nurbs roadway

[domer1322]

I've never been able to get the nurbs roadway tool to work. When I try it, it will draw the roadway just fine, but the 3D rendering of the landscape disappears. The other roadway tools work fine.... and I can see the rendered surfaces and contours .... but not with the nurbs tool. Is this a bug or am I missing something ?

using VW Arch 12.5 on Windows XP

[CipesDesign]

Assuming you have a SITE MODEL onto which you are placing the road, the road is probably hiding underneath it. Try selecting the Nurbs Roadway and then go to AEC>TERRAIN>SEND TO SURFACE. You can also adjust each STATION's "Z" value in the OIP. Make sure for the ROAD that "CREATE PAD FOR DTM" is checked and make sure to "UPDATE" the site model...

[domer1322]

thanks for the response ... but the problem is that I can not see the landscape. I can see the 3D nurb roadway just fine. The site model disappears when the road is generated. I can't even see the wire frame site model ... just the road surface. I have tried the things you listed... including the "update" button.

[domer1322]

sorry... I should have been more exact in my description of the problem. I have a 3D terrain already modeled and showing in top/plan view with contour lines. As soon as I click on the nurb roadway tool, the terrain disappears from view. It is still there, since I see the curser snap points as the mouse hovers over it. Then I draw a nurbs roadway that is clearly inside the boundary of the (invisible) terrain site model. The roadway appears in all views (2D, 3D isometric) but the terrian is still invisible. When I click on the invisible snap point for the terrain and then in the OIP I click "update" I get an error box that says "pad intersecting the fence or a hull"

That is it. From your answer above, it seems as though my problem is unique. It could be operator error, since I am sort of at the "advanced beginner" level. Any help is appreciated.

[CipesDesign]

The fisrst thing to check is the HEIGHT (in "Z" space) of your Site Model. With nothing selected, go to a FRONT (or SIDE) view, then click on the FIT TO OBJECTS button (lower left of the drawing window). I would bet you see a road at the bottom of the screen and a site model at the top. If that is the case, move the road up! Your second issue is happening because the "PAD" of the road cannot cross the edge of the HULL which defines the site model. Let us know what happens.

[domer1322]

test image add

[domer1322]

I tried to add an image of my situation ... but couldn't figure out how to post it on this website. In sum, the height issue is not present.... I did not have a problem with heights to start with and still followed your advice. I found out the "invisible" 3D site model was related to the display properties in the 'edit' window for the site model. However, the problem still remains that I can't get the nurbs road to work. The other roadway tools seem to work fine, so I've learned how things work using the striaght and curved roadway tools. For the nurbs tool, I still get an error box that claims my pad is outlside the hull when it clearly isn't. I checked the fence distance... it seems to be OK. When I use the nurbs tool, I get the error dialog box, and when I click to close it I discover that VW went ahead and calculated the new site model anyway... except that it is grossly wrong with contours all out of whack. This is being done on new test files, so there is no corruption issue. I tried making the site model huge so that the road would be even further away from the hull.... but it didn't work. The only good thing is that I'm doing this to learn something and I'm not working on a project fir this ... otherwise I'd be up a creek without a paddle. Thanks for your help... ... send more if you have any.

[CipesDesign]

You're not alone. I have had very odd results with Nurbs Roads. Partly, the tool is limited (I think they are working to improve it) and partly it's very fussy, you have to use it "just so" to get acceptable results. About posting images: the only way (that I'm aware of) is to have your own html web page, then link to it here.

[Petri]

Obviously I haven't missed anything vital by leaving the DTM and Roads untouched since VW 9.

I don't underestimate the difficulty of either nor the added complexity of "site modifiers", especially in the context of very fussy etc. VW users. I mean: generating a TIN-model of a set of points is pretty trivial. Being able to use various, basically any, objects to change the terrain is, I believe, anything but trivial.

Having said that, the roads I tried to make with VW 9 all became Signs of Zorro in plan and quite psychedelic in 3D. Neither the Euclidean nor the Einsteinian concept of space did not seem to apply. The 2D aspect should, in today's standards, be trivial. Pursuit of improvements is therefore quite appropriate.

[islandmon]

Don't get too discouraged with this problem... routine use of DTM & Roads

is common round here... there are numerous ways to skin this rabbit ...

if the RoadTool fails then set-up the road onto the surface using stake or 3d loci & 3d polys.

Or Extrude a section along a Path.

Indeed, there are some many things that can go wrong ... KISS !

[Guest]

Send the file along w/ a description of the problem to tech@nemetschek.net.

This is a difficult problem to resolve without a project file.