I have received several files from our surveyors that have any number of points drawn into them. These are not COGO points. They are spot elevation points shot along the centerline of a road. They are graphic cell elements, more or less in a line, that I need to generate horizontal and (corresponding) vertical geometry from.
i have no idea how to turn this collection of spots into an alignment, let alone how to get that alignment to read and generate its own vertical geometry from the spot point elevations.
Can this be done strictly from elements? Do I need to request the FWD file (If so, what do I do with it)?
I know I can import the symbols to be COGO points, but that isn't getting me any closer to a solution.Chain Points looks promising, but that wants me to physically click from point to point to point to point...Create Alignment from COGO points looks promising also, but it doesn't do what I think it does.Curve fitting looks interesting, but that appears to be more for refining AFTER I've chained the points together.
Any suggestions or guidance?Thank you.MaryBPower InRoads 08.11.07.615
Mary,
After looking at your data, I wonder if it isn't easier to process the data in a text editor that can record and run macro's.That way you can strip all data except the northing, easting and elevation, creating a list of coordinates.You then import those as a single line / linestring. This only works if the points in the file are in the correct order.I used to do this in both autocad (paste to commandline) and MX (import genio). I'm not familiar with the software you're using, but most have some way to import a file with coordinates to a single line.
Jan
Answer Verified By: MaryB
Jan Blaasse said: This only works if the points in the file are in the correct order.
And isn't that the $1000 question...This might be a little simpler if there was a way to graphically select the points I want to work with, instead of having to select them by number or individually. That way I could exclude points I don't need in case the numbers aren't sequential or if there are other factors complicating a simple linestring (like how they may have shot divided highways).
Horizontal regression appears to work, but the alignment generated is full of non-tangencies and "non-coincident" elements. The cleanup involved may be more time-prohibitive than manually chaining each and every point by hand.
MaryB
Power GeoPak 08.11.09.918Power InRoads 08.11.09.918OpenRoads Designer 2021 R2
Use Single Element Regression and just define the Linear. You can create a single tangent through all the points. But it's not going to connect each point like you originally mentioned, but regress a single tangent as a best fit through them all.
If the road is straight, that works. What are my options if the road has curves and turns?
I use Single Element Regression 'Linear' to regress and store the Tangents, and then Single Element Regression "Curve" to regress and note the curve radius. Then once the Tangents are all stored, I'll go to the Horizontal Element - Free Curve tool and add the curves with the radius noted in the Regression.