Why did Civil 3D just warn me?
Each article below matches one warning from C3D Guard or Change Impact. It explains what the message means, why it matters to the model, and what it can cause further down the line on sheets, quantities and in the field. None of these warnings block your work. They exist so you make the call knowingly.
- Data loss: intelligence is removed
- Coordination: position or links between files
- Design integrity: dependent objects will change
- Advisory: a better habit is available
How Civil 3D objects stay connected
Civil 3D is a model, not a drawing. Most design objects are built from other objects, and when a parent changes, every child rebuilds from it. That is the reason Civil 3D is fast to revise. It is also the reason a small edit in one place can quietly change a dozen things somewhere else.
The dependency chain
- SurfaceFeeds existing ground profiles, corridor daylight targets, grading, spot labels, volumes and section data.
- AlignmentOwns stationing. Profiles, sample lines, sections, corridor baselines, station labels and plan production view frames all hang off it.
- ProfileSets the vertical design. Drives corridor elevations, profile view labels, pipe cover and clearance checks.
- CorridorCombines all of the above. Produces the design surface, earthwork, material quantities and section sheets.
- Data shortcutsCarry these objects into other drawings. A change in the source reaches every drawing that references it.
What the Change Impact warning is doing
When you start an edit on an alignment, profile or surface, Change Impact scans the drawing and lists what depends on the object: profiles, sample line groups, corridors, view frames, profile views, grading groups and pipe network parts that sit near it. It is a heads-up, not a stop sign. The dialog has a single OK button because AutoLISP cannot cancel a command from a dialog.
- To continue: click OK and carry on.
- To stop: click OK, then press
ESCat the command’s next prompt. - Pipe parts are found with a bounding-box overlap check. Treat that list as “worth checking”, not as confirmed conflicts.
- Frequency: you can show the warning every time or once per command per session in
C3D-IMPACT-SETTINGS.
The habit to build
Before any edit, ask two questions. What is this object built from? What is built from it? If the answer to the second question is “a corridor, sheets, or another drawing”, make the edit deliberately, with typed values, and check the downstream objects afterward.
These appear before an edit to an alignment, profile or surface. The dialog title is Change-Impact Analysis – Civil 3D.
Grip editing an alignment
The message
Command: GRIP_STRETCH ALIGNMENT: CL Main St PROFILES on this alignment: - EG Main St - FG Main St SAMPLE LINE GROUPS on this alignment: - SL Main St (42 sample line(s)) CORRIDORS using this alignment as a baseline: - COR Main St SHEETS: view frames based on this alignment: - VF Main St - 1 Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
What it means
You are about to drag a PI, curve or tangent grip on an alignment. The alignment owns stationing, so changing its geometry changes the station of every point along it, and everything listed in the dialog is tied to those stations.
Why it matters
- Dragging is imprecise. A grip released by eye lands at an arbitrary coordinate. Curve radii, tangent lengths and PI locations end up as values nobody chose, often off by hundredths.
- Stations shift downstream of the edit. Lengthening or shortening a curve moves every station after it.
- Ground profiles resample. The existing ground profile now samples a different strip of terrain. Your design profile does not move, so cut and fill change even though nobody touched the profile.
- Some data does not follow. Calculated superelevation is stored by station and is not recalculated automatically when curves change. Plan production view frames and match lines may no longer fit the revised alignment.
Downstream risk
Model
- Corridor rebuilds (or goes out of date) with new geometry
- Design profile may run past or stop short of the new alignment end
- Superelevation transitions sit at the wrong stations
Sheets
- Plan and profile sheets no longer match view frames
- Station callouts in notes, tables and typed text are now wrong
Quantities
- Earthwork and material volumes change
- Pipe crossings and structure stations shift
Other drawings and field
- Every drawing using a data shortcut to this alignment changes on sync
- Stakeout and ROW descriptions built on old stations are out of step
Do this instead
- Use the Alignment Geometry Editor or Alignment Grid View and type radii, lengths and PI coordinates.
- If you do grip edit, snap to real geometry and check the values in the grid view afterward.
- After the edit: recalculate superelevation, rebuild the corridor, review design criteria warnings, and regenerate view frames if sheets exist.
- If this alignment is shared through a data shortcut, tell the people who consume it.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U.
Grip editing a profile
The message
Command: GRIP_STRETCH PROFILE: FG Main St (on alignment "CL Main St") CORRIDORS using this profile as a baseline: - COR Main St PROFILE VIEWS on the same alignment (likely display this profile): - PV Main St Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
What it means
You are about to drag a PVI, grade or vertical curve grip. The profile sets the vertical design for everything built on it: corridor elevations, the finished grade surface, pipe cover and every grade or elevation label in the profile view.
Why it matters
- Grades and K values become arbitrary. A dragged PVI gives a grade like 2.137% and a K value that may no longer meet design speed criteria for stopping sight distance.
- Low and high points move. Drainage was designed around them. Inlets, ditch flow lines and sag locations may no longer agree with the profile.
- Vertical clearances change. Crossing utilities, structure clearances and minimum cover are checked against the old profile.
Downstream risk
Model
- Corridor and finished grade surface rebuild with new elevations
- Daylight lines and grading limits move, possibly outside the ROW
Sheets
- Profile labels update, but any typed elevations do not
- Section sheets change
Quantities
- Cut and fill volumes and mass haul change
- Pavement and base quantities shift with the new surface
Field
- Pipe inverts or cover may conflict with the new grade
- Drainage may pond where the design assumed flow
Do this instead
- Use Profile Layout Tools > Profile Grid View and type PVI stations, elevations and curve lengths.
- Check design criteria markers and K values after the change.
- Re-check drainage low points and any utility crossings in the profile view.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U.
Manual surface edits
The message
Command: AECCDELETESURFACELINE WARNING: Manual surface edits (like Delete Line or Add Point) force a permanent deviation from the source design data. Because Civil 3D rebuilds surfaces from their definition in order, these manual changes can shift or disappear when new data is added. Where possible, change the source data (feature lines, breaklines, boundaries) instead. SURFACE: EG Survey PROFILE "EG Main St" on alignment "CL Main St" is derived from this surface. -> CORRIDOR "COR Main St" uses that profile as a baseline profile. Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
The surface command picks its target after it starts, so the scan reports on every surface in the drawing.
What it means
A surface is a recipe, not a shape. Its definition is an ordered list of operations: point groups, breaklines, boundaries, then edits. Every rebuild replays that list from the top. A manual edit is one more line in the recipe, stored by coordinates, and it does not change the survey or design data underneath.
Why it matters
- Edits are fragile. A deleted line is stored by location. When new points or breaklines are added, the triangles under that location change, and the edit can remove the wrong triangle or nothing at all.
- Edits are invisible. Nobody looking at the surface can tell which triangles came from survey and which came from someone’s judgment call, unless they open the definition list.
- Source and surface disagree. A raised point or edited elevation exists only in this surface. Re-import the survey, and the correction is gone or doubled.
Downstream risk
Model
- Existing ground profiles resample
- Corridor daylight targets and grading change
- Volume surfaces built from this one change
Sheets
- Contours, spot elevations and slope labels change
Quantities
- Earthwork volumes shift without a visible reason
Other drawings
- Every drawing referencing this surface by data shortcut inherits the edit, or loses it later
Do this instead
- Bad triangles at the edge: add an outer boundary or set a maximum triangle length.
- Wrong triangulation across a curb, ditch or wall: add a breakline or a feature line as a breakline.
- Bad survey shot: fix or exclude the point in the point group or source file, so the correction lives in the data.
- If a manual edit is truly needed, add it last, rename it in the definition list to say why, and tell survey.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U, or remove the operation from Toolspace > Surface > Definition > Edits.
Note: surface edits started from Toolspace’s right-click menu do not trigger this warning, but they carry exactly the same risk.
MOVE on Civil 3D objects
The message
Command: MOVE ALIGNMENT: CL Main St ...dependent objects listed here... Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
What it means
Your selection includes Civil 3D design objects. Moving them changes their real-world position, and in a georeferenced drawing every coordinate is a real location on the project’s coordinate system.
Why it matters
- Moved alignments sample different ground. The design profile stays at the same stations and elevations, but the existing ground profile now samples terrain beside the original line. Cut and fill change across the whole project.
- The source data stays put. Survey points, breaklines and boundaries a surface was built from are not where the surface now is.
- MOVE often hides a coordinate problem. If something “doesn’t line up”, the cause is usually a wrong coordinate system, an xref off origin, or a units mismatch. Moving geometry to match makes the drawing look right while making the data wrong.
Downstream risk
Model
- Corridors rebuild against different ground
- Pipe networks and structures near the alignment no longer relate to it
Coordination
- Drawings referencing this object by data shortcut move with it, and stop matching their own xrefs
- Other disciplines’ models no longer align
Field
- Layout coordinates, stakeout files and machine control models are offset from the real design
Do this instead
- Moving a profile view, section view or label is fine. Pick those alone.
- Revising an alignment’s location: use the geometry editor and typed values.
- Things don’t line up: check the drawing’s coordinate system, units and xref insertion points before moving anything.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U.
STRETCH on Civil 3D objects
The message
Command: STRETCH ALIGNMENT: CL Main St ...dependent objects listed here... Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
What it means
STRETCH moves every grip inside your crossing window and leaves the rest. On a Civil 3D object that means part of the geometry moves and part stays, which is a grip edit on several points at once with no typed values.
Why it matters
- Geometry distorts unevenly. PIs, curve points or profile PVIs inside the window move. Tangency, radii and grades on the boundary of the window change to suit.
- The effect is hard to see. STRETCH on a busy plan can catch grips you did not intend, including on objects underneath.
- C3DTools behaviour: if nothing was pre-selected, C3DTools asks for the selection itself and passes it on, and STRETCH then moves whole objects rather than stretching. Pre-select with a crossing window first.
Downstream risk
The same as a grip edit on the object, applied to several points at once: shifted stations, resampled ground profiles, changed grades and K values, corridor rebuilds, sheet and quantity changes, and changes pushed to every data shortcut consumer.
Do this instead
- Leave Civil 3D design objects out of STRETCH selections. Use it on linework, annotation and title block items.
- To lengthen or reshape an alignment or profile, use its layout tools or grid view.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U.
ROTATE on Civil 3D objects
The message
Command: ROTATE SURFACE: EG Survey ...dependent objects listed here... Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
What it means
Rotating design geometry changes every bearing on it and moves every point except the base point. The most common reason to do this is to make the plan “read” left to right on a sheet. That is a view problem, not a model problem.
Why it matters
- Bearings become false. Line and curve labels, legal descriptions and ROW callouts now report directions that do not exist on the ground.
- North is no longer north. The model stops matching the survey, the coordinate system and everyone else’s files.
- Ground relationships break. A rotated alignment samples different terrain, the same as a moved one.
Downstream risk
Model and coordination
- Data shortcut consumers rotate too
- Xrefs from other disciplines no longer align
Sheets and field
- North arrows and bearings on sheets are wrong
- Stakeout coordinates are rotated about an arbitrary point
Do this instead
- Rotate the view, not the model: twist the viewport (
DVIEW> Twist, or rotate the UCS and usePLANinside the viewport). - Use Plan Production view frames, which create rotated viewports along the alignment automatically.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U.
SCALE on Civil 3D objects
The message
Command: SCALE ALIGNMENT: CL Main St ...dependent objects listed here... Click OK, then press ESC if you want to stop this command.
What it means
Scaling design geometry changes lengths, radii, stations and areas. People usually reach for SCALE to fix one of three things: a units mismatch (feet and metres), a grid-to-ground difference, or annotation that looks the wrong size. Civil 3D has a proper tool for each, and SCALE is none of them.
Why it matters
- Design values become meaningless. A 500 ft radius scaled by 0.99997 becomes 499.985 ft. Stationing, curve data and parcel areas drift by the same factor.
- Horizontal and vertical can disagree. Depending on the object type, elevations may or may not scale with the plan geometry, leaving the model internally inconsistent.
- The fix is untraceable. Nobody can tell later which objects were scaled, by what factor, and from which base point.
Downstream risk
Model and quantities
- Corridor, earthwork and pavement quantities change
- Parcel areas and legal descriptions are wrong
Coordination and field
- Geometry no longer matches survey control
- Layout distances do not match what is measured on site
Do this instead
- Units mismatch: set drawing units and insertion units correctly and let Civil 3D convert on insert or import.
- Grid vs ground: agree a combined scale factor with survey and apply it through the drawing’s transformation settings, documented on the sheets.
- Text or symbols too big or small: change the annotation scale, not the geometry.
Stop now: click OK, then press ESC. Already done: type U.
These appear just after a risky action or during a save. Most say type U now to undo: undo works only if you do it before other edits.
Exploding Civil 3D objects or blocks
The message
C3D-GUARD: EXPLODE just removed or converted an object. Alignment: 3 -> 2 (down 1) The exploded object is now plain geometry and has lost its design intent. If this wasn't intentional, type U now to undo.
What it means
Exploding a Civil 3D object replaces it with whatever its style was drawing: lines, arcs, polylines, text and anonymous blocks. Those pieces look identical on screen. Everything that made it an alignment, surface, corridor, pipe or profile view is gone. Exploding a block reference does the same thing to a block: it stops being one object tied to a shared definition.
Why it matters
- It cannot be rebuilt. There is no command that turns exploded linework back into the object it came from. The design must be recreated.
- It looks fine. The plan prints exactly as before, so the loss is usually discovered weeks later when a revision does not update.
- Labels become text. Every station, elevation and bearing label becomes static text that will be wrong after the next change.
- Dependents break. Profiles, corridors, sample lines and data shortcut consumers that relied on the object lose their parent.
Downstream risk
Model
- Corridors, profiles or sections built on the object fail or go stale
- Duplicate, overlapping geometry remains
Sheets
- Annotation no longer updates with design changes
- Tables and schedules stop reporting the object
Quantities and QA
- Pipe, structure and material takeoffs miss the object
- Model checks, audits and clash tools no longer see it
File health
- Hundreds of loose entities and text objects replace one object
- File size and regen time grow
Do this instead
- Need a plain AutoCAD file for someone else: use
EXPORTTOAUTOCADon a copy. Your working model stays intelligent. - Need it to look different: change the object or label style, or override display per object.
- Need a piece of linework from it: use the object’s own tools (for example, create a polyline from an alignment) and keep the original.
If this wasn’t intentional, type U now, before any other edit.
Exploding or bursting attributed blocks
The message
C3D-GUARD: EXPLODE just converted 4 attributed block(s) into plain text and geometry (BURST does this too). The attribute data used for tags, schedules and data extraction is gone; only the displayed text remains. If this wasn't intentional, type U now to undo.
What it means
Attributes are data fields stored on a block: a structure ID, a sheet number, a revision, a manufacturer. EXPLODE turns them back into attribute definitions, so the drawing shows the tag names instead of your values. BURST keeps the values visible, but as plain text. Either way, the data is no longer data.
Why it matters
- Extraction stops. Data extraction, schedules, fields and sheet set properties that read these attributes return nothing.
- Global edits stop. Updating a title block across a sheet set, or renumbering tags, no longer reaches the exploded copies.
- Mixed states. Some sheets now hold live blocks and some hold text, so the same field can disagree between sheets.
Downstream risk
Sheets
- Title block revisions, dates and sheet numbers drift
Quantities
- Tag-based schedules and counts are incomplete
Deliverables
- Asset data handed to the owner is missing fields
Do this instead
- Edit attribute values with
EATTEDITor the Properties palette. - Change how the block looks by redefining it with
BEDIT, not by exploding it. - Use
ATTSYNCto push definition changes to existing blocks.
If this wasn’t intentional, type U now, before any other edit.
Binding an xref
The message
C3D-GUARD: an xref was just bound into this drawing: X-Survey-Base Binding copies all of that drawing's layers, styles and blocks in permanently (usually with a $0$ suffix), which commonly causes duplicate styles and file-size growth. To keep it live, Overlay/Attach with a Data Shortcut is usually the better choice.
What it means
Binding turns a live reference into a frozen copy. Everything in the referenced drawing (geometry, layers, linetypes, blocks, text styles, Civil 3D styles and objects) is pasted into this file. With the Bind option, names get a prefix like X-Survey-Base$0$C-ROAD. With Insert, they merge into your existing names and your definitions win.
Why it matters
- The link is gone. When the source drawing changes, this drawing does not. You now have a second, stale copy of someone else’s work.
- Standards break. Layer and style lists fill with
$0$duplicates that look almost like your standards and are not. - Files bloat. Every block, style and registered application from the source comes along, wanted or not.
Downstream risk
Coordination
- Base files, survey and other disciplines go out of date silently
- Duplicate Civil 3D objects compete with data shortcut versions
File health
- Layer, style and RegApp counts jump
- Slower opens, saves and regens
Sheets
- Layer states and plot styles act on duplicate layers unexpectedly
Do this instead
- Display another drawing: Attach or Overlay it, at 0,0,0.
- Use another drawing’s Civil 3D objects: create a data reference from a data shortcut.
- Send a package outside the firm: use
ETRANSMIT, or bind on a copy made for that transmittal, never on the working file.
If this wasn’t intentional, type U now, then reattach the reference.
Moving or copying an xref
The message
C3D-GUARD: an xref's position just changed (moved or copied). Moving or copying an xref shifts everything in it out of alignment with shared coordinates and data shortcuts. If this wasn't intentional, type U now to undo.
What it means
Project drawings share one coordinate system and are referenced at 0,0,0, so a point in the survey file sits at the same coordinate in every drawing. Moving the xref drags its whole contents off those coordinates. A copied xref puts a second, offset image of the same drawing in the file.
Why it matters
- The base no longer matches the design. Your alignment, surfaces and data references stay on true coordinates while the xref has shifted, so you are now designing against a picture in the wrong place.
- It is often accidental. A window selection grabs the xref along with the objects you meant to move.
- Copies confuse. Two offset instances of the same base make it unclear which one is correct.
Downstream risk
Design
- New work is snapped to shifted geometry and inherits the offset
Coordination
- Other disciplines see conflicts that are not real, and miss ones that are
Field
- Layout drawn against the shifted base is staked in the wrong place
Do this instead
- Lock or freeze xref layers while selecting, or use selection filters.
- If the base truly does not line up, the problem is in the source drawing or the coordinate system. Fix it there.
- To show part of a base in another place, use a viewport, not a moved or copied xref.
If this wasn’t intentional, type U now. Otherwise set the insertion point back to 0,0,0 in the Properties palette.
Xref not inserted at 0,0,0
The message
C3D-GUARD: xref insertion point(s) are not at 0,0,0: X-Survey-Base: 12.500, -3.250, 0.000 A non-zero xref insertion point commonly causes misalignment against a shared coordinate system or data shortcuts.
What it means
Every time you save, C3D Guard checks where each xref is inserted. On a coordinated civil project, every xref should sit at 0,0,0 with scale 1 and rotation 0. One or more of yours does not.
Why it matters
- Offsets hide in plain sight. A small offset (a few feet) looks like a drafting difference, not a coordinate error, and can sit unnoticed for weeks.
- Elevation offsets count too. A non-zero Z puts the base at the wrong height, which matters for 3D coordination and clash checks.
- It spreads. Anyone who references your file, or copies your xref setup, inherits the offset.
Downstream risk
Design laid out against the wrong base, false clashes or missed clashes in coordination models, and stakeout coordinates that do not match the survey.
Do this instead
- Select the xref, open Properties, and set Position X, Y and Z to 0.
- If it only “looks right” when offset, the source drawing or its coordinate system is wrong. Raise it with whoever owns that file.
- Rare legitimate exception: a local, non-georeferenced detail. Document it on the sheet.
Editing an xref in place
The messages
C3D-GUARD: starting REFEDIT (in-place reference edit). Changes made now can be saved straight back into the referenced drawing when you close the edit, which affects every drawing that references it. Only choose "Save back to reference" (on REFCLOSE) if that is intended.
C3D-GUARD: closing the in-place reference edit. Choosing Save writes your changes into the external drawing now, for everyone who references it. Choose Discard if you were only looking.
What it means
REFEDIT opens another drawing’s contents for editing from inside yours. When you finish, REFCLOSE asks whether to save those changes back into the source file. Saving changes that file for every drawing and every person who references it.
Why it matters
- You may not own that file. Survey bases, other disciplines’ models and existing conditions belong to someone else, who will not know you changed them.
- The change is quiet. No one gets a notice. The next time others reload, their base is different.
- Civil 3D objects don’t belong here. In-place editing is not a safe way to modify alignments, surfaces or other design objects in a referenced file.
Downstream risk
Unreviewed changes in shared base files, design built against altered existing conditions, and a coordination record that no longer matches what was issued.
Do this instead
- To look inside an xref, use
XOPENor open the file read-only. - To change it, ask the file owner, or open the source drawing directly so the edit is deliberate and visible.
- If you were only looking: choose Discard on REFCLOSE.
Promoting a data reference
The message
C3D-GUARD: PROMOTEREFERENCE was just run. Promoting a data-shortcut reference makes an independent copy in this drawing and breaks its link to the source; later changes to the source will no longer reach this copy.
What it means
A data reference is a read-only copy of an alignment, profile, surface or pipe network that stays in sync with the drawing that owns it. Promoting it cuts that link and makes it a regular, editable object in your drawing.
Why it matters
- Two versions of the truth. The source keeps evolving. Your promoted copy does not. Both carry the same name.
- Edits go to the wrong place. Changes you make to the promoted copy never reach the source or other drawings.
- The drift is invisible. Nothing flags that your copy is now out of date.
Downstream risk
Model
- Corridors and profiles in this drawing build on a stale object
Sheets and quantities
- Sheets from this drawing disagree with sheets from the source
- Quantities double count or disagree
Do this instead
- To change the object, open the drawing that owns it and edit it there. The reference updates on sync.
- Promote only on purpose (for example, archiving a phase or splitting a design alternative) and rename the copy so nobody mistakes it for the live one.
If this wasn’t intentional, type U now, or delete the promoted object and create the data reference again.
TEXT / MTEXT instead of Civil 3D labels
The message
C3D-GUARD tip (shown once per session): Plain TEXT/MTEXT for stations, elevations or offsets won't update if the design changes, and won't feed label-based schedules or QA/QC. If a Civil 3D label style covers what you're about to type, it stays live and matches your drawing standard.
What it means
Plain text is fine for general notes, titles and callouts that describe intent. It is the wrong tool for any value Civil 3D can read from the model: stations, offsets, elevations, slopes, bearings, distances, areas, inverts. A typed value is a snapshot. A label is a live query.
Why it matters
- Typed values go stale. The design changes, the text does not, and nobody is warned. The sheet looks complete and is wrong.
- Typos are design errors. A transposed digit in a typed invert or elevation is a constructible mistake.
- Standards drift. Typed text skips the label style’s precision, rounding, units and annotation scale.
Downstream risk
Sheets and QA
- Plans disagree with the model and with each other
- Reviewers must check every typed value by hand
Field and contract
- Contractors build to the wrong number
- RFIs and change orders trace back to stale annotation
Use a label instead
- Station and offset to a point: alignment Station Offset label (fixed point).
- Spot elevation or slope: surface Spot Elevation or Slope label.
- Grade, PVI or curve data: profile and profile view labels.
- Bearing and distance, curve data: line and curve labels.
- Inverts, sizes, rim elevations: pipe and structure labels.
- Anything repeated in a list: a Civil 3D table style.
- Derived values: label style expressions (for example, top of curb from finished grade).
Unusual growth since last save
The message
C3D-GUARD: unusual growth since the last save of C-ROAD-MAIN.dwg: Layers: 142 -> 311 (up 119% since last save) RegApps: 38 -> 204 (new registered app(s), often left by a bind or a foreign block) TextObjects: 0 -> 486 (new since last save) Full history: ...\C3DTools\Logs\Health.csv
What it means
Each save records a snapshot of the drawing: layers, linetypes, blocks, layouts, xrefs, registered apps, Civil 3D object counts, hatches and text. A large jump between saves usually has one cause you can name.
Common causes
- Layers, blocks, RegApps up: content pasted or inserted from another firm’s drawing, or an xref was bound.
- Text up sharply: something was exploded (labels became text) or annotation was typed instead of labelled.
- Hatches up: exploded surface or corridor styles, or copied hatch patterns.
- Civil 3D objects up: an object was promoted or copied in, possibly duplicating one you already reference.
Why it matters
Growth is rarely the problem in itself. It is the symptom of something earlier: a bind, an explode, foreign content. Catching it at the save where it happened is far cheaper than finding it at submittal when the file is slow, the layer list is full of duplicates and nobody remembers what changed.
Do this instead
- Check what changed against the listed metrics, then undo or remove it if it was not intended.
- Clean up with
PURGE(including Registered Applications), thenAUDIT. - Bring outside content in with
INSERTon a cleaned copy, not copy and paste from the source file. - Run
C3DGUARD-SUMMARYto see the history for every tracked drawing.
Linking warnings to articles
Each warning maps to one anchor. The event code is what C3D Guard writes to Events.csv, so the same anchor can be used in reports.
| Warning (first line) | Source | Event code | Anchor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change-Impact dialog, alignment selected for grip edit | Change Impact | n/a | #grip-edit-alignment | |
| Change-Impact dialog, profile selected for grip edit | Change Impact | n/a | #grip-edit-profile | |
| WARNING: Manual surface edits … | Change Impact | n/a | #surface-edits | |
| Command: MOVE (intercepted) | Change Impact | n/a | #move-civil-objects | |
| Command: STRETCH (intercepted) | Change Impact | n/a | #stretch-civil-objects | |
| Command: ROTATE (intercepted) | Change Impact | n/a | #rotate-civil-objects | |
| Command: SCALE (intercepted) | Change Impact | n/a | #scale-civil-objects | |
| EXPLODE just removed or converted an object. | C3D Guard | EXPLODE-LOSS | #explode-civil-objects | |
| EXPLODE just converted N attributed block(s) | C3D Guard | ATTRIB-LOSS | #explode-attributed-blocks | |
| an xref was just bound into this drawing | C3D Guard | XREF-BIND | #xref-bind | |
| an xref’s position just changed | C3D Guard | XREF-MOVED | #xref-moved | |
| xref insertion point(s) are not at 0,0,0 | C3D Guard | XREF-BASEPOINT | #xref-not-at-origin | |
| starting REFEDIT / closing the in-place reference edit | C3D Guard | not logged | #refedit | |
| PROMOTEREFERENCE was just run. | C3D Guard | not logged | #promote-reference | |
| C3D-GUARD tip (shown once per session) | C3D Guard | not logged | #text-instead-of-labels | |
| unusual growth since the last save of | C3D Guard | SAVE-FLAG | #drawing-growth | |
| Change-Impact dialog, general (no single object) | Change Impact | n/a | #dynamic-model |
AutoCAD’s alert boxes and DCL text cannot hold a clickable link. To make the link one click from the warning, add a Learn more button to the dialog (or a Yes/No prompt after the alert) that opens the URL in the default browser.