dynamic offset profile.

[joantopo]

It would be interesting a new object called: offset profile.  (in the aligment object there is "offset alignment").

The idea is the following:

We can select a profile in the drawing and copy/paste it to a profile view. In this case, the new profile is not dynamic (there is not dependency between this and the original profile).

To solve this, we usually create a new empty surface and paste the EG surface to it. Then we apply the operation: "Raise / Lower surface".

Then we make a surface profile with that surface.

However, this last way involves creating a new surface so that the drawing file is heavier.

Instead of creating new surfaces to do this, my idea is create directly an offset profile:

The steps will be:

- Select the original profile ( surface profile or layout profile).

-Type the vertical offset value.

- Select the profile view to draw it

this new profile would be always locked so we couldn´t edit it and if we remove the original profile automatically this profile would be also removed.

[Anonymous]

Most users are looking for the ability to show center line and top of curb left and right in one profile view with out having to do overlapping profile views which is messy and a manual task. See below.

[JamesMaeding]

Peter, your team must work with us (companies that do the road plans) if this is to happen in a useful way.

Part of the issue with 3 line profiles is showing curb returns and cul-de-sacs which are not based on same alignment as the left/right curbs.

So I don't want your team to say you did what we asked, then realize we want more.

[chris_brenton]

Here is an example of road profiles that are required in Arizona.

[JamesMaeding]

To Peter Funk,

Yourself, Dave and Dan have been around forever. Is there really a lack of understanding on how 3 line (and more) profiles work?

Its very confusing to understand if the issue is money to develop features to increase adoption, or writing the spec for the feature.

As I recall, DOT's use centerline stationing for all their roads, and they have 5 line profiles when medians are involved.

As a programmer, it seems to me the problem is how to say what profile is "active" once you overlap several.

In my tools, we have a block that sets up a station/elevation system for a profile, and you click anywhere to set it current.

It looks for the closest block and uses it. You have to remember that you cannot just set current by picking a profile's linework, as there is none at first.

We need to hear from your team though, its been so long since I heard of attempts to get back the LDT private development market, I don't know where anything stands.

Also remember, C3D conversations = IW conversations because civil engineering is the same no matter what presentation platform you deal with.

We make content in C3D, show it in IW. The two feed off each other, yet sadly the data is still tied up in custom objects instead of external db any program can access.

[fcernst]

We definitely need to be able to edit the resultant offset profiles to add low points for inlets, local high points, eliminate flat gutter slopes through both horizontal and vertical curves,  and create transitions into intersections.

It would be useless to not be able to edit the offset profile and just have them blindly following a constant differential from the CL profile after its initial creation.

The Dynamic offset profile would be used for Preliminary Design and supplies the starting point.

There needs to be a Dynamic toggle switch we can toggle off at any time to edit the offset profile for Final Design, and have the Corridor react.

There also needs to be Station Range control options for re-building the offset profiles when only a portion of the Final Design for the street needs to re-designed, but not the entire street.

[joantopo]

I think I have a good idea about this @fcernst

If we have a look about an offset alignment, we can add several widenings in them.

So, Why we can´t add a "widening" to the offset profile?

For example, Istram Ispol software has a tool where the user can edit some ranges of the profile and the rest "regions" of the profile are dynamic.

So, I think that profiles (specially "offset profile") should have a kind of "widening" object like offset alignments.

[fcernst]

So, Why we can´t add a "widening" to the offset profile?

Because there is no need for this. The offset profile is attached to the offset alignment by definition.

Through the widenings and around the outside curves, the offset alignment gets longer than the CL alignment, thus the grade of the offset profile gets flatter through these stretches.

Then we have to edit the offset profile to meet design criteria, create inlet locations, etc..

[Eduardo.Soethe]

already implemented

[TimYarris]

Dynamic offset profiles were implemented in Civil 3D 2018:

[JamesMaeding]

Tim, I think this feature request is confused by just using the word "offset". I know what I want, but we should stick to the OP's request. I think every person on this added a twist, and I never saw discussion of straightening that out.

I've never used offset alignments before, so want to understand the feature better.

It seems to me the feature creates additional alignments dependent on the main one, according to widening params, or constant offsets. Simple enough. Then, the offset profiles are additional profiles added, based on a main profile, adjusted for crossfall and horizontal width at a point. This is like what a planning level person would do before real curb profiles are designed.

But the OP did not want another alignment, based on his words. He wanted a profile with just vertical offset from another. Correct me if wrong, I don't mean to further twist this.

Meanwhile, as a hijack to the OP's request, much of the rest of us want a better way to display multiple profiles (left and right curb) on a single profile display, as that is what we do for many many road plans. I'm surprised the Caltrans client has not already caused this to happen, but I heard plan production is still done in Ustn, with just some design done by C3D. I would be curious to hear if the C3D team is considering that.

thanks

[joantopo]

Are you sure @TimYarris ?

- An offset alignment does not accept offset=0 (ok, we could put 0.001...)

- An offset profile does not accept "Relative elevation". We must always work with grades.

[JamesMaeding]

@joantopo

It can't be what the OP wanted, as an offset profile will be gradually varying as the side align varies width.

I'm wondering how that is handled anyway. Is it the PVI's that are adjusted for slope and offset on offset align, or does it somehow sample every 5' on original and project it to offset align?

Part of the problem on all this is we don't know the history of what feature was made to solve what. I think Dave and Dan are the last two that know this. Peter has been gone a while.

[jameshitt]

@TimYarris  You and Autodesk completely missed the point of the request. The point is to have a dynamically linked profile on the SAME ALIGNMENT but with a vertical offset applied directly to it. OP's was not implemented.