Beyond State Plane: A Look at Custom Ground Coordinate Systems in Civil 3D/ AutoCAD Map 3D

In this class, we’ll explore the creation of a custom ground coordinate system in Civil 3D software and AutoCAD Map 3D software. Currently, all coordinate systems that come with Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, and InfraWorks software are grid coordinate systems. With that said, we’ll create what’s called a low distortion projection (LDP). We’ll pick a mean elevation for this LDP, which will be our combined scale factor for this new ground coordinate system definition. Once this is defined, any and all data imported (GIS data, imagery) will now be transformed to your ground coordinate system. Your engineering clients will love you for doing this!