Using superelevation to transition ditch backslopes.

[Anonymous]

Hello All,

I'm building an urban roadway that unfortunately due to profile restrictions needs to carry a ditch behind the sidewalks in many places.

I'm trying to use a superelevation table to transition my ditch backslopes. I'm using the "LinkSlopetoSurface" subassembly which does have a superelevation parameter control. My game plan is to first build my urban roadway corridor out to the back of walk. Then "create alignment from corridor" picking the back of walk corridor feature line. Once I have these alignments created I'd attach a superelevation table to the alignments, create two new corridors RT & LT that would use each of these alignments as base lines. This way I could edit the superelevation table to control my corridor backslopes instead of make edits with the section editor that would be lost every time I rebuild the corridor.

I thought I had a great game plan, but then came the problem. My back of walk alignments that were made from roadway corridor are tangents (no curve) Civil3D won't let me asign superelevation to the alignment because there are no curves. REALLY! This software is so frustrating!!!!

Does anyone have any idea on how I can get this to work? Am I approaching this from the wrong direction?

[sboon]

Select the alignment, then select Calculate/Edit Superelevation from the Ribbon. Open the Superelevation Curve Manager and add a user defined curve.  You'll be prompted to select your tangent then return to the dialog.  After that you should be able to manually add superelevation parameters.

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

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply Steve, however the issue I have is there is only one tangent in the alignment (created from a corridor). If I edit the alignment I'll lose my dynamic connetion to the corridor. I just want to attach a SE table to it in order to transition ditch back slopes. Engineers have to adjust cross-slopes all the time, not just in curves. Why is this program so rigid? Might be time to go back to Inroads.

Thanks

Tim

[sboon]

I'm a little confused here.  I've just confirmed that my suggested workflow does work with an alignment created from a corridor.  I cannot find an option to create a dynamic link for an alignment from a corridor, and I've confirmed that corridor edits are not reflected in the alignment.

Please clarify.

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

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Steve, thanks for your response and sorry for the confusion. I was under the impression that an alignment created from a corridor feature line was dynamically tied to that corridor. Since it is not, I saw no need to create the alignment from the corridor and instead just created it from objects. I was then able to attach a SE table to it.

The more I use this software the more I realize it is not as dynamic as it was sold to me. The dynamic nature is what I was hoping for to save me effort on the back end of the project when I need to make revisions. Since Civil3D has a much bigger learning curve and more involved project setup than Inroads (in my opinion), I'm worried about meeting future budgets since my state is requiring use of Civil3D.

Thanks for clarifying my issue.

Tim

[sboon]

You are on the same learning path that all of us have followed.  The software is highly dynamic, but being so creates restrictions in how you do certain things.  Some data simply cannot be passed from one part of the model to another; sometimes you have to be creative in your methods to get what you want.

Returning to your original problem - the central alignment that your corridor is based on would have as many as eight superelevation parameters.  Are you using all of them in your design, or is one of them available? 

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

[fcernst]

Agreed... I have been wanting corridor Alignemnts to be dynamic since I started using in 2011.

We need corridor Alignments to be dynamic for transitioning ditches and transitioning gutter flowlines. It's no fun to see your flowline move and your Alignment subsequently not react and stay put.

[Anonymous]

" The software is highly dynamic, but being so creates restrictions in how you do certain things."

That's the crux of the biscut Steve. Its those restrictions that are the problem. I can't tell my clients that they need to change there expectations to meet the limitations of the software. They couldn't care less. I'm still expected to deliver. I know you may think I'm an unimaginative newby but I have invested a considerable amount of time, effort and dollars into this software. More than any other design software I've used in 20+ years. And I really don't appreciate the dis or the sales pitch!

[Anonymous]

Thanks Fred!

[jmartt]

Kudos on Zappa reference!

[sboon]

After re-reading this thread I'm not sure where you got the impression that I was dissing you, or trying to sell you on something.  If you believe that my posts were not helpful then you can ignore them.  Hopefully someone else will be able to assist you in the future.

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

[jmartt]

Oh. Yeah, what he ^ said. I didn't read any further than "the crux of the biscuit" and I got excited. Dude didn't diss you at all.