Grading
Most grading jobs are initiated from the Civil 3D plugin. Once a job completes, you review and refine the results in the web application. To submit a new full grading job, use the Civil 3D plugin — see the Civil 3D plugin overview.
Grading view
Open a completed job to enter the grading view. The view renders your site as an interactive 3D scene.
Use a current version of Chrome or Edge. If the view does not load, see Common Issues.
The display includes:
- Color-coded elevation map — a gradient overlay shows how elevation varies across lots and zones
- Slope labels — percentage slopes annotated on graded surfaces
- Spot elevations — key elevations at lot corners, curb returns, and drainage inlets
- Swale lines — where water flows along shared boundaries
- Walls — retaining or stem walls placed by the grading engine
- Drain inlets — inlets at low points where rear drainage is enabled
Viewer controls
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Orbit | Left-click drag |
| Pan | Right-click drag |
| Zoom | Scroll wheel |
| Reset view | Double-click |
| Select lot | Click on surface |
Color mapping
Toggle between:
- Elevation — color gradient from low to high
- Slope — highlights slopes exceeding grade limits
- Cut/Fill — green for fill areas, red for cut areas
Make manual edits
After reviewing the grading results, you can adjust individual elevation points without rerunning the full grading job.
Enter edit mode
Click Edit in the grading view toolbar to activate edit mode.
Select a point
Click any point in the 3D view to select it. The current elevation appears in the edit panel on the right.
Adjust the elevation
Enter the new elevation value in the edit panel and press Apply. drtwrk recalculates the slopes and elevations for all areas affected by the change.
Submit the edits
When you are satisfied with your changes, click Submit edits. The system creates a new manual-edits job to process your changes.
Manual edits create a new job linked to the original — the original job and its results are preserved for comparison. Every edit is recorded with the user, timestamp, and before/after elevation values. View the edit history in the History tab of the lot detail panel.
Use manual edits for small, targeted adjustments. If your site geometry or grading parameters have changed significantly, rerun the full grading job from the Civil 3D plugin instead.
Export to CAD
After grading is complete, you can bring the graded surfaces back into Civil 3D.
Run LOTZONEGRADING
Run the LOTZONEGRADING command or click Lot & Zones Grading in the DRTWRK Tools ribbon.
File is uploaded
Your file is uploaded to drtwrk.
Linework Recognition
drtwrk automatically recognizes your linework into lots, zones, and areas.
Apply Preset
Apply a preset to define your grading parameters.
Submit
Submit the file for grading processing.
Manual Edit
If needed, make manual edits to adjust individual elevation points.
Export to CAD
Click Import to bring the results back. drtwrk creates a TIN surface in your drawing, adds feature lines as breaklines, and places spot elevations and slope labels.