You can use sections to examine existing and proposed surface elevations sampled across an alignment at defined station intervals.
In AutoCAD Civil 3D, section data is defined and displayed using sample lines, sections, and section views, all of which are managed through a collection called a sample line group. An alignment can have more than one sample line group associated with it, each having a unique set of sample lines and sections.
Use sections (also referred to as cross sections) to provide a view of the terrain cut at an angle across a linear feature, such as a proposed road.
Typically, sections are cut across horizontal (plan) alignments at a specified station interval using specified swath widths. These sections are then plotted, individually for a station, or as a group for a range of stations.
AutoCAD Civil 3D handles the creation, management, and plotting of sections with the following components:
- Sections. Terrain elevations that cut across surfaces, including corridor surfaces, which are associated with a specified sample line group. Elevations are sampled at each of the sample line XY vertices and also at locations where the vertical plane defined by the sample line intersects with surface edges.
- Section Views. For each sample line, views displaying some or all of the sections sampled at that sample line. This graphical view has both horizontal limits based on the length of corresponding sample line and vertical values based on the minimum and maximum elevations from the set of sections it is displaying.
- Section Sheets. You can generate production-quality section layouts for plotting.
Before creating sections, a surface and one or more horizontal alignments must exist.
