& Construction

Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
& Manufacturing

Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Use lines and curves to create an alignment to represent a road.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
2 min.
Tutorial resources
These downloadable resources will be used to complete this tutorial:
Transcript
00:03
In Civil 3D, you create alignments as a combination of lines, curves, and spirals that are viewed as one object.
00:10
Alignments can represent roads, pipelines, or other baselines.
00:15
In this example, you use the Alignment Layout Tools to create an alignment to represent a road.
00:21
On the Home tab, in the Create Design panel, expand the Alignment drop-down and select Alignment Creation Tools.
00:29
In the Create Alignment – Layout dialog, specify the Name of the alignment.
00:34
On the General tab, specify the Alignment style, Alignment layer, and Alignment label set.
00:42
Switch to the Design Criteria tab, and set the Starting design speed to 60 km/h for this example.
00:50
Enable all checkboxes on this tab, and then click OK.
00:54
In the Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, select the first button on the left, and select Straight–Straight/Tangent-Tangent (With Curves).
01:04
This option automatically creates curves between click points.
01:09
Click the desired points or enter the coordinates.
01:13
Press ESC when finished.
01:15
For this example, warning symbols indicate that the alignment is not design-compliant for a speed of 60 km/h.
01:24
This can be fixed or edited by adjusting the geometry of the road, or by clicking the Alignment Grid View toolbar option.
01:32
When the design is compliant, the warning symbols disappear.
01:37
From the Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, alignment points can be added or subtracted, and curves inserted.
01:44
You can also edit the alignment using the blue grips that appear when it is selected:
01:50
Use the square grips at the ends of tangents to edit the position of the tangent.
01:55
Use the square grip at the midpoint of tangents to move the entire tangent.
02:00
Use the triangle grip to move the PI of the curve.
02:04
Use the circular grips at either end of a curve to sharpen or broaden a curve, thus increasing or decreasing its length.
02:12
Use the circular grip at the midpoint for relative movement between the points.
Video transcript
00:03
In Civil 3D, you create alignments as a combination of lines, curves, and spirals that are viewed as one object.
00:10
Alignments can represent roads, pipelines, or other baselines.
00:15
In this example, you use the Alignment Layout Tools to create an alignment to represent a road.
00:21
On the Home tab, in the Create Design panel, expand the Alignment drop-down and select Alignment Creation Tools.
00:29
In the Create Alignment – Layout dialog, specify the Name of the alignment.
00:34
On the General tab, specify the Alignment style, Alignment layer, and Alignment label set.
00:42
Switch to the Design Criteria tab, and set the Starting design speed to 60 km/h for this example.
00:50
Enable all checkboxes on this tab, and then click OK.
00:54
In the Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, select the first button on the left, and select Straight–Straight/Tangent-Tangent (With Curves).
01:04
This option automatically creates curves between click points.
01:09
Click the desired points or enter the coordinates.
01:13
Press ESC when finished.
01:15
For this example, warning symbols indicate that the alignment is not design-compliant for a speed of 60 km/h.
01:24
This can be fixed or edited by adjusting the geometry of the road, or by clicking the Alignment Grid View toolbar option.
01:32
When the design is compliant, the warning symbols disappear.
01:37
From the Alignment Layout Tools toolbar, alignment points can be added or subtracted, and curves inserted.
01:44
You can also edit the alignment using the blue grips that appear when it is selected:
01:50
Use the square grips at the ends of tangents to edit the position of the tangent.
01:55
Use the square grip at the midpoint of tangents to move the entire tangent.
02:00
Use the triangle grip to move the PI of the curve.
02:04
Use the circular grips at either end of a curve to sharpen or broaden a curve, thus increasing or decreasing its length.
02:12
Use the circular grip at the midpoint for relative movement between the points.
Industry:
Civil / Site development contractors, Site Development (General civil engineering), Vocational education, Colleges and universities
Role:
Civil engineer (Geotechnical), Civil engineer (Land and site design), Civil engineer (Roads and highways), Civil engineer (Tunnels and bridges), Student (18 plus), Teacher/faculty
How to buy
Privacy | Do not sell or share my personal information | Cookie preferences | Report noncompliance | Terms of use | Legal | © 2025 Autodesk Inc. All rights reserved
Sign in for the best experience
Save your progress
Get access to courses
Receive personalized recommendations
May we collect and use your data?
Learn more about the Third Party Services we use and our Privacy Statement.May we collect and use your data to tailor your experience?
Explore the benefits of a customized experience by managing your privacy settings for this site or visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about your options.