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DifficultybeginnerAdded2027.0Statusdraft

Cross Sections (Civil 3D essentials)

Sections are cuts at given stations along a horizontal alignment. A section can display various objects like surfaces, corridors, pipe networks, feature lines, solid objects, etc.

Create Sample Lines​

Sample lines represent the location and width of the cross-sections in plan. All properties related to the cross-sections can be found under the sample line group properties. Sample lines must be created before any cross-sections can be drawn.

  1. In the Home tab of the ribbon click on the Sample Lines command:

  2. Specify the alignment you want to create cross sample lines for:

  3. Specify the objects which must be sampled (these objects will be visible in the cross-sections). Additional objects can be sampled afterwards, and a sampled object can be removed from cross-sections at any time:

  4. Click on the black arrow next to the fifth icon on the right-hand side and select the By Range of Stations command:

  5. Default settings can be used, or it can be modified as needed:

  6. Once you click OK press Escape to close the Sample Lines Tools toolbar.

Created sample lines:

Sample lines can be modified in the Sample Line Group Properties window, which can be accessed either from the Prospector or from the right-click menu when a sample line is selected. Both options are displayed in the images below:

In the Information tab a sample line group can be renamed:

In the Sample Lines tab, the sample line width can be modified (the Shift and Ctrl buttons can be used for multiple selections):

In the Sections tab the sampled objects' styles can be changed. Use the NGL style for NGL surface, Top Surface for the corridor top surface and Corridor for the road corridor. This tab allows users to sample other objects or remove sampled objects with the Sample More Sources command:

The rest of the tabs are explained in other chapters.

Create Multiple Section Views​

Cross-sections are often printed and displayed with a different scale than the plan view. Change the drawing scale in the right-bottom corner to 1:200:

  1. Go to the Home tab in the ribbon and use the Section Views – Create Multiple Views command:

  2. Select the alignment, sample line group and section view style in the General tab:

  3. In the Section Placement tab select the Draft option. This option is suitable to preview the cross-sections. Cross-sections for plan production will be covered in the Plan Production chapter.

  4. In the Offset Range tab, select the Automatic option if the cross-section width should be taken from the sample lines' width. In the image below, the cross-sections have various widths:

  5. In the Elevation Range tab select the Automatic option (the user specified option will be used in the Plan Production chapter):

  6. The Section Display Options tab allows the styles for sampled objects to be changed:

  7. In the Data Bands tab, select <none> under Select Band Set, there is no need for band details when a cross-section preview is created. Bands will be used for plan production:

Multiple section views, first cross-section is wider than others (width was taken from the sample line):

Cross-section:

To check if the top surface was created correctly, switch on the lineweight. The top surface style uses a thick line so it will be highlighted as shown in the image below:

Created sections and section views are also available in the Prospector: