Tutorial:CreatingandAddingDatatoaSurface

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ThistutorialdemonstrateshowtocreateaTINsurface,andthenaddcontour,breakline,andboundary
datatothesurface.
Whenyoucreateasurface,itsnameisdisplayedintheSurfacescollectioninToolspaceon
theProspectortab.Fromthislocation,youcanperformotheroperations,suchasaddingdataand
editingthesurface.Whenfirstcreated,thesurfaceisempty,soitisnotvisibleinthedrawing.
Afterdatahasbeenaddedtoasurface,itbecomesvisibleinthedrawinginaccordancewiththe
displaysettingsspecifiedinthereferencedsurfacestyle.

TINSurfaces
ATINsurfaceiscomposedofthetrianglesthatformatriangulatedirregularnetwork.ATINlineisone
ofthelinesthatmakesupthesurfacetriangulation.
TocreateTINlines,AutoCADCivil3Dconnectsthesurfacepointsthatareclosesttogether.TheTIN
linesformtriangles.Theelevationofanypointinthesurfaceisdefinedbyinterpolatingtheelevations
oftheverticesofthetrianglesthatthepointliesin.

TINsurfacewithcontourlinesdisplayed

ContourData
Contoursaregraphicalillustrationsofsurfaceelevationchanges.Youcancreateasurfacefrom
contoursdrawnas2Dor3Dpolylinesthathavex,y,andzcoordinatedata.

Boundaries
Boundariesareclosedpolylinesthataffectthevisibilityofthetriangleseitherinsideoroutsidethe
polylines.Anouterboundarydefinestheextentsofthesurface.Alltrianglesinsidetheboundaryare
visible,andalltrianglesthatareoutsidetheboundaryareinvisible.
Areashiddenbyboundariesarenotincludedincalculations,suchastotalareaandvolume.
Surfaceboundariesaredefinedbyselectingexistingpolygonsinthedrawing.Thesurfacedefinition
displaysthenumericalIDandalistofverticesforeachboundary.

Asurfacebeforeaddinganondestructiveouterboundary

Theeffectsofanondestructiveouterboundary

Breaklines
Breaklinesdefinelinearsurfacefeatures,suchasretainingwalls,curbs,topsofridges,andstreams.
Breaklinesforcesurfacetriangulationtorunalongthebreaklinetrianglesdonotcrossabreakline.
Breaklinesarecriticaltocreatinganaccuratesurfacemodel.Breaklinesareimportantbecauseitis
theinterpolationofthedata,notjustthedataitself,thatdeterminestheshapeofthemodel.
Youcanuse3Dlinesor3Dpolylinesasbreaklines.EachvertexonthepolylineisconvertedtoaTIN
pointwiththesameXYZcoordinates.For3Dlines,eachlinethatyouselectisdefinedasatwopoint
breakline.
Topicsinthissection
Exercise1:CreatingaTINSurface
Inthisexercise,youwillcreateanemptyTINsurfaceinanewdrawing.
Exercise2:AddingPointDatatoaSurface
Inthisexercise,youwillimportpointdatafromatextfileintothecurrentdrawing.
Exercise3:AddingBreaklinestoaSurface
Inthisexercise,youwillcausethesurfacetotriangulatealongalinearfeature.
Exercise4:AddinganOuterBoundarytoaSurface
Inthisexercise,youwillcreateanoutersurfaceboundaryfromapolyline.

Exercise1:CreatingaTINSurface
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Inthisexercise,youwillcreateanemptyTINsurfaceinanewdrawing.
CreateaTINsurfaceinanewdrawing
1. Click

New.

2. IntheSelectTemplatedialogbox,browsetothetutorialfolder.SelectSurface.dwt.ClickOpen.
3. ClickHometab

CreateGroundDatapanel

Surfacesdropdown

CreateSurface

4. IntheCreateSurfacedialogbox,forType,selectTINsurface.
Note:
Bydefault,anewSurfaceLayerwillbecreatednamedCTOPOfollowedbythenameyouenterin
theNamecell.Youcanalsoclick tospecifyanexistinglayerforthesurface.
5. InthePropertiestable,specifythefollowingparameters:
Name:EG
Description:ExistingGroundsurfacefromimportedpointdata
Style:PointsandBorder
Tip:
Toselectthestyle,clicktheValuecell,andthenclick
Styledialogbox.

todisplaytheSelectSurface

RenderMaterial:ByLayer
6. ClickOK.
7. InToolspace,ontheProspectortab,expandtheSurfacescollection.
Thenewsurfacenameisdisplayedinthe SurfacescollectioninToolspaceontheProspectortab,
butthissurfacedoesnotcontainanydata.
Tocontinuethistutorial,gotoExercise2:AddingPointDatatoaSurface.
Parenttopic:Tutorial:CreatingandAddingDatatoaSurface

Exercise2:AddingPointDatatoaSurface
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Inthisexercise,youwillimportpointdatafromatextfileintothecurrentdrawing.
ThisexercisecontinuesfromExercise1:CreatingaNewTINSurface.
Importpointdataintothecurrentdrawing
1. OpendrawingSurface1A.dwg,whichisavailableinthetutorialsdrawingsfolder.
Thisdrawingcontainsanemptysurfacedefinition,whichisnamedEG.
2. ClickModifytab
3. ClickSurfacetab

GroundDatapanel
Modifypanel

Surface.

AddData

PointFiles.

4. UnderSelectedFiles,click .
5. IntheSelectSourceFiledialogbox,browsetothetutorialfolder.SelectSurface1APENZD(space
delimited).txt.ClickOpen.
6. IntheAddPointFiledialogbox,underSpecifyPointFileFormat,selectPENZD(SpaceDelimited)
7. IntheAddPointFiledialogbox,clickOK.
8. Atthecommandline,enterZE.
Thesurface,whichcontainstheimportedpointdata,isdisplayedinthedrawing.

Tocontinuethistutorial,gotoExercise3:AddingBreaklinestoaSurface.
Parenttopic:Tutorial:CreatingandAddingDatatoaSurface

Exercise3:AddingBreaklinestoaSurface
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Inthisexercise,youwillcausethesurfacetotriangulatealongalinearfeature.
Breaklinesareusedtodefinesurfacefeaturesandtoforcetriangulationalongthebreakline.Surfaces
donottriangulateacrossbreaklines,creatingmoreaccurateTINsurfacemodels.
Inthisexercise,youwillcreatebreaklinesalongtheedgeofpavementforanexistingroad.Breaking
thesurfacealongfeaturesproducesamoreaccuratesurfacerendering.

ThisexercisecontinuesfromExercise2:AddingPointDatatoaSurface.
Displaythesourcepolylinesandchangethesurfacestyle
Note:
Thisexerciseusesthedrawingyoucreatedinthepreviousexercises,oryoucanopenSurface
1B.dwgfromthetutorialsdrawingsfolder.

The3Dpolylinesthatrepresenttheedgeofpavement(EP)ofanexistingroadaredisplayedonthe
eastsideofthesite.
Note:
TheEPpolylineswereincludedinthedrawingtemplateyouusedinExercise1:CreatingaTIN
Surface.
2. Selectthesurface.Rightclick.ClickSurfaceProperties.
3. IntheSurfacePropertiesdialogbox,ontheInformationtab,forSurfaceStyle,selectContoursand
Triangles.ClickOK.
ThesurfacenowshowscontoursandtrianglesthatillustratetheEGsurfacetriangulation.

Createbreaklinesfromthepolylines
1. InToolspace,ontheProspectortab,expandthe Surfaces

EG

Definitioncollections.Right

click Breaklines.ClickAdd.
2. IntheAddBreaklinesdialogbox,forDescription,enterEdgeofpavementexistingroad.Usethe
defaultvaluesfortheotherfields.ClickOK.
3. TheSelectObjectspromptbecomesactive.Whileinthiscommand,usetheZoomandPan
commandstolocatethetwoblue3Dpolylinesontheeastsideofthesite.
Zoominclosesoyoucanseethatthetrianglescrossoverthepolylines.

4. Selectthepolylines.PressEnter.
Thesurfacetriangulationismodified.Theedgeofpavementbreaklinesareapplied,andtheTIN
surfaceisadjustedalongthebreaklineedges,modifyingthesurfacetriangulation.

5. ClickViewtab Navigate2Dpanel Extents.

Thedrawingwindowzoomstotheextentsofthesurface.Withthebreaklinedataadded,thelayer
thatcontainedthesourcedataforthebreaklinescanbefrozen.

Furtherexploration:Noticethat,alongsomeportionsofthepolylines,thesurfacetriangulation
incorrectlycrossesthebreakline.Thishappenedbecausethesurfacecontoursalsoactasbreaklines.
Thenewbreaklinesarenotaddedbecausethecontoursarealreadyactingasbreaklines,andthe
currentsurfacesettingdoesnotallowmorethanonebreaklinetoaffectthesurfaceatagivenpoint.To
overridethisbehavior,youcanperformanyofthefollowingtasks:
Buildthesurfacewithcontoursandbreaklines:IntheSurfacePropertiesdialogbox,on
theDefinitiontab,expandtheBuildcollection.SetAllowCrossingBreaklinestoYes,andthen
setElevationtoUsetoUseLastBreaklineElevationatIntersection.
Modifythesurface:UsetheDeleteSurfacePointcommandtodeletesurfacepointsthatarelocated
exactlyonthepolylines.
Modifythepolylines:Addavertextothepolylinesateachlocationwhereitcrossesasurface
contour.
Tocontinuethistutorial,gotoExercise4:AddinganOuterBoundarytoaSurface.
Parenttopic:Tutorial:CreatingandAddingDatatoaSurface

Exercise4:AddinganOuterBoundarytoa
Surface
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Inthisexercise,youwillcreateanoutersurfaceboundaryfromapolyline.

ThisexercisecontinuesfromExercise3:AddingBreaklinestoaSurface.
Createanouterboundaryfromapolyline
Note:
ThisexerciseusesSurface1B.dwgwiththemodificationsyoumadeinthepreviousexercise.
1. ClickHometab

Layerspanel

Layerdropdown.Nexttothe_EGBNDYlayer,click .Clickin

thedrawingtoexittheLayerControllist.
Abluepolyline,whichrepresentstheextentsofthesite,isdisplayed.Thispolylinewasimported
withtheoriginalsurfacecontours.

click Boundaries.ClickAdd.
3. IntheAddBoundariesdialogbox,specifythefollowingparameters:
Name:EGOuter
Type:Outer
NonDestructiveBreakline:Cleared
MidOrdinateDistance:1.000
4. ClickOK.
5. Selectthebluepolyline.

Theboundaryisaddedtothesurfacedefinition,andthesurfacedisplayinthedrawingisclippedto
theareathatisdefinedbythenewouterboundary.
Hidethepolylineandchangethesurfacestyle
1. ClickHometab

Layerspanel

Layerdropdown.Nexttothe_EGBNDYlayer,click .

2. Selectthesurface.Rightclick.ClickSurfaceProperties.
3. IntheSurfacePropertiesdialogbox,ontheInformationtab,forSurfaceStyle,selectContours5'
and25'(Background).ClickOK.
Intheselectedsurfacestyle,contoursaredisplayedinmutedcolorsatbroadintervals.Thisdisplay
allowsthemajorsurfacefeaturestoremainvisiblewhileyoufocusonotheraspectsofthesite
design.

Tocontinuetothenexttutorial,gotoWorkingwithLargeSurfaces.
Parenttopic:Tutorial:CreatingandAddingDatatoaSurface