Work Environment

Selecting the Work Environment - ACAD

The CivilCAD software can work with either AutoCAD or ZWCAD platforms. At this stage, operation is possible with AutoCAD 2017 and above or ZWCAD 2020 and above. To choose the desired work environment, follow these steps:

1. Launch CivilCAD.

2. From the main menu toolbar, go to: File → Open Prototype and wait for the project to load.

3. Go to: File → Configuration. This will open a window.

4. Next to the label "Auto launch", select the desired software/version.

5. Click OK.

6. Go to: File → Exit, and click 'Yes' to save the changes.

7. Upon the next launch of the software, it will open with the selected work environment.

Screen Components

Upon launching CivilCAD, a screen with two windows will appear: the drawing environment window and the WORKSPACE window. Additional windows may open as needed at the bottom and right sides of the screen. All windows are dynamic and can be closed at any time to "gain" drawing space and so on. To reopen the WORKSPACE window, click View → Workspace.

At the top of the screen, the name of the current project being worked on will appear, and below it, at the top of the drawing window, the name of the drawing file (which will subsequently receive the name of the project being worked on with the addition of "_").

WORKSPACE Window

The WORKSPACE window is a control aid that has been embedded starting from CivilCAD version 11, allowing planners control and management of planning from a space organized and specific for this purpose. From this window, you can create multiple surfaces, manage multiple coordinate lists, and use additional features that were not seen before.

To open the WORKSPACE window, click View → Workspace.

Standard Toolbar

The standard toolbar usually appears below the main menu and above the drawing environment. It can also be moved to any area of the screen and locked in a different position (it is not locked within the drawing environment). All actions on the toolbar are also available in the main menu. Actions that can be performed from this toolbar include:

• New: Opens a new project.

• Open: Opens an existing project.

• Layers Control: Opens the layers window.

• Add To ZIP: Compresses the project into a ZIP file.

• Tutorials: Launches tutorial videos for learning the software.

• Help: Opens the help window (will open according to the language defined in Configurations).

• Extract From ZIP: Opens the project directly from a ZIP file.

• Configuration: Opens the main configuration window.

• Extract: Quickly performs an extract operation.

• Refresh: Refreshes the layers on the drawing (coordinate layers will be updated according to recent changes).

• Refresh All: Refreshes coordinate layers, continuous lines, and planned surfaces.

Rotate Points: Aligns points according to a line or a layer.

• Rotate Points According to Line: Click on Rotate Points and choose Rotate by single line. Follow the instructions in the CAD software's command line. Upon completion, click Refresh. The points will rotate relative to the line according to the entered angle. This tool is useful for aligning points such as height labels along a line, poles, lighting columns, etc., in relation to a variable line like a road axis or pathway.

Pick Height: Samples ground heights.

• After clicking this button, click on the desired location on the drawing. The software will display the heights (existing and planned) at the bottom of the screen next to the labels Height_D and Height_T. You can change the indicators to display heights of any two surfaces listed in the surface list.