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    AutoCAD Civil 3D

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    Distinguished Contributor
    Posts: 250
    Registered: ‎06-27-2008

    surface breaklines

    473 Views, 10 Replies
    05-04-2011 01:53 PM

    I have a breakline in the drawing that I want to locate within the surface definition , how can I do this?

    Civil 3D, 2009

    Win 7 Enterprise 64bit

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    Valued Contributor
    Posts: 98
    Registered: ‎11-08-2008

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-04-2011 02:01 PM in reply to: rwatson654

    Under the Prospector Tab, Expand Surface, Expand the Surface you want to add the breakline too, expand Definition, right click on Boundaries, follow the screen and then hit okay.  Select the line(s) you want and your are done.

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    Distinguished Contributor
    Posts: 250
    Registered: ‎06-27-2008

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 06:06 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    I already have the breakline defined in the surface, what I want to do is locate it within the surface definition.  I know its location on the plan.

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    *Expert Elite*
    neilyj
    Posts: 2,676
    Registered: ‎08-01-2008

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 06:31 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    It's times like this when explicitly naming breaklines and boundaries as they are added to the surface definition really pays dividends

    neilyj
    (No connection with Autodesk other than using the products in the real world)


    IDSP Premium 2014 (mainly Civil 3D 2014 but also 3ds Max Design)
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    Distinguished Contributor
    Posts: 250
    Registered: ‎06-27-2008

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 06:35 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    yes, but then I would have to think up unique names for several curb breaklines 

    as opposed to calling them curb like I did

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    *Expert Elite*
    johnm
    Posts: 1,717
    Registered: ‎11-13-2006

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 06:37 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    With all layers on and thawed, expand the surface definition in Prospector. Expand the breaklines heading and right click on the breakline you want to locate. Hopefully you name them better than I do in the attachment. :smileywink: Select Zoom To.

     

    The breakline in question will be in the center of the screen. I there are a number of breaklines in close proximity, Use the Zoom command, center option. When prompted for the center, hit return. Then type in a low value for the height, like 1 or .5 to center the screen on the desired feature line.

    John Mayo, PE
    C3D 2012, RD 2012
    Win 7 64, Core i7,
    6 GB RAM, Quadro FX 1700
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    Distinguished Contributor
    Posts: 250
    Registered: ‎06-27-2008

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 07:11 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    I know where the breakline (FL) is in the drawing already.  The problem is finding the breakline in the Surface definition.  I knew I could use the Zoom To and be able to match the breakline up with the FL in the drawing.  The problem with using the Zoom To is it takes awhile to sift through all the other curb breaklines (approx 60 of them). I wish there was a highlight feature for breaklines like Figures have.

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    *Expert Elite*
    Posts: 1,544
    Registered: ‎05-21-2008

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 09:00 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    Don't think there is going to be a quiker way than johnm described.  You will have to go through each one and zoomto, check if it is the one you have in mind.  You could start at the top or bottom of the list, depending on whether you think you added it earlier or later to the surface.

     

    If there are a few close together and you need to know which one you have zoomed to, I would suggest using the zoom command, then hit enter to go into <real time>.  With real time zoom (click and drag) you always zoom to the centre of the screen, not where the mouse is.  The breakline you've zoomed to will be right in the centre of the screen.

     

    I agree, a highlighting feature for surface definition objects would be very helpful.

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    Distinguished Contributor
    d_reno
    Posts: 254
    Registered: ‎06-21-2010

    Re: surface breaklines

    05-05-2011 09:17 AM in reply to: rwatson654

    to avoid this problem - losing track of just which breakline is which, and which ones updated themselves or were completed removed when I do something to them like Trim, or did I forget to add this one? when I was modeling or tweaking an intersection or something - I will isolate the breakline layer, delete all breaklines from the surface (in Prospector), then add them all back in by selecting what is on the screen. I am not a fan of Feature Lines and the way they interact with each other (usually NOT The way I want them to interact, and I don't want 99 Sites to keep them seperate from each other) - so I typically use 3d polys to define breaklines. I create a 3d wireframe model that I know is right regardless of what is in the defintion, then I make sure the definiton uses only what I can see on the screen. 


    David Renaud, RLS
    C3D 2012 on 64bit Win 7 all up to date
    Dell Precision 7core 8GB RAM
    NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800M
    LDT/C3D user since release 12
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    Valued Contributor
    bcinnv
    Posts: 101
    Registered: ‎03-05-2011

    Re: surface breaklines

    03-04-2012 08:45 PM in reply to: rwatson654

    Use visual lisp or .net.  If you don't know it, learn it.

    - Brian
    "Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes."
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