Hello Dynamo Community
I’ve developed a graph that generates vertical borehole solids from Excel data for Civil 3D projects. I’d like to enhance it with two advanced features and would appreciate your guidance. Automatic Assign colors to each 3D soil/rock layer based on lithology type imported from Excel Data Attach layer properties (thickness, material, test data) from Excel as property sets or object data to each corresponding solid within Civil 3D. Additionally, I’m planning to extend this workflow to create inclined boreholes
Could you add a screenshot where the name of the nodes i readable? Also add a example of excel, dwg file and the .dyn file will make it easier for us to help you.
Before you get too far, have you looked into the Geotechnical module that can be installed with Civil 3d? Definitely worth a look into when this tool may be able to do your end goal without all the management and maintenance of looking after a dynamo script for scalable use.
Autodesk Civil 3D 2026 Help | What is the Geotechnical Modeler? | Autodesk
Yes, I’m familiar with the Geotechnical module in Civil 3D. It’s definitely a useful tool. For this workflow though I’m currently evaluating the best approach based on flexibility and project requirements.
This is an interesting use case, but it’s missing any sort of data set so I can’t do anything real or test stuff.
I’m also not at all sure what guidance you’re looking for.I would offer a few bits of insight.
- I doubt the data is ‘native’ to excel - usually if you can avoid the export you’ll get better results. Is there any sort of interop API for the previous application? If not you might want to consider asking for such (software teams won’t build what isn’t asked for).
- Assuming you have to go the intermediate file route, Excel is a poor choice for data interop. CSV is more cross-functional and stable. JSON would be better for structuring the data, and a binary format would be better for speed (on a interop project I was working on I recently switched from a JSON to a custom binary file and my graph run time went from 4 minutes per run to 2 seconds per run).
- I am not aware of a way to ‘color’ objects in AutoCAD beyond layering and specific styling methods, and “lithology data” doesn’t exist to my knowledge. However you can manage this in Dynamo via GeometryColor.BySurfaceColors quite well though, and also via Revit using the node
FaceAnalysisDisplay.ByViewFacePointsAndValues or via the API using methods in the Autodesk.Revit.DB.Analysis namespace.
- Inclined and even non-linear borehole data (assuming that is a thing you could physically get) wouldn’t take much effort to make either - the production method would be a sequence of points to produce a surface, and then adding the ‘coloring’ mechanism for the display. Assuming the source data is ordered something like
[positionX, positionY, positionZ, lithologyParameter] it’d be rather straight forward from a Dynamo perspective; doublely so if the lithologyParameter is a value between 0 and 1 (assuming something like bearing capacity, with 0 being no capacity and 1 being maximum capacity).
Here you can find .dyn and Excell files
3D_Virtical Bore Hole.dyn (55.8 KB)
Lithology.xlsx (9.0 KB)
Location Details.xls (282 Bytes)
