Are there plans to add Top and Bottom Meshes to Surface Templates?
Are there plans to add Alternate Surfaces to Surface Templates?
As users are setting up ORD for production. It would be beneficial to know if Bentley was planning on supporting the creation of Top/Bottom Meshes and Alternate Surfaces from Surface Templates. Currently, the only problem with Surface Templates is creating the base and subgrade surfaces. Only one method seems to work, selecting the linear features from a graphical filter.
I, like many users, model using a combination of corridors, linear templates, terrains and surface templates. But if Top/Bottom Meshes and Alternate Surfaces only work for corridors and linear templates, why use them? It is tough to model most roadway projects with just corridors alone. Surface Templates seem to fill in a lot of gaps where corridor modeling becomes difficult. I see a lot of confusion out there on how to create sub surfaces. It would be nice to know if using linear features with graphical filters is the way forward or are Top/Bottom Meshes and Alternate surfaces a future enhancement with surface templates.
Thanks
That might explain why my top and bottom meshes aren't showing up on surface templates. Oddly, they show up when I use the template as a template drop in a corridor or linear template, but not as a surface template. I'll try making a closed shape.
I've had good luck creating comprehensive surface and subgrade terrain models by selecting the linear features in the 3D model. This is quite a bit easier when the points in the template have the appropriate feature definition assigned. It can be a little cumbersome in complex areas, but so far has worked very well. I essentially turn off the mesh levels in 3D, and just display the linear levels, select all the lines that are to be part of the terrain model, create new terrain model by elements, method is break line.
I have had difficulties with establishing a tight boundary when selecting breaklines from a graphical filter. If I use linear features as breaklines, what do you recommend for the boundary? For example, I may wish to create a proposed pavement terrain, but I do not want to use a sliver or maximum triangle length to establish the boundary. When I use meshes, the boundary is crisp.