3DPoly Line display
This being the Civil 3D forum I HAVE to ask - why not just use FEATURE LINES? They display fine in 3D AND can contain curves AND are easier to edit.
Warren Geissler
Drafting Manager Denver Water
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You might want to turn you 3D Polyline into a feature line. Feature line can display linetype.
If you are using 2018, try LINETYPE3DPLINEON.
This will allow 3D Polylines to show non-continuous linteypes correctly.
LINETYPE3DPLINEOFF turns off display linetype display.
Neither of these commands are in the Help system.
This is available in 2018. I believe that is was added in one of the 2016 service packs.
There are some inconstancies you should be aware of:
* Display
2D Length or Segmented
Entity 3D projection or Continuous Comment
Line 3D Segmented Pattern compressed for steep lines *
Arc 3D Segmented Pattern compressed for steep arcs *
2D Polyline
LT Gen: disabled 3D Segmented Pattern compressed for steep segments *, Short segments continuous **
LT Gen: enabled 3D Continuous Pattern compressed for steep segments *
3D Polyline *** 3D Segmented Pattern compressed for steep segments *, Short segments continuous (arcs are tessellated) **
Feature Line **** 2D Continuous Pattern continues through short segments; corners may fall in gap areas.
* The line pattern appears to be applied to the object along its 3D path, thus when in plan view, the pattern on steep lines appears to be compressed. This is the case for model space, but the compression seems to disappears in paper space. Featurelines, in both model and paper space, appear as if the pattern is applied along the 2d length of the line.
** On 2D Polylines the Linetype generation property of each object determined whether the pattern to be applied to each segment of the polyline or contiguously from start to end. Linetype generation disabled goes segment by segment; each point of the polyline will be on a line portion of the pattern, but short segments may be shown as a continuous line. Linetype generation enabled goes continuously; points of the polyline may fall in a gap portion of the pattern, but the pattern continues through short segments of the polyline.
*** 3D Polylines do not have a Linetype generation property. They act like Linetype generation is disabled. Since 3d Polylines do not contain arcs, but short line segments representing arcs the pattern will generally not continue through an "arc".
**** Feature lines do not have a Linetype generation property. They act like Linetype generation is enabled. Since featurelines do contain arcs, the pattern will continue through an arc.
If 3D Polylines and Featurelines superficially y look the same, but are very different. It is too bad that the AutoCAD and Civil 3D design teams did not collaborate on this. ( ... and MLeader vs Civil 3D Labels ... and Annotative text vs Civil 3D text scaling, etc.)
LINETYPE3DPLINEON happened at the same time the DGN linetype support was incorporated. If we had a way of creating DGN linetype RSC files, we could move beyond the limited, primitive, alignment type A, AutoCAD Linetypes. The documentation of 3d polyline linetypes, and DGN linetypes is minimal to totally missing. Perhaps these are works in progress and we may see some improvement.
Christopher Stevens
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@WarrenGeissler, I agree in general. (I think we were typing replies at eh same time.)
I can see @Anonymous's position of not wanting to have duplicate lines. I used to think of feature lines as working lines that shaped the surface. I generally put them on not plot layers, because I already had properly styled line work at the same location.
There is aloes the real problem that feature lines are Civil 3D objects, not AutoCAD objects. This makes sharing difficult.
Christopher Stevens
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I certainly agree with sharing potential hiccups - but with the Object Enablers it (shouldn't) be an issue 
Did you write all of that reply up? Can I borrow it for my clients? It's GREAT!
Warren Geissler
Drafting Manager Denver Water
_____________________________________________
Please ACCEPT AS SOLUTON if this works
(...and doesn't melt your computer or cause Armageddon)
Thanks, Warren.
Yes, I wrote the whole reply. I'm an end user, not a trainer or consultant, so feel free to use it Feel free to credit me or not, as you see fit. Long replies like this help me to document my understandings and thoughts for my own use, as well.
By the way, are your observations the same regarding model space/paper space display for steep lines?
Chris Stevens
Christopher Stevens
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@ChrisRSwrote:
By the way, are your observations the same regarding model space/paper space display for steep lines?
Not on my end (2018.2). Steep lines appeared the same way (compressed) regardless of space.
Also - LINETYPE3DPLINEON / OFF are commands specific to Civil 3D. Plain AutoCAD does not have them.
Image from Pspace layout (viewport):
Warren Geissler
Drafting Manager Denver Water
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Please ACCEPT AS SOLUTON if this works
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As long as everyone to touch them is using Civil 3D 2018 or later, then you can see the linetypes for 3D Polylines.
Warren Geissler
Drafting Manager Denver Water
_____________________________________________
Please ACCEPT AS SOLUTON if this works
(...and doesn't melt your computer or cause Armageddon)
One of the reasons there may be some inconstancy is that it seems this was instituted for compatibility with DGN Linetypes.
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-civil-3d-forum/3d-polyline-linetypes-enabled/m-p/6540028
Allen Jessup
CAD Manager - Designer
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