In AutoCAD Civil 3D, objects are the basic building blocks that enable you to create design drawings.
The underlying program code for AutoCAD Civil 3D uses an object-oriented architecture. As a result, design entities in the drawing, such as points and surfaces, are intelligent objects that maintain relationships with other objects. For example, if a horizontal alignment is modified, any profiles and sections based on that alignment are automatically changed.
The primary AutoCAD Civil 3D object types that enable you to create civil engineering design components, and the icons that represent them, are as follows. For more information about the object, click the corresponding link.
These types of objects are sometimes referred to as graphical objects or drawing objects because when you use them, a graphical object or shape, for example, a pipe network, surface, or corridor, is inserted into the drawing.
Use the Prospector and Settings tabs in Toolspace to access detailed object properties and settings. For more information, see The Toolspace Window.
For information on basic object behavior, see the AutoCAD Help.
Topics in this section
- Object Relationships
- Object and Label Styles
Styles control the display and design characteristics of drawing objects.
- Object Properties
AutoCAD Civil 3D object properties can be modified using the civil object properties dialog boxes, the Properties palette, and the Quick Properties palette.
- Layers
Each object in AutoCAD Civil 3D has a base layer on which the object physically resides, and component layers that control the display of object components, such as surface triangles or contours.
- Naming Objects
AutoCAD Civil 3D objects use a name template to specify the object name.
- Naming Constraints for Objects and Styles
Object and style names restrict the use of certain characters.