Using AutoCAD Raster Design toolset, you can display a DEM land surface, color coded by elevation, degree of slope, or aspect (direction of slope). In the Palette Color Map Definition dialog box, specify which of these attributes to display, then set the number of value ranges, the color for each range, and the strategy for distributing the ranges across the full extent of data values.
When determining value distribution, you can select equal, quantile, or standard deviation. For a traditional map style, select an equal distribution of ranges. If your data points are clustered around a particular value and you want to show greater detail in that subset of ranges, choose a quantile distribution, which places an equal number of data points in each range. The third choice is a standard deviation distribution, which divides the ranges symmetrically above and below the arithmetic mean data value. This distribution is especially useful for showing the average range or dominant trends in the surface slope and elevation.