Pwer Civil: Vertical Alignment Component tool

Neil

I have just run through the creation of a profile without a problem. Once I had the profile cell with the existing ground displayed, I went through the following steps using the Vertical component tools:

1. Created two tangents with 'Profile Line by Points'
2. Using 'Create Profile Curve between two elements', I selected the first tangent and Accepted (i.e. two left mouse button clicks required), then the second tangent and Accepted (once again, 2 clicks), and then moved the cursor around until the vertical curve was where I wanted it, and Accepted.

Then, using 'Store Vertical Alignment', I gave the name for my profile, selected the first tangent and Accepted (only first tangent highlighted), then Accepted again to highlight the profile, and Accepted again to store.

I find it very useful to keep an eye on the prompts at the left of the status bar to keep track of when I need to Accept.

I hope this helps.

Here are my files. I appreciate your looking at this. It probably is a workflow step on my part. I don't have time to post the GSF but at least you can see if you can do anything with the profile tools.

 By the way, we could use a few more allowable file extensions in the posting filter.

Hi Neil,

 the existing surface profile is (in some places) beyond the range of the profile cell.

I'd suggest that when you try and select the second vertical component - it is also outside the Profile Cell extent and it will not be found.

Delete the Profile cell and redraw it with range settings so that the existing surface profile is contained within the range and then try the Vertical Compoennt tools.

I'm confident all will be good then.

The Vertical components must have at least one vertice (one end) within the range of teh profile cell to be selected for use.

HTHs.

Post a message in the BE Forums Feedback section. I recently posted one for InRoads extensions

http://communities.bentley.com/help/general/f/9549/t/15731.aspx

Michael,

I followed your suggestion and created a new profile cell but I did not limit the station range. As an experiment I did not add any suface sampling to the cell and I was able to create and store the tangents properly. However, once I added the existing ground profile I could not store the tangents. So apparently the tool is recognizing the sampled surfaces and if the chain/profile cell extends beyond the EG surface the tool will fail, even if the tangents are drawn within the extents of the surface. Is this correct, and if so could you explain what is happening here?

Hi neil,

 you may have misunderstood what I was refering to whne I said "range". I was refering to the vertical extents of the profile cell.

The DGN you sent had the majority of the existing surface profile above the top of the profile cell vertical axis.

The Profile cell automatically knows the horizontal extents it needs based on the selected Chain but the User needs to set the vertical extents. The Elevation value and the Top and Bottom Delta values for the profile cell. These 3 settings must be set so that the vertical axis of the profile cell totally covers the vertical range of the existing and design surfaces.

Try resetting these values accordingly.

If you are still having problems - please contact me via email and I'll give you a call.

Bye for now,

Hi neil,

 you may have misunderstood what I was refering to whne I said "range". I was refering to the vertical extents of the profile cell.

The DGN you sent had the majority of the existing surface profile above the top of the profile cell vertical axis.

The Profile cell automatically knows the horizontal extents it needs based on the selected Chain but the User needs to set the vertical extents. The Elevation value and the Top and Bottom Delta values for the profile cell. These 3 settings must be set so that the vertical axis of the profile cell totally covers the vertical range of the existing and design surfaces.

Try resetting these values accordingly.

If you are still having problems - please contact me via email and I'll give you a call.

Bye for now,

Hi again,

The cell is created based on the Chain. The Chain has no vertical information. The surfaces are added after the cell is created - which is why we cannot auto populate the vertical details.

We use the same tools within the Modeler environment - the Edit Profile tool. We can (and do) auto-populate the details when using Edit Profile. In this application of the profile cell, the User selects Site elements for editing before the cell is created so we do know the vertical details and can set the cell ranges accordingly.

Yes I understood that. I was suggesting that there be a selector for picking a surface to use when defining the profile cell which would then provide enough info to calculate the elevation parameter and set the vertical extents. Similar capabilities are included in most of the other civil design applications I have used. Currently we have to fire up the Elevation analysis tool and manually calculate the parameters.

 Thanks Michael.

I agree Neil.  As a user of Inroads also, I find that product has a lot more flexibility in display options for the profiles and cross sections.  along with the automatic sampling to the surface to be displayed in the profile grid, adding grid to the begining or end of a profile is also helpful.

 Got to run, time to make an enhancement request.