I recently started working on projects in OpenRoads Designer CE 2022 as part of the first step in switching over from Power GEOPAK SS4 and one of the tool I missed the most is DTM Tools that allows you to check slopes and flow arrows on terrain relatively quick.
After spending some time navigating through ORD to find comparable tools, I realized it's coming up a little short in terms of the efficiency.
Here are my issues;
1) To see flow arrows in a specific location (e.g. at curb face at a corner), I had to either turn on the flow arrows symbology on my terrain properties (which would really clutter up the entire view with arrows everywhere) or use "Analyze Between Points" which has a relatively large non-customizable annotation and also requires clicking the terrain every single time I wanted to use the tool.
2) To see existing elevation at a spot, Label Terrain Spots is probably the answer - the downside is difficulty in customizing the annotation (which isn't really that big of a deal for most probably) and also requiring a click on the terrain model every time I run the tool.
DTM Tools in Geopak would do both relatively quick with the .tin file already loaded and I can place flow arrow or label existing elevation wherever I want, along with the ability to customize the text/symbology.
Just to get a thought from others who have been using ORD for a much longer time than myself - is there a better way to do this or do I resign to my fate and work with whatever ORD have to offer?
My usage is inclined towards preliminary design and not so much for plan production - it doesn't need to be perfect but just a quicker way of doing things. I also tried the Civil Labeler and it just shows up a blank window, which I'm assuming is a setup issue on our side that hasn't been resolved yet.
Thanks for the prompt response though!
In addition to what Dick is asking for, I would love to see the GEOPAK DTM Tools - Drainage Tools incorporated into ORD. I frequently used the Drainage Patterns lines to help identify drainage areas. I have not found an equivalent tool in ORD.
Hi Dick,
Have you tried to see if Civil Labeler has some functionality to help? Much more control of annotation for plan production.
Regards,
Mark
OpenRoads Designer 2022 R3 (10.12) | Microstation 2023 | ProjectWise CE 3.4