Surface Data

Surfaces are essential to most design tasks in Autodesk Civil 3D, and because of their size, it is important to structure them for efficient processing.

Topics in this section

Working with Large Surfaces
Follow these practices for efficient processing of large surfaces.
Editing and Copying Surfaces
Avoid unexpected results in surface edit operations.
Working with Surface Points
Manage data files and the sequence of operations for greatest efficiency.
Working with LandXML Files
Use settings to minimize surface file size.
Working with DEM Files
Understand some essential settings for digital elevation models (DEM).
Working with Contour Data
Edit your input data to include only the essential regions.
The Effects of Operation Order on Surfaces
The order in which Autodesk Civil 3D processes points can impact the resulting TIN surface. In addition, the order in which data is added to a surface, or subsequently ordered on the Definition tab of the Surface Properties dialog box, can impact the resulting surface.