HowTo - Profile Creation C3D

Profiles Creation & Editing
Overview: Create layout profiles using various profile creation tools within an existing Profile
View. Edit profiles using commands on the Profile Layout Tools.
Software: AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016, NRCS C3D 2016 template
Prerequisite: A Profile View needs to exist in order for a Layout Profile to be created. Usually a
Profile View has already been made in the process of creating a Surface Profile.
Creating a new Layout Profile

Profile creation options are found on the ribbon via Home… Create Design… Profile...
Profile Creation Tools and Create Profile from File are 2 of the options.
Profile Creation Tools

Start the Profile Creation Tools to create a new profile.
Select an existing Profile View that you want to draw in.
Input a Name for the profile and set the Style of the profile line.
Click Ok and the Profile Layout toolbar will open up.
Profile Layout Toolbar

Draw Tangent Convert AutoCAD Line Grid View
Insert PVI Delete PVI Insert PVI - Tabular Raise/Lower Delete Entity
Draw Tangents
Use Draw Tangents to start drawing your profile. (You need to draw from left to right.) It
will be asking you to click to the starting point of your new profile. You can do that by clicking
or snapping in the profile view or you can use Transparent commands.
Transparent Commands
You can select a Profile transparent command to set the points more easily or accurately than
clicking into the profile view.
You can only have one transparent command going at a time. If you want to switch to a different
one you need to press ESC to quit out of the active transparent command before going to another
one.
You can tell that you have a transparent profile command running by looking at the command
line where you will see “>>” to the left of the command that is active.
E.g PSE >>Specify Station:
You should ESC out of the transparent commands first in order to quit out of the Draw Tangent
command.
C3D How to
NRCS Iowa 1 7/7/2017
Four of the transparent commands that might be most useful.

Profile: Station & Elevation
Profile: *Grade & Station
Profile: *Grade & Elevation
Profile: *Grade & Length
*These can’t be used for the first point of a profile.
Description-
Profile: Station & Elevation – For this point of the profile: Input the
profile station, then the elevation either by keyboard input or
graphically clicking or snapping.
Profile: *Grade & Station – For the next reach of the profile: Input the
grade, then the ending station.
Profile: *Grade & Elevation – For the next reach of the profile: Input the grade, then the
ending elevation.
Profile: *Grade & Length – For the next reach of the profile: Input the grade, then the distance.
There are some more advanced transparent commands for Profiles too.
Profile: Station from Plan
Profile: Station & Elevation from Plan
Profile: Station & Elevation from COGO point
These let you “reach” into the plan view of the drawing in order to grab stations and elevations
for your new profile.
Convert AutoCAD Line

The Profile Layout Tools toolbar has a Convert AutoCAD Line tool. It works on Lines but
not polylines or 3D polylines. You can convert 2D and 3D polylines to lines by exploding them.
Profile from an external file

There is also an option to Create a Profile From a File .
This requires a space delimited file with no header and a series of station and elevations of the
profile. The stations must be in ascending order. The file needs to have a .txt extension.
Sample file:
0 1140.3
200 1136.3
700 1129.3
C3D How to
Editing a Profile
Surface profiles are dynamically linked back to the surface that they were created from and
can’t be edited unless you change the update mode to static.
To do this, select the profile. Right-click… click Profile Properties. On the Profile Data tab set
the Update Mode to Static. Click Ok.
Note: If you later set the Update Mode back to Dynamic you will lose all edits that you made to
the geometry.
Layout profiles are able to be edited.
When you select a profile you can edit it by using the grips or by using right-click Edit Profile
Geometry to bring up the Profile Layout Tools toolbar.
The Raise/Lower lets you shift the elevation of the entire profile or a portion of it.
In the Grid View an individual point can be locked so that its location can’t be changed. E.g.
Lock the inlet and outlet elevations for a waterway in order to keep it tied in to original ground.
For unlocked points there are 4 items that can be edited:

• Station
• Elevation
• Grade In (changes the elevation of the previous PVI)
• Grade Out (changes the elevation of the next PVI)
Use the Grid view to edit grades so that they are at constructible values for the contractor.
Use Delete PVI if you have too many grade breaks in your profile.
Insert PVI lets you insert profile breaks graphically. You can use the transparent commands
with this.
Insert PVI Tabular – lets you type in the station and elevation of profile breaks.
Delete Entity allows you to remove a segment of the profile and leave a gap.
Other
Profiles can consist of multiple of disconnected
segments. Note: Only the PVIs of the profile prior
to a gap will show up in the Profile Grid View box.
Adding PVIs using the Tabular method will connect
a line from a point prior to the leftmost gap to the
new point.
See the Profiles & Sections document for adding

labels.
C3D How to
Create the Profile of a Pond Pipe
1. Create a profile view of the Embankment, Ground, and Core Trench along the CL Pipe
alignment using the Profiles & Sections document.
Determine the station and elevation of the CL of the dam, and downstream toe of the dam.
Use Profile View labels to label stations & elevations manually in a profile view.
2. Click Annotate… Labels & Tables… Add Labels… Profile View… Station Elevation..
3. Click the Profile View grid.
4. Right-click Midpoint to the station of the CL dam. Press Enter
5. Right-click Midpoint to the elevation of the top of dam. Press Enter The label appears.
6. Right-click Endpoint for the station of the toe of dam. Press Enter
7. Right-click Endpoint for the elevation of the toe of dam. Press Enter The label appears.
8. When done Press Enter
Verify that these elevations are consistent with the elevations used in the pond design software.
(Eg. WinPond, SITES)
Use a spreadsheet or manually compute the station and elevation for the flowline of the pipe:
Pipe flowline Station Elevation
Inlet
Elbow
Outlet
Create the Flowline of the Pond Pipe

9. Click Home… Create Design… Profile... Profile Creation Tools
10. Select the Profile View of CL Pipe. A Profile View is the grid holding the profiles.
11. Alignment = CL Pipe
12. Input Name = {FL 12 inch pipe }
13. General: Profile Style = Flowline (??)
14. Label Set = Standard
15. Click OK
16. From the Profile Layout Tools click Insert PVI
17. From the Transparent Commands Toolbar click Profile: Station & Elevation
18. Select the Profile View of the CL Pipe.
19. Input the station value of the pipe inlet. Press Enter
20. Input the elevation value of the pipe inlet. Press Enter
21. Input the station value of the pipe elbow. Press Enter
22. Input the elevation value of the pipe elbow. Press Enter
23. Input the station value of the pipe outlet. Press Enter
24. Input the elevation value of the pipe outlet. Press Enter
25. Press ESC. Press ESC.
Copy the pipe flowline profile and raise to the top of pipe elevation.
26. Select the Profile of the Flowline of the pipe.
27. Right-click Basic Modify Tools… Copy…
28. Input {d} Press Enter
C3D How to
29. Input {0,0} Press Enter.

30. Select the copy of the flowline profile.
31. Right-click Profile Properties
32. On the Information tab change the name to { Top of 12 inch pipe} Click Ok.
33. Right-click Edit Profile Geometry
34. Click Raise/Lower PVIs
35. Input the Elevation change as the pipe diameter. E.g. {12”}
36. PVI Range = All. Click Ok.
37. Close the Profile Layout toolbar.
To switch a label below the profile line (optional)

38. Select a grade label. Labels.. Modify… Flip Label…
39. Select a grade break label. Right click Edit Labels...
40. Change the style for the Grade Break type to Grade Break. Click Ok.
41. Select a grade break label. Labels.. Modify… Flip Label…
See the Profiles & Sections document for additional labeling options.
C3D How to

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Profiles Creation & Editing

Software: AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016, NRCS C3D 2016 template

Creating a new Layout Profile

Profile Creation Tools

Profile Layout Toolbar

Four of the transparent commands that might be most useful.

Convert AutoCAD Line

Profile from an external file

Layout profiles are able to be edited.

For unlocked points there are 4 items that can be edited:

See the Profiles & Sections document for adding

Create the Profile of a Pond Pipe

Create the Flowline of the Pond Pipe

29. Input {0,0} Press Enter.

To switch a label below the profile line (optional)

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