Annotative Baseline Stationing and Annotations

Question

Hello Everyone, 
 I have been searching online and in forums for an answer to this questions but cannot seem to find one. Is there any way to set up baseline stationing and annotation so that it is annotative? Currently, the workflow we use is to create multiple levels within our baseline file for the different baseline scales. I do not really like this approach because if the baseline geometry changes then you need to go through all the various baseline scale levels and update the stationing and annotations accordingly, which can be tedious and error prone. Right now I am trying to get my company to make the switch to start using InRoads SS4, mainly for is more dynamic capabilities when it comes to modifying/adjusting alignments/corridors/surfaces/etc. and what hoping that there may be a way with this newer version to also make annotations annotative. I know that for AutoCAD baselines are not only dynamic but all the stationing (labels, tick marks) and annotations (PT/PC callouts, bearings) are also dynamic and annotative so that if you change the geometry or annotation scale everything updates accordingly. I am hoping there may be a way to do something similar with SS4 but have not found any documentation on it yet. If this still is not possible, will this functionally be available in the Connect edition? Thank you. 
 Carl

Carl Oberg · Answer

Chuck, 
 Thank you for your input and I very much do understand your point for the need to have different styles based on the scale you are annotating. As I mentioned, the way we do our baseline stationing and annotation now using InRoads SS2 is to have the different preferences set up for and additionally have different levels in our baseline file for the various scales. I don't really like this because this stationing/anotation is not technically dynamic and physically tied to the baseline, therefore, if/when the geometry changes you have to go through and manually update the stationing for each of the baseline scales, which can be very tedious and be prone to errors if someone forgets to update a scale level. 
 I started looking and working with InRoads SS4 and I actually thing this issue becomes more difficult with creating stationing and annotations for multiple scales. The reason I say this because with SS4, it appears that stationing/annotation of a baseline is applied by assigning a style parameter to the baseline element that has the stationing/annotation preferences assigned to it. The issue here is that when you assign thay style, the stationing/annotation is placed at the scale set in the inroads preference, but when it's placed, it is tied to the baseline and will update/change when the baseline changes. Unlike terrain, you cannot override the display style of a baseline element (or at least not that I have found) therefore I am not sure how you can use the same baseline but have different stationing/annotation scales? If you could set up separate styles and be able to override the baseline style when you reference it into another file then I think that would work. I think then the only other way then is to export the baseline back out to the native .alg format and station/annotate the way we have been, however, this then seems to remove the dynamic capabilites of the baseline which is very benificial..... I wish Bently had suggestions/best practices for handling this. I may have to give them a call and see if they can suggest a better workflow for this.

Annotative Baseline Stationing and Annotations

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