Autodesk 23703-010008-1600A - Civil 3D 2006 Essentials, Manual

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Because a Civil 3D surface is not connected to an external data file, many
steps that were required in Land Desktop become unnecessary, such as using
commands like Import 3D Lines, Create Contours, Build Surface, and Quick
View. Also, other commands become a lot simpler to use—for example, Undo,
Redo, Move, and Rotate. Have you ever wished that you could simply Undo
an errant surface edit? With Civil 3D, you can.
Because the surface object is the only representation of the surface data, you
no longer have to worry about whether the surface displayed in your drawing
actually matches the surface in your data file. For example, with Land Desktop,
you sometimes had to worry that someone might modify the contours
displayed on the screen, and as a result, the surface might not match the
surface file currently being staked in the field. By maintaining a single surface
object, the process of creating and editing a surface is simpler, and the chances
of errors are reduced.
Like Civil 3D points, surfaces can also be dynamic. By simply modifying the
underlying data used to create the surface, the surface is updated automatically.
For example, in Civil 3D, if you move a point or grip edit a boundary, the
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