This tutorial demonstrates how to change and constrain the surface styles and display.
Using styles is an efficient way to control surface display. Rather than answering prompts for numerous variables every time you create a surface, you can reference a predefined style that sets all the variables as required.
Surface styles are managed the way all object styles are managed in AutoCAD Civil 3D, by using the ToolspaceSettings tree. All objects have a standard object style grouping on the Settings tree, called an object style collection. You can create, edit, copy, and delete the styles for an object.
Surface styles define how the surface components are displayed in the drawing. If you want to change the appearance of a component, either apply a different style or edit the style.
The surface styles contain the following component parameters and component display settings for the creation of surface data objects:
- Borders — Interior and exterior border and datum display
- Contours — Minor, major, depression, and user-defined contour lines display
- Grid — Primary and secondary grid display
- Points — All surface points for the TIN or Grid surfaces
- Triangles — TIN face information
- Watersheds — Watershed analysis display
- Analysis — Directions, elevations, slopes, and slope arrows
For more information, see the AutoCAD Civil 3D Help topic Surface Styles and Display.
Topics in this section
- Exercise 1: Editing the Surface Style
In this exercise, you will hide the display of the points on the surface and turn on the display of depression contours.
- Exercise 2: Using a Different Style for a Surface
In this exercise, you will change the surface style, which the surface is referencing, to display different views of the surface.
- Exercise 3: Labeling a Surface
In this exercise, you will add labels across surface contours. You will place individual labels manually and a series of labels automatically, using AutoCAD polylines as a guide.