Road with trench what have different vertical alignment

What is the easiest way to make from the dependent element (corridor) to independent (static) element? For example i have axis of the road along which is trench. Often I keep the same vertical alignment, but sometimes i need it adjust. The easiest way for me is draw on trench axis new profile and select him as active, but nothing happens. I cant set new profil as control for trench axis point, becuse there is dependecy problem (some times program alert this, but more often start endless cycle). I found only one (bad) way - create 3Delement form profile, now create parallel to him and this element can control trench axis.

I also confused what happens when i draw the trench axis of the template and also add to profile my own vertical alignment which i draw as 3D element... Consequently i have in drawing two elements named ditch axis, but in the sheet of elements is only one. Moreover, these two elements are guided somehow, if I change one eg. name or color... this change is reflected in both. 

The newly added 3D element is not a true corridor element (true can not delete). Sometimes I managed to change it to an independent element and therefore was at the root of the 3D elements instead of under the elements of the corridor. But I do not know how I did it :(

  • When you create an alternative profile for the trench, you cannot snap to the design surface and then tie it back into the corridor that generated the design surface. That creates a circular reference. You can use the design surface as a visual guide while creating the profile but must not snap to it.
    It's related to the Rules/Design Intent code. By snapping to the design surface, it sees the profile as a derivative product of the design surface. It therefore prevents you from trying to add it as a control to the corridor as the surface is a derivative product of the corridor.
    If the profile is created without snapping to the surface and only relies on non-fixed points, points at station/elevation, lines between these points and fitted curves between these lines, there should be no reason it can't be used as a control.

    Charles (Chuck) Rheault
    CADD Manager

    MDOT State Highway Administration

    • MicroStation user since IGDS, InRoads user since TDP.
    • AutoCAD, Land Desktop and Civil 3D, off and on since 1996
  • Thanks for the reply. I understand that the element in the corridor has many rules, so I would like to know how to convert this element to only "graphics" without rules.

    I made a video where I create profile that is totally independent of the surface or anything else. When I control point with this profile, program does not report dependency, but begins endless cycle. Probably because the profile is bound to a horizontal geometry whose position new profile change.

    PowerCivil for Czech Republic V8i (SS4) 08.11.09.790