Hand-editing Cross Sections and pushing changes back to Design?

I have a number of manual changes to make to my cross sections. These are isolated, one-off items that are driven by Engineer's opinion than by reproducible programmatic logic. Things like "why don't we just tie to existing ground at that one section" or "we don't need a ditch, but could you show some grading so it will drain right in there".

As small as these items are, I want these changes reflected in my construction limits (proposed surface boundary) and, if possible, in my proposed surface. Is there a way to "push" hand edits back to my design surface?

Also, I need to run end area/volumes for my earthwork computations. Do those run by cross sections, or are they from model to model? Will they calculate along the top of my design, or will it find my components and include/exclude those volumes as appropriate? All the more reason to make sure that my hand-edits can be pushed back to design...

Thank you.

  • In this version, I believe it reads the surface elements. As such, only insert vertex, delete vertex, modify, extent to intersection are available as tools. If you create new elements that are not recognized by InRoads as coming from a surface, it will ignore them. The same goes for components. I had a project where every now and then, a component would be missed on a section. I could draw one in, or even copy one from an adjacent section, but InRoads would ignore it.
    There used to be a tool that allowed you to identify elements as being Surface elements and then you could use Surface from Sections to make a surface.
    If End Condition Exceptions can be used, that's a better option. Or use the feature tools to develop a 3D feature to follow in that area and adding it as a H&V point control. Lastly you could use those same tools to modify the breaklines of your corridor and regenerate a surface from it. I believe if you modify all features used by a component, you might even be able to redisplay a new version of the component. And if that seems to work, refresh the ross sections and try running the volumes again.

    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
  • In SS2 and SS4 you can edit a single station template. Doing so you are working on a single station and in the template view and design is updated accordingly.
    Another way is to edit features in SS2, but unfortunately you can override the changes if you run the corridor in the same zone.
    In SS4 you can control points using linear geometry and change the linear geometry, but it is not like changing the template: you don't work on a cross section view (you can also do this in SS2 with feature). In SS2 changing the feature also change the component.
    In SS4 it is much more easier also to mix design using corridor and other methods (linear geometry, surface templates, linear templates), you may find an appropriate workflow.
    But as said at the beginning, you can edit a single station. In SS2 by a double click on the cross section view of the Roadway Designer, in SS4 by using the "edit station" from the cross section tools in the corridor modelling task.



  • I would NEVER edit the Roadway Designer Template drop!..........No good can from it. Trust me, I got burned by it in the past and will never do it again.

    From what I understand the drop is edited in the designer and any further changes to the Horizontal, Vertical, Super, Templates changes, ETC ETC as well as parametric constraints, H&V controls will no longer be supported. Please correct me if I am wrong here.

    This utility was put in by Bentley to support FINAL changes to your roadway just before you would submit FINAL plans.

    HTH,

    Joe Lukovits

    User Since TDP in the 80's,

    Vax based Unix Workstations - Interpro32,

    from the Intergraph Corp.

     

     

  • Editing in the Roadway Designer has its place, and is a very powerful form of editing that can produce results like no other editing. But you just have to FULLY understand the implications. Just because a lack of understanding in the past had caused a problem is no reason to avoid functionality in the future.
     
    Civilly yours,
    The Zen Dude (also known as "Mark")
    Civil Software Guru & Philosopher
    InRoads User since its birth in the 80's
    OpenRoads Documentation / Training / Support
    Zen Engineering, Owner
  • Thanks Mark, you are correct....

    It is a powerful and useful tool but users should use caution when using this utility. Users must be aware of the impacts involved when using this. This was meant to be a utility to perform a "fix" as a final change to the surface model before submission.

    There are other tools that SS2 has to perform making changes without editing the template drop in the designer. I use End Condition Exceptions, H&V Controls and Parametric Constraints or Display Rules. I use these tools regularly and with a little education of these tools I have found them to be user friendly and very powerful.

    Regards,

    Joe Lukovits

    User Since TDP in the 80's,

    Vax based Unix Workstations - Interpro32,

    from the Intergraph Corp.