What is a ʼCivil Pointʼ in BricsCAD Pro?

ByCADbrief Staff

Short Answer

A Civil Point in BricsCAD Pro is a survey-style point object used in civil workflows to store coordinates, elevation, and point data for terrain and site design. The most common way to place one is with _BMINSERTPOINT after enabling the Civil tools workspace. Limitation: Civil Point tools depend on the correct BricsCAD edition and workspace setup.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: A Civil Point is not just a plain AutoCAD point or node. If you import survey data as simple blocks or standard POINT entities, you can lose civil-specific properties such as elevation handling, descriptions, and point-based downstream workflows.

How to Create or Use a Civil Point

  • Command: BMINSERTPOINT

  • Shortcut: No default alias in most installations

  • Quick Steps:

    1. Switch to the relevant workspace and open the Civil or BIM-related tools from the Ribbon if the point tools are not visible.
    2. Start BMINSERTPOINT, then click in the drawing or enter the coordinate location manually.
    3. In the command options or Properties panel, set the elevation/value-related point parameters and confirm placement.

Variables & Settings

  • Key Setting: Point elevation/property fields in the Properties panel

  • Expert Setting: Make sure you enter the correct Z value when placing the point. If you leave the point at elevation 0, any later terrain or site modeling workflow that depends on vertical accuracy can be wrong even though the point appears correctly positioned in plan view.

Why it Fails

  • Cause 1 (Geometry): The point is inserted with the wrong Z elevation, so it does not represent the real survey location.
  • Cause 2 (layers/Locks): The target layer is locked or has visibility issues, making the Civil Point appear missing after insertion.
  • Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Users often place a standard POINT or block instead of a Civil Point object, which breaks civil-specific data workflows.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

  • Quick Fix: Use PROPERTIES immediately after insertion to verify coordinates, elevation, and layer assignment.
  • Manager’s Verdict: Use Civil Points when the project needs coordinate-driven site data, elevations, or survey workflows. Avoid replacing them with plain CAD points if the model will be reused for civil design, terrain, or data extraction.

FAQ

Is a Civil Point the same as a normal CAD point?
No, a Civil Point carries civil-oriented data beyond a simple visual point marker.

Can I edit a Civil Point after placing it?
Yes, you can usually adjust its properties such as location and elevation in the Properties panel.

Why does my point show in the wrong place?
It is usually caused by incorrect coordinates, UCS issues, or a wrong elevation value.

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