The Civil 3D Split Region tool can be greatly improved with some additional options and enhancements.
These improvements would be particularly useful for medium to advanced Civil 3D users in Multiple Baseline Corridors, larger linear corridors, and detailed site design and/or roadway corridors.
Goal:
- Reduce clicks and inputs in more complex Baselines with multiple Regions
- Increase the consistency capability of Region management within corridors.
This could be a new separate Chop Region tool. The tool improvements are submitted in two ideas. I believe the first improvement set is easier to implement and this one second more nuanced and demanding.
This suggestion is not a suggested tweak to the Copy Region command which does something different and yet might benefit from similar options.
Split Region Tool Improvement Part 2
Works on Multiple Baselines
Requires more lookups, calcs from the object model, and error checking.
The Region management in corridors with dynamic Extracted Feature Lines gets dicey quickly.
There are certainly Region locking issues to handle or not in the context of these tool improvements.
Includes Offset, Increment, and Divide options from Part 1 summarized below
Add Match, All and Select options for Offset, Increment, and Divide options
Match Stations option allows you to Split a Baseline based on a selected Region of another Baseline in the corridor. The entire Region range is matched or at least to the Region Start station based on a perpendicular from the selected Baseline.
Use case: aids in Region station matching across multiple baselines
This could be a simpler and separate Match Station Regions tool with Start, End and All options.
Find All the related Baselines in the Corridor and Split them all by the Offset option criteria that follows
Includes Offset Alignment children and Extracted Feature Lines used as Baselines
Right and Left only options might come in handy, but you can Merge Region the unwanted split Regions back together.
Do you want to Add the new matched Regions to the Extracted Feature Line Baseline(s)?
Yes Redefines the dynamic Extracted Feature Lines to the new Regions.
Use case: Saves you from a lot of Split Region tool passes in a Multiple Baseline corridor.
Subdivides a multiple baseline corridor across all the corridor Baselines.
Allows for better and even more dynamic Extracted Feature Line Baseline Region management.
Manually Select multiple Baselines and Split them all based on the selected Baseline Station(s) by the option criteria that follows.
Allows you to live without Right and Left only options above and/or ignore unselected Baselines.
Use case: Create consistent Region splits in separate Baselines. For example match daylight Baseline Regions on both sides of another Baseline corridor structure you do not need to subdivide.
Match, All and Select options will probably require an Ignore default value to not create new Regions below a default Ignore value.
Do you want to match the new Region station values or retain the existing Region station values?
You may really need to keep the new tiny Region based on other design considerations.
Split Region Tool Improvement Part One options included for clarity
Offset option gets you Center (default), Start and End options.
Creates a specified sized Station Range Region in a Baseline from one Baseline Station pick.
Allows you to create two consistent sized Region splits at once.
Offset option of the command repeats with the option to again change the meaning of the Baseline station pick.
Potential Offset that also increment or divide has some uses like sidewalk planters, driveways etc.
Offset use cases include intersections, bridges, overpasses, driveways, drainage structures, etc.
Increment and Divide subdivide the Baseline to by classic AutoCAD methods to improve corridor management and build performance.
500 or 1000 unit ranges or total Baseline length divided by 3
These options of the command do not repeat and/or prompt for another Baseline
Use case: Turn off Regions and improve corridor build performance.
If included as options in Offset, see above.
Design Speed option subdivides the Baseline by current Alignment Design Speed Station assignments
If no Design Speed on current Baseline, option to select another alignment from the drawing or a list.
Regions are constructed from the Baseline Start or a manually selected station on the current Baseline.
A Reset option could remove all current Baseline Regions and recreate new Design Speed Regions OR
more simply - Existing Regions must be manually deleted or merged beforehand and cannot be updated.
Use case: obvious relationship between Design Speed and Assembly assignment for both roadway Baselines and side condition Baselines. (e,g, classic on and off ramps and lanes)
