How to add offset profiles after alignments created

[Neilw_05]

Any way to add offset profiles to offset alignments AFTER they are created? I already have the horizontal geometry for some turn lanes and don't want to start over.

[lim.wendy]

Hi @Neilw_05,

If you have created the Offset Alignments, the Offset Profile should be created automatically and you should be able to create the profile view. Or are you having a different issue?

[Udo_Huebner]

@lim.wendy 

If I understood Neil's question correctly, he first creates a conceptual design in 2D using only alignments. At this time the main alignment is not initially assigned a layout profile. The profile to the main alignment is created later after the offset alignments have already been created. The question is, how to subsequently create offset profiles to the existing offset alignments then.

[Neilw_05]

Udo has the correct understanding. When I created the offsets I did not have a design profile for the main alignment. I was planning to let the templates control the lane slopes. Now I need more control and want to have profiles controlling the lane slopes.

[cneely]

Unless it new for 2022 it cant be done retroactively. Has to be done when the offset alignment is created. 

[Neilw_05]

Quite an oversight by the developers isn't it? Apparently I have to tear it all out and start over.

[jmayo-EE]

Pretty sure this has been in the idea list for some time. 

[fcernst]

No.. those are valid individual Alignments that you can create an EG surface profile for..then their individual  Profile views…then new proposed Layout Profiles. 

[fcernst]

The idea behind those is to be able to create the Three profile plan and profile sheets that many of us need in our jurisdictions. 

They start off with a dynamic constant cross slope, but then we can break that connection to get true user defined sag inlet profiles, traffic calming profiles, etc.

[Neilw_05]

 I want offset profiles that are dynamic to the parent. The offset parameters with variable cross slopes are all I need.

[fcernst]

Ok.. so now you will never miss that step for creating a dynamic offset profile again.. blahh 🙂

The workflow should probably be to always check the box, then you can break the connection to take over profile control if needed. If the centerline profile changes then your offset profile edits will be automatically overwritten (added for learners).

[fcernst]

If a constant cross slope works for you, why not target your crafted Offset alignments with a constant cross slope? What am I missing here?

[Neilw_05]

I want the cross slope to vary. 2% down at a wash crossing, 2% up in a hill cut section. It would be easy with offset profiles but I can't add them after the offset alignments were created. The only way is to erase them and start over.

[fcernst]

I would use the Superelevation editor for a user defined curve if I wanted to preserve the use of all my alignment edit work. 

You don't have the nice profiles to show though, especially if you have vertical curves along the road.

[Jowenn.Lua]

Hi @Neilw_05 ,

If you missed creating the offset profile the first time you create the offset alignment then you can't re-create it to the same offset alignment unless you delete and re-create it again with the create offset profile tick in the check box.

We can however do some possible workaround like:

1. Create a corridor surface and control that via superelevation and create a surface profile in the offset alignment that don't have offset profile. (This is dynamic)

2. Create new offset alignment with offset profile and create a dummy corridor and build a dummy surface targeting this dummy offset Hor. and Ver. (This is dynamic if we set auto-rebuild corr and surf)

3. Or maybe just project the new offset profile back to old offset alignment but needs to have the same offset. (This seems like redoing everything but not deleting the old one.)

I created a sample screencast and sample dwg to show what I mean. It is not a perfect solution but may guide you some potential workaround.

Cheers,

Jowenn

[Neilw_05 · Accepted solution]

Thank you for preparing your video Jowenn. I do understand the workarounds. I was just hoping there was a way to apply the offset profiles that I wasn't aware of. Evidently that is not the case.