Using Basic Functionality

In this tutorial, you will learn how to navigate around AutoCAD Civil 3D and how to use some common
features of the interface.
Panning and Zooming
To change the viewing scale of the drawing or move to a different area of the open drawing, you can zoom
and pan the display window using either of the following two methods:
Right-Click (Shortcut) Menus

1 In the AutoCAD Civil 3D window, click File menu ➤ Open. Navigate to the tutorial drawings folder. Open the drawing called Intro-1.dwg.

2 Right-click the surface name in the Prospector tree. Click Zoom To.

3 In the drawing, right-click and click Zoom. Click and drag upwards to zoom in closer to the surface.

4 To stop zooming and use the normal pointer, right-click and click Exit.

5 With no objects selected in the drawing, right-click in the drawing and click Pan.

6 Click and drag in any direction to move around the drawing.

7 To stop panning and use the normal pointer, right-click and click Exit.
Standard Toolbar

1 On the standard toolbar, click

2 Click and drag upwards to zoom in closer to the surface.

3 To stop zooming and use the normal pointer, right-click and click Exit.

4 On the standard toolbar, click

5 Click and drag in any direction to move around the drawing.

6 To stop panning and use the normal pointer, right-click and click Exit.
The standard toolbar includes additional zoom controls. All pan and zoom controls are also accessible on
the View menu. For more information, open AutoCAD Help ➤ Command Reference ➤ Commands. See
the entries for Pan in P Commands and Zoom in Z commands.
Selecting and Deselecting

To select an object, click it in the drawing window. To select an individual object that is part of a group of
objects, press and hold Ctrl while clicking the object. If you select the wrong object and need to deselect to
try again, press Esc.
Experiment with the selection methods using the centerline alignment of the road that runs horizontally
through drawing Intro-1.dwg.

Object Snapping

This standard AutoCAD feature is useful for precision drafting, when you want the line you are drawing to
snap to entity edges or specific points. In these tutorials you will likely prefer to use a freehand mode for
drawing and editing objects such as horizontal alignments and layout profiles. Toggle Object Snap on and
off by clicking on the status bar at the bottom of the main application window, or by pressing F3
or Ctrl+F. Object Snap is off when the button is in a raised position. For more information about using
Object Snap, do the following:

1 Open AutoCAD Civil 3D Help.

2 In the left pane, click Search.

3 In the Type In the Word(s) to Search For field, type a word such as OSNAP.

4 Click Search. Select from the topics that are displayed.

In most cases, it is recommended that you also turn off other cursor controls on the status bar, such as Snap,
Grid, and Ortho. The Model button, however, should remain on.
Object Selection Preview

By default, the AutoCAD object selection feature gives you a preview whenever your cursor is placed on an
object you can select. This creates a flickering effect as you pass your cursor over the features of large objects
such as contours on a surface. In these tutorials you may prefer to see the selected effect for objects only
after you have selected them. To change the selection preview settings:
1 At the command line, enter OPTIONS.

2 In the Options dialog box, on the Selection tab, clear When A Command Is Active and When No

Command Is Active.

3 Click OK.

For more information about customizing object selection, see AutoCAD Help.
Dynamic Input
Dynamic input is an AutoCAD feature that displays prompts from the command line beside the cursor and
provides a place for you to enter values when a command is active. For these tutorials, you may want to
toggle off the dynamic input feature by clicking on the status bar at the bottom of the main application
window, or press F12.
For more information about dynamic input, see AutoCAD Help.