Tuesday, May 2, 2023

CHAPTER 1-Navigating the user interface

 If you’re new to the AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software environment, then your first experience has

probably been a lot like staring at the instrument panel of an airplane. Civil 3D can be quite

intimidating, with lots of buttons, strange shapes, and unusual icons—all packed into a relatively

small area. In addition, you may be even more intimidated by the feeling that there is a lot of power

under the hood.

This leads us to our main objective for this chapter, which is to alleviate that feeling of intimidation

and make you feel much more at ease within the Civil 3D environment. Let me start you down that

path by saying that there’s a big difference between an airplane and Civil 3D. In Civil 3D, if you

really mess up, you can simply close the drawing file without saving. When piloting an airplane, it’s

a little more difficult to undo your mistakes.

After completing this chapter, you will have achieved a greater comfort level within the Civil 3D

environment by being able to identify the main user interface components and utilize them for

basic functions. You will also be able to use two specific features that will serve you well throughout

the program: the Transparent Commands toolbar and the Inquiry Tool.


In this chapter, you’ll learn to:


▶ Navigate the Civil 3d user interface

▶ Launch general commands through the application menu

▶ Launch key software commands and functions using the ribbon

▶ navigate the design contents using the toolspace

▶ navigate the model using the drawing area

▶ Communicate with Civil 3d using the command line

▶ Access and modify design information using panorama

▶ Access specialized commands using the transparent Commands toolbar

▶ Get information about your design using the inquiry tool

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