Creating Surface from Exploded Contours

[AlannaDee]

I have a file of exploded and open ended contours (no outside boundary line) and I need to create a surface from it.  I have tried the usual way of creating a TIN surface, but it doesn't work.  Help please!

[lsimms1]

Did you try adding the contour lines at breaklines?  If they are exploded are the lines that would have to be either added as objects or changed into plines?  Do they have elevations?

[AlannaDee]

I selected all my lines and added them as breaklines in the prospector tab, under my created surface name.  Then I tried to create the surface again by clicking the contours and "add" and then selecting all my newly made breaklines.  That box popped up and I got a while bunch of errors.  Also, yes all my lines are at elevations.

[Sinc]

You may have a bunch of touching lines, and adding them as breaklines might be throwing them out because you have the Surface set to ignore crossing breaklines.

You can try setting your Surface to allow crossing breaklines.  But a better choice might be to add you linework as Contours to the surface, rather than as Breaklines.  This option also gives you the ability to weed the contour data down, which can create a far more usable surface in many cases (depending on what your source contours look like).

[AlannaDee]

Unfortunately none of my contour lines are touching so the "crossing breaklines" would not be an issue.  The existing exploded contour lines that I am working with are already set at 1m intervals so weeding is not an issue either.  I have hit a bit of a wall.

[AlannaDee]

Nevermind, I figured it all out!  Thanks anyways!