Exercise 1: Use a composite style for roads

Add roads to your map and create a composite style to combine two line styles to form a realistic-looking road style. The composite style is displayed when you zoom in to a certain scale range in your map. A simpler style is displayed when you zoom out.

Note: This exercise uses the build_map1.dwg map you created and modified in the previous exercises.

Video Tutorial

If you are connected to the internet, play the video to see how to add roads and create a composite style for them. You can also click "Let Me Try" to try it yourself. The steps for this procedure are listed below the video.

Note: This exercise uses the build_map1.dwg map you created and modified in the previous exercises.

To add roads to your map

1. If you have not already done so, copy the tutorial sample files to your local drive.

   See Exercise 1 Prepare your sample data.

2. Open your finished map from the previous lesson.
   • Click OpenDrawing.
   • Locate build_map1.dwg.
   • Select the map, and click Open.
3. In the Task Pane, switch to Display Manager.
4. Drag and drop the roads into Display Manager.
   • Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder where you copied the sample files.
   • Resize the AutoCAD Map 3D toolset window and the sample data folder window so you can see both of them at the same time.
   • Drag and drop the Roads.shp file into the map area.
5. In Display Manager, select the Roads layer and click Style.
   Note: If the Style Editor is docked, move your cursor over it to display it. It might be docked at the left side of the application window.
6. In the Style Editor, click the Style field.
7. In the Style Line dialog box, click Add Symbol.
   

   Use Add Symbol to combine line styles.

8. Do the following:
   • Change Unit to Millimeters.
   • Change the line thickness to 2.
   • Change the Color to black If it is not black already).

   This is the bottom line of the composite style.

9. Create the second part of the line style.
   • Select the top line in the Symbol And Style area.
   • For Select Symbol, choose a dashed line pattern.
   • Leave the line color set to yellow (or change it to yellow if it is a different color)

   Notice that the preview now displays a dark line with a dashed yellow line inside it.

   

   A composite line for roads

10. Click Apply and then click Close.

    Now define scale ranges and assign styles to them. Each scale range represents the zoom levels at which a style is displayed. When you are zoomed between the levels of a range, the style for that range is displayed.

11. In the Scale Ranges area at the top of the Style Editor, click the word “Infinity” and enter 30000 to replace it.

    The composite style you created appears for this range.

12. Define another scale range and specify a solid line style for it.

    When the zoom level is within this range, the roads appear as solid lines.

    • Click Add A Scale Range.
    • Set the range to go from 30000 to 50000.
    • Click the Style field in the bottom area of the Style Editor.
    • Delete the top style (the dashed yellow line).
    • Set the line weight for the remaining (black) line to 1.
    • Click Apply and then click Close.
13. Define another scale range so that no styling is applied to the roads when you zoom out to a distant view.
    • Click Add A Scale Range again.
    • Set the new range to go from 50000 to infinity.
    • Click the Style field in the bottom area of the Style Editor.
    • Change the line color to No Color.
    • Click Apply and then click Close.

    The style for this scale range is now blank. When you zoom out to a distant view, you cannot see the roads.

14. Close the Style Editor and save the file.

To continue this tutorial, go to Exercise 2: View styles at different zoom levels.