Work With Civil 3D Alignments

Learn how Civil 3D alignments form the horizontal geometry from lines, curves, and spirals. Identify center line alignments in the prospector and sites.

Create alignments from objects by selecting polylines, lines, or arcs and converting them to centerline alignments with a specified start station and style. Optionally erase the original geometry after creation.

Learn to create floating entities in Civil 3D alignments, including floating curves from a fixed entity with a radius through a point and floating lines from curve, while maintaining tangency.

Learn to create Civil 3D alignments from tangent and curves using alignment creation tools, placing a starting point and subsequent points to build open or closed alignments.

Add spirals to Civil 3D alignments by changing the radius from infinity to a set value, and place spider segments between two entities.

Create a new alignment from an existing alignment by selecting the original, specifying a start and end point (for example km 52 to 70), and finalizing the new alignment.

Learn to modify Civil 3D alignments by editing geometry: insert PI points, add curves and fillets, delete entities, reverse directions, convert lines to curves, and adjust radii while maintaining tangents.

Explore how to check Civil 3D alignments against design criteria and guidelines, set a 100 km/h design speed, apply minimum radius constraints, and inspect warnings for compliance with metric 2011.

Add a mask to an alignment by using the masking tab in alignment properties, define start and end stations to hide a region, then apply to view a disturbance-free design.

Learn to add one-meter widening to an offset alignment in Civil 3D to create a six-meter right-side width and prevent tire overhang.

Add custom labels to a Civil 3D alignment by selecting the alignment and applying station, offset, and coordinates, including single and multiple segment labeling at intersections.

Learn to use alignment label sets in Civil 3D to automatically place major and minor labels at defined station intervals, with labels perpendicular to the alignment.

Explore placing a single spiral on a Civil 3D alignment, choosing two-point or three-point methods, configuring radius and spiral length, selecting start points, and inspecting spiral labels.