Curved Path shaping

[jpccrodrigues]

Hi guys, 

 

I've been trying to improve my way to work the site modifiers. One of the objects where I'm struggling is a curved path. 

I send to you 3 examples that I tried:

Site modifier pad - Clearly wrong, it assumes a straight line from the starting point until the final point, ignores the turns. 

3d Polys - Modelled two 3d Polys and assumed the then in the class Site - DTM - Modifiers. Better results, but could be more precise. 

Roadway (poly) - Beat results but I have some doubts if the path has an irregular shape. 

 

What do you think? Am I ignoring some other way to work this object? 

 

Thanks!!! 

[bob cleaver]

It is great for you to share these investigations.

I agree the 3rd study using the road for contours works best for the road.

Using PIO modifiers beyond road edges as a grade limit (either by distance or slope) should make more realistic grading solution on the sides of the road.

Custom Curb tool allows for varied road shapes and then you can reshape the road as desired.

Use station points to adjust the elevations along the road allow for fine tuning.

[jpccrodrigues]

I upload the test file with the example that I presented.

If anyone has a different way to works this method and is willing to share it, feel free to use the file and share with the community!!

TESTE.vwx

[Tamsin Slatter]

The 3D poly gives you the greatest flexibility as it offers control over the elevation of each individual vertex, and the Top/Plan shape can be anything you like. As you have discovered, adding this to Site-DTM-Modifier turns this into a modifier. Note that you can do the same with a NURBS Curve.

For a path such as this where you have a consistent width, you could look at the Roadway Polyline tool. This has the flexibility to add level stations along the length and control the elevation at each point. It also includes a site modifier and can generated a grade limit if you need it (although I prefer to draw my own and retain control over them).

 

You might also want to explore the Hardscape tool which now includes Surface Modifiers. This can create an object any shape and have different levels at any point. Note that the elevations defined within the Hardscape Surface Modifiers are relative to the elevation of the Hardscape, so best to keep that at zero to have accurate annotations on the plan.

I hope this helps.

 

 

[Poot]

In addition to using hardscapes and the methods you mentioned, you can also try going straight to using site modifiers (grade objects + contours/pads) to do paths like you are working with.

 

 

I used both methods here for experimentation, as the road tool (used on right side at top) seems to be the fastest way to to do this, but for most of the path/ramp sections I show above there are flat areas placed at irregular intervals which would be harder to make with regular station intervals, so the road tool might not be best for these.  

The nice part about the grade objects is the networking. If we can in the future draw curved grade objects directly, that will work even more smoothly than having to use contours.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Poot

[jpccrodrigues]

41 minutes ago, Poot said:

In addition to using hardscapes and the methods you mentioned, you can also try going straight to using site modifiers (grade objects + contours/pads) to do paths like you are working with.

 

 

I used both methods here for experimentation, as the road tool (used on right side at top) seems to be the fastest way to to do this, but for most of the path/ramp sections I show above there are flat areas placed at irregular intervals which would be harder to make with regular station intervals, so the road tool might not be best for these.  

The nice part about the grade objects is the networking. If we can in the future draw curved grade objects directly, that will work even more smoothly than having to use contours.

 

That's precisely it!! What a job!! Congrats.

Regarding the Site Modifiers / Grades, as they are now, Version 2021, they are redundant... The difference is that grades only allow lines, working as a network, and Site Modifiers can include curves or complex polylines but work as isolated elements.

The creation of a single tool that can receive different shapes and working as a network would be the perfect. In the roadmap the talk about improvements in this area in the 2022 version, but lets wait and see...

 

[Poot]

On 8/4/2021 at 10:43 AM, jpccrodrigues said:

The creation of a single tool that can receive different shapes and working as a network would be the perfect. In the roadmap the talk about improvements in this area in the 2022 version, but lets wait and see...

 

Yes, this would be great! 

[Peter Neufeld.]

Don't forget that any 2D shape drawn on a Site Model, once converted to a 3D Poly can then be sent to the surface of the DTM. 

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

 

[jpccrodrigues]

On 8/15/2021 at 4:53 AM, Peter Neufeld. said:

Don't forget that any 2D shape drawn on a Site Model, once converted to a 3D Poly can then be sent to the surface of the DTM. 

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

 

I identified that approach in the initial post. For free-form modeling is fine, but you loose some precision...