Searching AUGI, I found some discussion regarding rotating survey databases back around 2012. Most of them mentioned Land Desktop (LDD?). This is pure Civil3D 2016 -- brand new survey & drawing. Not referencing any old drawings etc.

Links / pointers / URLs / PDFs discussing Best Practices of translating/rotating survey databases and also translating/rotating all associated drawing and other data are welcome.

Question: How best to rotate my survey database so that the bearing between two survey database points matches an existing plat of record and how to rotate the rest of my drawing to match that survey database rotation?

At this point in time, I have in my drawing:

  • survey database with all my field data
  • block imported from another drawing (a house footprint)
  • a PDF underlay (scale drawing of the house also depicting 2' contours from LIDAR data)
  • survey figures (breaklines, edge of road etc automatically drawn via Figure Prefix Database from survey database data)
  • a surface
  • polylines delineating surface boundaries
  • COGO points (not in survey database) to stake house footprint and driveway alignment
  • an alignment (for a driveway)


Here is my specific situation:

(FYI - I am using Civil3D 2016 at the moment.)

I have completed a small topographic survey of a property. There are five different "sites" within the property that were topo'd. I imported my survey data into a new Civil3D survey database. Points were sorted into various point groups using the Description Key Sets I have created. Survey figures (breaklines, edge of road, edge of driveway, fences etc) were created using my Figure Prefix Database.

My client is a custom home builder. He sent me PDF drawing of the proposed house footprint. I drafted the house outline in a separate .dwg drawing. I then imported into its own layer that house drawing as a block.

The builder had had a civil engineer locate the house on the lot using LIDAR data. The builder sent me a 1"=20' scale drawing in PDF format showing the house in relation to the ground contours. I xref'd the PDF into my drawing as an underlayment. After a lot of trial and error moving the underlay around, I was able to "match" the PDF drawing with my Civil3D drawing by matching PDF contours with my surface contours. I then moved and rotated the house (brought in as a block) so that it overlayed the house on the PDF underlay. I then created COGO points at various house corners so that I could stake the proposed house location in the field so the builder could show his buyer how the house would set on the land. I also created an alignment on a separate layer for the driveway so I could (roughly) stake the driveway so the builder could see what it looks like in the field.

What is the best way to rotate / translate everything around a common point so that I don't muck it all up?