• Civil 3D

Edit feature lines using elevation tools

Edit feature line elevations and slopes using the elevation tools.


00:03

Civil 3D has a robust set of tools to help you edit feature lines.

00:09

Use these tools to easily adjust individual or multiple elevation and slope values.

00:16

In this example, a pond is already created in the drawing.

00:20

Select the top feature line, then right-click in the drawing area and select Elevation Editor.

00:29

In the Grading Elevation Editor dialog, view the elevation points.

00:35

To edit all points at once, simply select all rows in the table, and in the active Elevation(Actual) cell, enter 636.

00:46

All points update.

00:49

You can also access elevation tools from the ribbon.

00:53

Select a feature line, and in the contextual ribbon, Modify panel, click Edit Elevation, if needed, to turn on the display of this panel.

01:04

In this example, a weir is already created on the left side of the pond.

01:10

To add elevation points, select Insert Elevation Point.

01:15

In the drawing, snap to and select the endpoint where the upper polyline and the feature line meet.

01:23

At the command prompt, enter the elevation 635.

01:29

Repeat these steps for the lower polyline.

01:32

Press ENTER to complete the command, and then open the Elevation Editor to see the two added points.

01:42

To quickly edit elevations and slopes, from the Edit Elevation panel, select Quick Elevation Editor.

01:51

In the drawing, hover the cursor over any of the vertices on a feature line to view its elevation.

01:59

Hovering between two elevation differences displays the slope, or grade.

02:04

Click to edit the displayed value, then enter the desired elevation or slope at the command line.

02:12

Next, in the drawing, locate the closed polyline already created in this example.

02:19

To turn it into a feature line, in the ribbon, Home tab, Create Design panel,

02:26

expand the Feature Line drop-down and select Create Feature Line from Object.

02:33

Select the polyline, and in the Create Feature Lines dialog, in the Style drop-down, select Standard.

02:42

Click OK twice.

02:45

Select the feature line, and in the contextual ribbon, select Add to Surface as Breakline.

02:54

From the Select Surface dialog, select Create Surface.

02:60

In the Create Surface dialog, click in the Name field, and type “Parking”.

03:06

Click in the Style field, and then click Browse (…).

03:12

In the Select Surface Style popup, expand the drop-down, and select Contours (Background).

03:20

Select Edit.

03:22

In the Surface Style – Contours (Background) dialog, click the Major Contour color.

03:28

In the Select Color dialog, select red, and then click OK.

03:34

Follow the same steps to set the Minor Contour color to cyan.

03:39

Click OK 4 times to close all but the Add Breaklines dialog.

03:46

Here, under Supplementing factors, enter a distance value of 2.5, and then click OK.

03:54

The feature line is added to the surface.

03:57

Before adjusting elevations, make sure the surface is set to rebuild automatically.

04:04

In the Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, expand Surfaces.

04:10

Then, right-click Parking and select Rebuild - Automatic.

04:17

Now, select the feature line, and in the contextual ribbon, select Quick Elevation Editor.

04:25

Using this tool, you can easily adjust elevations and slopes by typing them into the command line.

04:32

Hover the cursor over the bottom corner to display the elevation, click, and then enter a new value, such as 746.25.

04:45

Next, hover over the middle of the bottom line to display the grade, click, and enter -4.

04:53

Continue by setting a grade of 4 up the left vertical line at three locations between the points,

05:00

then enter a grade of 10 for the left top line.

05:08

To set multiple grades between two selected points, in the Edit Elevations panel, click Set Grade/Slope between Points.

05:18

In this case, select the left-most point on the top line, and then press ENTER to accept the elevation.

05:25

Then, select the right-most top corner point, and enter a value of 5.

05:31

Hover the cursor over different locations between the selected points to see the applied 5% grade.

05:41

To raise the entire feature line, select it, then right-click and select Raise/Lower.

05:50

On the command line, enter the amount to raise or lower it by, such as 1.25 feet.

05:58

Hover the cursor over the bottom right-corner to see that the elevation is now 1.25 feet higher.

06:06

To adjust the entire feature line to drape upon the surface, from the Edit Elevations panel, select Elevations from Surface.

06:15

In the Set Elevations from Surface dialog, select EG for existing ground, then click OK.

06:25

Select the feature line, and press ENTER to complete the command.

06:30

Open the Elevation Editor to see the adjustments to the elevations.

06:36

As you have seen, the elevation tools offer many ways to edit the elevations and slopes

Video transcript

00:03

Civil 3D has a robust set of tools to help you edit feature lines.

00:09

Use these tools to easily adjust individual or multiple elevation and slope values.

00:16

In this example, a pond is already created in the drawing.

00:20

Select the top feature line, then right-click in the drawing area and select Elevation Editor.

00:29

In the Grading Elevation Editor dialog, view the elevation points.

00:35

To edit all points at once, simply select all rows in the table, and in the active Elevation(Actual) cell, enter 636.

00:46

All points update.

00:49

You can also access elevation tools from the ribbon.

00:53

Select a feature line, and in the contextual ribbon, Modify panel, click Edit Elevation, if needed, to turn on the display of this panel.

01:04

In this example, a weir is already created on the left side of the pond.

01:10

To add elevation points, select Insert Elevation Point.

01:15

In the drawing, snap to and select the endpoint where the upper polyline and the feature line meet.

01:23

At the command prompt, enter the elevation 635.

01:29

Repeat these steps for the lower polyline.

01:32

Press ENTER to complete the command, and then open the Elevation Editor to see the two added points.

01:42

To quickly edit elevations and slopes, from the Edit Elevation panel, select Quick Elevation Editor.

01:51

In the drawing, hover the cursor over any of the vertices on a feature line to view its elevation.

01:59

Hovering between two elevation differences displays the slope, or grade.

02:04

Click to edit the displayed value, then enter the desired elevation or slope at the command line.

02:12

Next, in the drawing, locate the closed polyline already created in this example.

02:19

To turn it into a feature line, in the ribbon, Home tab, Create Design panel,

02:26

expand the Feature Line drop-down and select Create Feature Line from Object.

02:33

Select the polyline, and in the Create Feature Lines dialog, in the Style drop-down, select Standard.

02:42

Click OK twice.

02:45

Select the feature line, and in the contextual ribbon, select Add to Surface as Breakline.

02:54

From the Select Surface dialog, select Create Surface.

02:60

In the Create Surface dialog, click in the Name field, and type “Parking”.

03:06

Click in the Style field, and then click Browse (…).

03:12

In the Select Surface Style popup, expand the drop-down, and select Contours (Background).

03:20

Select Edit.

03:22

In the Surface Style – Contours (Background) dialog, click the Major Contour color.

03:28

In the Select Color dialog, select red, and then click OK.

03:34

Follow the same steps to set the Minor Contour color to cyan.

03:39

Click OK 4 times to close all but the Add Breaklines dialog.

03:46

Here, under Supplementing factors, enter a distance value of 2.5, and then click OK.

03:54

The feature line is added to the surface.

03:57

Before adjusting elevations, make sure the surface is set to rebuild automatically.

04:04

In the Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, expand Surfaces.

04:10

Then, right-click Parking and select Rebuild - Automatic.

04:17

Now, select the feature line, and in the contextual ribbon, select Quick Elevation Editor.

04:25

Using this tool, you can easily adjust elevations and slopes by typing them into the command line.

04:32

Hover the cursor over the bottom corner to display the elevation, click, and then enter a new value, such as 746.25.

04:45

Next, hover over the middle of the bottom line to display the grade, click, and enter -4.

04:53

Continue by setting a grade of 4 up the left vertical line at three locations between the points,

05:00

then enter a grade of 10 for the left top line.

05:08

To set multiple grades between two selected points, in the Edit Elevations panel, click Set Grade/Slope between Points.

05:18

In this case, select the left-most point on the top line, and then press ENTER to accept the elevation.

05:25

Then, select the right-most top corner point, and enter a value of 5.

05:31

Hover the cursor over different locations between the selected points to see the applied 5% grade.

05:41

To raise the entire feature line, select it, then right-click and select Raise/Lower.

05:50

On the command line, enter the amount to raise or lower it by, such as 1.25 feet.

05:58

Hover the cursor over the bottom right-corner to see that the elevation is now 1.25 feet higher.

06:06

To adjust the entire feature line to drape upon the surface, from the Edit Elevations panel, select Elevations from Surface.

06:15

In the Set Elevations from Surface dialog, select EG for existing ground, then click OK.

06:25

Select the feature line, and press ENTER to complete the command.

06:30

Open the Elevation Editor to see the adjustments to the elevations.

06:36

As you have seen, the elevation tools offer many ways to edit the elevations and slopes

Was this information helpful?