Site Modifiers (pad?) with varying heights along edge

[steve d.]

Hello

Is there a way to add regrading to a site model so that the amount of earth moved from existing to proposed is determined ?   I have a sloping site, and would like to recontour with a dozer so that the general elevations are lowered so the lands match the heights along a road cut.  

 

The constant plane pad with a set slope is a start, but not nearly able to reproduce what I am looking for.  The attached image is what I am after .... to draw a pad alongside the roadway and set the elevations at each point matching the road elevation ... 

 

I did NOT have much success drawing a 3Dpolygon along the roadway and across the lot, with the desired elevations,  and then using it to modify ... it didnt affect the model ... I did set the class to site-dtm-modifier ... and it was in the layer modifying the model ... but no effect upon updating.    Operator error is an obvious start.  

 

Any suggestions for doing this ?   or alternative approaches ?

************************************************************************************

Steve Dimond, GSC, M.Sc., P.Eng., Prince Edward Island, Canada

MacOS 10.13.6, MacBookPro mid 2015, 16 Gb Ram, Vectorworks v2019 Designer, Renderworks

 

 

Edited October 24, 2019 by steve d.

[steve d.]

I played around further with the 3D polygon ... and ensured there was NO crossover on the road or the grade limits from that ... 

( although i would like to match the contour at the road )

 

this then worked as expected !  ... so I think I am away ... but any comments would be most welcome !

cheers

sd

 

[Tony Kostreski]

@steve d. just to confirm--your grade limit (limits of disturbance) is surrounding all site modifiers? It might help to see the file if you are willing to post it—even if it's simplified. If the roadway also has a grade limit try turning that one off as it might be conflicting with the other but hard to tell from an image. Good luck!

[Tamsin Slatter]

40 minutes ago, Tony Kostreski said:

@steve d. just to confirm--your grade limit (limits of disturbance) is surrounding all site modifiers? It might help to see the file if you are willing to post it—even if it's simplified. If the roadway also has a grade limit try turning that one off as it might be conflicting with the other but hard to tell from an image. Good luck!

Yes - agreed. I always draw my own grade limit instead of allowing tools to generate theirs. I want control!

 

To achieve the grades you are looking for down to the roadway - you might want to look at the Grade tool too.

[steve d.]

Thank you for the replies ... 

 

I did manage to get something of value with the 3D polygons.   Worked well actually once I got the bugs out.

 ... although a pile remains alongside the roadway as the modifiers dont intersect.  

I could limit the grading to 1 metre and then reset everything ... for an approximation of earth volumes, this works not too badly though as i have it.

 

Can the Grade Tool cross over other modifiers ?

When I have used that, it appears to be creating only ditch-like contouring ... ie there is no plane on the grading, just along the line with the elevation changes either side ... much like a trough.   Is there a way to use the grade tool ie like the width of a dozer blade, for insance ?

 

Thank you

Cheers

Steve D

[Tamsin Slatter]

Connect the Grade objects to create a network.

[ericjhberg]

@Tamsin Slatter Is the Grade Tool any more responsive in VW2020? I haven't had the ability to test it much yet, but up until now it has been frustratingly slow and cumbersome to use. The functionality of linking them together is great, but it has previously come at a great expense of time.

 

Additionally, as @steve d. points out, the tool is very local in its application...only working essentially along the thin vector it creates. There are no settings to widden its application, only the option to add duplicative grade objects (which results in further slow down).