1.

0 WORKING WITH GROUND POINTS

1.1THE SURVEY DATA

The survey data is a group of points that contains different facts about the topography
of a site. These data are produced in text formats which could be presented either in Microsoft
Excel or Note Pad, which are packages on Microsoft operating system. This group of points
usually contains any or all of the following:

 Points P
 Easting E
 Northing N
 Elevation Z
 Description D

These data does not always necessarily contain all the labels such as PENZD, formats are can
also be any of these: PENZ, PNEZ, NEZ. Other forms will be viewed as you get used to this
software.

Starting a project with a text file of points downloaded from a data collector is still the most
common way to begin a project. These points will be the foundation for linework—such as
curbs, centerlines, as well as for building surfaces. The following exercise leads you through
importing a PENZD file of points 1. Open the Existing Ground Points – PENZD file
2. From the Toolspace tab, in the Prospector column,
right click on Points, and then click on Create Point. The
dialog will appear as shown here Fig 1 and click on
Import points. The import point dialogue will appear.
3. In the Import Points dialog, confirm that the PENZD
Fig1: create Points dialog (space delimited) format is selected.
4. Click the plus sign (+). The Select Source File dialog
will appear.
5. In the Select Source File dialog, navigate to the
Existing Ground Points – PENZD file
Select the file and click Open.
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 6. Back in the Import Points dialog, uncheck the Do
Elevation Adjustment If Possible box. The dialog should
look like Fig 2.
Note that your path will vary depending on where you
saved the data.
7. Click OK. The points will appear in the drawing as red Xs
without labels, as shown in Fig 3
8. Right click on points and click on “zoom to” to zoom all
points

Fig 2: Import Points Dialogue

Fig 3: created points

8. Locate the Points entry on the Prospector tab of the

Toolspace. Select the Points entry.
9. Look at the bottom half of the Prospector and locate
the item view that lists all of the points in the drawing.
10. Scroll down to the entry for point number 459, as
shown in Fig 4. Select the entry, and right-click. A context-
Fig 4: List of Points
specific shortcut menu will appear. Choose Zoom To. The
drawing will zoom in on point 459.
11. Hover your cursor over the point on the screen. Note
that a tooltip appears with point information, as shown in
Fig. 5

Fig 5: point number 459 2

 1.2 CREATING POINT GROUP
After the points are imported, they must be organized and annotated. Although it may occasionally be
useful to have points simply marked with an X, most designers will want some labeling to help identify
the points.
The following exercise leads you through using the _All Points Group to assign a label style to the newly
imported points:

1. Continue working in the drawing from the previous

exercise.
2. Locate the Point Groups entry on the Prospector tab
of the Toolspace. Expand the entry. The _All Points
group will appear in the tree.
3. Right-click the _All Points group, and choose
Properties. The Point Group Proper- ties dialog appears
Fig. 6.
4. In the Point Group Properties dialog, use the Point
Label Style pull-down list to choose Point#-Elevation-
Description.
5. Click OK. All of the points in the drawing now have
the Point#-Elevation-Description label style assigned. Fig 6: Point Group Property
dialogue

1.3 BUILDING SURFACES

1. Continue working from previous exercise

2. In Prospector, right-click the Surfaces branch and
select Create Surface to display the Create Surface
dialog.
3. Change the name to Existing Ground.
4. Verify that the style selected is Contours 2m and 10m
(Background). You can also add a description during the
surface creation, giving other users an idea of what that
surface is representing. Your dialog should look like
Fig 7. Click OK to close the dialog.
At this point, you’ve simply created the Existing Ground Fig 7: Create Surface Dialogue
surface, but have not placed data in that surface
definition. Remember that objects in and of themselves
can be empty in Civil 3D, and it’s the defining data that
makes them powerful and dynamic.
5. Within Prospector, expand Surfaces ➔ Existing
Ground ➔ Definition.
6. Right-click the Point Group and select Add to display. 3
The surface should have the appearance of Fig 8.
 Fig 8: Existing Surface

1.4 ADDING LABELS TO SURFACES

1. Click on the surface, at the right top corner, on

the Labels and Table tab, click on Add Labels
Fig 9.
2. Select the type of label to insert. Select
Contours-Multiples.
3. Draw a line across the surface to have a picture
in Fig 10.
4. Repeat these steps using the Spot Elevation icon
Fig 11.
Fig 10: Contour labels

Fig 11: Spot Elevation Label

Fig 9: Labels and Tables

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2.0 ALIGNMENTS AND PROFILES
2.1 CREATING ALIGNMENTS

1. Draw a polyline/line along desired path for road.

2. In the Create Design tab, click on Alignment,
then click on Create Alignment from Objects
3. Click on the line and accept or reverse the
direction of the path, Fig 12.
4. Press the Enter key twice, the Create alignment
from Objects dialogue appears.
5. Type ROAD ALIGNMENT as the name of the
alignment Fig 13b. Fig 12: polyline for alignment with
6. Select Alignment Style to Proposed. direction
7. Under the design criteria, Fig 13b, specify the
design speed in the space provided.
8. Click OK to create the alignment.

Fig 13a: create alignment dialogue Fig 13b: create alignment dialogue

9. To edit the alignment label, click and right click on

the created alignment, go to edit alignment label, Fig 14
10. In the Alignment label dialogue, edit the Major and
Minor Stations.
11. Click the tool, and choose perpendicular with
tick.
12. Click on OK and the new alignment label appears on
the alignment.

Fig 14: Alignment Label dialogue 5

 2.2 PROFILE
2.2.1 CREATING EXISTING SURFACE PROFILE

1. In the Create Design tab, click on Profile, and

then click Create Surface Profile.
2. In the Create Profile from Surface dialogue,
Fig15, click Add>>, then click Draw in Profile
View.
3. From the General Page, click next down to
Profile Hatch option.
4. Click Create Profile View, and then select a
desired point to paste the profile as in Fig 16.

Fig 15: Create Profile from surface

dialogue

Fig 16: Existing Profile view

2.2.2 CREATING DESIGNED SURFACE PROFILE

1. In the Create Design tab, click on Profile, and
then click Profile Creation Tool.
2. Select the existing profile, a Create Profile-Draw
New dialogue appears Fig 17. Then Click OK
3. On the Profile Layout Tools, click Draw Tangent
with Curve and draw a new profile of best fit on
the existing profile.
4. Click and Right click on the profile, and click on
Profile View Property.
5. Under the band tab, change the band style to
Elevation and Stations.
6. In the second row of the profile list, Change the
profile 1 and profile 2 to layout 1 each.
7. Click OK to provide the new elevations and Fig 17: Create Profile-Draw new
stations as in Fig 19. dialogue

Fig 18: Existing and

Designed Profiles
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3.0 ASSEMBLY AND CORRIDORS
3.1 CREATING ASSEMBLY

1. In the Create Design tab, click on Assembly, and

then click Create Assembly.
2. Give the assembly name and click OK. Select a
point to place the assembly line as in Fig 19.
3. At the right top corner if the screen, click on
Tool Pallets or (press ctrl+3) Fig 20. The Tool Fig 19: Assembly line
Palette Civil Metric dialogue appears Fig 21.
4. On the Lane tab, select Lane Outside Super, and Fig 20: Tool Pallets
place it on either side of the assembly line, icon
Fig 22.
5. On the Basic tab, select Basic Shoulder, and
place it on each side of the lanes, Fig 22.

Fig 21: Tool Pallets

Fig 22: Design Assembly

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3.2CORRIDORS
3.2.1 CREATING THE CORRIDORS

1. In the Create Design tab, click on Corridor, and

then click Create simple corridor.
2. Give a corridor name, ROAD CORRIDOR, and
then click OK.
3. Select the alignment or press Enter key, to
select from a list, then click OK
4. Select the profile or press Enter key to select
from a list. Then choose a profile Layout 1, and
then click OK.
5. Select an assembly or press Enter Key to select
from a list. Click OK.
6. The Target Mapping dialogue appears. Click OK.
7. On the ROAD ALIGNMENT, the corridor appears
as designed on the assembly Fig23.
Fig 23: Design Corridor

3.2.2 CREATING THE CORRIDOR SURFACE

1. Working in the Prospector tab, right click on

Corridor, then click Properties, Fig24.
2. On the Corridor Properties dialogue, move to
Surface tab.
3. Click the tool to create a new surface, and on
the Specify Code tab, select Datum. Click the
sign to add the specified code.
4. Click OK, and the corridor surface appears Fig25.

Fig 24: corridor Property

tool

Fig 25: Design Corridor

Surface
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3.2.3 CREATING SAMPLE LINES

1. From the Profile and Section tools on the Home

tab, select Sample line.
2. Click on the ROAD ALIGNMENT, and then Create
Sample Line Groups appears Fig.
3. Provide a name, and select all three data
sources to sample, Fig 26. This includes, Existing
Ground Surface, Corridor 1 and Corridor 1-
corridor 1-1. Click OK
4. On the Sample Line Tool dialogue Fig. 27, select
the Sample Line Tools Method , and pick By
Range of Stations. The Create Sample line
dialogue appears. Provide data and Click OK.
5. The Sample lines appear Fig 28. on the ROAD Fig 26: Create SL Group
ALIGNMENT. Then press the esc key. Dialogue.

Fig 27: Sample Line Tool

dialogue

Fig 28: Alignment Sample line

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4.0 QUANTITY TAKE-OFF AND OUTPUT
4.1 CREATE SAMPLE LINE PROPERTIES- MATERIAL LIST

1. On the Prospector, expand Alignments ➔

Centreline alignment ➔ Road ALIGNMENT ➔
Sampleline Group ➔ SL collection. Right click
on SL collection, click on Properties, and then
the Sampleline Group Properties dialog appears
Fig 29.
2. On the Material List tab, click on Add New
Criteria, select Cut and Fill at first. The Compute
Material Appears.
3. Change every EG to the Existing Road surface
and change Datum to Corridor. Fig 30.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3, selecting Earthworks.
5. Repeat step 2 selecting Material Lists. On the
Compute Materials dialog, change each object
name to corresponding corridor shape, as in Fig Fig 29: SL Group Properties Dialogue
31.
6. Click OK

Fig 30: Compute Materials-Cut and Fill

Fig 31: Compute Materials- Material list

7. On the Menu Bar, go to the Analyze tab, under

volume and materials, select Total Volume
Table.
8. On the Create Total Volume Table dialog Fig. 32,
select Material list 1.
9. Click OK and place the material table at a
desired point. Fig 33.
10. Repeat steps 9&10 to produce material list 2. Fig 32: Create Total
11. To produce material list 3, click on Material Volume Table
Volume Table, right below Total Volume Table.
12. On the Create Mat. Vol. Table, select material
list 3. Change the material type to Pavement, as
in Fig. 34. Click OK place the table at a desired
point. 10
13. Repeat steps 11&12 maintaining the material
list but changing the material to base and sub-
base.
 Fig 33: Total Volume Table

Fig 34: Create Material

Volume Table

4.1.1 PRINTING THE COMPUTED MATERIAL LISTS

1. To print, click on Volume Report, right

above Total Volume Table.
2. Select material list and click OK.
3. Click Yes, when asked, when asked to Run
Script.

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4.2 OUTPUT
4.2.1 CREATING THE VIEW FRAMES

1. On the Menu Bar, click on Output ➔

Create view frames.
2. On the Create View Frame, move from
Alignment page to Profile View page,
setting necessary details, Fig 35
3. On the Sheet page, set the sheet type to
Plan and Profile, and the view frame
placement as Along North. Click NEXT
4. On the view frame group page, name the
view frame as ROAD VF. Click NEXT
5. Click NEXT to move to Profile View page.
Select profile view style to Land Desktop
Profile View. Select band set style to Land
Desktop Full Band Set.
6. Click on Create View Frames. The number Fig 36: Created View
of View Frames is the number of sheets for Frames
that particular alignment, Fig 36.

Fig 35: Create View Frame

Dialogue

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4.2.2 CREATING THE SHEETS

1. On the Menu Bar, click on Output ➔

Create sheets.
2. On the Create Sheet dialog, move from
View Frame Group and Layout page to
Data Reference page, setting necessary
details, Fig. 36.
3. On the View Frame Group and Layout
page, choose view frame range as ALL, and
set a layout name for the sheet.
4. On the profile View Page, open the Profile
View Wizard Fig. 37, and choose the profile
to be worked with.
5. Click NEXT and click Create Sheets
6. Select a region farther from all drawings to
avoid underlays from other drawings.
7. The Sheets are generated Fig. 38. Double
click on any of the generated sheets to
open Fig. 39. Different editing can be done
on this page.

Fig 36: Create Sheet

dialogue

Fig 37: Profile View Wizard

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 Fig 39: Sheet Page
Fig 38: Sheet list

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5.0 INTERSECTION
5.1 CREATING INTERSECTION

1. Create two intersecting corridors

2. On the Home tab, click on Intersection on
the Create design tab.
3. Select the point of intersection of the two
corridors
4. Select the primary alignment that is the
major road.
5. On the create Intersection Dialogue tab,
Fig. 40, change the Intersection Corridor
type to All Crowns maintained. Click Next
6. Click offset parameters and set appropriate
values.
7. Click Curb Returns Parameters.
8. Check the Widen turn Lane for Incoming
and outgoing roads. Fig 40: Sheet Page
9. Click NEXT at the top of the Curb Return
Parameter dialogue Fig.41, from NE
Quadrant to NW Quadrant.
10. Click on Create Intersection.

Fig 41: Sheet Page 15