Hi all,
I have two different assemblies (each one includes several custom subassemblies, which have been created in SAC).
I'll be glad to hear that there is a way to use output parameters from first assembly's in the second - i know standart way to use output parameters only inside one assembly with side limitation.
Thanks in advance.
Hi @udo.huebner ,
I apologize for feedback's long delay
The main problem of AutoCAD platform based products (including Civil 3D) is productivity and speed of work. Corridor's rebuilding process of real huge highway projects with 5 km (or above) road's length take a lot of time. I'm keeping silent about section views group (you can make a cup of tee watching this presentation). So we want to increase workflow productivity in Civil 3D.
I want to describe in detail using this simple example:
Current workflow
I. I have the assembly, which includes three subassemblies (created in SAC):
1. Lane - from Crown to ETW (Edge of pavement);
2. Shoulder - from ETW to Hinge;
3. Daylight - from Hinge to daylight.
Link to the screencast:
II. I create a corridor (very simple situation - whole design profile is located in fill).
This corridor includes only one main baseline. Alignment also has a couple of tuned superelevations.
Link to the screencast:
III. Detail completion of the daylights.
This is the next step. After corridor has been created (and position of all lanes and shoulders is fixed) it is necessary to create different daylight's type (also different on the left/right) including different slope values of the daylight, benches, ditches, etc. Have a look please the time of corridor rebuilding/refreshing process.
Link to the screencast:
Conclusion:
Every rebuilding of daylights takes about 7-12 seconds, but the example is so simple. For create different daylight types on the left/right side user need to create/split corridor's regions. Also user automatically split zone of pavement. It’s very unconvenient, because user need to create a lot of different assemblies. There is a one way to turn off several corridor regions – but as a result user loose all corridor element’s zones – from Crown to Daylight.
I don’t know exactly how people design roads and highways in different countries, but in the CIS countries there are two big stages in the road design process transportation industry:
1. Design pavement (including lanes and shoulders);
2. Design, correction, changing daylights (there are a lot of different conditions to change daylights type).
What user really need (Advanced and real workflow)
User need to work with lanes, shoulders, daylights separately. Briefly: at first it is necessary to create and work with lanes and shoulders. Then fix and turn off them. The third step is work with the daylights.
Learn this simple example please:
I. Create lane-shoulder assembly - from Crown to Hinge.
Link to the screencast:
II. Create a corridor on the pavement zone. Extract dynamic feature lines from the left/right Hinge side.
Link to the screencast:
III. Create two daylight assemblies – from Hinge to daylight: first – for the left, second – for the right.
Link to the screencast:
IV. Create two new corridor baselines, which consist of extracted dynamic feature lines.
Then create two corridor regions with tuned target parameters for the left/right side.
Link to the screencast:
Benefits of this way:
I. User can work with different road elements: lanes, shoulders, daylights separately.
II. For create different daylight types on the left/right side user need to create/split corridor's regions only on the daylight zones – is so logical and practical method.
Link to the screencast:
III. User can turn off region of lanes and shoulders. Extracted dynamic feature lines will exist in the drawing permanently.
Link to the screencast:
IV. User can turn off each side of the daylights.
Link to the screencast:
V. As a result user has excellent productivity (less that 1-2 second) to rebuild any corridor region!!! Please compare with rebuilding full time in the end of the video.
Link to the screencast:
User need to work with corridor model quickly, effectively and with high performance of the software! Here is a way to do it. When work with any region has been finished user can switch to the next, and then turn on all regions to complete the project.
It will be so great – to have this workflow, but…
Unfortunately Civil 3D has a limitation: Inability to use output parameters between different assemblies, so there is a one big problem:
Assemblies (corridor regions) don’t attached to each other on the borders correctly (I create a section view on the superelevation zone – on the spiral of alignment).
My assembly have different grade values on the top and base (20 per mille for Top and 30 per mille for Base as a standard values), so the last layer will be increase thickness from crown to ETW.
I know that user can extract a lot of feature lines and set them as a targets to correct layers thickness as I did earlier (so unconvenient method because all feature lines will overlay on the plan view). Also this assembly need to have permanent grade value on the top and base of all layers from crown to daylight – how I can do this on the superelevation zone – manually in the Section Editor?! So problem already exist. The main goal is to retranslate grade value from one assembly to a different. I try to use add assembly’s offset function – but unfortunately the same limitation…
Link to the screencast:
@a.zemlyanskaya confirm please that I'm right.
@udo.huebner I’m waiting for your comments.
@jae.kwon thank you for your advice.
Tell me please: Have you seen all 12 screencasts (especially the two last)?
Problem is not in custom subassembly properties, functionality, etc.
I (also my CIS colleagues) have great experience in SAC. Also you can see the number of likes under my message - this is really necessary functionality.
I'm talking at first about productivity using corridor in Civil 3D (especcialy in big infrastructure projects). And also about logic of design process.
There are a lot of different conditions (except EG conditions, station ranges) - I'm talking about complex infrastructure projects including pipe netwotks, roadway marks, different sites for local treatment facilities, and of course the main goal - design watersheds. For example, EG conditions (created in SAC) want to create fill (and in 70-80 it will be right decision), but the design decision will be to create a fill to cut slope with a ditch. And it is only human factor, you can't tune it in SAC.
If you have a good experience in SAC you should know that subassembly with a lot of parameters, geometry objects, conditions, etc. also have problems with productivity in SAC environment - the mouse cursor slows down over time to "Slow motion" effect. So create a lot of conditions in custom complicated subassembly in SAC environment - isn't good idea.
I will repeat: if Civil 3D (and also SAC) will have excellent productivity and speed - my question would not be relevant.
I'm not a frequent guest to Civil 3D forums lately, so I've just noticed your post and found it interesting. I've also wanted to check an old trick of Civil 3D, and it turns out that you can actually transfer parameter to different assemblies. At least to the offset assembly. The trick is that Civil 3D takes output parameters from the subassembly by name. So if you have 2 subassemblies in your assemblies collection with the same name, it will always take values from the first one:
In my example I've added LaneLT subassembly to the main assembly and the same subassembly to the offset assembly.
I've also added a ShoulderLT subassembly which is supposed to take a Subgrade grade from the LaneLT subassebly
So on purpose I've changed subgrade grades in both LaneLT subassemblies
I've also made my LaneLT subassembly in offset assembly very tiny in width (1 milimeter), so we can ignore it in the corridor.
And it works. Shoulder LT subassembly takes values from the LaneLT subassembly attached to the main assembly.
