Cartography Basic in Autocad Civil 3D

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
Education Curriculum Student Workbook

Unit 6: Geospatial Data
Lesson
Cartographic Basics
Overview
Cartography is the art and science of making maps. Mapmaking involves many considerations,
including the function of the map, data required for display, scale, colors, symbology,
classification, generalization, and distortion. Maps are communication tools that provide a
way to visualize data for specific locations. With GIS, maps can also present information in an
analytical paradigm, presenting data or even results of models or calculations overlaid on a
location.
In digital cartography, a map is made up of layers that overlay one another. You need to
arrange these layers in the correct order, so that every feature in the map is in its proper place
in the vertical arrangement. Features should be overlain so that they do not obscure each
other. Typically images, such as satellite photographs, are located on the lower layers, that is,
at the bottom of the draw order. Polygon layers, such as state and city boundaries, are
typically placed above the images, followed by the layers of line features and point features.
Finally, elements such as the map legend, scales, and North arrows provide the finishing
touch.
Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics
Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 1
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Describe the basic elements of cartography.
Stylize features based on attribute data.
Label feature objects.
Exercises
The following exercises are provided in a step-by-step format in this lesson:
1. Create a Population Map
2. Create a Site Map
3. Create a Zoning Map
4. Create a Slope Analysis Map
Cartography Overview
When maps are created, a number of decisions must be made. The most important question
to answer is, What is the purpose of the map? Deciding the function of the map is
paramount to other questions, such as:
Will a hard copy be the final product?
What scale will show the extent of the area necessary and the level of detail desired?
What data layers should be included?
What symbology (style) should be used for each data layer?
Do data need to be grouped by an attribute value (classified), then symbolized?
If classification is used, which method is appropriate?
Are there lines or polygons that need to be generalized?
These are only a few of the many issues that must be addressed when creating a map. If the
map will be printed, decisions become final and care must be taken to examine the options.
For digital maps that will be viewed on a computer screen, some options are dynamic. For
example, text size and point symbol size may be set to be an absolute size or set to be relative
to the screen size. Some data layers may be shown only at certain scale (zoom) levels. The
following images illustrate this concept. A small-scale map is one that shows a large area
(1:100,000 or 1=10,000, for instance). A large-scale map is one that shows a small area
(1:500, or 1 = 40, for instance).
View on the left, showing most of the city: No water pipes, storm drains, or sewer
pipes are visible (scale = 1:20,000).
View in the center, showing a neighborhood in the city: Pipes appear as blue, purple,
and green lines (scale = 1:5,000).
View on the right, showing just a few parcels: Symbols appear for hydrants, manholes,
tanks, and valves. Aerial photo background appears (scale = 1:1,500).
Features can change their appearance as the scale changes, as shown in the following
illustration.
View on the left, showing the entire country: No roads are visible (scale =
1:10,000,000).
View in the center, showing a district: Roads appear as red lines (scale = 1:1,000,000).
View on the right, showing a city: Roads appear as thick yellow lines with red edges
(scale = 1:100,000).
Information on digital maps can also be quickly changed to display the features based on the
specific requirements. The map in the following illustration has the point symbol size based on
the population of the city.
About Symbology
Symbology refers to the practice of using symbols for points, lines, and polygons to make the
features easy to recognize, or to convey information based on the symbol itself. In AutoCAD
Map 3D software, symbology is referred to as style, and a style controls the display of features
on a map. When point, line, and polygon features are added to a map, they appear with
default symbols, line types, and fill styles.
A thematic map represents features according to values of a particular property, which can be
either alphanumeric or numeric. A theme displays data in varying styles to indicate different
values such as a zoning map shown below, which symbolized the polygons based on the
alphanumeric property of a zoning code.
Classification
It is often desirable to display features based on numeric data in the GIS database. Each
feature may have a different numeric value, and to represent the theme, the values need to
be classified, or assigned to a range (bin). There are several different methods of classifying
numeric data, otherwise known as assigning the data to a distribution. AutoCAD Map 3D can
use the Quantile, Standard Deviation, Equal Number, or Jenks methods of distributing data
into ranges. The number of ranges can also be specified. Often a color ramp is used to indicate
the progressive change from one range to the next, which enables the map reader to see
spatial relationships easily.
The Style Editor is accessed by double-clicking the Feature Layer in the Task Pane, or by rightclicking the layer and selecting Edit Style.
Transparency
Using aerial photographs or satellite photographs as a background is a good way to provide a
context for the map. For example, if the map is to show the installation area for new services
such as pipes or cables, an aerial photograph clarifies building locations and potential
obstacles, such as trees. If a parcel layer is added on top of the aerial photograph, more
information about the existing conditions becomes visible. It is especially useful to be able to
make the parcels layer partially transparent, in order to view both the parcel boundaries and
the aerial photograph background, as in the following illustration.
Another useful application of transparency is to create an overlay of one feature layer on top
of another, for example, to show the parcels that fall within a flood zone. In the following
illustration , the river is shown without its flood zone on the left and with the flood zone on
the right. The layer showing the extent of the flooded area has been made partially
transparent to show which parcels are affected.
3D Visualization
3D surfaces can also be used to display topographical information on a map. 3D models can
illustrate aspects of a site or landscape that cant be visualized from an ordinary map. This is
especially useful for the site analysis phases of engineering projects. The following illustration
displays a model of Crater Lake, in the state of Oregon, USA.
It can be useful to enhance the view of a surface by exaggerating the vertical dimension,
especially for terrain that is mostly flat, or which varies only slightly in elevation. The following
illustration shows a view of Crater Lake with the normal horizontal-vertical ratio of 1:1 on the
left. The view on the right exaggerates the vertical dimension to 2; that is, a vertical distance is
equal to twice the horizontal distance. This exaggeration emphasizes the differences between
elevation values and gives a more dramatic visual effect.
Managing Layers
The Display Manager lists the feature layers from top to bottom. Layers can be dragged above
other layers to modify the draw order.
The following illustration shows a map with an incorrect draw order (on the left). The center
view shows the result of moving the flood zone layer on top of the river layer. The view on the
right shows the final map with the parcels layer also moved to a higher position in the draw
order.
Folders are another means to manage feature layers. Related layers can be stored in the same
folder. Because folders have their own visibility control, all the layers in a folder can be turned
on and off at the same time.
GIS Data Layers versus AutoCAD Layers

The term layers in AutoCAD Map 3D can be confusing. GIS data layers (feature layers) are
shown and can be manipulated in the Display Manager Task Pane. The terms AutoCAD
layers or drawing layers refer to the classic layers of DWG objects (lines, polylines, arcs,
blocks, text, Etc.), which appear in the Layer Properties Manager dialog box. The GIS data
layers do not have any connection to the AutoCAD layers. However, a feature layer can be
created from an AutoCAD layer and can be displayed in the Display Manager. Layers that you
create from DWG objects participate in the draw order in the same way that layers made from
features do.
There are several good reasons to create feature layers from DWG layers. You can:
Control all layers in the map directly from the Display Manager.
Style the DWG objects using the Display Manager.
Set scale ranges for the DWG objects so that they are visible only when you zoom in.
Create themes from the DWG objects.
The map in the following illustration is composed of layers made from features and from
AutoCAD layers.
At the bottom of the Display Manager is a default layer named Map Base. The purpose of
this layer is to serve as a container for all the visible AutoCAD layers. Therefore, if it is turned
off, none of the AutoCAD layers are displayed. This does not affect the AutoCAD layers in any
way; that is, it does not freeze the layers. It simply means that they are not displayed in the
map. However, if a feature layer is created from one of the AutoCAD layers, the feature layer
is displayed in the Display Manager and is no longer included in the Map Base layer.
In the following illustration, the Map Base layer displays three AutoCAD layers: the blue
rectangle, the coastline (brown polyline), and the railway network (red polylines). The green
state boundaries are in a feature layer.
If a feature layer is created for the railway network, the structure of the map looks like this:
The railway lines have been placed on their own layer and are no longer under the control of
the Map Base layer. The visibility and styling of these polylines can now be handled separately
in the Display Manager
Labels
Labels are the textual annotations that show information relating to the map features, such as
the parcel numbers or the street names on a city map. All feature classes, such as parcels or
roads, have a data table that contains attributes, stored as columns in the table. Typical
properties are the ID and the number in the case of parcels, or size and material in the case of
water pipes. Many other attributes can also appear in the label. Generating labels for features
is simply a matter of selecting which attributes to use as annotation.
AutoCAD Map 3D centers the label on the feature. It uses a method called dynamic labeling,
which means that the placement of the labels is optimized so that labels on the same layer do
not overlay one another. One major issue is deciding the proper size of the labels relative to
the features. In general, there are two ways to manage this. The first is to create a series of
scale ranges with larger labels for closer zoom levels (larger scales). The second is to have the
labels change size automatically as the zoom level changes. The first method takes a little time
and experimentation to set up, but offers greater control over the size and placement of the
labels. The second method can be convenient because it takes almost no time to set up and
gives good results.
By default, AutoCAD Map 3D labels features with the attribute selected without changing the
values. For example, if the value for the AREA attribute is set to 0, the label shows 0 for AREA.
This may mean that the value is not known or has not been specified. This type of nonsensical
value can be filtered out and prevented from appearing on the map by using an expression.
One example of the use of an expression to change the appearance of labels is shown in the
following illustration. The labels on the left image show the area of the parcels to an accuracy
of three decimal places. It is good to have this kind of accuracy in the data. However, it is not
necessary to display all three decimal places on the map because it will look cluttered. An
expression has been used to edit the labels to one decimal place for the image on the right.
Controlling the precise placement and appearance of a label can be difficult. The labels that
are generated automatically for features on the map may not always appear exactly where
desired. For example, in the following illustration, the labels for the provinces and cities are
placed dynamically and will shift position as you zoom in and out. This is the desired outcome
for maps that will be viewed on the Internet, with different zoom scales. However, for plotted
or printed map sheets, more control over the position of the labels is required.
Standard AutoCAD Mtext can be used to place text anywhere on the map, but this text cannot
be saved to the database with the rest of the feature data. For both precise control over the
text and the ability to store the text in a database, add a special kind of layer called an
annotation layer.
This type of layer is displayed in the following illustration. The blue text showing the main
bodies of water has been added on its own annotation layer. The text is stored in the
database, in this case an SDF file, but it retains the styling applied to the individual text strings.
About Legends
When creating engineering or planning drawings, plans are typically produced in a standard
format with a title bar and various other layout elements. When creating a map, a legend is a
required element. The legend is the key that explains the symbols, theme ranges, linework, and
other conventions of the map.
The following illustration shows two legends that contain themes. The map on the left shows
land values for the parcels in a city. The map on the right shows elevation values for a surface.
In AutoCAD Map 3D, the legend is a direct reflection of what is visible in the Display Manager.
When creating the legend, the default is a table that includes all the layers in the Display
Manager that are currently on. In order to show the ranges for a theme, ensure that the layer
with the theme is expanded so that the ranges are visible.
The legend is always placed in the model view. In order to include the legend in a layout view
for plotting or publishing, create a viewport for the legend and place it at the appropriate
location in the layout, as shown.
Key Terms
Cartography
The art and science of mapmaking.
Scale
The ratio of distance on a map to distance on the ground.
Symbology
Symbology refers to the practice of using symbols for points, lines, and
polygons to make the features more recognizable, or to convey
information based on the symbol itself.
Thematic Map
A thematic map represents features according to values of a particular

property, alphanumeric or numeric. A theme displays data in varying
styles to indicate different values.
Classification
Numeric property data (attributes) are frequently classified into ranges

(bins) in order to display the ranges by color. There are several methods
for classifying the numeric data.
Color Ramp
A sequence of colors showing a progression of numeric ranges of values.
AutoCAD Layers
The classic layers of DWG objects that appear in the Layer Properties
Manager dialog box.
GIS Data Layers
GIS data layers (feature layers) are shown and can be manipulated in the
Display Manager Task Pane.
Map Base Layer
The purpose of the Map Base Layer is to serve as a container for all the
visible AutoCAD layers.

Annotation
Layer
A layer specifically for annotation that is stored in the GIS database.
4. Click Connect to Data.
Exercise 1: Create a
Population Map
The Data Connect Window displays.

5. In the Data Connections by Provider
window, click Add SHP Connection.
In this exercise, you create a map of

population for the counties in Virginia.
You now navigate to the location of the

SHP Data. There are two buttons shown
under Source file or folder. If you are
connecting to a single image, use the File
button. For multiple files, use the Folder
button.
At the end of this exercise, the drawing

displays as shown.
For this exercise, open \I_CartographyEX1.dwg (M_Cartography-EX1.dwg).
6. For the Connection Name: Enter VA

Counties.
1. From the status bar, change your

workspace to Tool-based Geospatial.
7. Click the File button.

8. Navigate to the SHP Data folder. Select
the VACounties.shp file. Click Open.
9. Click Connect.
The connection to the VA Counties vector
shapefile data is made.
2. On the View tab of the ribbon, Palettes

Panel, click Map Task Pane.
The Task Pane window displays.

3. On the Display Manager Tab of the Task
Pane, click Data.
Notice that the coordinate system is set to

LL83, meaning that the source SHP file is
latitude-longitude based on NAD83. This
drawing file has been assigned a
coordinate system: USA Virginia, VA83-SF
(VA-83-S), Virginia State Plane South,
NAD83. Therefore, when this data is
added to the drawing, it is translated to
the coordinate system assigned to the
drawing. This will cause distortion in
northern Virginia.
10. In the Add to Map section of the Data
Connect dialog box, ensure that the VA
Counties check box is selected.
11. Click Add to Map.
The Vector data is displayed in the

drawing and listed in the Task Pane. The
data is arbitrarily assigned a color.
12. Right-click the gray title bar of the Data

Connect dialog box. Click Auto-Hide.
2. In the Style Editor, for Polygon Style,

click New Theme.
3. In the Theme Polygons dialog box, select

the POP2004 value from the Property
list.
The Data Connect dialog box hides itself
when not in use.
Adjust the Coordinate System

1. On the Map Setup tab, Coordinate
System panel, click Assign.
2. In the Assign Global Coordinate System
dialog box, click Select Coordinate
System.
3. In the Select Global Coordinate System
dialog box, Category dropdown menu,
select Lat Longs.
The top section of the dialog box controls

the classification (distribution) of the data.
Based on the POP2004 values, the
minimum and maximum values are listed,
and the default method of equal
classification with 5 bins (rules) is
specified.
Note that the Theme the Polygons section
has the check box selected, and a yellowto-brown color ramp has been selected by
default. This setting can be modified by
clicking the ellipse button.
4. Click OK.
4. For Coordinate Systems in Category

window, select LL83. Click OK twice.
The coordinate system assigned to the
drawing is the same as the coordinate
system assigned to the SHP data. With this
scenario, the data does not undergo a
coordinate transformation.
The counties are symbolized according to

the population in 2004, classified in five
numerically equal bins (rules).
Symbolize the County Polygons

1. In Display Manager, right-click VA
Counties. Click Edit Style.
Each of the rules can be individually edited.
The Style Editor is displayed. The Style

Editor is used to control the display of
features on a map. Since the VA Counties
layer contains polygon data, you can
adjust the visibility settings to change with
the zoom scale. For each of the scale
ranges you can assign a different polygon
style.
Change the Distribution Method

1. In Style Editor, click the gray cell to the
left of the top rule to highlight it. Click
Delete.
2. Click Delete four more times to

eliminate all of the rules except for the
default.
The county polygons return to the default

single color.
Note that the data layer is in the LL83

coordinate system.

click New Theme.

the POP2004 value from the Property
list.
5. From the Distribution listbox, select
Jenks (Natural Breaks). Click OK.
The SHP data is displayed in the drawing

and listed in the Display Manager of the
Task Pane. The data is arbitrarily assigned
a color.
7. In Display Manager, click VA Cities.
The Style Editor window displays.
8. In Style Editor, Point Style section, click
the Thematic Rules ellipse button.
9. In the Create/Modify Expression dialog
box, click Property > POP2000.
The same population data appears

differently in the drawing based on the
change in distribution method.
10. Click the Greater Than button.

11. Click value and enter 100000.
Add and Symbolize City Data

You add city data from Virginia and display
and label only cities with a population
greater than 100,000.
12. Click OK to close the Create/Modify

Expressions dialog box.
1. In the Data Connect window, click Add

SHP Connection.
The expression shows only the cities with

a population greater than 100,000.
2. For the Connection Name: Enter VA

Cities.
13. Click the Style ellipse button.

14. In the Style Point dialog box, click the
Symbol ellipse button.

the VACities.shp file. Click Open.
15. In the Select a Symbol dialog box, click

the circle. Click OK.
5. Click Connect.
The connection to the VA Cities vector
16. From the Fill color dropdown menu,

select red (255,0,0). Click OK.
The cities with population greater than
100,000 are now red circles.
17. In the Style Editor, click the Feature
Label cell.
18. In the Style Label dialog box, from the
Property to display dropdown menu,
select NAME. Click OK.
The cities are labeled with their name.
19. Close the drawing. Do not save the

changes.
Exercise 2: Create a Site Map

In this exercise, you create a site map to
identify the proposed project area using
aerial images, parcel, and hydrographic
data.
displays as shown.
window, click Add Raster Image or
Surface Connection.
For this exercise, open \I_CartographyEX2.dwg (M_Cartography-EX2.dwg).

1. From the status bar, change your
workspace to Tool-based Geospatial.

Raster Data. There are two buttons shown
button.

6. For the Connection Name: Enter Project

Aerials.
7. Click the Folder button.
8. Navigate to the Raster Data folder. Click
OK.

3. On the Display M he anager Tab of the
Task Pane, click Data.
9. Click Connect.
The connection to the Raster Data folder is
added.
In the Add to Map section of the Data

Connect box, the images in the folder are
listed.
10. Right-click any image. Click Select All.

The raster image data is displayed in the
drawing area and listed in the Task Pane.
Notice the Coordinate System is

<unknown>. The coordinate system of the
incoming data must be assigned so that it
is properly oriented to the project site.
Since the drawing is set to VA State Plane
Coordinate System NAD83 and the parcel
data is positioned in this coordinate
system, the parcels would align with the
images in the drawing without the next
few steps. However, it is best to assign the
coordinate system to the data layer first.
7. Select the Parcels connection. Rightclick. Click Edit Coordinate Systems.
Connect to the Parcel Data

Parcel Data. There are two buttons shown
connecting to a single SHP file, use the File
button.
8. In the Edit Spatial Contexts dialog box,

click Edit.
2. For the Connection Name: Enter Parcel

Data.
10. In the Coordinate Systems in Category

window, select VA83-SF (VA83-S). Click
OK twice.

the parcels.shp file. Click Open.
9. In the Select Global Coordinate System

dialog box, Category dropdown list,
select USA, Virginia.

The parcel data is added to the map, above
the aerial photographs.
5. Click Connect.
Connect to the Hydrographic Data
The connection to the parcel vector


2. For the Connection Name, enter
Hydrography.
6. In the Data Connect window, ensure

that that the parcels check box is
selected.

the Hydrography.shp file. Click Open.
5. Click Connect.
The connection to the parcel vector
6. In the Add to Map section of the Data
Connect dialog box, ensure that the
Hydrography check box is selected.
7. Use the previous steps to set the
Hydrography coordinate system to
VA83-SF (VA83-S).
2. In the Task Pane, Display Manager tab,

right-click Hydrography. Click Edit Style.

The hydrography data is added to the map.
9. Close the Data Connect dialog box.
Stylize the Hydrography Layer

1. On the Task Pane window, Display
Manager tab, drag the Project Aerials
folder above the Parcels layer.
The Style Editor is displayed. The Style

Editor gives options based on the type of
data layer. The Hydrography layer is a line
data type. You can change the visibility of
the lines by assigning a line style for
different scale ranges.
3. Right-click the gray bar of the Style
Editor. Click Auto-Hide.
This displays the aerial images on top of

the parcels.
The Style Editor hides when not in use.

4. In the Style Editor dialog box, for Line
Style for 0 Infinity Scale Range, click
the ellipse button under Thematic Rules.
In the drawing area, the aerial photos are

now displayed above the parcel and
hydrology data, near the north end of the
site.
The Create/Modify Expressions dialog box

displays.
5. Close the Getting Started with Filters
help box if it appears.
6. Click Locate on Map > Touching Any Part

Of > Rectangle.
7. In the drawing, click the diagonal
corners of a rectangle around the aerial
images.
box, click OK.
9. In the Style Editor, click the ellipse
button in the Style column.
10. In the Style Line dialog box, set the
following properties:
Thickness: 0.1
Color: 0,0,255
Pattern: Line 25
Stylize the Parcel Layer

1. In the Task Pane window, click Parcels.
The Style Editor displays scale ranges and
polygon style information for the Parcels
layer.
2. In the Style Editor, click the ellipse
button in the Thematic Rules column.
3. Close Getting Started with Filters.
4. Click the Property > MLNAM.
5. Click the Equal To button.
6. Click Value. Click Get Values from a List.
7. From the dropdown list, select MLNAM.

Click the green arrow.
11. Click OK.
The hydrography lines are displayed with
the new style properties within the
selected area.
This populates the list with values of the

MLNAM attribute from the parcels data.
8. Use the next and previous arrows to

browse the values.
You use a filter to select a specific value.

You can type in a partial match of the name
in the filter box and click to green arrow
again to filter the list.
9. For Filter the List of Values, enter fresh.
Click the green arrow.
Three values are found that contain the
word fresh.
10. Click FRESH LARRY W & BETHANY O

from the list. Click Insert Value.
The expression updates.
19. Click OK.

The parcels are outlined in red and are
mostly transparent, enabling the image to
still be seen.
Now add another name to the filter.
20. In the Style Editor, click the Feature

Label cell.
11. Click the Or button.
21. In the Style Label dialog box, Property to

Display list box, select Expression.
12. Click Property > MLNAM.

13. Click the Equal To button.
14. Select FRESH LARRY W. Click Insert
Value.

box, click Create a Multiline Label.
The expression updates again.
15. In the Create/Modify Expressions dialog

box, click OK.
A formatted multiline label expression
appears in the dialog box. Two property
values are required.
16. In Display Manager, drag the parcels

layer above the Project Aerials layer.
The only Parcels displayed belong to Larry
W Fresh.
17. In the Style Editor, click the Style ellipse
button.
18. In the Style Polygon dialog box, set the
Foreground transparency to 75, the Line
Thickness to 0.1, and the line color to
255,0,0.
23. Replace the first property value with

Lands N/F of (include the single
quotes).

changes.
24. Click the second property field.

25. On the menu, click Property > MLNAM.
The expression updates as shown in the
following illustration.
26. In the Create/Modify Expressions dialog

box, click OK.
27. In the Style Label dialog box, change the
Size to 0.12. Click OK.
Labels are added to the drawing.
Exercise 3: Create a Zoning

Map
In this exercise, you create a zoning map
to identify the existing property zoning
conditions surrounding the project area.
displays as shown.
5. In the Create Query dialog box, click

Locate on Map > Inside > Rectangle.
6. In the drawing, click the diagonal
corners of a rectangle around the aerial
images.
7. Click OK.
Only parcels completely within the
rectangle are added to the map.
For this exercise, open \I_CartographyEX3.dwg (M_Cartography_EX3.dwg).

1. Ensure that your workspace is set to
Tool-based Geospatial.
2. As described in previous exercises,
connect to the Project Aerial images and
add them to the map.
3. As described in previous exercises,
connect to the Parcels SHP data and set
the coordinate system to USA, Virginia,
VA83-SF (VA83-S). Do not add to map.
Symbolize the Parcels

1. On the Task Pane, right-click Parcels.
Click Edit Style.
click New Theme.
4. Click Add to Map with Query.

the MZONE value from the Property list.
4. In the Theme Polygons section of the

dialog box, click the ellipse button.
5. In the Theme Polygons dialog box:
Change the Foreground

transparency to 50.
In the Foreground color range, click

the Color Palette radio button.
Select Land Cover 2 Palette from the
list.
The labels are added to the parcels.
Click OK.
The polygon parcels are assigned colors to

identify the zoning. You will see this in a
moment.
Add Labels
the Create Feature Labels check box.
2. Click the Create Feature Labels ellipse
button.
5. Zoom in and out. Notice how the labels

resize with the zoom scale.
changes.
3. In the Style Label dialog box, Property to

display list box, select MZONE.
4. Click OK twice to return to the Style
Editor.
Notice the MZONE themes.
Exercise 4: Create a Slope

Analysis Map
In this exercise, you use the Data Connect
feature to connect to Raster DEM Data to
show slope data.
displays as shown.

window, click Add Raster Image or
Surface Connection.
DEM Data. There are two buttons shown
button.
For this exercise, open \I_CartographyEX4.dwg (M_ Cartography-EX4.dwg).

If you have changed to the Tool-based
Geospatial workspace and opened the
Task Pane, skip to step 3.
6. For the Connection Name: Enter DEM

Surface.
1. Ensure that your workspace is set to

Tool-based Geospatial.

8. Navigate to the DEM Data. Select the

Canyon-2.dem file. Click Open.
9. Click Connect.
The connection to the DEM Data folder is
added.

3. On the Display Manager Tab of the Task
Pane, click Data.
10. In the Add Data to Map section of the

Data Connect dialog box, select the DEM
file check box.
The DEM data is displayed in the drawing

and listed in the Task Pane. The data is
arbitrarily assigned a color.
Create a Legend
1. In the Task Pane, Display Manager tab,
click the Tools button. Click Create
Legend.
12. Close the Data Connect dialog box.
Symbolize the DEM

1. In the Task Pane window, Display
Manager tab, right-click Canyon-2. Click
Edit Style.
2. In the drawing area, click an insertion

point for the legend.
3. Double-click the top cell to edit the title.
Enter Slope Analysis.
4. Double-click in the subtitle cell. Enter
DEM to the end of the subtitle.
2. Right-click the gray bar of the Style

Editor. Click Auto-Hide.
5. Click the bottom Map Base row. Rightclick > Rows > Delete. Press ESC.
The Style Editor is hidden when not in use.

3. In the Raster Style section of the Style
Editor, click Theme from the Style list
box.
4. In the Theme dialog box, set the
Property value to Slope.

changes.
5. In the Specify a Theme section of the

Theme dialog box, click Palette.
6. From the Palette list box, select Slope
Palette.
7. Click OK.
8. In Style Editor, click Apply.
Assessment
Challenge Exercise
Instructors provide a master or challenge exercise for students to do based on this lesson.
Questions
1. What is a theme?
2. What data is used to stylize (symbolize) features?
3. What is the function of scale ranges?
4. Why would you use AutoCAD text instead of feature labels?
5. What is the purpose of a legend?
Answers
1. A theme is a special style used to vary the stylization based on some property of the
objects. For example, instead of just coloring the lakes blue, you could vary the shade of
blue based on the depth of the lake. Instead of just altering the line width of the roads,
you could vary the line width based on traffic flow.
2. Any attribute data can be used to stylize a feature, or to set up a particular theme.
3. Scale ranges enable features to appear and disappear as you zoom in and out. Details
that would clutter the map when it is zoomed out to its full extent can be hidden and
displayed only when the map is zoomed in.
4. AutoCAD text enables more control on the exact placement and appearance of the text.
5. A legend is the key that explains the symbols, theme ranges, symbology, and other
conventions of the map.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, you learned how to create maps by displaying the data using different styles and
themes, as well as by creating labels to annotate the map. You learned about styles, labels,
legends, expressions, and classification of numeric data. Using the Style Editor and Display
Manager, you created typical maps that are commonly required in engineering projects.
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Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product
offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or
graphical errors that may appear in this document.
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Cartography Basic in Autocad Civil 3D

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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

Education Curriculum Student Workbook

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 1

Describe the basic elements of cartography.

Stylize features based on attribute data.

Label feature objects.

Will a hard copy be the final product?

What data layers should be included?

What symbology (style) should be used for each data layer?

Do data need to be grouped by an attribute value (classified), then symbolized?

If classification is used, which method is appropriate?

Are there lines or polygons that need to be generalized?

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 2

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 3

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 4

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 5

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 7

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 8

GIS Data Layers versus AutoCAD Layers

Style the DWG objects using the Display Manager.

Create themes from the DWG objects.

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 9

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 10

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 11

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 12

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 13

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 14

The art and science of mapmaking.

The ratio of distance on a map to distance on the ground.

A thematic map represents features according to values of a particular

Numeric property data (attributes) are frequently classified into ranges

A sequence of colors showing a progression of numeric ranges of values.

GIS Data Layers

Map Base Layer

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 15

visible AutoCAD layers.

A layer specifically for annotation that is stored in the GIS database.

Unit 6 Lesson 4: Cartographic Basics

Civil 3D 2010 Student Workbook 16

4. Click Connect to Data.

The Data Connect Window displays.

In this exercise, you create a map of

You now navigate to the location of the

At the end of this exercise, the drawing

For this exercise, open \I_CartographyEX1.dwg (M_Cartography-EX1.dwg).

6. For the Connection Name: Enter VA

1. From the status bar, change your

7. Click the File button.

2. On the View tab of the ribbon, Palettes

The Task Pane window displays.

Notice that the coordinate system is set to