Who came up with the term "Daylight"

[Anonymous]

This is just a query for my own personal interest. Im confused as to why AutoDesk uses the term "daylight" as a term for what i would concider earthworks or interface. The term makes no sense to me what so ever and after a fruitless search the internet for the originals of this term, i have come to the conclusion the term means nothing and AutoDesk just made it up. If im wrong and it is actually an engineering term I would like to be educated

Dan

[Pointdump]

D84,

I don't know the origin of the word either. Sure, it's a term used by excavators, but I can't think of another word that better describes the intersection of Design Surface and Existing Ground Surface.

Dave

[AllenJessup]

I've never studied the origin but I originally remember it being used in regards to Storm Drainage. A pipe would be lead to "Daylight". IOW where the pipe would emerge from underground. Possibly the "Daylight Elevation" was where the pipe invert and the ground surface were equal. It now seems to be used for any instance where a proposed elevation is equal to an existing one.

Interesting topic for your first post. Welcome.

Allen

In addition.

It’s mentioned here http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/daylight so it seems to be a common term.

The term was also used in Land Desktop which Autodesk bought from a 3^rd party. So the term may have originated outside of Autodesk.

[Anonymous]

I would have thought that intersection, interface and earthworks would have been a better words to describe Autodesks daylight. Im sure we will get to the bottom of this one day. Thanks for your response.

[Anonymous]

Hi Allen, thanks for your reply.

Yes it is a common term, but its usually in reference to light from the sun.

I like to make things interesting, keeps everyone on there toes

Dan

[Jay_B]

Just another term describing a slope limit.

Geopak uses "Catch Point" which doesn't make any more sense in than "Daylight" IMO.

[Anonymous]

I can sort of see Catch Point being slightly relevant, as you could see the footprint of the proposed scheme on the existing ground as a "catch point". I was thinking that maybe its because the new scheme will stop the Daylight from reading the scheme footprint, but going by that logic surely it would be called "Night Time".

I suppose they cant use the term interface because Bentley use that.

[AllenJessup]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Yes it is a common term, but its usually in reference to light from the sun.

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Well..... Look up "blue" in the dictionary. Many definitions that don't specifically reference the color.

I see Daylight is used extensively in Geology. It's used in radio and electronics to refer to part of the EM Spectrum. I see it's even used as a term for uncovering something as in "The issue was brought to Daylight when...".

It's likely a term that was brought from the field in to the office. It may have been prevalent before the software or not. I know one of the people working for Softdesk (the original developers of Land Desktop) was originally had an excavation company and started out "pushing dirt". So maybe he's to blame.

It's an interesting question. But doesn't affect the way the program behaves. Etymology is interesting. But at the end of the day most terms are random. They all evolved from "this grunt means rock and that grunt means eat. I use Arocka to cook my Ool. (ref: Caveman starring Ringo star.)

[Jeff_M]

FWIW, I've always known the catch point of a design slope with existing ground as the "Daylight" line. It was taught to me while working in an engineer's office while in high school in the early 1970's, so it is by no means an Autodesk created term.

[IanMcClain]

I've heard it used describe where a top of slope and a toe of slope meet or join, which does not make as much sense. I've always thought of it as the meeting of two grades, existing or designed, typically one of them being flat or nearly so.

The point were a designed grade or feature meets existing ground makes a lot more sense. Thanks Allen 🙂

[Joe-Bouza]

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-civil-3d-general/daylight/m-p/5360443/highlight/true#M260689

When you in its a verb not a noun, then it make perfect sense

http://www.yourdictionary.com/daylight

[Anonymous]

Sorry for my ignorance on this matter, im from the UK and we have different terminology for these things, I was just curious.

One more things, how would you guys specify doing earthworks during the night time?

[Pointdump]

"...how would you guys specify doing earthworks during the night time?"

Starlighting?

[Anonymous]

I like it.

[fcernst]

Train exhaust

http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/139632.aspx?sort=DESC

[AllenJessup]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Sorry for my ignorance on this matter, im from the UK and we have different terminology for these things, I was just curious.

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Hey. Not problem. I enjoyed the question. Some terminology isn't even standard across the USA. I've had to get used to some terminologies from across the globe. Someone may have a question about Chainage along a Kerb. Luckily I've watched a lot of BBC America!

Some of the terminology in Civil 3D was also new to me. I'd never dealt with ETW (Edge of Traveled Way) until I started building Assemblies.

We recently had a project where a recent hire by the consultants kept labeling a Parking Lot as a Car Park. I wonder where he was from?

Allen

BTW. What's the term for Daylight in the UK?

[Anonymous]

I never realised how many different terms there were for these things, for example ive only discovered that when Civils 3d talked about Kerb returns it meant a kerb radius. It certaining has been an interesting question, ive got everyone in my design office talking about it.

BTW do you say Curb or Kerb?

An yes Car Park is our term for parking lot :).

As for daylight, we would say earthworks or earthworks interface or just interface.

[Anonymous]

This is a very interesting explanation for the Daylight mystery

[Anonymous]

Probably the best explantion for the Daylight mystery has been given by Mike Norton, the forth comment down on the following thread.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-civil-3d-general/daylight-definition/td-p/1701819

I would have never thought of using ducks and guns to explain egineering principles, im going to do it more often.

Dan

[fcernst]

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-09-railroad-tunnels_x.htm

Daylight Bench subassembly: