Arc with 2 different elevations

[Bonsuetay1]

I am trying to draw an Arc with a radius, where the points that I am using to draw the arc have different elevations. It seems simple but everytime I draw an arc it draws it at the elevation of the first point I pick. I am using Civil 3D 2012.

[mathewkol]

An arc cannot have different z's. You'll have to use a curved feature line.

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

you can first change the UCS (user coordinate system) and then draw the arc on the plane of the UCS. IF the UCS was not parallel to the WCS ==> this arc has different WCS-Z-values.

- alfred -

[Bonsuetay1]

Okay, thank you very much. I am unfamiliar with that curved feature line command. Could you help?

[antoniovinci]

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Bonsuetay1 wrote:

Could you help?

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The right solution lies in the Alfred's post, sir.

[Sinc]

I wouldn't necessarily say that...

There are all kinds of weird obscure issues you can run into when you create arcs at something other than the WCS.  I'd favore the Feature Line solution...

It's as simple as turning your linework into a Feature Line, using the "Feature Lines from Objects" command...

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I'd favore the Feature Line solution.

Taking it strong from mathematics and >>>definition of "ARC"<<<:

• the version with UCS creates a real ARC
• the version with the feature-lines may create an elliptical arc or helix (even looking to it from top it looks like an arc)

- alfred -

[AllenJessup]

Most of the suggestions are better than this. But before Featurelines I used to draw an Arc starting at the first elevation I wanted. After the Arc was drawn in the X,Y plane. I would use the Align command, pick the starting point as both the source and destination then pick the end point as the source and use the .XY filter to pick the end as the destination. When asked for the Z I would supply the ending elevation.

Allen

[antoniovinci]

Brillant, Allen, even better than the Alfred's one...

[AllenJessup]

Thank you. Of course I wouldn't got that far. I developed that method in R12. Back then AutoCAD had very little 3D capabilities.

Allen

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi

@Allen:

- alfred -

[jmayo-EE]

Allen's idea is great. Quite clever. 🙂

But there's always a but... If this arc is to be used with any C3D object (Parcel, feature line, surface, alignment, etc) I would recommend the feature line as Matt and Sinc stated. C3D does not like objects that are not parallel to the World coordinate system.

[Bruceybee]

Please see the solution I was given from Ajilal.Vijayan, at the link below. It works a treat.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2013-2014-2015/how-to-give-different-z-values-to-start-mid-and...

Bruceybee