& 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
Identify and compare different ways to manage data for AEC projects in Civil 3D.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
3 min.
Transcript
00:03
When working with large and complex infrastructure projects, data management is a key component.
00:10
Well thought-out data management is crucial to maintaining performance,
00:15
enabling dynamic design, facilitating collaboration among your team members,
00:19
and ensuring that there is only a single source of design.
00:23
There are three different ways to manage data for your AEC projects in Civil 3D:
00:29
Xrefs, Drefs, and data management tools.
00:35
External file reference drawings (or Xrefs)
00:38
are a useful way to view points in relation to other surface features without adding these features to your drawing.
00:45
You can attach AutoCAD DWG format, images, such as PNG, TIFF, JPEG, and point cloud files.
00:58
Data reference shortcuts (or Drefs) provide a direct path to the location of a shareable source object.
01:03
In a single operation, you can create data shortcuts for multiple objects in a source drawing.
01:09
This enables you to split your design data, so that multiple team members can work on different parts of the project at the same time.
01:18
Finally, you can use other Autodesk tools designed for data management.
01:23
For any infrastructure project, before modeling, it is important to understand the project goals and the required data.
01:31
Input data, such as surfaces, alignments, corridors, and pipe networks
01:37
are essential to the creation of 3D model designs.
01:41
Infrastructure projects can also be delivered as 2D plans, such as plane views, cross sections, and profiles.
01:50
To organize all of these, you need a data solution, such as Vault or BIM 360.
01:57
Benefits of these solutions include logical naming and phasing, file locking and permissions,
02:04
security backups, and compliance with BIM standards.
02:09
Your projects become an interaction between AutoCAD DWG entities,
02:14
such as lines, polylines, circles, and blocks, and intelligent and dynamic Civil 3D objects,
02:21
such as surfaces, alignments, corridors, and pipe networks.
Video transcript
00:03
When working with large and complex infrastructure projects, data management is a key component.
00:10
Well thought-out data management is crucial to maintaining performance,
00:15
enabling dynamic design, facilitating collaboration among your team members,
00:19
and ensuring that there is only a single source of design.
00:23
There are three different ways to manage data for your AEC projects in Civil 3D:
00:29
Xrefs, Drefs, and data management tools.
00:35
External file reference drawings (or Xrefs)
00:38
are a useful way to view points in relation to other surface features without adding these features to your drawing.
00:45
You can attach AutoCAD DWG format, images, such as PNG, TIFF, JPEG, and point cloud files.
00:58
Data reference shortcuts (or Drefs) provide a direct path to the location of a shareable source object.
01:03
In a single operation, you can create data shortcuts for multiple objects in a source drawing.
01:09
This enables you to split your design data, so that multiple team members can work on different parts of the project at the same time.
01:18
Finally, you can use other Autodesk tools designed for data management.
01:23
For any infrastructure project, before modeling, it is important to understand the project goals and the required data.
01:31
Input data, such as surfaces, alignments, corridors, and pipe networks
01:37
are essential to the creation of 3D model designs.
01:41
Infrastructure projects can also be delivered as 2D plans, such as plane views, cross sections, and profiles.
01:50
To organize all of these, you need a data solution, such as Vault or BIM 360.
01:57
Benefits of these solutions include logical naming and phasing, file locking and permissions,
02:04
security backups, and compliance with BIM standards.
02:09
Your projects become an interaction between AutoCAD DWG entities,
02:14
such as lines, polylines, circles, and blocks, and intelligent and dynamic Civil 3D objects,
02:21
such as surfaces, alignments, corridors, and pipe networks.
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.