) can cause truly annoying Civil 3D start up issues.
Please. Don’t ask me how I know (in a very Biblical sense) about that. Eheh.
Autodesk CER Service
In late May Autodesk released an update to the Autodesk CER (Customer Error Reporting) service.
The CER update showed up in the Autodesk Access app later than the official publish date. It is easy to miss.
See the News and the Autodesk CER Service 7.1.9 post.
Autodesk Desktop Connector
The latest Autodesk Desktop Connector 16.15.0.2610 build was released in late May. Even if we don’t work in and/or employ a version of the Autodesk Cloud it is a good idea to have a copy of the Autodesk Desktop Connector (ADC) installed. Why?
The Reference Explorer tool included in the ADC can help us check and tweak the many types of references employed in our locally stored Civil 3D projects and drawings. It can be priceless to discover why that particular drawing has become the drawing from Hell. No joke.
Civil 3D Projects That Run Better
We can think of the ADC’s Reference Explorer as a performance and stability tuning tool for the production use of Civil 3D. Just sayin’.
Another word of warning regarding the Autodesk Desktop Connector (ADC).
Autodesk will often sneak in an ADC update right before the release of a Civil 3D Update.
Sadly, the Autodesk Access app still doesn’t track the current version of the ADC installed or even automatically publish when Updates to the ADC are available. If we work our Civil 3D projects inside the Autodesk Cloud and run the ADC all day every day, we know sooner rather than later.
If we don’t? Yeah. We can be annoyed.
See the News link above for the current and available ADC release.
Visit our handy Autodesk Online Help page and this Autodesk Desktop Connector link anytime to check on the latest ADC release and download. You’re welcome.
The Last Shall Be First
We employ Civil 3D. Projects rule. Around here we say that Civil 3D is the project.
Maybe the most important Civil 3D Update question we might ask…
What’s the fastest and cleanest way to update the drawings in a Civil 3D project to the latest and greatest version?
The Civil 3D Batch Save Utility (BSU) makesCivil 3D project upgrades and updates faster, easier, and far more consistent. All we need to do is Learn and Burn.
No Batch Save?
Every Civil 3D Update or Civil 3D Upgrade becomes much more difficult and more painful.
Register. Become a website Member.
The valuable Documentation and Help>>Implement Civil 3D section in our Members section includes an entire section about the Civil 3D Batch Save Utility and how to employ the BSU. Imagine that.
Ok. There’s a reason our Jump Kit product includes all those handy script resources and the Spreadsheet Tools to build, edit, and maintain them. Who knew?
The Batch Save Roots
This is probably WTMI for some, but not for others.
The Civil 3D Batch Save Utility (BSU) puts a useful interface on and employs the AutoCAD Core Console (AcCoreConsole.exe) that is supplied with all AutoCAD based products. Yes. We can run scripts, LISP, and even API code to process and update folders of AutoCAD drawings too.
See the Core Console in the AutoCAD 2026 online Help.
Edit the link above to read the previous 2025 version help.
Sadly, while the AutoCAD Core Console has actually been around for quite some time, it is barely and rarely documented.
At times it does appear that Autodesk requires that we must really want to learn new things.
Oh. Bother.
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