I am using Inroads Suite XM Edition. When I create my cross sections I notice that my proposed surface, in many cases, does not actually meet the existing ground surface like it should. In roadway modeler, the section views all look correct, but in the actual cross sections the end conditions sometimes end short of meeting the existing ground surface and sometimes they go beyond the existing ground surface. This applies in both fill and cut sections, with and without "rounding" option for the cut component. Again, when viewing the sections in roadway modeler, everything looks correct. The "End Condition Properties" in my template has the "End Condition is Infinite" option checked on as well. Can someone tell me how to fix this issue?
If you are not cutting cross sections at points that match template drops, then gaps can easily happen.
Also, there is a method of plotting surfaces in cross sections that only draws segments between features. I've seen it happen that the last segment of a surface is not drawn because there was no linear feature at the tie in - only random points.
Charles (Chuck) Rheault CADD Manager
MDOT State Highway Administration
I understand a component section not completing due to a ground surface not having enough coverage (i.e. the existing ground is surveyed out 50 ft from the baseline but the proposed surface is going out 75 ft from the baseline). Hoever, I don't understand your other statement. Are you saying that if I run my template drops at 50 ft intervals starting at station 5+10.0, that at station 5+25 (not on a template drop station), my section might show a gap between the end condition and the existing ground, but at station 5+60.0 the end condition should match to existing ground because it does fall on a template drop station?
In Surface Properties>Advanced look at "Use Features Only" x-section setting to see how it may help.
Creating Transverse features in you roadway designer created surface may help as it forces DTM triangulation to honor design template and you won't get any triangles crossing these breaklines.
Exactly.
The tie-ins are calculated at template drop locations and in between, it draws a straight line. The line it draws will be on the surface at each endpoint, but in between the endpoints, it might be above or below the existing ground surface. it all depends upon how undulating the existing ground surface is.
If you think about it, years ago, almost every road ever built was designed using cross sections at 50 foot intervals. In between those, there had to be variations, but the engineer on site made it work.
That's also why you have station lock - to force template drops at even stations even if your starting station was odd. And also why you can force template drops at critical stations and also cut cross sections at critical stations.
caddcop is correct. If you want to cut cross sections every 25' but do a template drop every 50' InRoads interprates between the 50' space to come up with a cross section. And you get slope intercepts that don't hit existing ground. My rule of thumb is a template drop at least 1/2 the length of what I expect to cut cross section sheets at.