Civil 3D: Edit a DREFd Object with No Source

Civil 3D: Edit a DREFd Object with No Source

You have a drawing containing an alignment that was data referenced. The source drawing cannot be found, and you need to edit that alignment. How to do this? Read on.
Here you see the broken reference. The alignment can’t be edited or promoted.

Follow these steps:

1. Export the alignment to a LandXML file.
2. Start a new drawing and import that LandXML file.
3. Create a Data Shortcut to that alignment in the new drawing.
4. Open the original file and replace the existing alignment with the new Data shortcut. There is no more broken reference; the alignment source is now the newly saved drawing.

5. Open the new drawing and make your edits there as you normally would, remembering to synchronize the DREFs.

Enjoy!