Corridor targeting is such a chore right now. So much time is spent mapping targets in a complex corridor. Here are some ideas to improve the workflow
- If I need to make a revision to an assembly, which is already assigned to a region (but do not want to affect other regions) I make a copy the assembly. Then I change the region to point to the copy. In this instance, the targets should remap perfectly since it is an exact copy but they do not. This causes a lot of rework. I generally have to make a screenshot of the targets, then make sure they are all correct. This is a problem especially when some targets have multiple targets and just show as "Varies".
- Current challenges with polylines and features as targets:
- When a polyline is added as a target, it is assigned a name. As far as I can tell, there isn't a way to see which polyline represents "polyline-276". Make it easier to see which polylines are targets. When the polyline is selected in the targeting dialog, highlight it in the DWG. Add the polyline name as a property of the polyline so that you can see it in AutoCAD Properties.
- When targets are added by layer, let the user know which layer was used. This helps let someone else know how the targets were set.
- when setting a target to a polyline buy level, it would be nice if there was an option to make this dynamic. If I add a polyline to the level, it should automatically get added as a target.
- Maybe allow a property to be set in the assembly that tells the program which level to use to find features or polylines.
- I would like to see something like "parametric constraints" in InRoads. Somehow to change a variable for an entire corridor. An example is, if you have base depth of 0.5', and find out after you create your corridor that it should be 0.75', give us the ability to override all subassembly parameters for "Base" to the new value, for an entire corridor.
- There needs to be a better way to manage targets across regions. Maybe tie the code set for point or shape into the equation. If a point of an assembly is named “EOP” allow us to use that value to set a target to an alignment, polyline, feature. If a shape of a subassembly is named “Base” allow us to override the default value for all regions.
There are a few of my suggestions. I am not sure if these are the best way to handle it but the current workflow is cumbersome and there is a lot of room for error. I really do feel like the target mapping needs an overhaul.
