Roadway Breaklines from Survey Figures

[LeafRiders]

Those who work with survey figures, roads, and breaklines on a regular basis may have a trick or two to deal with the problem I'm having. It's not really a problem, it's more of trying to work things in a way to get all your breaklines created automatically for your roadway, from your survey figures.

If I'm running N-S or E-W, I'm good I can do a sort in excel with largest value to lowest value and renumber my points and essentially the figures will connect in order from left to right or up and down. I'd prefer not to renumber my points, since this can cause some havoc after the fact. I'm trying to do this as efficiently as possible.

Here is the challange, you have a roadway running at a 45deg angle in world space (or however you want to look at it... on a diagonally). If you process this the same way there is no true E-W or N-S sort ability to get your breaklines (from Survey Figures) to auto-connect properly. You end up with a zig zag or shark teeth look to your survey figures (breaklines). Then you end up doing it manually regardless. (not ideal).

Do any of you know if there is a different approach to getting your survey figures connect automatically for roadways. Key here is that the topo surveys are done in cross-sections in the field. Each feature isn't shot in a string, so the point numbers can jump around depending on many variables. Thoughts?

[mathewkol]

This is very easy, but if the survey is already done, then not so much.  The survey crew need to survey with automated linework in mind.  It hardly takes any extra effort on their part, but if they do it, your company will save some valuable time AND the lines will nearly all connect themselves properly.

The trick is to simply have them code properly.  For example, if you're surveying any road, regardless of travel direction as you've stated in your post, and you have a centre line CL and two edges of pavement EP, your codes will be (from lef to right) EPL, CL, EPR.  The L and R on the end of EP aren't required, it could be EP! EP2 EPgranny, whatever as long as they are different.

Done.  Lines all drawn without any sawtooth.

[sboon]

THIS!

If your surveyors are providing data without linework or proper coding so that you can generate the lines automatically then they are wasting your time and costing you money.  Every piece of survey software that I can think of has some sort of tools for connecting points so there is no real reason not to use them.

Steve
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[mathewkol]

...
And if they are in-house surveyors who don't want to adjust their methods, as minor as the adjustments may be, they're still wasting time and costing you money and their boss can decide what an appropriate action is. 😉

Ideally, the surveyor to be hired is the one who is shrewd anough to have learned C3D and who can provide a file with lines already connected and who used your own desc keys, figure prefixes, and DWT to do it. There aren't many that I've seen, but there are some. One day...

[LeafRiders]

Those a great comments guys, hopefully the surveyors who think their speed in the field is the only thing that matters will read your comments. 🙂  As for a method to the madness, no one has really presented a method that will work properly. Survey Figures can connect in order based on Point Number. Which is why the North to South or East to West point number (renumbering) method works. The addition of _S or _E (start or end) to a point code isn't a neccessary step to this process working properly. From what I gather, there isn't an approach to Survey Figures that is office based, that will give the end result that I'm looking for, correct?

[mathewkol]

The only built-in tool for connecting the dots is the 'PN transparent command.  The best way is to be on the same page as the surveyors.

I'm pretty sure SincPac has tools for this job however, if you want to buy a 3rd party tool.

Check it out, you can find it on Google.

[sboon]

Survey figures connect points with common decriptions in order.  Occasionally I have been annoyed enough to import the points, let the software draw all of the criss-crossing lines and then try to isolate groups of points and add string numbers to their descriptions to isolate the ones that are supposed to be single lines.  Then I re-import the file with the new descriptions to hopefully clean up some of the mess.

Steve
Please use the Accept as Solution or Kudo buttons when appropriate