Section labels from surface features lines

[peterthomson9209]

Hi All,

Lets see if I can explain this without pictures...

Often we  build a design surface from feature lines and possibly a grading or two.

Then we cut sections.

Now, for setout, and especially for smaller contractors who don't have fancy survey gear, it would be really nice to be able to show design surface levels in section bands BUT ONLY AT THE SURFACE-DEFINING FEATURE LINE LOCATIONS.

I am aware that we can use grade breaks...but this gives us band data at each triangle intercept which is too much data. We can weed this data, but that is indiscriminate and I really need only the data at the surface-defining geometry points (feature line locations.)

We cn also use station/elevation labels on the section views but this is time-consuming and non-dynamic.

Band labels are dynamic and more or less automatic...if only we could get the discrete locations we need labelled.

Am I the only person in the world that would want this feature?

I thik it has been missing from C3D since day dot.

Thoughts?

cheers,

Peter

Dunedin, New Zealand.

[tcorey]

Hello Peter,

There are a couple of ways you can do this.

The first way forces you to accept that the labels are not going to be in a band, but as labels attached to the section itself.

From the Home tab, Profile and Section Views panel, select Section Views pulldown and then Project Objects to Multiple Section Views. Note the column for Label Style in the row for Feature Lines.

The other way is possible if you create your sample lines from polylines. The band style labeling allows a label that is tied to sample line vertices. Be sure in the section data band style to turn on Labels at Sample Line Vertex or the label style won't display.

Best regards,

Tim

[peterthomson9209]

Many thanks Tim.

I will give the 2nd example a go.

cheers,

Peter

[ralstogj]

Peter/Tim

I guess the same priniple would work with alignments if you used them as stand alone sections and added a horizontal geometery point at etc location where it crossed a featureline and labelled that. You would have to move the geometery point in the alignment if you updated the featureline, this could be done by .net I think in a similar way to what Chris from Civil3dreminder did with his cross pipe label code. I guess it could be any object that crosses the alignment as long as you could get the intersection point to insert the geometery point.

[peterthomson9209]

I actually tried example 1 from Tim's post.

While it is a profile view label solution, I can get the design levels I asked for.

Now, to complete the picture, I thought I could get Existing levels as well by using a reference text component in the PV label. I haven't quite figured out how to get the label to populate with the appropriate surface text.

Peter

[ralstogj]

I guess you set it to the e-gl by control selecting an individual label go control+1 for the properties box and select the e-gl name in the reference box.

[ralstogj]

Forgot to say, is there a away to have the projected object not be fully displayed as in the past when I played with this if I had a featureline that was perpendicular to section line and then turn 90 degress to it in the distance I ended up with that piece of the line projected into the view as well. I know in Revit you can set the deep of view from the section line not sure if you can do anything like this in Civil3d.

[tcorey]

The original post asked about Section Views, not Profile Views. That is the solution I provided.

To answer Justin, take a look at the dialog that appears when you use Project to Multiple Section Views. Notice at the top where it asks Projection Rules? That is how you can control which vertices are projected into which section views.

[peterthomson9209]

Hi Tim,

I tried it the first way, and i am able to get section labels to work like they are in bands.

I seem to be getting stuck where i also want to get existing levels on the section as well.

i copy the feature lines, explode to 3D polylines and drapw onto EG surface and add them as section projections.

However, I cannot get the EG labels to work in conjunction with Design levels on the same sections.

so,

can you please explain what you mean by creating sample lines from polylines?

and I will give that a go because I do really want to use band labels but in this controllable way.

cheers for your support thus far.

it has been great and very much appreciated.

Peter

[ralstogj]

I think Tim is meaning this command here.

[peterthomson9209]

Thanks.

I will try again.

PT

[tcorey]

---

...I seem to be getting stuck where i also want to get existing levels on the section as well....

---

If you just want OG surface elevation, either create a feature line that gets its elevations from OG surface and Project to Multiple Section Views, or just use a data band, which can show elevations for any surface, at an offset increment.

You might be missing that you need

---

peterthomson9209 wrote:

However, I cannot get the EG labels to work in conjunction with Design levels on the same sections.

---

If you're talking about in a data band, be sure to set the Section View Group properties, Section Views tab, hit the ellipsis button in the Change Band Set column. Find the Surface 1 and Surface 2 columns and set the appropriate values.

If you want to add an og surf elevation to a projected object label, edit the label style and add a Reference Text object that refers to a surface. After projecting, edit the label properties and pick the surface to use.

[peterthomson9209]

Thanks Tim once again.

I have tried the section view label option with reference text on a surface but the surfaces do not get displayed when I try to select one. It just says "none".

I hope to find some more time over the weekend (friday lunchtime here right now) to try a few more things that you have suggested.

cheers for now,

will let you know if I have success.

i am sure i am a whisker away from making this work.

[tcorey]

It defaults to None, but also says hit enter to see a list. Hit enter to select the surface.

[peterthomson9209]

OK, thanks.

Told you I was close... (close to going mad..)

cheers