So civil3D is really just a bunch of tool palettes on top of AutoCAD. Autodesk AutoCAD is a difficult to believe behemoth. It's like 40 year old software that

So civil3D is really just a bunch of tool palettes on top of AutoCAD. Autodesk AutoCAD is a difficult to believe behemoth. It's like 40 year old software that NEVER EVER deprecates anything ever and runs lisp routines and all manner of things. It interoperates with dozens of other software packages, with hundreds of 3rd party add-ons. It supports a number of APIs for customization and automation. ncluding AutoLISP, Visual LISP, VBA, .NET and ObjectARX. People literally make whole careers just out of learning the ins and outs of civil3d.