AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2015 EssEntials AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2015 EssEntials Eric Chappell Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe Development Editor: Kim Wimpsett Technical Editor: Joshua Modglin Production Editor: Christine O’Connor Copy Editor: Tiffany Taylor Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Associate Publisher: Chris Webb Book Designer: Happenstance Type-O-Rama Compositor: Craig Woods, Happenstance Type-O-Rama Proofreader: Josh Chase, Word One New York Indexer: Ted Laux Project Coordinator, Cover: Lauren Buroker Cover Designer: Wiley Front Cover Image: © iStock.com/KentWeakley Back Cover Images: Courtesy of Eric Chappell Copyright © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-1-118-87102-7 ISBN: 978-1-118-91046-7 (ebk.) ISBN: 978-1-118-87108-9 (ebk.) 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If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Control Number: 2014935750 TRADEMARKS: Wiley and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the prop- erty of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015 Essentials. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching. Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available. I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected]. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex. Best regards, Chris Webb Associate Publisher, Sybex To Madison Acknowledgments Every year that I get to work on another version of AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Essentials is a blessing, and this year is the fourth! I am very encouraged by the emails I get from readers throughout the year, asking questions and offering suggestions, and I especially like those that compliment the book. Of course, I’m just a small part of the book’s success, and it would be a terrible disservice not to mention Wiley/Sybex for giving me this opportunity yet again, and its great people for helping make the book a success. To Willem Knibbe, thanks once again for making the book happen. To Pete Gaughan, kudos for taking the reins and being a great coordinator, sounding board, and go-to person. To Kim Wimpsett, thanks for putting up with me and making the book better than I could have ever made it myself. To Joshua Modglin, thanks again for giving me the peace of mind of knowing you had my back on the technical aspects. And to my family, for putting up with a fourth year of Dad working late nights and being distracted and sometimes stressed, and for all the other not-so-fun aspects of having an author in the family: thank you. I especially would like to thank my wife Dixie for putting up with my schedule and being a “single parent” when things got really busy for me. About the Author Eric Chappell has been working, teaching, writing, and consulting in the world of civil engineering software for more than 20 years, and he is a recognized expert in the world of Autodesk® AutoCAD Civil 3D® software. Eric joined the Autodesk family in September 2013 as a Premium Services Specialist. In the 12 years prior to that, he wrote training materials and performed training for end users, train- ers, and Autodesk employees around the globe. For several years, he has worked with Autodesk in authoring and developing two Autodesk certification exams. He also served as design systems manager for Timmons Group, a civil engineer- ing and surveying firm based in Richmond, Virginia, where he managed soft- ware, standards, and training for more than 200 users. Eric is also a highly rated instructor at Autodesk University, where he has taught for the past 10 years. Prior to writing and consulting, Eric spent nearly 10 years in the civil engineer- ing and surveying fields while working for the H.F. Lenz Company in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. During his time at H.F. Lenz, he gained considerable practical experience as a survey crewman, designer, engineer, and CAD supervisor. Eric also holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and is certified in Pennsylvania as an EIT. Eric is originally from southwestern Pennsylvania, but he has lived in the Richmond, Virginia, area for the past 13 years with his wife and four children. He enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his family. He can sometimes be seen playing drums for the band Sons of Zebedee, which plays at a variety of events in the Central Virginia area. Eric is also authoring a new series of Wiley/Sybex titles this year for Autodesk InfraWorks and InfraWorks 360. Be sure to check out Autodesk InfraWorks® and InfraWorks 360® Essentials along with Roadway Design for Autodesk InfraWorks 360®. Other titles may also be available throughout the year based on the release of more InfraWorks 360 modules. If you would like to contact the author regarding comments or suggestions, please email [email protected]. You’re also welcome to visit Eric’s blog at http://ericchappell.blogspot.com.