Edited triangles and LandXML

Question

InRoads version 615 
 Triangles in a DTM were edited (flipping and deleting), the surface saved and a LandXML file generated from the surface. The DTM was then opened in Trimble Busines Center. The problem is the original triangles, NOT the edited triangles are displayed in Trimble. Is InRoads retirangulating as it exports to LandXML or do the triangles simply need to be locked before generating a LandXML file?

Paul-PennDOT · Accepted Answer

What we have learned: 
 1) InRoads retriangulates prior to exporting to LandXML 
 2) Trimble Business Center appears to retriangulate LandXML files that have features in them. 
 3) LandXML files containing only triangles will preserve some but not all of the triangle face edits as seen in Trimble Business Center. 
 4) Importing the triangles as features into a surface or saving the DGN file as a DXF file will preserve the triangle edits as seen in Trimble Business Center. 
 5) Using the Place Feature command in place of the triangle editing tools to control the faces of triangles is an alternative that works. 
 The conclusion I come to is that we need to redefine our requirements on how to produce LandXML files for surfaces that will be placed into our construction bid packages.

Jacquelyn Pettus · Answer

Yes, you are absolutely right about that. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any setting or toggle that can be changed to preserve the edits to the triangles. Since InRoads is feature-based, the triangles are going to be recalculated based on the features. Since the features haven't been edited, you go right back to your original triangles. One workaround would be to import the triangle legs as breaklines and then export the surface. This would retain those flipped triangles.