Adding Contours

[Anonymous]

I am a 3rd year student and I am currently taking Highway Engineering Design course. Our professor gave us a sample of topographic map drawing in AutoCAD where we are supposed to create alignments, mass curve etc. Since i am in process of learning Civil 3D (very beginner), i am not sure how to add existing contours  lines into the civil 3d as a surface. I could do all this stuff using AutoCAD Mechanical which is a bit tedious but doable but since there is already a software for doing all of this, i prefer using Civil 3d. I am attaching the topographic map.

I appreciate if anyone could assist me on how do add theses contours to Civil 3d as a surface so then I can add horizontal and vertical curves etc.

[L3GO-Ed · Accepted solution]

Hello arman, You could follow these Steps;

1. Connect the Contour lines segments (in your drawing) to form the actual "3d contour polylines" of equal elevations. Use the join tool shown in snapshot 1; click on it once and then select all the lines. dont be bother AutoCAD will sort them out for you after that.
2. Create a new tin Surface.
3. Locate your newly created empty surface, find Contuors option under it, right click and select add.
4. Again select all the converted polylines in '1' above and

You will have your self a surface. (see the snap shots below for directions)

HTH.

Ediriisa.

[KirkNoonan]

You don't have to go through and connect all of the line segments. Just convert them all to polylines. Type pe and then hit m for multiple and window all of the lines and then choose to convert them to polylines. Then continue as Ediriisa recommended.

[AllenJessup]

@KirkNoonan I thought you were right. But I tested it and the Join command works just as well.

Command: J

JOIN
Select source object or multiple objects to join at once: (My italics).

I had totally missed that until now.

[Joe-Bouza]

All great ideas. Not knowing where the line work came from I'd be inclined to MAPCLEAN to get to the end. One pseudo node and your'e baked

[Joe-Bouza]

Now tie, overlap, double yada yada

[Joe-Bouza]

Bow tie

[AllenJessup]

MapClean is probably the best. I new from testing that Join worked on that drawing and that a good Surface would be created.

[neilyj666]

Contours ( especially with a large interval) are probably the worst objects from which to build a surface but sometimes that's all you have. Remember to check all the option boxes when adding to a surface to minimise the flat spots etc that are inevitable when using contour objects.