AutoCAD Civil 3D Complete Road Design Course

1. Understanding Old vs. New Civil 3D Versions

2. Civil 3D vs. AutoCAD – What’s the Difference?

3. Opening Civil 3D from the Start Menu

Drawing Area

Toolspace

• Prospector

• Settings

• Survey

• Toolbox

Quick Question

Ribbon

Application Menu

Quick Access Toolbar

InfoCenter

Command Window

Status Bar

Drawing Basic Objects

1. Line Tool

2. Object Snaps (OSNAP)

3. Polyline

• Difference between line and polyline

4. 3D Polyline

5.Rectangle

6.Curve Tool

7.Circle

Object Selection

1.Properties Palette

2.Cursor Selection

3.Left-to-Right Window Selection

4.Right-toLeft Window Selection

5.Fence Select

6.Lasso Select

7.Quick Select

• Grips

• stretch vs move

• Editing Text, Blocks, Circles

• Selecting Multiple Grips

• Copying with Grips

What Are Object Snaps?

Object Snap Modes

a) Endpoint

b)    Midpoint

c)     Center

d)    Geometric Center 

e)     Quadrant

f)     Tangent

g)    Perpendicular

h)    Parallel

i)      Intersection

j)      Apparent Intersect

k)    Extension

l)      Node

m)   Insertion

n)    Nearest

Access to Object Snap Settings

Customization 2D Object Snaps

Object Snap Settings

Trying a Snap in Action

F3 Hotkey for Efficiency

Object Snap Cycling with TAB

temporarily activate an object snap

Examples of Object Snaps 

• Introduction to Polar and Osnap Tracking

• Drawing with Polar Tracking

• Access and Customize Polar Tracking Settings

• Object Snap (Osnap) Tracking Basics

• Move by Coordinate Displacement

• Copy Command

• Array Copy

• The Rotate Command

• The Scale Command

• Quick question

• The JOIN Command

• The EXPLODE Command

• Quick question

  
  

• The ERASE Command

• The STRETCH Command

The MIRROR Command

The OFFSET Command

• The TRIM Command

• The EXTEND Command

• The FILLET Command

• The Chamfer Command

• Quick question

• Rectangular ARRAY

• Explode Array

• Polar ARRAY

Drawing the Cross-Section

Accessing the Hatch Command

Boundaries Panel 

Pattern Panel

Options Panel

Hatch Types

Solid Fill

Gradient F ill

Custom Hatch

Quick question

Downloading the Asphalt Hatch Pattern

Extracting the Hatch Pattern

Moving the .PAT File to AutoCAD Support Folder

Using the Custom Hatch in the Hatch Command

What is a Creating Custom Hatch Pattern?

Create Hatch  with Superhatch

DRAW THE BLOCK

INSERT BLOCK

Superhatch

Create Hatch Pattern Using Hatch Code (.PAT)

What is a Custom Hatch Pattern?

Basic format:

Creating a PAT File

Loading and Applying the New Hatch

Applying Hatch Patterns in Civil 3D

What are Layers?

The Layer Properties  Manager

Main Layer Properties

Create Layers

Rename an Existing Layer

Remove Unused Layers

Setting the Current Layer

Specifying Default Properties for Objects on a Layer

Turning Layers On and Off

Freeze/Thaw Layers

Locking Layers

Fade Level in lock layer

Isolate and Unisolate Layers

Controlling Whether Layers

Sorting, Filtering, and Grouping Layers

Definition of Block

Why use blocks

Creating and Inserting a Block

1.Draw the object

2.Define a Block for the Current Drawing

3.Insert the Block

Block Editing 

Block EXPLODE   

Definition of External References (Xrefs)

Benefits of Using Xrefs

Attaching an Xref

show Xref in layer Properties

Control Properties of Xref layer

Managing Xref Paths

Getting Xref Notifications

Clipping Xrefs

Definition of Annotation

Annotations include:

Labels & Tables Group

Text Group

Dimensions Group

Centerlines Group

Leaders Group

Annotation Scaling & Markup Group

Exploring Labels & Tables Group

Add Labels to the Alignment

Add Surface Spot Elevation Labels

Add Table for the Alignment

Practice Exercise???

General annotation text:

Add Multiline Text (MTEXT)

Change Text Style

Use Text Height Field

Using Find Text Tool

Exploring Labels & Tables Group

Why Manage Dimension Styles?

Accessing the Dimension Style Manager

Creating a New Dimension Style

Lines

Symbols and Arrows

Text

Fit

Primary Units, and more

Modifying an Existing Style

Setting the Current Dimension Style

Overriding a Style Temporarily

Saving Dimension Styles and share it.

Quick question

Lines Tab

Symbols and Arrows Tab

Text Tab

Fit Tab

Primary Units Tab

Alternate Units Tab

Tolerance Tab

Quick question

Using the Smart Dimension Tool

Using Quick Dimension Tools

Linear Dimension

Aligned Dimension

Angular Dimension

Radius and Diameter

Arc Length

Jogged Dimension

Ordinate Dimension

Quick question

Baseline Dimensions

Continue Dimensions

Comparison Summary

Quick question

Adding a Center Mark

Customizing the Center Mark

Using the Centerline Tool

Modifying Centerline Properties

Quick question

Accessing the Leaders Group

Creating a Basic Multileader

Selecting Leader Styles

Modifying Leaders

Add Leader

Remove Leader

? Align Leaders

What is Design Center?

How to Access Design Center

Design Center Interface

Loading and Previewing Content

Inserting and Managing Content

Inserting a Block Using Design Center

Importing Layers and Styles

Favorite Locations

Using Search & Libraries

Quick question

Importing Layers and Styles

Favorite Locations

Using Search & Libraries

Quick question

Definition of Geometric Design of Highways

Transportation Engineering vs. Traffic Engineering

The four primary objectives of highway design:

Mobility  and Accessibility

Freeway

Arterial Roads

Collector Roads

Local Roads

  Classifying Areas by Road Function

Metropolitan Areas

Urban Areas

Suburban Areas

Rural Areas

Quick question

Four Phases of Highway Location

1.Office Study of Existing Information

2.Reconnaissance Survey (Exploration)

3.Preliminary Location Survey

4.Economic Evaluation:

5.? Environmental Evaluation:

6.Final Location Survey

Special Cases in Highway Location

1.Urban Highways:

2.Scenic & Recreational Roads:

3.Bridge Locations:

Quick question

Cutting into hills or Filling in valleys

Grade Line Close to Natural Ground – When and Why

The design must consider fixed elevation points, such as:

Water, Floods, and Visibility Considerations

Accepting or Rejecting a Grade Line – Based on Earthwork

Computing Earthwork Volumes

Mass Diagram and Interpretation

Interpreting Mass Diagram

Final Highway Plans

Quick question

Road Transportation's Four Foundational Elements

Traffic control devices

Driver Characteristics

Design for the Majority

The Human Response Process

The Eye and Driving

Hearing Perception

Design Value: 2.5 Seconds

Pedestrian Characteristics

Classes of Bicyclists (AASHTO):

Design speeds:

Quick question

What Are Vehicle Characteristics?

Why Are These Characteristics Important?

Static Characteristics

Lane and shoulder widths

Vertical curves

Parking bay dimensions

AASHTO Vehicle Classification

Design Vehicle Dimension

Examples of Different Types of Trucks

Choosing the Right Design Vehicle

Quick question

What Is Stopping Sight Distance (SSD)?

Why Does SSD Matter?

Two distance components

Stopping Sight Distance Table on Level Terrain

Stopping Sight Distance Table on Grades

What is Passing Sight Distance (PSD)?

Passing Sight Distance

What does Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) consist of?

Which of the following increases SSD the most?

What is the typical driver reaction time assumed in SSD calculations?

?️ What Is Geometric Design?

Geometric design covers:

Factor 1: Design Speed

Factor 2: Topography

Level terrain

Rolling terrain

Mountainous terrain

Terrain Classification:

? Factor 3: Vehicle Characteristics

Lane width.

Turning radii.

Clearance heights

Parking layout

? Types of Design Vehicles:

1. Passenger Cars

2. Trucks & Buses

3. Recreational Vehicles

? Factor 4: Human Factors

? Factor 5: Traffic Characteristics

  Factor 6: Environment

? Factor 7: Economy

?️ Three essential components

Horizontal Alignment

Vertical Alignment

Cross-Sectional Elements

What are Horizontal Alignment?

1. Horizontal Alignment

1. Tangents

2.  Curves

Four primary types of horizontal curves:

A simple circular curve

The Arc and Chord definition :

Methods for determining a simple circular curve

1. Deflection Angle and Chord from Previous Station (P.S).

2. Deflection Angle and Chord from point of curvature (P.C).

3. Tangent Offset Method

4. Long Chord Method

5. Middle Ordinate Method

2. Compound Curve

3. Broken-Back Curve

4. Reverse Curve

Objectives of Providing a Transition Curve

Essential Conditions for a Good Transition Curve

Factors Affecting the Length of Transition Curves

Types of Transition Curves

Spiral Curve (Clothoid)

1.Spiral between tangent and circular curve

2.Double spiral

3.Spiral between circular curves

When working with spiral curves in Civil 3D

Bernoulli’s Lemniscate

Cubic Parabola

Transition Curve Types

What is Vertical Alignment?

Vertical Alignment consists of:

Objectives of Vertical Alignment Design:

Components of Vertical Alignment

A. Grade (Slope)

B. Vertical Curves

Crest Vertical Curves

Sag Vertical Curves

Key Design Parameters

? Stopping Sight Distance on Vertical Curves

Stopping Sight Distance on Crest Vertical Curves:

Stopping Sight Distance on Sag Curves:

Design Tips and Considerations:

What Is a Highway Cross Section?

Main Elements of a Highway Cross Section

Traveled Way (Carriageway)

Pavement surfaces:

Lane widths

Cross slope:

Super elevation (curve)

Normal Cross Slopes for Different Pavement Types   

Shoulders

Median

Side Slopes (Embankment or Cutting)

Fill slopes (embankments)

Cut slopes (excavations)

Drainage Features

Curb and Gutter:

Guard Rails and Guide Posts

Sidewalks and Bikeways (Urban Roads)

Total Right-of-Way

Summary Table

What is Superelevation?

Why is Superelevation Important?

How Does Superelevation Work?

What If There’s No Superelevation?

The Superelevation Equation

Side Friction Factors with Speed

Definitions of Superelevation and Related Terms

Crown Section

Level Section

Tangent Runout

Superelevation Runoff

Full Superelevation

Spiral Runoff

Maximum superelevation rate

Minimum superelevation

Methods of Attaining Superelevation

Rotate about centerline

Revolve each traveled way about the inside-edge (median edge) profile

Revolve each traveled way about the outside-edge profile

Revolve a straight-cross-slope traveled way about the outside-edge

Maximum Superelevation Rates AASHTO recommends

Achieving Superelevation

Example: Superelevation Design on a Rural Road

Side Friction Factors with Speed

The Minimum Radius

Table 3.7 Minimum Radius Using Limiting Values of e and f

Design Superelevation Rates  (ed)

The maximum relative gradient and design speed

Minimum Length of Superelevation Runoff

Adjustment Factor for Number of Lanes Rotated

Minimum Length of Superelevation Runoff

Minimum Length of Superelevation Runoff (Lr)  From Table 3-16b. 

The Minimum Tangent Runout Length (Lt) :

The Minimum Tangent Runout Length (Lt) and  Table 3-16 in the 0.02   row. :

Methods of Attaining Superelevation

Revolving a traveled way with normal cross slopes about the centerline profile

What Are Points in Civil 3D?

What Makes Civil 3D Points Unique?

Types & Uses of Points

Point Styles & Labels

Why use points in Civil 3D?

Locking and Unlocking Points

Controlling the Appearance of Points in a Drawing

1. Point Style

2. Point Label Style

3. Point Groups

4. Layer Control

Print a List of Points

Point# Northing Easting Elevation Description 

Zoom and Pan to Points

What Point Styles Do

Accessing Point Styles

Assigning a Point Style

The Points list

Using Point Groups

Marker Tab

import blocks from sites  www.bibliocad.com/

download the file and open it

Explosion command and separate the shapes

Create block

Point Style

Add points

Selecte style

About Point Labels and Tables

To Work with Point Label Styles

Creating Label Styles

1. Information tab

2. General tab

3. Layout tab

Creating a Point Table

PNEZD

About Creating Points

Creating Points Using Miscellaneous Methods

  Method 1: Manual Point Entry

Method 2: Northing / Easting

Method 3: Creating Points – Bearing

Method 4 : Creating Points – Azimuth

Method 5 : Creating Points – Angle

Method 6 : Creating Points – Deflection

Practical  examples

Method 4 : Creating Points –   by Geodetic

Road Example (Practical)

Creating Points  Station and Offset

Creating Points Automatically

Creating Points Along a Line or Curve

Creating Points On a Line or Curve

Creating Points by Dividing the Object

Creating Points Distance Intervals

Creating Points Direction/Direction Intersection

Creating Points Direction/Distance Intersection

Creating Points  Direction/Perpendicular Intersection

Creating Points Direction/Object Intersection

Creating Points Direction/Alignment Intersection

Creating Points  Distance/Distance Intersection

Creating Points  Distance/Perpendicular Intersection

Creating Points Distance/Object Intersection

Creating Points Distance/Alignment Intersection

Creating Points Object/Object Intersection

Create Points Offset From Alignment Stations

Creating Points Divide Alignment

Creating Points Measure Along Alignment

Creating Points At Alignment Geometry Points

Geometry points

Alignment by Importing ASCII Files in Civil 3D

Creating a Single Point at a Surface Elevation

Create a Grid of Points at Surface Elevations

Creating Points Along a Polyline or Surface Contour

Creating Points at Polyline or Contour Vertices

Creating a Single Point at a Surface Elevation

Create a Grid of Points at Surface Elevations

Creating Points Along a Polyline or Surface Contour

Creating Points at Polyline or Contour Vertices

Creating a Single Point at a Surface Elevation

Create a Grid of Points at Surface Elevations

Creating Points Along a Polyline or Surface Contour

Creating Points at Polyline or Contour Vertices

Create Points at Grade or Slope Intersections

Create Points by Slope/Grade and Distance

Create Points by Slope/Grade and Elevation

Basics of Importing and Exporting Points

Three main workflows:

Point File Formats

Importing Point Data

Point File Formatting Options

Columnated

Delimited

Exporting Point Data

About Point Groups

Point Groups Collection (Prospector Tab)

Edit the point group’s properties

Edit the points list

Lock or unlock the points

Export the points in the point group

Delete the points in the point group

Make a copy of the point group

Show changes

Update the point group 

Delete the point group

Select the group

Point Group Default Styles 

Basic Method

Query Builder

Overrides in Point Groups

Display Order of Point Groups

To Create a New Description Key Set

Create points Groupa in Description Key Set   

To Import a Description Key Set

Definition of a Surface

Types of Surfaces

TIN Surfaces

Grid Surfaces

Contour Surfaces:

Real-World Applications

Cut and Fill Analysis:

Watershed Analysis:

Road Design:

Key Surface Elements

1.Points

2.Breaklines:

3.Boundaries:

4.Contours:

Prospector Tab

Settings Tab

Accessing Surface Styles

Selecte of area of Interest

Surface Style Dialog Box

Display Tab

Borders

Points

Triangles

Contours (Major, Minor)

Grid

Directions

Elevations

Slopes

Slope Arrows

Watersheds

About Creating Surfaces

Types of Surfaces in Civil 3D

Civil 3D supports several surface types, 

1.TIN Surfaces

2.Grid Surfaces

3.TIN Volume Surfaces

4.Grid Volume Surfaces

5.Corridor Surfaces

Create a new TIN Surface from scratch

Inputting the Civil 3D New Drawing Settings

Importing Project’s Imagery from Google Earth to Civil 3D

To Convert a GPS file to plain text or GPX

Creating the Surface Digital Elevation Model in Civil 3D

About  TIN Surface

Creating a Surface from a TIN File

Creating Surfaces from a DEM File in Civil 3D

Downloading DEM Data from USGS Earth Explorer

Selecte of area of Interest

Date Range

Cloud Cover

Data Sets → Digital Elevation

Arc-Second  SRTM1 

footprint

browse overlay

Downloading the DEM File

GeoTIFF (.tif)

Arc-Second  SRTM1  VS Arc-Second  SRTM3 

Creating a Grid Surface from DEM

Add Boundaries

Types of boundaries

Trim an existing ground (EG) to project limits (Outer boundary)

Hide a building pad (Hide boundary)

Show an island inside a Hide boundary (Hide boundary)

Data Clip Boundary

Reorder the operations

Non-Destructive Breaklines

what's Breakline 

Opening Breaklines Definition

Add Breaklines Dialog

Creating Wall Breaklines

Creating Standard Breaklines

About Contour Data in Surfaces

Adding Contour Data

Weeding and Supplementing

creating new surface from Contour  lines

Add TIN Lines

Delete Lines

Swap Lines

Move Points

Raise/Lower Surface

Simplify Surfaces

Preparing the Surface

create the Surface Mask

Render-Only Masks

The key tools to edit,

Rebuild Surfaces

Copy a Surface

Move, Scale, or Rotate a Surface

Create, Rebuild, and Delete Snapshots

Lock a Surface

About Alignments

Alignments Objects

Types of Alignments

Introduction to Alignment

Starting the Alignment Creation

Defining  Alignment Properties

Applying  Design Criteria

Drawing  the Alignment

Tangent-Tangent (No Curves)

Tangent-Tangent (With Curves)

Clothoid Spiral

Bloss Spiral

Sinusoidal Spiral

Cubic Parabola Options

Bi-Quadratic (Schramm) Spiral

Curve and Spiral Settings

Common Spiral Parameters:

Introduction of Point of Intersection 

Insert PI

Delete PI

Break Apart PI

Convert AutoCAD Line / Arc

Reverse Sub-Entity Direction

Delete Sub-Entity

Alignment Layout Parameters

Alignment Entities

Undo / Redo

What are Alignment Constraints?

Tangency Constraints

1. Not Constrained (Fixed)

2. Constrained by Previous (Floating)

3. Constrained by Next (Floating)

Fixed Line (Two Points)

Fixed Line (From Curve End, Length)

Floating Line (From Curve, Through Point)

Floating Line (From Curve End, Length)

Floating Line – Best Fit

Free Line (Between Two Curves)

Curves are important for:

Main curve types

Fixed Curve (Three Points)

Fixed Curve (Two Points + Radius)

Add a floating curve (entity, radius, through point)

  add a floating curve (from entity end, through point)

Floating Curve (From Entity End + Radius + Length)

floating curve (from entity, through point, direction at point)

Free Curve

Free Curve Fillet (Between Two Entities + Radius)

Free Curve Fillet (Between Two Entities + Through Point)

Free curve by best fit

Floating Line with Spiral (From Curve, Through Point)

Floating Line with Spiral (From Curve End, Length)

Floating Curve with Spiral (From Entity End, Radius, Length)

Floating Curve with Spiral (From Entity, Radius, Through Point)

Floating Reverse Curve with Spirals (From Curve, Radius, Through Point)

Floating Reverse Curve with Spirals (From Curve, Two Points)

With A value for a clothoid spiral

Create Spiral From Length

Free Reverse Spiral–Spiral (Between Two Curves)

Free Reverse Spiral–Line–Spiral (Between Two Curves, Spiral Lengths)

Free Reverse Spiral–Line–Spiral (Between Two Curves, Line Length)

Overview

Prerequisites & software

Getting road geometry from online sources Google My Maps

Converting formats (KML To DWG ) Using Global Mapper 

Importing into Civil 3D & creating alignment

Clean & prepare geometry

Create Alignment from Objects

Exploring Default Styles

Creating a Custom Style

Applying and Comparing Styles

Accessing Label Styles

Types of Alignment Label Styles

No labels

All labels

Major & Minor offset

Major & Minor only

major and minor and geometry points

General tab

Layout tab

Tick Mark

Add Geometry Points

Add Design Speed

Control distance between each station and other

What is an Offset Alignment?

Why Use Offset Alignments?

How to Create Offset Alignments

Behavior and Editing of Offset Alignments

Offset Parameters Tab

What is a widening?

Each widening includes transition regions:

Create a widened region

Editing widenings

Automatic widening on offset alignments

Using a design criteria file

Automatic Widening At Selected Curves

Offset Parameters & Locking types

Transitions, Spirals And Linear Options

Curb returns and widenings

What are Design Checks?

how design checks are organized in Civil 3D

Accessing Design Checks

Creating a New Design Check

Creating a Conditional Design Check (Tangent Length at Speed)

Creating a Curve Radius Check

Saving a Design Check Set

Applying a Design Check Set

Results of Design Check

Fixing the Violation

Example

Grid View

Two Practical Fixes

Geometry fix

Speed fix

Spiral Length & Radius Fixes

The Concept of Design Checks

Example A: Highway Alignment

Example B: Subdivision Alignment 

The Subdivision Minimum Radius Problem

Option 1: Adjust your curve to meet the criteria file

Option 2:  modify the design criteria file

The Subdivision Minimum Line Length Problem

Option 1: Redesign the alignment so your tangent length is longer than 35 meters.

Option 2: If your local subdivision rules allow a shorter

Why tangency matters

Inspect the violation with Civil 3D tools

Fix method 1 Recreate the curve so tangency is enforced

Fix method 2 Restore tangency by adjusting PI grips

Fix method 3 Edit numeric parameters (Sub-Entity Editor)