CES322263-L

A Practical Guide to GIS in AutoCAD Civil 3D (Part 1)

Rick Ellis
CADapult Software Solutions

Learning Objectives
• Learn how to import, view, edit, and label GIS data in AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Learn how to create a Surface in AutoCAD Civil 3D from GIS contours
• Learn how to create a Pipe Network from GIS Data
• Learn how to use the new ArcGIS Connector to access data from ArcGIS Online

Description
If you’re a Civil 3D user being asked to provide data to your geographic information system
(GIS) department, if you are being asked to use GIS data as background data for your designs,
or if you think GIS is a four-letter word—this class will answer this all-too-common question:
“Why should I care about GIS?” You’ll learn to import GIS data not only as AutoCAD objects,
but also directly as Civil 3D objects, like Surfaces and Pipe Networks that use the existing
database information. We’ll also explore the new ArcGIS Connector to access ArcGIS Online
data in real time. Once that data is in Civil 3D we’ll explore ways to use it with labeling tools and
other display techniques. This popular class has won the award for Best Hands-on Lab at
Autodesk University. Don’t miss your chance to learn how the GIS tools in Civil 3D can make
you more productive by automating common everyday tasks.

Speaker
Rick Ellis is the President of CADapult Software Solutions, Inc., where he provides training and
consulting services to clients around the country, helping them get the most out of their design
software investment. Rick specializes in Autodesk® Civil 3D®, AutoCAD® Map 3D, Autodesk®
InfraWorks™, AutoCAD® Raster Design, and AutoCAD®. He is a member of the Autodesk
Developer Network, and author of several critically acclaimed books on Autodesk Civil 3D, and
AutoCAD Map 3D; including the Practical Guide series. Rick continues to use Autodesk Civil 3D
on projects in a production environment, in addition to teaching classes to organizations both
large and small around the country. This practical background and approach has made him a
sought after instructor by organizations around the world.

[email protected]
@theRickEllis

Page 1
Introduction to GIS in Civil 3D
In addition to all of the tools built into Civil 3D for the civil engineering workflow, the software
also includes many powerful tools for creating, editing, importing, displaying and utilizing a wide
range of GIS and mapping data. For instance, aerial and satellite imagery can be displayed,
geometric data that includes corresponding tabular data can be attached to existing AutoCAD
objects, such as lines representing pipes and polygons representing tax lots. Geometry with
corresponding tabular data can also be attached to, or displayed in Civil 3D drawing files, from a
variety of GIS sources, such as ESRI Shapefiles and Autodesk SDF.

Many of these additional tools can be used alone, or in various combinations, and are not
necessarily limited to GIS and mapping projects, or even civil design projects. Unlike most Civil
3D workflow processes, these tasks are typically not linear. For instance, for any given project
you may use different combinations of these tools or processes, in different sequences.

Autodesk Civil 3D is built on top of AutoCAD Map 3D, which is built on top of standard
AutoCAD. Using the many tools found in Civil 3D, you can work with three types of objects:
standard AutoCAD objects, (such as lines, arcs, circles, polylines and blocks); Map 3D objects,
(such as Object Data, Topologies and connected Features); and Civil 3D objects, (such as
alignments, profiles, parcels, surfaces, and pipe networks); and. These objects that are unique
to the Map 3D tools in Civil 3D will be explained in the Lessons and exercises to follow.

I would encourage you to think of this as a toolbox that contains many related, yet separate
tools. Each tool has its own function and purpose. As you learn and become proficient with
these tools you become a skilled craftsman knowing what tool is best suited for each task you
encounter during your project. I would encourage you not to limit yourself to simply the
examples demonstrated here. Focus instead on the individual tools. There are many different
applications for them and once you understand how to use these tools, not just blindly follow a
series of predefined steps, then you will truly unlock the power and productivity that is available
to you.

Page 2
Using GIS Data from other Formats
There are three ways that you can bring GIS data into Civil 3D:

• Importing GIS Data as AutoCAD Objects

• Importing GIS Data as Civil 3D Objects

• Connecting to GIS Data

Importing GIS Data as AutoCAD Objects

Autodesk Civil 3D can import data from a variety of sources, allowing you to edit and use the geometry
using AutoCAD while maintaining the attribute data that may have been created in a different program.
Without the attribute data the file will only come into the drawing as drawing objects and not contain any
attribute information. On large areas it would be a monumental task to manually modify every object to
contain the desired information.

The ability to utilize data from other GIS programs inside of Civil 3D provides tremendous capabilities.
Being able to use this data effectively requires a few simple steps. When requesting GIS data, be sure to
get the information about the accuracy of the data and how it was created. This includes the coordinate
system used, the definitions of the data fields, and the accuracy of the geometry.

Autodesk Civil 3D can import the following types:

 Autodesk SDF

 ESRI ArcInfo Coverage

 ESRI ArcInfo Export (E00)

 ESRI Shape file

 GML

 MapInfo MIF/MID

 MapInfo TAB

 Intergraph/MicroStation Design (dgn)

 OS (GB) MasterMap (GML 2)

 Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS)

 Vector Product Format Coverage (VPF)

Page 3
Step-by-Step
1. Start a new drawing using the ACAD.dwt template.

2. Click the Workspace button on the status bar and set the current workspace to
Planning and Analysis.

3. Select Ribbon: Insert ⇒ Import ⇒ Map

Import.

The Import Location dialog box opens.

4. Browse to the dataset

5. Set the Files of type to ESRI Shapefile (*.shp).

6. Select the files Parcels.shp and Streets.shp.

7. Click <<OK>> to continue.

Page 4
In the Import dialog box you can configure the Layer, Coordinate Conversion, and Data options that you
wish to use to Import each of these two Shapefiles into Civil 3D.

8. Click on the Drawing Layer field in the Parcels row to activate the more <<…>> button.
Click this button to bring up the Layer Mapping dialog box.

Here you can choose to import the drawing objects onto an existing
layer, create a new layer, or select a column of data from the file
that you are importing to determine the layer names. This last
option will allow you to do some basic thematic mapping during the
import of the objects. For example, if you were importing parcel
data and that data set had a column for zoning, you could have the
import command create a new layer for each zoning type and place
each parcel on the appropriate layer for its zoning designation.
However, in this exercise you will simply import all of the parcels
onto one layer.

9. Choose Create on new layer and name it EX-Parcels.

10. Click <<OK>>.

11. Repeat the process for the Streets ShapeFile, creating

it on a new layer named EX-Streets.

Page 5
12. Back in the Import dialog box, click on the Data field in the Parcels row to activate the more
<<…>> button.

13. Click the more <<…>> button to bring up the Attribute Data dialog box.

Here you will create Object Data from the shapefile’s

attribute data. You can enter the desired name for the
Object Data Table and select the desired fields to import.
This is the step that allows you to bring the intelligence of the
GIS file along with the geometry into AutoCAD. By creating
the object data table and populating it with the information
provided in the shape file you will be able to click on a parcel
and find the owner name, address, zoning, and any other
information that was added by the GIS department. This will
also allow you to edit the geometry and data from the GIS
file in AutoCAD and then export it back to any of the
supported GIS formats without losing any of the attached
data. If you leave the Data option set to None or Do not
import attribute data, then you will only import the geometry
of the file and you will lose all of the attached information.
The ability to convert the attribute data to object data is one
reason the Map Import feature so powerful.

14. Choose Create object data.

15. Enter Parcels for the name of the Object Data table to use.

Page 6
This will create a new Object Data Table in the drawing to store the parcel attribute data. You can name
this Object Data Table anything you like, but it is recommended to keep the name simple and descriptive
to avoid confusion. The name must be in alphanumeric characters with a maximum length of 25
characters. The name cannot contain spaces or symbols.

16. Click <<OK>> to return to the Import dialog box.

17. Click on the Data field in the Streets row to activate the more <<…>> button. Click this
button to bring up the Attribute Data dialog box.

Page 7
18. Choose Create object data.

19. Enter Streets for the name of the Object

Data table to use.

20. This time, click the <<Select Fields>>

button.

This will allow you to select only the attribute data you
wish to import rather than the entire database.

21. Deselect all fields except NAME_FULL,

SPEED, and TYPE.

This option allows you to be selective about what

information you import into AutoCAD. If you don't want
to import all of the attached data, you have control over
the columns of information that you import from the
shape file.

22. Click <<OK>> to return to the Import dialog

box.

Page 8
The completed dialog box should look like the one below. If you have assigned a coordinate system to
the drawing it will display at the top of the Import dialog box. You can also assign a coordinate system to
the drawing at this time by selecting the Assign Global Coordinate System button. If a coordinate system
has been assigned to the drawing the Input Coordinate System column will be activated. This allows you
to assign a coordinate system to the files that you are importing. If the input coordinate system is
different than the current drawing coordinate system the geometry will be converted to the current
drawing coordinate system as it is imported.

23. Click <<OK>> to begin importing the data.

24. Zoom to Extents to view the imported objects.

Page 9
Controlling the Display of Polygons

Notice that the polygons are all displayed with a solid hatch fill. This display option is a feature of the
MPOLYGON object. To display just the edges of the polygons you need to set the polygon display mode.

1. At the command line enter:

Command: POLYDISPLAY

2. Type E to display only the edges of the polygons.

3. Regen to redisplay the Polygons.

4. Change the color of the layer EX-Parcels to Yellow and the later EX-Streets to Red.

Page 10
Viewing GIS Attributes in AutoCAD

When talking about GIS data the term attributes refers to any type of attached data, not just block
attributes as in AutoCAD terminology. In AutoCAD Map 3D, attribute data can be object data, external
database data, or block attributes. Civil 3D is built on and includes AutoCAD Map 3D which enables you
to view and edit this attribute data, including attributes imported from GIS files, as well as attributes
created as object data in Map 3D. To view the attributes imported above follow these steps.

1. Pick one of the new parcels, then right-click and select ⇒ Properties.

2. In the Properties palette, scroll to the bottom and

notice the attribute data from the SHP file is now
attached to the parcel.

You can view and edit any of the object data here as needed.

Page 11
Labeling Objects with an Annotation Template
Several types of data can be used to drive an Annotation Template. These include:

• Object Data
• Linked data sources
• Object properties

Any of the preceding data types and any combination of these can be used within a single Annotation
Template, retrieving data from multiple sources of data into a single, or multiple lines of text to form part of
the resulting label in the drawing.

Annotation Templates are blocks with attribute tags that generate the resulting text in the drawing. All
annotation blocks are prefixed with ACMAP_ANN_TEMPLATE followed by the name of the annotation
template.

Overall Process of Using Dynamic Annotation

There are three main steps in the overall use of Dynamic Annotation.

Define Annotation
Insert Annotation Update or Refresh
Template

Define the Annotation Template

This step is a one-time setup that is saved in the drawing file. After you create an annotation template,
you can always edit it. The initial setup is often an iterative process with some aspect of trial and error to
get the desired behavior regarding text placement on the objects, spacing of labels, and so on.

Insert the Annotation

After creating the annotation template, you use it to perform the actual insertion of the annotation.

Update or Refresh Annotation

Each time you insert annotation, the current values of the attributes that are used to generate the
annotation are evaluated. When changes are made to the source attributes, the annotation does not
automatically update. To reevaluate changes made to source data that drives the annotation, you must
perform a refresh. If changes have been made to the template, which might include changes to the
attribute sources, font settings and so on, an update is required.

Page 12
Step-by-Step
Creating an Annotation Template

1. Continue working in the same drawing.

If you didn’t finish the previous exercise you can open the drawing Annotation.dwg.

2. Freeze the layer EX-Streets.

You will only label the parcels in this exercise.

3. Select Ribbon: Annotate ⇒ Map Annotation ⇒ Define

Template to launch the Define Annotation Template dialog
box.

4. Click <<New>> in the Annotation Template section.

5. Name the annotation template Parcel Number, and then click <<OK>>.

The AutoCAD Block Editor opens and the Ribbon now displays the Block Editor tab.

6. At the command line enter: Command: MAPANNTEXT

7. When prompted to select annotation, press Enter to create new annotation and open the
Annotation Text dialog box.

8. Enter Number for the Tag.

9. Click the expression button to the

right of the Value field to open the
Expression Chooser.

Page 13
10. Expand the Object Data table Parcels.

11. Select the field ACCTNO.

12. Click <<OK>> to return to the

Annotation Text dialog box.

13. Enter 10 for Height in the Text Options

section.

14. Click <<OK>>.

15. At the command line prompt Specify left point of text: enter 0,0 and press Enter.

The block is created at the origin, 0,0. You may need to zoom in to see it.

16. Select Ribbon: Block Editor ⇒ Close ⇒ Close Block Editor.

Page 14
17. When prompted, save the changes to ACMAP_ANN_TEMPLATE_Parcel.

18. Click <<OK>> in the Define Annotation Template dialog box to save the template.

19. Save the drawing.

Annotating Objects

1. Select Ribbon: Annotate ⇒ Map Annotation ⇒

Insert.

2. Select the Parcel Number Annotation template.

3. Click <<Insert>>.

4. Zoom in and pick several parcels, then Enter to add the labels.

Page 15
Importing GIS Data as Civil 3D Objects
There are two types of Civil 3D objects that can be created directly from GIS data.
• Surfaces
• Pipe Networks

Step-by-Step

Creating a Surface from a Shapefile

1. Start a new drawing from the template _Autodesk Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt

2. Click the Workspace button on the status bar and set the current workspace to
Civil 3D.

3. Start a new drawing from your template that contains Civil 3D styles.

4. Select Ribbon: Home ⇒ Create Ground Data ⇒ Surfaces ⇒ Create

Surface from GIS Data.

Page 16
5. Enter the Name and select the desired Style.

6. Click <<Next>>.

Page 17
7. Set the Data source type to SHP.

8. Browse to the dataset and select the file Contours.shp.

9. Click <<Login>>.

Page 18
10. Enable the check box beside the desired Feature class.

11. Click <<Next>>.

Page 19
You have the option to define an area of interest if you want to limit the size of the data brought in to
the drawing.

12. Disable the option to Define area of interest.

13. Click <<Next>>.

Page 20
14. Set the Civil 3D Property for the GIS Field ELEV to the elevation data field in the source
file.

15. Click <<Finish>> to create the Surface.

You will get a warning in the Event Viewer if there are crossing breaklines in the data you are importing.
If so, that point will be ignored and your surface should be fine. You can zoom in and examine that
location if you want to explore it further.

16. Zoom Extents to view the new surface.

Page 21
Creating a Pipe Network from a SHP

1. Continue working in the drawing from the previous exercise.

2. Expand the Ribbon: Insert tab Import panel.

3. Click Import GIS Data.

4. Click the folder button .

The pipes and structures will be contained in separate SHP files. By connecting to a folder rather than a
specific file, then all of the SHP files in that folder will be available.

5. Browse to the folder containing the SHP files, and click <<Open>>.

6. Click <<Connect>> to connect to the folder, making all of the SHP files in that folder
available.

7. Click <<Next>> to continue through the wizard.

Page 22
8. Name the new Pipe Network.

9. Set the Parts list.

10. Set the Surface name.

11. Set the Structure label style.

12. Set the Pipe label style.

13. Click <<Next>>.

Page 23
On the Schema and Coordinates panel of the wizard you will see all the SHP files in the connected folder
along with the coordinate systems they were created in.

14. Click <<Next>> to continue through the wizard.

Page 24
15. Set the Imported pipe feature class to Default:Pipes (the SHP file containing the Pipe
data).

16. Confirm the Civil 3D pipe shape is set to Circular.

17. Click <<Add>>.

Page 25
18. Set the Start Structure to StructStart.

You may need to scroll through the list of Civil 3D pipe properties to the Geometry section.

19. Set the End Structure to StructEnd.

20. Set the Start Invert Elevation to StartInvert.

21. Set the End Invert Elevation to EndInvert.

22. Set the Inner Diameter to InsideDia.

You may need to scroll down the list of Civil 3D pipe properties to the Part Data section.

23. Click <<Next>>.

Page 26
24. Confirm the Imported structure feature class is set to Default:Structures (the SHP file
containing the Structure data).

25. Confirm the Civil 3D structure shape is set to Cylindrical.

26. Click <<Add>>.

Page 27
27. Set the Rim Elevation to RimElev.

28. Set the Sump Elevation to SumpElev.

29. Click <<Next>>.

You will now see the No Shape Attributes

Assigned dialog box. This is because the SHP
file that we are importing did not have any
shape attributes for us to assign that could be
matched with properties of the parts from the
part list.

30. Click Use the default shape with

default shape attributes.

31. Back on the Data Mapping: Structures panel of the wizard click <<Next>> again.

Page 28
32. Confirm that Import all GIS data is selected.

If you are importing SHP files that encompass a large area you can be selective about how much of the
data is imported here.

33. Click <<Next>>.

Page 29
34. Enable the option to Snap pipe and structure tolerance.

35. Confirm the tolerance is set to 0.0015 feet.

36. Click <<Finish>>.

The pipes and structures are now imported and labeled, creating a new Pipe Network.

The Event Viewer opens to announce that the Pipe Network has been created.

37. Close the Event Viewer.

38. Zoom in and examine the new Pipe Network.

You may notice the Invert In and Invert Out elevations are backwards on each of the structures with the
Invert In lower than the Invert Out. Next, you will reverse the pipe network to correct this issue.

39. Select Ribbon: Modify ⇒ Design ⇒ Pipe Network.

The Pipe Networks tab is displayed.

Page 30
40. Expand the Ribbon: Pipe
Networks tab Modify
panel.

41. Click Change Flow

Direction.

42. Select Structure (5) as the Upstream starting point.

43. Then select Structure (1) as the Downstream ending point.

44. The entire network should now be highlighted. Enter to end the command and reverse the
flow direction of the network.

45. Regen to update the labels.

46. Zoom in and examine the new pipe network.

Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS

The Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS can help you find cloud-based geospatial data from publicly available
sources, and from secure organizational sources to which you may have access.

Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS Concepts

Esri ArcGIS Online is a cloud-based mapping and analysis solution used to store and share many types
of GIS data.

You will need an Esri account to use this tool, and to complete this lesson. If you do not have an account
check with your organization to see if they have an account to which you can be added as a user. You
can also create an individual account and use their free trial period to access publicly available content,
and to complete this lesson.

Adding ArcGIS Online Data to Maps

Once a connection has been established to an Esri account, you can limit your search to a geographic
area on interest, then search categories for content. Once found, geospatial features and their attribute
data can be added to your AutoCAD design project as Civil 3D alignments, feature lines, gravity pipes,
parcels, points, or structures.

Page 31
1. Open the drawing ArcGIS Connector.dwg from the dataset.

This drawing contains linework for the parcels and streets. It also has a coordinate system assigned to it.

2. Select Ribbon: Insert ⇒ ArcGIS ⇒ Autodesk

Connector for ArcGIS.

The Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS window opens.

3. Click <<Connect>>.

Page 32
4. Enter your Username and Password.

If you do not have an account, you can create one

with a free trial period. With a web browser visit:
https://goto.arcgis.com/production-esri-signup.

5. Click <<Sign In>>.

The Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS window opens.

6. In the Search by location field, enter “Springfield, OR, USA”, and click the search tool

Page 33
This zooms the base map to the general area of interest.

7. Zoom in and out using the wheel on your mouse and Pan by holding down the left mouse
button.

8. Use draw rectangle tool to define a more specific Area of Interest

(AOI).

9. Define an area like the one shown below.

10. Select the <<Public>> category.

11. Enter “City of Springfield” in the search field, and press <<Enter>>.

Page 34
Publicly available Maps matching these criteria (AOI and search terms) are displayed.

12. Select the map COS_BENCHMARK_PUBLIC by enabling the checkbox.

13. Click the Overview tool .

Overview information for that map is displayed.

Page 35
14. Click the Layer tool .

The list of feature layers in this map are displayed. In this example it is just the one layer with the
benchmark points.

15. Set the Feature Type for the layer to COGO Points.

16. Click <<Add to my design project>>.

Civil 3D Points representing the benchmarks are now created in the drawing.

Page 36
Connecting to GIS Data
Autodesk Civil 3D includes the option to use FDO (Feature Data Objects), a technology that allows you to
connect directly to GIS data, rather than import it, as we did in the example earlier. The process of
connecting to GIS data is very different from importing it, and the resulting information that is created in
your drawing is also different. For example, when you import GIS linear data, basic AutoCAD objects, like
polylines, are created. When you connect to data, Features are created.

When you import data, you are copying the

objects into AutoCAD with no link to the
original data. However, when you connect to
data, there is a link to the original data, similar
to an XREF. This means that any changes
made elsewhere to the original data can be
updated in your drawing. You also have the
option to directly edit the original data if you
are connected to it, provided you have
permission to do so.

Once you have learned how to use both

methods, importing and connecting to GIS
data, you can then decide when each method is best suited for your projects and tasks.

Step-by-Step
1. Start a new drawing from the template ACAD.dwt.

2. Click the Workspace button on the status bar and set the current workspace to
Planning and Analysis.

3. In the Display Manager, click the Data button, and

then select ⇒ Connect to Data…

Page 37
4. From the Data Connections by Provider list, select Add SHP Connection.

5. Change the Connection name: to Parcels.

6. Click the SHP button .

7. Browse to the dataset and select Parcels.shp.

8. Click <<Connect>>.

9. Once the connection is made click <<Add to Map>>.

Page 38
Notice a new layer appears in the Display Manager and the Features appear in the drawing editor. Notice
that all features are the same color. Next we will explore some basic display options with connected data.

10. In the Task Pane set to Display Manager, right-click the desired layer and select Edit Style.

The Style Editor opens, where you can modify a geospatial data layer’s style properties. Rules can also
be set up to display the layer based on certain data conditions, zoom/scale values, etc..

11. In the Style Editor palette, click <<New Theme>>.

This opens the Theme Polygons dialog box, where you create a theme, such as applying a different color
value to each range of land values, resulting in a thematic map.

Page 39
12. Set the Property to ZONING.

13. For Legend Text, enter Zoning.

14. Click <<OK>>.

15. Close the Style Editor.

The parcels in the drawing are themed.

Other useful GIS tools in Civil 3D

• Drawing Cleanup tools

o Automate the process of cleaning many common geometry errors

• Thematic Mapping

• Dynamic North Arrows, Scale Bars and Legends

• Map Books

The material in this class is based on the book

A Practical Guide to GIS in Autodesk Civil 3D 2020.
For more information go to www.cadapult-software.com/books

Page 40