Corridor assembly - targeting the alignment/profile, then surface

[Katarzynha]

Hi there, 

I would like to create an assembly for my road, that would first target an alignment and profile (edge of pavement) and then would create a 2ft wide shoulder and target to existing surface.

I made an subassembly that contains:

- LinkOffsetAndElevation (targeting the alignment/profile)

- LinkOffsetOnSurface (2' wide, targeting surface)

What am I doing wrong that this doesn't work? The 2' wide subassembly shows up next to the road centerline, not after the edge of pavement... I will appreciate any advice! 🙂

[ecfernandez]

Hi @Katarzynha, can you upload a screenshot of your flowchart in Subassembly Composer or your PKT file?

Regards! 

[Katarzynha]

Hi @ecfernandez ! Thank you so much for willing to help me out! 

I didn't work before with the Subassembly Composer or the Flowcharts. I looked for the PKT file but didn't find the one for my assembly. I built it using the Tool Palette and the "Generic" subassemblies:

Thank you again for your time!

[tcorey]

Hi @Katarzynha ,

Where Civil 3D says Offset, as in LinkOffsetOnSurface, that means the distance from the baseline to the point you are setting. If you want to state the link length, that would be called Width, not Offset.

[ecfernandez]

Hi @Katarzynha, sorry, I misunderstood your message. Then, please let me know this: Are you sure you assigned the surface target for the LinkOffsetOnSurface subassembly? Make sure this is done. You can post your drawing if you want. It would be easier to help you find the problem.

On the other hand, you mentioned a shoulder in your second image. However, your assembly doesn't have a shoulder as I could see in the first image (2.png). It has just a horizontal link plus what would be like a daylight line. Then, I think you must place another subassembly to represent the shoulder.

Regards!

[Katarzynha · Accepted solution]

@tcorey Thank you! That makes sense. Could you please let me know if there is any assembly in the Tool Palette that would let me define the Width (to 2') and would target the surface? It seems so simple but I can't find it.

[Katarzynha]

@ecfernandez Thank you for your reply. And yes, I am sure that my targets are assigned correctly. 

The issue is that "offset" is measured from the baseline (main alignment), not from the point that I used to attach my 2' subassembly. I would need to find a subassembly that would allow me to set the width and target the surface (I can't find it!).

I call it a "shoulder" but I don't use a typical shoulder subassembly. I just need to quickly model a finished grade so I use simple generic subassemblies. 

[ecfernandez]

Hi again, it's ok. I didn't realize that. @tcorey is right, but if you want to keep using that subassembly, just add your lane's width value to the subassembly parameter, it'd be like offset from baseline=2'+(LaneWidth Value). This should work correctly unless you have widenings along the road.

Regards!

[tcorey]

What I do is draw a polyline along where I want the daylight. Convert to a feature line, elevations from surface, then use LinkWidthandSlope to target that feature for both width and elevation.

[Katarzynha]

@ecfernandez Unfortunately I have a bunch of widenings... My lane width varies a lot, that's why I was using an edge of pavement alignment as my target. Do you have any suggestions which assembly I should be using for modelling my shoulder in this case?

[ecfernandez]

Hi! if you want to achieve the task you mentioned, I think the best choice is to follow @tcorey's excellent advice. I couldn't think of any other solution with C3D subassemblies. So, I decided to create a custom one to do this task. If you want to try it, use the custom subassembly I posted in this reply. Create an offset of your "edge of pavement" and assign it to this subassembly's "Width Target" parameter. This way, a slope will be created, always preserving the width defined by the targeted object without considering a fixed slope value.

I didn't test it, but I think it should work. Otherwise, let me know.

Regards!

[Katarzynha]

@ecfernandez Thank you for taking the time to built a custom subassembly for me, I appreciate that! Unfortunately I can't make it work... It is "invisible" when I add it to my assembly (I can see just two red circles), but it is listed in the Assembly properties. Also, when added to the corridor there is no option to choose targets to this assembly... I am so sorry for bugging you so much... Can you tell what am I doing wrong?

It is not listed in the does show up in the 

Corridor doesn't let me choose the targets for it...

@tcorey Unfortunately my project is a 3-mile long roadway, and the feature line would have over 20,000 points... I tried to do it but it crashed my computer.  I will go with this solution next time on a smaller project. Thank you though!

[ecfernandez · Accepted solution]

Hi again. Don't worry. Follow these steps, and it will work:

1. I think the problem is version related since I created this subassembly with subassembly composer 2023. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Furthermore, I could see this is not your software version from your post. If so, you must use the PKT file with the subassembly composer version you have and save it as a new PKT. Then import it to C3D.

2. Import the custom subassembly. If you already did it, erase it from the palette, and re-import it again. 

3. Create the assembly, then the corridor, and finally, the offset for the daylight.

4. Assign targets

5. Rebuild.

I attached the file I took the screenshots from so you can check it. But again, It was created in C3D 2023.

Regards!

[Katarzynha]

@ecfernandez Wow, you are amazing! That is EXACTLY what I needed! I saved the subassembly down to 2019 AutoCAD version and it worked like a charm! Thank you again for taking the time to help me out, you made my day 🙂 

[ecfernandez]

Hi @Katarzynha, it's good to know that it finally worked 🙂. Thanks for the compliments. Here at the forum we all do our best to help others.

Best regards!