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Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Create a surface profile from an alignment, sample existing offsets, create a profile view, and then draw and edit a layout profile for a road.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
8 min.
Transcript
00:03
A Civil 3D profile enables you to view changes in elevation along a horizontal alignment.
00:09
Profiles allow designers to easily see and account for existing ground elevations
00:14
and required grades, especially when designing drainage solutions, vertical curves, and sight distances.
00:22
In addition to the centerline profile, you can create offset profiles for features such as road edges or ditches.
00:30
These profiles can then be visualized in the profile view of a surface
00:34
to use as a guide for creating the layout profile of a designed surface, such as a road.
00:41
To create a profile in Civil 3D, first, you must have a horizontal alignment designed and in the file.
00:49
Once you have an alignment and existing ground surface ready,
00:52
as in the drawing shown here, from the ribbon, Home tab, Create Design panel,
00:58
expand Profile, and select Create Surface Profile.
01:03
This will allow you to see existing ground conditions.
01:07
In the dialog, expand the Alignment drop-down and select the alignment.
01:13
From the Select surfaces group, select the surface to sample—in this case, EG, or existing ground.
01:21
Click Add to add that information to the profile list at the center line.
01:26
Next, sample existing profiles, such as where the edge of pavement begins and ends.
01:32
Enable Sample offsets.
01:35
Then, in the value field, enter a positive number, such as 12, for the right-side of the alignment.
01:42
Click Add to add the profile to the list.
01:45
Next, enter a negative number, such as -12, for the left side of the alignment, and then click Add.
01:53
Once a profile is listed, you can edit the style assigned.
01:57
From the profile list, choose one of the sample offset profiles
02:01
and select its assigned style from the Style column.
02:05
This opens the Pick profile style dialog.
02:08
Expand the drop-down and assign a different style to the profile.
02:13
In this example, the right-side profile is selected,
02:16
and the style is set to Right Sample Profile.
02:20
Click OK, then follow the same steps to rename the left side.
02:24
This makes it easier to identify each side of the road.
02:29
Next, click Draw in profile view to open the Create Profile View – General wizard.
02:35
For now, leave the settings as they are and click Create Profile View.
02:40
Since the insertion point of a profile view is the bottom left corner,
02:45
here, click to the right of your design to place the profile view.
02:49
Zoom in to review the profiles you created.
02:54
Now, you have plenty of room to design the vertical profile that you want the road to follow instead of the existing ground,
03:01
which has a lot of grade breaks.
03:04
To create a layout profile, from the ribbon, Home tab, Create Design panel,
03:10
expand Profile and select Profile Creation Tools.
03:15
When you are prompted, select the profile view.
03:19
The Create Profile – Draw New dialog opens.
03:23
The Alignment is already assigned,
03:25
since the previously created surface profile was associated with that alignment.
03:30
In the Name field, before the existing text, enter a descriptive name for the profile,
03:35
such as the name of the alignment.
03:38
The Profile Type here will be finished ground.
03:41
Adjust the Profile style and the Profile label set as needed, then click OK.
03:48
In the Profile Layout Tools that display, expand the Tangents drop-down.
03:54
For this example, Draw Tangents With Curves will be used,
03:57
so you need to click Curve Settings to set these first.
04:01
In the Vertical Curve Settings dialog, here, a Parabolic curve type is selected,
04:07
with the Length set to 150.
04:10
Click OK.
04:13
Back in the Tangents drop-down, select Draw Tangents With Curves,
04:17
which will automatically create curves as you draw straight segments.
04:22
You are prompted to specify a starting point for the profile.
04:27
It is best practice to start at an elevation and station that already exist.
04:32
In this case, the center line of the road is known to start at the end point of an existing road.
04:38
Right-click and select Endpoint,
04:40
then click the endpoint of the center line.
04:44
Now, you can either free flow design the road by drawing tangent lines and clicking to create each point of vertical intersection, or PVI,
04:53
or you can specify parameters.
04:56
To set the exact grade and station for a tangent, from the Transparent Commands toolbar,
05:01
click Profile Grade Station.
05:05
Select the profile view, so that Civil 3D knows which vertical exaggeration to use.
05:11
Then, after selecting the starting point, enter a positive grade, such as 10,
05:17
to extend uphill from that point.
05:20
As you drag the mouse, the profile automatically follows that grade.
05:25
Now, either type in a station or click to place a station.
05:30
From here, you can continue drawing the profile with the specified grade,
05:35
or in this case, press ESC once to quit the transparent command.
05:40
Notice that as you drag the mouse, it automatically gives you a curve as the next entity,
05:45
as well as the tangent.
05:48
Pick another PVI, and then, coming down the next side, pick one more,
05:54
or as many as you need to complete your profile.
05:58
Before the last point, right-click and select Endpoint,
06:03
then click to specify the endpoint.
06:07
Press ENTER to finish the profile.
06:10
Automatically, labels are assigned to tangent lines, grade breaks,
06:15
and other vertical information,
06:17
based on the label set selected previously.
06:21
To move a label, select it, then click and drag it using the grip.
06:27
You can also use grips to make adjustments to the road.
06:32
For example, here, you may want to change the big cut at the top of the slope.
06:37
Select the vertical profile, then click the left triangle grip,
06:41
which extends the tangent to the right of the PVI.
06:45
Drag to adjust its length while maintaining the slope.
06:49
Click and drag the right triangle to keep the slope coming into the curve.
06:57
Notice that the curve updates as you move the triangles.
07:03
If you do not need to maintain either of the slopes,
07:06
you can also use the triangle at the center of the point of intersection and free-flow the design,
07:11
ensuring that you are maintaining design standards.
07:15
Now you know that designing a road profile in Civil 3D
07:19
involves understanding existing elevations, sampling existing offsets,
07:24
creating a profile view, and then drawing the vertical profile
07:28
by specifying the grades and points of vertical intersection.
Video transcript
00:03
A Civil 3D profile enables you to view changes in elevation along a horizontal alignment.
00:09
Profiles allow designers to easily see and account for existing ground elevations
00:14
and required grades, especially when designing drainage solutions, vertical curves, and sight distances.
00:22
In addition to the centerline profile, you can create offset profiles for features such as road edges or ditches.
00:30
These profiles can then be visualized in the profile view of a surface
00:34
to use as a guide for creating the layout profile of a designed surface, such as a road.
00:41
To create a profile in Civil 3D, first, you must have a horizontal alignment designed and in the file.
00:49
Once you have an alignment and existing ground surface ready,
00:52
as in the drawing shown here, from the ribbon, Home tab, Create Design panel,
00:58
expand Profile, and select Create Surface Profile.
01:03
This will allow you to see existing ground conditions.
01:07
In the dialog, expand the Alignment drop-down and select the alignment.
01:13
From the Select surfaces group, select the surface to sample—in this case, EG, or existing ground.
01:21
Click Add to add that information to the profile list at the center line.
01:26
Next, sample existing profiles, such as where the edge of pavement begins and ends.
01:32
Enable Sample offsets.
01:35
Then, in the value field, enter a positive number, such as 12, for the right-side of the alignment.
01:42
Click Add to add the profile to the list.
01:45
Next, enter a negative number, such as -12, for the left side of the alignment, and then click Add.
01:53
Once a profile is listed, you can edit the style assigned.
01:57
From the profile list, choose one of the sample offset profiles
02:01
and select its assigned style from the Style column.
02:05
This opens the Pick profile style dialog.
02:08
Expand the drop-down and assign a different style to the profile.
02:13
In this example, the right-side profile is selected,
02:16
and the style is set to Right Sample Profile.
02:20
Click OK, then follow the same steps to rename the left side.
02:24
This makes it easier to identify each side of the road.
02:29
Next, click Draw in profile view to open the Create Profile View – General wizard.
02:35
For now, leave the settings as they are and click Create Profile View.
02:40
Since the insertion point of a profile view is the bottom left corner,
02:45
here, click to the right of your design to place the profile view.
02:49
Zoom in to review the profiles you created.
02:54
Now, you have plenty of room to design the vertical profile that you want the road to follow instead of the existing ground,
03:01
which has a lot of grade breaks.
03:04
To create a layout profile, from the ribbon, Home tab, Create Design panel,
03:10
expand Profile and select Profile Creation Tools.
03:15
When you are prompted, select the profile view.
03:19
The Create Profile – Draw New dialog opens.
03:23
The Alignment is already assigned,
03:25
since the previously created surface profile was associated with that alignment.
03:30
In the Name field, before the existing text, enter a descriptive name for the profile,
03:35
such as the name of the alignment.
03:38
The Profile Type here will be finished ground.
03:41
Adjust the Profile style and the Profile label set as needed, then click OK.
03:48
In the Profile Layout Tools that display, expand the Tangents drop-down.
03:54
For this example, Draw Tangents With Curves will be used,
03:57
so you need to click Curve Settings to set these first.
04:01
In the Vertical Curve Settings dialog, here, a Parabolic curve type is selected,
04:07
with the Length set to 150.
04:10
Click OK.
04:13
Back in the Tangents drop-down, select Draw Tangents With Curves,
04:17
which will automatically create curves as you draw straight segments.
04:22
You are prompted to specify a starting point for the profile.
04:27
It is best practice to start at an elevation and station that already exist.
04:32
In this case, the center line of the road is known to start at the end point of an existing road.
04:38
Right-click and select Endpoint,
04:40
then click the endpoint of the center line.
04:44
Now, you can either free flow design the road by drawing tangent lines and clicking to create each point of vertical intersection, or PVI,
04:53
or you can specify parameters.
04:56
To set the exact grade and station for a tangent, from the Transparent Commands toolbar,
05:01
click Profile Grade Station.
05:05
Select the profile view, so that Civil 3D knows which vertical exaggeration to use.
05:11
Then, after selecting the starting point, enter a positive grade, such as 10,
05:17
to extend uphill from that point.
05:20
As you drag the mouse, the profile automatically follows that grade.
05:25
Now, either type in a station or click to place a station.
05:30
From here, you can continue drawing the profile with the specified grade,
05:35
or in this case, press ESC once to quit the transparent command.
05:40
Notice that as you drag the mouse, it automatically gives you a curve as the next entity,
05:45
as well as the tangent.
05:48
Pick another PVI, and then, coming down the next side, pick one more,
05:54
or as many as you need to complete your profile.
05:58
Before the last point, right-click and select Endpoint,
06:03
then click to specify the endpoint.
06:07
Press ENTER to finish the profile.
06:10
Automatically, labels are assigned to tangent lines, grade breaks,
06:15
and other vertical information,
06:17
based on the label set selected previously.
06:21
To move a label, select it, then click and drag it using the grip.
06:27
You can also use grips to make adjustments to the road.
06:32
For example, here, you may want to change the big cut at the top of the slope.
06:37
Select the vertical profile, then click the left triangle grip,
06:41
which extends the tangent to the right of the PVI.
06:45
Drag to adjust its length while maintaining the slope.
06:49
Click and drag the right triangle to keep the slope coming into the curve.
06:57
Notice that the curve updates as you move the triangles.
07:03
If you do not need to maintain either of the slopes,
07:06
you can also use the triangle at the center of the point of intersection and free-flow the design,
07:11
ensuring that you are maintaining design standards.
07:15
Now you know that designing a road profile in Civil 3D
07:19
involves understanding existing elevations, sampling existing offsets,
07:24
creating a profile view, and then drawing the vertical profile
07:28
by specifying the grades and points of vertical intersection.
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