Civil 3D was introduced in 2004 as a trial product. Designed to give the then Land Development desktop user a glimpse of the civil engineering software future, it was a sea change for AutoCAD-based design packages. While there was need for a dynamic design package, many seasoned LDT users wondered how they'd ever make the transition.

Over the past few years, Civil 3D has evolved from the wobbly baby introduced on those first trial discs to a mature platform used worldwide to handle the most complex engineering designs. With this change, many engineers still struggle with how to make the transition. The civil engineering industry as a whole is an old dog learning new tricks.

We hope this book will help you make the transition easier. As the user base grows and users get past the absolute basics, more materials are needed, offering a multitude of learning opportunities. Designed to help you get past the steepest part of the learning curve and teach you some guru-level tricks along the way, Mastering AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 should be a good addition to any Civil 3D user's bookshelf.