How to create a Civil 3D 2015 surface from an ESRI shape (shp) file.

In this tutorial, I’ll demonstrate how to create a Civil 3D 2015 surface from an ESRI shape (.shp) file. I believe this feature was introduced in Civil 3D 2014.

1. Create a new drawing containing Civil 3D surface styles.
2. Zoom to the project location.
3. Set the project coordinate system. For this example, my project is located in Virginia so I’m using VA83-SF for a coordinate system code.
4. Click the Surfaces pull down on the Create Ground Data panel of the ribbon.
5. Click Create Surface from GIS Data to launch the wizzard.

6. Create Surface from GIS Data – Object Options.
     a. Type a name for the surface.
     b. The description is optional.
     c. Set the surface style.
     d. Set the layer to your standards.
     e. The render material is optional.
     f. Click Next.

7. Create Surface from GIS Data – Connect to Data.
     a. Click the SHP radio button.
     b. Click the box with the three dots and locate the shape file.
     c. Click the Login button.

8. Create Surface from GIS Data – Schema and Coordinates.
     a. Check the box next to the shape file name.
     b. Set the coordinate system for the data if needed and the drawing if you have not done so.
     c. Click Next.

9. Create Surface from GIS Data – Geospatial Query.
     a. Click the Window radio button.
     b. Click the selection button to the right.
     c. Select an area around the project limits. I usually select an area larger than the project.
     d. Click the Crossing radio button.
     e. Click Next.

10. Create Surface from GIS Data – Data Mapping.
     a. Not all GIS data is created equal. Look for Elevation or Elev. in the GIS Filed column.
     b. Click the Civil3D Property field to the right and select the data. My data is called Elevation.
     c. Click Finish

11. The finished object is a usable Civil 3D surface with elevations

Let me know if you have any questions.