Chappell - AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015 Essentials

Copyright 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-87102-7

ISBN: 978-1-118-91046-7 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-87108-9 (ebk.)

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Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe

Development Editor: Kim Wimpsett

Technical Editor: Joshua Modglin

Production Editor: Christine OConnor

Copy Editor: Tiffany Taylor

Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley

Associate Publisher: Chris Webb

Book Designer: Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Compositor: Craig Woods, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreader: Josh Chase, Word One New York

Indexer: Ted Laux

Project Coordinator, Cover: Lauren Buroker

Cover Designer: Wiley

Front Cover Image: iStock.com/KentWeakley

Back Cover Images: Courtesy of Eric Chappell

To Madison

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015 Essentials. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, were still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, were working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. Id be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how were doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at contactus@sybex.com . If you think youve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

Chris Webb

Associate Publisher, Sybex

Every year that I get to work on another version of AutoCAD Civil 3D Essentials is a blessing, and this year is the fourth! I am very encouraged by the emails I get from readers throughout the year, asking questions and offering suggestions, and I especially like those that compliment the book. Of course, Im just a small part of the books success, and it would be a terrible disservice not to mention Wiley/Sybex for giving me this opportunity yet again, and its great people for helping make the book a success. To Willem Knibbe, thanks once again for making the book happen. To Pete Gaughan, kudos for taking the reins and being a great coordinator, sounding board, and go-to person. To Kim Wimpsett, thanks for putting up with me and making the book better than I could have ever made it myself. To Joshua Modglin, thanks again for giving me the peace of mind of knowing you had my back on the technical aspects.

And to my family, for putting up with a fourth year of Dad working late nights and being distracted and sometimes stressed, and for all the other not-so-fun aspects of having an author in the family: thank you. I especially would like to thank my wife Dixie for putting up with my schedule and being a single parent when things got really busy for me.

Eric Chappell has been working, teaching, writing, and consulting in the world of civil engineering software for more than 20 years, and he is a recognized expert in the world of Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D software. Eric joined the Autodesk family in September 2013 as a Premium Services Specialist. In the 12 years prior to that, he wrote training materials and performed training for end users, trainers, and Autodesk employees around the globe. For several years, he has worked with Autodesk in authoring and developing two Autodesk certification exams. He also served as design systems manager for Timmons Group, a civil engineering and surveying firm based in Richmond, Virginia, where he managed software, standards, and training for more than 200 users. Eric is also a highly rated instructor at Autodesk University, where he has taught for the past 10 years.