Show utility crossings in profile

[Neilw_05]

I am laying out a pressure sewer. I have defined an alignment and profile for the route. I want to show the utility crossings (electric, gas, water, etc.) in plan and profile. My thinking is to create a block and snap it to the crossing in plan view, drape it on EG and lower it by the assumed depth and then project the block to the profile view. I have this working. Now I need to label the plan view XING's with station and utility type and label the profile XING's with station, elevation and utility type. I could easily do this with station and profile labels, but as the desgin evolves, the alignment is subject to change and the crossings will need to be moved and updated. It would be nice to have the labels and symbols integrated into a single entity that updates when moved to the new location. Is there a way to do this with styles? If not are there any other techniques/tools that might be a better approach?

C3D 2011

[Joe-Bouza]

Pipe networks would keep track of alignment changes and the labels would be dynamic too.

[Joe-Bouza]

Sorry - Hi Neil

[Neilw_05]

Hi Joe,

The problem I have with pipe networks is the dry and pressure utilities need to follow the EG at a fixed depth, so if the alignment crosses at a new location I'd have to add a node to the pipe object at that spot. Too, I don't want to show the whole pipe/utility in profile, just the crossing. I really don't want the overhead of creating pipe networks for all the utilities.

It would be ideal if I could project a block from the label style onto a profile but C3D won't do it. Perhaps I could resort to creating groups consisting of the C3D label and an independent block, but those can be a pain.

[Joe-Bouza]

You can define only the segments you need as a pipe network; draw a FL, extract EG elevation, lower the prescribed depth and convert th FL to network with null structures. Int he pipe style turn the crossing light bulb on and the others off

[Joe-Bouza]

You can plot anything to a profile using the transparent command (I have even plotted dimensions). Start your block insert, when asked for insert point pick profile station and elevation from plan from the transparent tool bar. If you lower a copy of eg the specific depth it will end up where you need it.

[Neilw_05]

I wasn't aware of the ability to display just the pipe crossing Joe. That works great! Is there a way to label the crossing in profile using a pipe label?

I'll play around with this a bit more. Thanks.

[Joe-Bouza]

Yes by all means, they can be label, material, description elevation etc..  I made a pipe label style just for crossings that shows the diameter and material. you would have to dig into expressions to get he invert at the point of cross, but a profile elevation label is quic enough.

[Neilw_05]

I was looking for a Station/Invert label at the crossing in the built in label attributes but there isn't one. I'll look into custom expressions tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the help!

[Joe-Bouza]

UBET

[Joe-Bouza]

That may be a long road to ho - If you find a way let me know

[RainierFan]

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@Joe-Bouza wrote:

You can plot anything to a profile using the transparent command (I have even plotted dimensions). Start your block insert, when asked for insert point pick profile station and elevation from plan from the transparent tool bar. If you lower a copy of eg the specific depth it will end up where you need it.

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What is/are the "transparent command" and "transparent tool bar"?

[BrianHailey]

If your utility is at a constant depth, use an object projection. Create a projection style that displays a circle x' below the surface, use the surface elevation, and a lable style that will display the surface elevation - x'. That way, if the aligment changes, all you have to do is move the object that is being projected in your plan view and it will update your profile view. You can use a block or a point for the object that is being projected. I would probably use a point and use a style that won't plot.

[BrianHailey]

I take that back. Don't use a point, use a block instead because a point can't use a projection style in the view.

[Yunlena]

Joe,

I'm having trouble understanding your reply. I have an alignment, surface, profile view - plus feature lines for the utility crossings on my alignment. I found the transparency tool bar and used the 'SSE but from there I don't understand how to continue. It places a block in my profile view that doesn't "talk" to the profile view, so the block isn't exagerrated like it should be. Could you clarify the steps to match the image that you attached with the reply?

Thank you!!!

[cwr-pae]

If you place the pipes with no slope, then you can label the crossing pipe with the start (or end) invert elevation in a style. This has its own maintenance problems when the alignment moves.

You can also project points using a block (you will have to draw the distortion as part of the block) as the marker and setting the point elevation at the invert you want probably along a Fline would be best. The projection label style can then read the point elevation. Again there are maintenance issues if you move the alignment.

[Joe-Bouza]

Hello Christina
I apologize for my inherent lack of memory and went back in the thread but could not find an image I attached. I do recognize in the thread I was kind of cross talking about two different techniques with Neil. 

If you want to insert a block on a profile with the transparent commands - yes it would be dumb in that it would not no the scale exaggeration or react to changes. I was describing '_STAE. ; >>> pick the view,>>> then alignment point>>> the the elevation graphically. 'SSE works the same way >>>pick view>>>pick surface and the block should go to that station elevation. you would have to draw the block with exaggeration.

With all that said, if you place your block in plan (at normal scale the way it is to be viewed in profile you can use profile view project object to view >> Assign which surface or profile or user defined elevation to use and now the block will be dynamic to any change in the alignment

I hope that helps. let me know

[Joe-Bouza]

Sorry I missed you post for all this time. I hope you got an answer to that very important question

[Yunlena]

Joe,

Thank you so much for clarifying! That was really helpful 

I ended up creating a pipe network for the utilities that cross my alignment/proposed information. It works really well in the profile view with pipe styles, etc. 

[Joe-Bouza]

HTH