In MX, we could offset strings, very useful in kerb and gutter, pick up lip line and then offset to invert, rather than survey invert, shows up correctly in contours and sections. How is this done in ORD? The answers to similar queries on the forum don't solve the problem.
I have seen many surveyors think this is great, then get in the field and in minutes abandon this. It just doesn't work to shoot curbs with handicapped sidewalks, curbs that 90 degree and transition, then an entrance, then the curb going to a flat elevation at the end, etc. Rinse and repeat for urban areas, especially older areas that could be torn up.
For a rural as built topo this may save a few shots but to me it's easier just to shoot each linear element. That way if anything funky comes along I have total control. Plus this allows for someone else to download with minimal cleanup and wonder what is happening. But to each their own and just my 2 cents. I know IDOT is maybe going to change the way things are coded so the Trimble data collectors can do line work on screen, that's a whole other animal and off in the future. Not sure templates work on Trimble.
No arguments here. But the question was asked.
Charles (Chuck) Rheault CADD Manager
MDOT State Highway Administration