> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.speckle.systems/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How to use Speckle for Civil 3D
> Step-by-step guide for using the Civil 3D connector
export const app_4 = "Civil 3D"
export const app_3 = "Civil 3D"
export const app_2 = "Civil 3D"
export const app_1 = "Civil 3D"
export const app_0 = "Civil 3D"
export const versions_0 = "2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, & 2026"
export const os_0 = "Windows"
Speckle currently supports {app_0} versions: **{versions_0}**.
The {app_0} connector works on **{os_0}** only.
## Setup
Install your [{app_1} connector](/connectors/installation)
1. In Civil 3D, select the **Speckle** tab in the ribbon.
2. Select **Speckle** to open the Civil 3D connector.
3) Select **Sign in** if you haven't linked your Speckle account.
1. Make sure your version of {app_2} is one of the supported versions.
2. Uninstall and [reinstall your connector](/connectors/installation).
Note: Make sure you are **not** selecting **Run as administrator** when installing - this will install for the administrator user, and not your own user.
Instead, double-click the `.exe` or right-clicking and then selecting `Open` to run the installer.
Installation issues can also be caused by conflicting plugins.
If you're still experiencing problems, please report it in our [Community Forum](https://speckle.community/c/help) and include the following information:
* Your application version
* Your Speckle connector version
If your connector window is floating, **try docking it to your application** to fix blank UI issues.
For major issues, you can sometimes find a `log` file in your directory at `AppData\Roaming\Speckle\Logs`.
Please report your problem in our [Community Forum](https://speckle.community/c/help) and include the following information:
* Your application version
* Your Speckle connector version
* A copy of the log
This can happen if our **desktop service** isn't running. Desktop Service is used for authenticating new accounts. If it's not running, search for **Speckle Desktop Services** in Windows search and run it.
All Speckle connectors are installed like any other program. You can uninstall them directly from your system's `Applications`. For a full uninstall, you should also remove **Speckle Desktop Services** as well as your Speckle connector.
You can always download the latest version of the connector [in the web app](https://app.speckle.systems/connectors).
If a new version of the connector is available, you will also see a notification in your connector UI.
## Publishing a Model
* Select an existing project
* or select **New Project** to create one
* Select an existing model
* or select **New Model** to create one
1. In your application viewport, select the elements you want to publish.
2. Select **Publish**.
3. Your model is now published to Speckle and is available to the rest of your team.
All visible types of objects supported by AutoCAD can be published from Civil 3D: `Geometry` , `Hatch`, `Text`, and `Blocks`. In addition to AutoCAD elements, any civil entity can be published as a `CivilObject` as well, and will contain:
* type
* base curve (if any)
* children elements (e.g. corridor baselines)
* custom properties
* color
* render material
Solids will only be published as `Mesh` geometry.
All custom properties can be found under the `properties` field when you select and view a Civil 3D object in your browser.Custom properties vary depending on the type of civil element, and can include:
* extension dictionary
* property set
* Network part: part data
* Catchment: hydrological and hydraulic props
* Surface: statistics
* Corridor: featurelines and codes
* and more
Use the reference point options in your connected workflow (including cloud sync flows that support reference point
input) to align placement with other models. Confirm your project coordinate strategy before publishing to avoid
repeated offset corrections.
New model creation defaults to the current file name so you can publish faster without cleaning up a full file path.
You can still edit the model name before publishing.
In the viewer, select the **View Modes** button in the side bar, and switch the view mode to **Shaded**. If you still don't see your object colors, let us know in our [Community Forum](https://speckle.community/c/help)
**Image texture files are not supported.** Speckle does **not** transfer bitmaps or other image maps (such as JPG or PNG files) embedded in materials from the source application.
Speckle **does** carry [PBR-style material data](/developers/sdks/python/guides/understanding-speckle-mesh#render-materials) in general—where a connector maps to it, materials can include properties such as base colour, opacity, metalness, roughness, and emissive colour. That is not the same as shipping texture images: you get numeric material parameters, not image assets used for wood grain, brick patterns, and similar in the authoring tool.
Different materials can still appear separately in the destination with distinct colours and PBR fields. What you see may look closer to a consistent shaded or PBR preview than to the full render-appearance with image maps in tools such as Revit or SketchUp. To use image textures in your target application, apply or remap them locally after you publish or load.
After you publish a Speckle model, click on the **Report** button to see any errors that may have occurred.
Click on any item in the report to highlight that item in your application. Some objects may not be supported for publishing.
## Loading a Model
* Latest version is always first.
* To load a specific version, select it from the UI.
Your selected model is now loaded in {app_3}.
All objects in Speckle models are loaded as `geometry`, `text`, or `blocks` in Civil 3D. They will be created in a flattened layer structure as what you see when viewing your model in your browser. Each object will be loaded with:
* render material (if any)
* color (if any)
Speckle models are loaded into their own `Selection Set`. You can use this to easily select all layers created by your loaded model.
After you load a Speckle model, click on the **Report** button to see any errors that may have occurred.
Click on any item in the report to highlight that item in your application. Some objects may not be supported for loading in {app_4}.
**Image texture files are not supported.** Speckle does **not** transfer bitmaps or other image maps (such as JPG or PNG files) embedded in materials from the source application.
Speckle **does** carry [PBR-style material data](/developers/sdks/python/guides/understanding-speckle-mesh#render-materials) in general—where a connector maps to it, materials can include properties such as base colour, opacity, metalness, roughness, and emissive colour. That is not the same as shipping texture images: you get numeric material parameters, not image assets used for wood grain, brick patterns, and similar in the authoring tool.
Different materials can still appear separately in the destination with distinct colours and PBR fields. What you see may look closer to a consistent shaded or PBR preview than to the full render-appearance with image maps in tools such as Revit or SketchUp. To use image textures in your target application, apply or remap them locally after you publish or load.
This happens when you don't have permissions to load a project. Contact the project owner to change your role.
Yes. Next to the search box in the project selection dialog, there's an **Add model by URL** option. Paste the model URL there.