1. More Table (Legend) Options
- Linetype Table
- Symbols Table
- Hatch Table
- Description Key/Abbreviation Table
Details: It would be a huge benefit, save a lot of time, and fit nicely within the realm of other automation and efficiency implementations Civil 3D has made (and is working toward) if there were built-in features allowing the creation of these kinds of legends. And it's not outside of the scope of other features Civil 3D does have implemented, so it seems like it would be a relatively easy and straightforward improvement in comparison to other updates and improvements being suggested or in development.
Possible Implementation: The legends and their content could be predefined by the user, having the ability to insert blocks, linetypes, description keys, hatch patterns, etc., and descriptions of each item, all within the table. Then the tables could be inserted into the drawing and users could add/remove rows as necessary for each specific project. The table could be sorted by the description column by default, with the ability for a description keys/abbreviations legend to be sorted by the first column instead.
2. Control Over Appearance
- Cell Padding (separate options for Title, Header, Data)
- Show/Hide Specific Borders
Details: It would be massively beneficial if users could adjust the cell padding of each (both existing and future table styles). Right now, padding seems to be based on text height. In most instance I've seen, the automatic padding of Civil 3D is larger than what most firms use or want and causes the tables to take up more space than necessary. It would be amazing if this were changed so the padding could be manually set rather than being automatic and based on text height, so users can fully modify the tables to look the way their firm wants.
Additionally, users should be able to hide the borders they wish, whether it be an interior line or an exterior, and even change border linetypes or thickness, perhaps. This significantly increases the customization abilities users have over tables.
I know many firms in my area that either won't use Civil 3D or will only use the basics—and therefore not getting the full benefit or potential out of it—because Civil 3D won't allow them full control over the appearance of things such as tables, dragged state leader styles, etc., and offer it in a clear and intuitive way. I believe improving on (seemingly) small and irrelevant areas such as these could be a huge boost for the userbase. While it's necessary and great to get new features, I think it would be amazing to step back and spend a solid amount of time improving on existing features to make them more versatile and user-friendly.
