There are four primary workspaces that install with AutoCAD Map 3D: the Maintenance Workspace,

the Planning and Analysis Workspace, the 2D Drafting Workspace, and the Map Classic Workspace.

Each of these workspaces is targeted to a specific type of activity, and perhaps even more

importantly, to specific types of data that you might work with within AutoCAD Map.

An important aspect of understanding how AutoCAD Map 3D's menu systems are structured is to

understand that the software works with three very distinctive types of data: industry data models,

FDO connections, and standard drawing files that have AutoCAD Map 3D-specific data and definitions

The organization of the menus and ribbons reflect how you might work with different types of data,

and also how you might utilize and analyze that data.

Go to the bottom right of the AutoCAD Map window, find the gear symbol and click the chevron to the

right of the gear, which opens the workspace chooser. Here, you can see the four workspaces. For

faster access to the workspace chooser, add this item to your Quick Access Toolbar by selecting the

chevron with a line over it in the upper left area of your Map 3D window. When the pull-down menu

appears, select workspace.

Start by exploring the Maintenance Workspace.

Once you set the Maintenance Workspace current, one of the first things that you'll notice is that the

Industry Model Explorer opens. This supports the industry data models that are included in the

AutoCAD Map. When you open a drawing that has an embedded industry model, that industry model

is displayed with workflows and components listed. You'll also notice that in the Home tab, there is a

Connect to Data panel that enables you to connect directly to an enterprise data model. The other

tabs in this workspace also support working with industry data models. For example, click the Analyze

tab, and you see most of the tools that you can use for validation, as well as analysis of those

industry data models. This workspace would really only be used if you are working with either

enterprise data models, or data models that are embedded in AutoCAD Map 3D drawing files.

Next, switch to the 2D Drafting Workspace, and close the Industry Model Explorer.

This workspace attempts to maintain as much of the standard AutoCAD structure as possible, while

adding two tabs for Map Drafting and Map Data Analysis. Click through the Insert, Annotate and
Manage tabs, and you can see that these tools are standard AutoCAD features.

Click the Map Drafting tab. Here is where you find many of the most commonly used AutoCAD Map

3D commands that are used to create and manage maps. In the Insert panel, you can attach source

drawings or connect to data. In the Query panel, you can

define queries or run queries. And you also have panels to manage images, save sets, manipulate

geometry, produce output, and manage coordinate systems.

Click the Map Data and Analysis tab, and here again, you find panels that are specific to AutoCAD

Map 3D to perform analysis and manage data.

The purpose of this workspace is that you might be working primarily using AutoCAD tools, but

occasionally need to use AutoCAD Map-specific commands to manage geometry. This workspace

gives you a familiar interface, and easy access to some of the most common AutoCAD Map features.

Lastly, switch to the Planning and Analysis Workspace. This workspace combines AutoCAD

commands with AutoCAD Map 3D commands in an integrated structure. Furthermore, this workspace

combines commands that are used to manage drawing-based maps, as well as to connect data

through FDO providers. This is the workspace you will be using for most of the exercises in this

course.

Here on the Home tab, you can connect through FDO, or attach source drawings. This is an example

of combining two very different types of data under the same general task of accessing that data. The

rest of the panels on the Home tab are mostly standard AutoCAD tools.

Next, click the Insert tab. Here, you have insertions for AutoCAD blocks, standard AutoCAD block

attribute and external reference tools, as well as some AutoCAD Map 3D commands such as Image

management, Map Import, and FDO Import.

On the Annotate tab, the first panel is specific to AutoCAD Map for map annotation. The remaining

panels are AutoCAD-based tools for annotation, such as standard text, dimensions, and leaders.

On the Feature Edit tab, are tools that are used to edit feature sources that are connected through

FDO. In the Edit Set panel, you can manage edit sets with a check-out and check-in process, and so

on. The Modify panel contains standard AutoCAD tools for manipulating existing geometry, such as

Move, Copy, and Rotate, to name a few. There is also a Split/Merge panel that you use specifically to

modify connected features.

The Create tab has panels that enable you to easily access commands to work with features, feature

data store, point clouds, 3D surfaces, drawing objects, symbol creation and editing, performing object
queries, and topologies.

Again, the main point of this Planning and Analysis Workspace is that it is designed for users that are

primarily using AutoCAD Map 3D commands, working with both FDO and drawing-based data, as

well as manipulating standard AutoCAD objects. Since this course will focus on AutoCAD Map 3D

features and functions, using both the drawing and FDO data, and not industry models, this will be

the workspace that you will primarily use throughout this course.