I am using Trimble Access Road (controller) and it is very interesting because to define the assembly, you only have to define a half-cross section (called template). You always draw to the right side of the section.
Even you don´t have to do mirror.
When you define "The assembly", you select an existing template for the left side and an existing template for the right side (or "None" or "Interpolation". It will do mirror itself to the properly side.
I am thinking in 2 new features in Civil 3D: (new types of assemblies, "special assemblies")
- Composite dynamic assembly (an special assembly). I will name here as B assembly, where you select and assembly for the left side (I will name A1) and assembly for the right side (I will name A2) in the properties of the B assembly. (it will take the side of each assembly and it will copy in the properly side. Assembly A1 or A2 can be a full cross section.
This will be dynamic, so if you edit the A1 assembly, then B assembly will be regenarated.
If you remove an assembly, for example A1, then assembly is broken only in one side (will be a normal assembly in that side). In fact, Composite assembly supports adding subassemblies in each side as a any currently assembly.
If you try to edit assembly B (composite), it would be as a block. Context menu "Go to" to go to the original assembly (in this case, assembly A1 or A2) or even edit it directly in the same assembly as (RefX in situ).
Dynamic mirror assembly: In this case, you can only add subassemblies in one side of the assembly (when you create this type of assembly with ask which side you want to edit). Other side of the assembly will be "locked", but when you add for example a lane in the left side, it is created automatically a lane in the right side with the same values for input parameters. If you edit lane in the left side, then it is regenarted in the right side. So you can only add subassemblies in one side and always will do mirror automatically. The "Dynamic mirror assembly" can be broken an it would work as any currently assembly. Maybe you can not go back.
This would be very useful because the assembly would be tagged as "DYNAMIC MIRROR" so you know that it will have the same values in both sides and will be identical. (full mirror). You only have to edit one side every time. Even in edition of this assembly, you could change the side to edit if you prefer.
Thanks in advance.
