Step 1: Define Shared Reference Points in Civil 3D
Open Civil 3D and load the site drawing.
Establish coordinates in one of the following two areas:
- An existing building that will NOT be modified or demolished. If there is not an existing building available, use a property line that will not change or be modified. NOTE: If using a property line, ensure that both points on the property line have established points from the surveyor. For example, a FND. IRON ROD as shown in the next image…
Draw a polyline from the 2 points you have received approval for to establish the shared coordinates. You will need to assign an elevation to the polyline. NOTE: If you are using building corners, use the finished floor elevation of the building for the Z (elevation), if using property corners, use one of the “FND” object’s Z elevation.
Isolate the polyline you just drew. This will ensure that there is no interference in picking up the Z elevation.
Click on the polyline and in the Properties dialog, specify the elevation that was decided.
Launch the Shared Reference Point tool by right-clicking on it and choosing Execute. This can be found in the Toolspace, Toolbox tab under Miscellaneous Utilities>Shared Reference Point>Export Shared Reference Points for Autodesk Revit…
The command line will prompt you to first select the Origin Point, then the Quasi-North. Select the points on the polyline. You will first select the Origin Point, then the Quasi-North point, in that order. NOTE: It’s good practice to select left-to-right, or bottom-to-top.
A dialog box will appear to confirm your X, Y, and Z coordinates. NOTE: If the Z is 0.00’, it will not work. Make sure there is always a Z value, specifically the value you assigned to the elevation of the polyline.
Set the Drawing Units to Feet (FT).
You will then be prompted to save the XML file. Browse to your project folder and name the file accordingly.
Once the file is saved, right-click in the drawing space and choose Isolate Objects>End Object Isolation.
Delete the polyline.
Step 2: Prepping the Civil 3D File for Use in Revit
Determine if there are any Civil 3D objects living in the file. If there are Civil 3D objects present in the drawing, continue. If there are no Civil 3D objects, proceed to the WBLOCK section.
Navigate to the Output tab and choose Export Civil 3D Drawing…
Make sure the box for Include sheets is unchecked. Set your destination folder. I added a prefix to the file name called REVIT- so that it would stand out to me. Click Export…
Now that the file is exported, open it from Civil 3D.
The file needs to be write blocked (WBLOCK) so that the lines do not jump around in Revit. This part is VERY important.
Type WBLOCK on the command line. Ensure that the radio button is toggled for Objects. NOTE: Do NOT toggle the radio button for Entire Drawing because this process will NOT work correctly. Do not click a Base Point. Keep it at 0,0,0. Click the Select Objects button and select all the drawing objects by a crossing window, which is clicking from right-to-left. Specify file name and path, then click OK. See next image…
There will be a dialog box pop up that will prompt you to “Include AutoCAD Map information in the export?”. Click Yes. It’s extremely important to select Yes to ensure that the lines do not jump around once it is linked into Revit.
This is the file that we will be linking into Revit.
Step 3: Import Shared Coordinates into Revit
It’s important to note that you MUST use the same version of Revit as the disciplines are using on the project. All disciplines use the same version because Revit is NOT backward compatible. If you set this up using 2026 and the disciplines are using 2025, then the file you send them will not work. The version of Revit used for the project is usually discussed in the BIM kick-off meeting.
Open Revit and Select New under Models.
When prompted, for the template, ensure that it’s set to <None> and Project is toggled under Create new…
Select Imperial…
Navigate to the Insert tab, and click on Link CAD…
Browse to and select the Civil 3D file you WBLOCKed out. Change the Import Units to Feet, uncheck Correct lines that are slightly off axis, uncheck Orient to View, and for Positioning, change to Auto – By Shared Coordinates…
A dialog box will appear on the screen. Select the Align option…
You may get a prompt about the Shared Coordinates Are Not Set Correctly. Click Close on the dialog box…
Type ZE on the keyboard. This will zoom extents in Revit.
Step 4: Setting Shared Coordinates in Revit
First, we are going to change the project units configuration so we can read it correctly. By default, Revit is set to Feet and Inches.
Type UN on the keyboard. This will open the Project Units dialog box.
For Discipline, select Common.
To the right of Length select the format shown.
In the next dialog box, for Units, select Feet. For Rounding, select Custom, and for the Rounding increment type in 0.0001.
Click OK, then OK again.
Next, we will acquire the coordinates from the linked CAD file.
Navigate to the Manage tab of the Ribbon and select Coordinates>Acquire Coordinates.
In the bottom left of the screen you will see Revit prompting you to Select a linked project. Select the CAD file in the drawing space…
A dialog box will appear that will tell you that Acquire Coordinates Succeed. Notice that it will tell you the coordinate system from the linked CAD file…
Click Close.
We now need to turn on the Survey Point. The Survey Point will be the only thing we alter in this process. The survey point in Revit is a reference point used to establish site coordinates, typically placed on a known physical location like a geodetic marker. It serves as the origin for positioning objects in relation to the model and can be adjusted to reflect real-world elevations.
Type VV on the keyboard.
This will open the Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog box.
On the Model Categories tab, scroll down to Site.
Expand Site and check the box for Survey Point.
Click OK.
You should now see the Survey Point in the middle of the linked CAD file.
Step 5: Establishing the Origin Point
As you can see on the screen, the Survey Point is not in the same location as the Origin Point from our CAD file. You will need to move the Survey Point to the exact location as the Origin Point that was established in the CAD file.
Open the XML file that was created in Civil 3D by right-clicking on it and choosing Open with>Notepad.
The next image is what the XML file looks like. It shows the X, Y, and Z values, as well as the rotation angle to True North. The rotation angle is not important to us but is important to the Revit users because they work in Project North. So, you may be asked to provide this angle if asked.
NOTE: Be careful not to get the coordinates reversed. X = Easting and Y = Northing.
Click on the Survey Point. You will see a paper clip. Click on the paper clip to “unclip” it.
If you have successfully “unclipped” it, then you will see a line through it like the image above.
On the left, in the Properties, you will want to copy and paste the values from the XML file.
Reminder, that N/S = Y and E/W = X.
Click Apply at the bottom of the Properties dialog box.
Notice that the Survey Point disappeared. When you apply a Z value to it, it goes to that elevation. Revit has a plane. If an object is above or below that plane, it’s not visible. Next, we will adjust the plane.
In the Properties dialog box, scroll down to View Range and click Edit.
Change Top, Bottom, and Level to Unlimited.
For the Cut Plane Offset, type in 1000’.
Click OK.
Notice that the Survey Point moved to the Origin Point that was first set in Civil 3D.
Click the Survey Point and re-clip it.
Step 6: Check Your Work
It’s important to check your work before sending it to a client. To check your work, you will export this file out of Revit and then XREF it into Civil 3D. If it lines up correctly, then you will prepare the Revit file to send to the Revit users on the project.
Navigate to File>Export>CAD Formats>DWG.
In the DWG Export dialog box, click the ellipsis next to <in-session export setup>
Click on the Units & Coordinates tab. Change to Foot and Shared Coordinates.
Click OK. Click Next and then navigate to a folder to save your file. Make sure to uncheck the box Export views on sheets and links as external references.
XREF the newly exported file into Civil 3D and ensure that it aligns properly.
If everything aligns, proceed to the next section.
Step 7: Prepare Revit File to Send Out to the Revit Users
Now that you have checked the file in Civil 3D and it aligns, you can now prepare the Revit file. This file will be sent, or uploaded to ACC, for all clients and disciplines to acquire the coordinates. Revit is not backward compatible. For example, if all the users are using Revit 2024, then all this preparation must be done in Revit 2024. This is always discussed in the BIM kick-off meetings. If you didn’t attend the BIM kick-off meeting, make sure you get with the project manager or BIM manager as they will have attended the meeting.
When we first linked in the Civil 3D file, it came in with True North. We need to specify that in the Properties.
In the Properties dialog box, change the Orientation from Project North to True North.
In the Project Browser, Expand Structural Plans. Right-click on Level 1 and choose Rename. Rename it to TRUE NORTH.
You will be prompted, “Would you like to rename corresponding level and views?”.
Click Yes.
Right-click on the view you just created and choose Duplicate View>Duplicate.
Rename this view to PROJECT NORTH.
Now that we have this “PROJECT NORTH” view, we need to make it project north. It’s important to note to use the same line as we established the origin point and quasi-north in Civil 3D.
Navigate to the Manage tab of the ribbon. Select Position>Rotate Project North.
In the dialog box, choose Align selected line or plane.
Select the line on the building or property line that was established in Civil 3D.
You will see a dialog box appear stating that the process was successful. Click OK. In the Properties dialog box, the Orientation should be Project North now for this view. If it is not, change it to Project North.
We are now ready to save the file for sharing purposes. We now need to unlink the Civil 3D file before sending.
Click the Manage tab, then select Manage Links.
Highlight the drawing file, then click Remove.
Navigate to File>Save As>Project
Give the file an appropriate name, for example, “Project Name-Coordination File.rvt”.
The file is now ready to share or upload to ACC.
Conclusion
Establishing shared coordinates through the above process ensures that all Revit and Civil 3D models are accurately aligned to a common geospatial system throughout the life of the project. By following the standardized procedures outlined in this document—creating approved reference points, preparing the Civil 3D file correctly, importing and verifying coordinates in Revit, and delivering a properly configured coordination file—teams can prevent misalignment issues, maintain consistent coordinate integrity, and streamline collaboration across all disciplines. Adhering to this workflow not only reduces rework and coordination errors but also supports a reliable, repeatable process for producing high‑quality, geospatially accurate BIM deliverables.
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