Tips to Improve Civil 3D Performance

In previous tutorials I have discussed a number of ways that you can improve the performance of AutoCAD Civil 3D. Those tutorials have consistently drawn a lot of interest and feedback so I have brought them all together in the following list along with some new items that I have come across.

• Turn Off Survey Tab
  • This does take up memory, so if you don’t use it, turn it off. You can always turn it back on with the click of a button on the Home tab of the ribbon if you need to use it.
• Selection Preview
  • This is a feature that some people like and others don’t care for. It does take up some system resources so if you don’t like it turn it off. The Line Dash option seems to take up the most memory. These settings can be found on the Selection Tab of the Options dialog box.
• Uninstall the Vault Client
  • If you don’t use Vault you don’t need it and it does take up memory.
• Use Data Shortcuts
  • If you are not using Vault use Data Shortcuts to break projects up into a number of smaller drawings unless you are working with small projects.
• Layout Cashing
• Proxygraphics
• Use Data Clip for Surface Boundaries on large surfaces
• Minimize the number of components in label styles – particularly points

This is just a list of some of the best tips I have found for improving performance in Civil 3D. I’m sure that you may have some others as well and if you would like to share them please feel free to email me or contact us.