Gabby Winkey
As civil infrastructure projects grow in scale and complexity, project teams are increasingly turning to cloud workflows to improve efficiency, collaboration, and transparency. For Civil 3D users working in Autodesk Docs, one persistent challenge has been maintaining visual consistency—especially when drawings rely on custom CAD standards stored locally.
If you’ve ever opened a Civil 3D drawing in Autodesk Docs and noticed missing fonts or incorrect linework, you’re not alone. Many teams have had to take extra steps, like publishing to PDF, just to make sure drawings display as intended.
Connected Support Files address this issue by enabling Civil 3D users to connect critical CAD standards such as custom fonts, plot styles, linetypes, and more directly to their Autodesk Docs project. This ensures that everyone accessing the project sees the same information, leading to accurate drawing display, faster setup, and more consistent deliverables. Whether you’re reviewing or contributing to design work, this creates a smoother, more dependable experience from start to finish.
What are Connected Support Files?
Connected Support Files are cloud-hosted resources that contain essential CAD standards used by AutoCAD and Civil 3D. These files are linked to a specific Autodesk Docs project by a project administrator. Once connected, they automatically support all DWG files in that project, helping ensure that drawings open and display correctly in Autodesk Construction Cloud without requiring local CAD standards on each user’s device.
Key benefits and use cases
1. Accurate DWG viewing in the cloud
With support files connected to the project, DWG files viewed in Autodesk Docs now appear as they were authored in Civil 3D. This eliminates the need to generate PDFs simply to validate visual accuracy, enabling faster, more confident cloud-based reviews.
“This is going to be a huge benefit for our team. We’ll be able to review drawings in the cloud without needing to plot to PDF first.”
– Civil 3D user, U.S.-based engineering consultancy
2. Standardization across teams and firms
Whether working internally or with external consultants, project teams can now ensure that all stakeholders reference the same up to date standards. Once the support file connection is established, all project team members with View and Download access automatically inherit the correct configuration—streamlining onboarding and reducing risk of visual discrepancies.
3. Reduced setup time and fewer errors
Support files only need to be connected once per project. From there, any new or existing DWG files within the project automatically uses the configured project drawing template and CAD standards—eliminating the need for users to manually set paths or remember which standards to apply.
How it works in Civil 3D and Autodesk Docs
1. A project administrator creates a folder in Autodesk Docs containing the firm’s or client’s CAD standards.
2. Using Civil 3D 2026, the admin connects that folder to the project via the Options dialog.
3. A configuration file (JSON) is automatically created in a new folder named “.autodesk.support”, informing the Autodesk Docs project where to locate the required support files.
4. Once connected, any project member with appropriate permissions can view or edit the drawings with full parity whether they are authoring on desktop or reviewing in the cloud.
This setup allows teams to manage and update their standards centrally. Any changes to the support files are immediately reflected across the project, reducing the need for version control or individual file distribution.
Advancing drawing collaboration and fidelity in the cloud
By enabling teams to establish a shared standard for drawing content, Connected Support Files support better coordination, faster QA/QC workflows, and a more scalable approach to design collaboration. For Civil 3D users managing deliverables in Autodesk Docs, this feature simplifies the path to consistent deliverables—without the added steps of plotting or manually sharing support files.
