When creating vertical geometry, is there a way to make the profile feature definition automatically match the horizontal feature definition? When designing a junction layout, I will design the horizontal first, setting the feature definitions as appropriate for each feature, then design the vertical. It's really annoying, and time wasting, having to keep changing the active feature definition when doing the vertical.
It would also be useful if the name seed for the vertical profile would automatically take the name of the horizontal feature. Again, would save having to rename the element every time to match the horizontal feature.
Stewart - I agree that this was a giant step backwards from OpenRoads SS4. Add my name to this list of people asking for this to be corrected.
Robert Garrett Senior Consultant
www.envisioncad.com
Some additional clarification on how it should work and why current behavior is a problem.
On the left, is the alignment (the short line)
On the right is profile.
Notice that the existing ground profile is defined as Existing Terrain Boundary. I did not have to set this. It inherited this from the terrain model being depicted. I can change it if I want, or I can set an element template to override, but the default behavior is that this profile inherits its feature definition from the parent terrain model. This is correct, expected and has been this way since the inception of OpenRoads
The profile line however has a completely different feature definition from its parent horizontal alignment. Why? because it does not inherit from the parent horizontal. This can happen because of inattention or any number of other things but the result is that by default, my design profile for any alignment will be the wrong feature definition. This is incorrect and is a change from the behavior established in SS4.
Is This in ORD?
We have ours setup to draw the same feature definition for Plan and Profile. In ORD it is done in the Feature Definition. You set a default name seed (plan and profile will receive this when drawing a new profile element) and set how it is displayed in plan and how it is displayed in the profile.
These are created in the Feature Symbologies. One for Plan and One for profile. In the Feature definitions for this example I used a berm line and used the Feature Symbologies for the Berm_Line_New for Linear and Profile elements. These symbologies then link back to the element template for a Berm Line (New). That Element Template sets the level, color, style etc. If you are in OpenRoads that seems to be the way things are controlled.
If I were to change the Feature Symbology under the Feature Definition properties to "No Feature Symbology" I would get a non-featured element. Hope this helps or even is relative to what you are doing. But I know if I change this feature symbology to anything other than Berm_Line_New, it will take on that feature definition for the Profile.
Yes, everything you say is true and my FD are defined similarly. The problem is that when creating profile elements I must tell each profile element that "You are feature definition X" This should not be necessary because the parent horizontal element already knows "I am feature definition X". In other words the profile should, but does not inherit knowledge of the FD. In OpenRoads SS4 it did.
I think this change may have been introduced to better handle support for multiple profiles within the profile view so that they can each have their own defined feature definition and associated feature symbology and annotation group for drawing production.
This is more like InRoads Styles then, where a Horizontal Alignment had a style and a Vertical Alignment also had a Style. However, in later releases, if you wanted dynamic Annotation, you had to synchronize these to the same named Style. Any of us who had set that up found the Ss4 Open Roads approach workable.
So, does the "Use Active Feature Definition" toggle also apply to Profiles, and can one Feature Definition apply to both Plan and Profile Civil Geometry?
Charles (Chuck) Rheault CADD Manager
MDOT State Highway Administration
Yes the "Use Active Feature Definition" toggle applies to Profiles. A Feature Definition can be used for Plan and Profile Civil Geometry where the feature symbology(s) for plan/profile/3D associated with the feature definition can be different if desired.