All posts by Kapanther

Preparing A Section for Slope W/Seep W analysis

UPDATE: Before following this outrageously long, but complete guide to exporting for slope W. Consider buying the Exchange App here for $25

http://www.redtransitconsultants.com/app/export-profiles-dxf-use-slide

Otherwise…. read on.

We are often required to take the analysis of stability/seepage outside the Autocad environment to horrible 3rd party applications like SlopeW. To do so can be rather cumbersome, as these products usually require intensely simplified DXF sections for import.

So here is my method for bringing in section data for analysis in Slope W/Seep W.

1. I am going to assume you know how to create section views/profile views!

2. I recommend keeping all your analysis sections in a separate DWG to your model. Link it all back with data shortcuts. Then when your design updates and you have to redo your stability analysis you can create the sections easily again.

3. Its important that all your sections get created at coordinates close to 0,0. This makes it easier to import into Slope/Seep.

4. Once you have all the sections you need, make sure you have them displayed with a section/profile view style that only displays the datum, border and the profiles themselves like so:

5. Explode them twice

6. Then rejoin any lines you need together and trim if necessary. (Most of the time you don’t need to do anything)

7. Wblock these exploded lines out to a separate dwg, close your current dwg and open the exploded output. (this removes all the civil 3d layers)

8. Slope W doesn’t like lots of points. So we need to filter these out using WEEDFEATURES.

9. Start by weeding vertices close by to each other, then finish by using Angle. You want to get your vertices below 200 if possible.

10. Slope/Seep prefers closed polygons as these can be converted to regions to assign materials quickly. To do this, my trick is to convert all your polylines into parcels. You can tell if any of your regions aren’t not working. Because there will be no label in the centroid of your boundary.


11. Let’s say you have a few problems! If you select parcel labels in the area, you can see where the problem areas are. This region selected here has multiple boundaries.

12. Some areas might not be joined anymore, particularly if you used ANGLE or LENGTH to WEEDFEATURES. These gaps will need to be fixed manually. (If you have a lot of sections, consider exploding everything and doing a PEDIT, JOIN, fuzz distance of 0.5/1, then reconvert to parcels and check again)

13. Now you can create the regions that will be used to import into Slope/Seep. Just SELECTSIMILAR on all the parcel labels and EXPLODE. You will now have all the regions you need to wblock out to SlopeW.

14. Check their properties to make sure they are all closed before using! UNDO and move parcel vertices until you have it fixed!

15. Once you have all the regions, move them so that the very left most part of the section’s X value is distance starting from 0 and the Y value matches the elevation of the datum like so. Mine is EL 1145

16. Wblock to 2007 DXF format with the name of your section and import into Slope/Seep

17. You should now be able to import into Slope/Seep for analysis

18. Don’t forget to change your Y scale to suit your elevation

19. Let the analysis begin!

Loading

Features lines dynamically linked to corridor! Civil 3D 2015

Amazing how this one slipped past me… Not even sure if this is only in 2015..

However, when you extract a feature line from a corridor. You can create a dynamic link back to the corridor (See below). That’s right… A “feature line” can be extracted from a corridor and when the corridor rebuilds, it updates itself!!

BUT WHAT IS SO AMAZING ABOUT THIS? …….well… CORNER OVERLAPS IN CORRIDORS CAN BE A LOT MORE DYNAMIC!!… read on below.

Say you have a tight corner in a corridor you can’t get away from..

Rather than extracting a feature line and having to move it every time your corridor updates..

You can now extract (tick the dynamic box).. create your grading… add it to your corridor surface.. but,,

Maybe I realign my corridor slightly. No problem.. The feature line and the associated grading goes with! Wonderful..

Loading

Improvements that can be made to the Sample Line Materials Setup Box

1. There is no way to sort or “re-order materials” in either the main dialog. OR the Criteria Dialog. Very frustrating!

2. Structures added manually can’t be deleted (this is definitely a bug!)

3. When creating large criteria or editing manually. It would be good if the “delete” key worked and multiple lines can be selected at once and deleted. As having to go up to that red cross can be very time consuming when editing large criteria etc. Particularly when everytime you delete something the selection moves completely away from where you were working.

4. Find/replace functionality on the names used in the criteria would also save a lot of time as well. You want to use the criteria on a different area of your design and all you need to do is change a suffix. Otherwise the “map objects by name” doesn’t work (find replace functionality in every civil 3d list box would save a lot of time)

5. It would be excellent if shape codes could be split somewhat by a surface. So (area volume in shape code above <selected surface>/area volume in shape code below <selected surface>. This negates having to create – 4-5 extra surfaces to calculate complex geometry represented by a shape.

image012

 

Loading

Structures Added to Sample Line Materials Using Criteria Can’t Be Deleted/Edited

After adding a whole bunch of materials to my sample lines using criteria, I can’t delete any of the structures from the list…

However If these are added manually using the buttons then you can delete them.. Kind of frustrating if you have to edit your materials quickly…

See example drawing link here

You will also need custom subassemblies to be attached here

Look in DS-TSF-ULTIMATE.dwg

 

Loading

Horizontal Geometry will not display in bands on a data shortcutted alignment

See link to download example drawing

The horizontal geometry band displays no values until the alignment is promoted. Breaking the reference to our alignment, which is not a suitable workaround IMO as we have too many profile views, alignments that would need to be recreated if something changes…

We really need a proper fix for this ASAP.

Before no values displayed

After, promoting the alignment, removing the band and re-adding ,the values now display.. (not a suitable workaround!)

Loading

Autocad Loses Focus when selecting civil 3d objects

UPDATE: Autodesk is aware of this issue and can reproduce the problem CaseNo:10466148, This only happens when you ahve your properties palette open.

This is a difficult one to explain. So I have made a screencast to show you here

But basically when selecting something that is a civil 3d object with a “Left-Right” or “right-left” selection and you drag your mouse outside the autocad window (say the start menu). Autocad no longer is the current program. Requiring the user to select the autocad icon on start menu. Or click on the top bar to regain focus..

Very frustrating as my commands often have to be done twice as a result. OR more often then not a complicated selection during a command that may have taken a little while is lost.

Additionally once this has occurred once. A left-right selection on the object without even dragging outside will continue to allow the program to lose focus!

See example file and explanation below so you can recreate problem for yourselves.

Loading

When trimming with 3D polyline and Live Preview on, Autocad Freezes

Getting an error in 2015 when trimming lines with a 3d polyline. (see attached drawing).

Download 0011 – trimming 3d polylines 2015_test1

I select the complex 3d polyline as the trimming line, then when I go to trim the lines. IF I accidentally hover over the 3d polyline I am using to trim it just freezes for up to 5 minutes.

If I turn off live preview I don’t get the error?

The more complex the 3d polyline the longer the wait!

What’s wrong?

Loading