Tag Archives: Custom Subassemblies

Custom Subassemblies

Custom Subassemblies Lesson 3 – Adding your Parameters

For the next few lessons I will continue developing the dam section shown in Lesson 2.

So open Subassembly Composer – Start Menu -> search “Sub” You should see it

Before you do anything chose a good place to save all your subassemblies. I prefer to keep them in one place in a development folder. Then copy them to the project standard folder if that project utilizes that particular subassembly.

1. Save to your development folder “DamAssembly”

2. Now input all your input parameters you will need. Remember, try to group them by widths/grades/slopes etc (there are no sorting buttons, however if you are really deep in and don’t want to delete and recreate, here is a workaround you can use to sort the parameters without deleting them)

3. Set the Type, Double (Decimal Numbers), Integer (Whole Numbers), String (Text), Slope/grade etc.

4. Set a good default value for the parameters and use a logical display name that will make sense to the end user.

5. Lastly Pick a Side. If you don’t pick a side you can’t use the mirror functionality to quickly flip the subassembly to operate the other way

inputparameters
Remember to group your parameters by width/slope/grade etc. to make it easy for the end user

One thing you will notice is I have not created every code in the subassembly. Just parts that can be combined together to form the finished code. I.E – for material A top links it will be <cp + m_A + csl_T> or OP1_A_top

This is my complete Target Parameters Table

6. Now input all your target parameters you will need. Remember, try to group them by offsets, elevations, surfaces etc.

So a curious thing you will notice is the sl_IN, sl_OUT, dp_B are all linked to elevation type. This is because I am going to use a elevation profile to control the parameter. So I can create smooth transitions. This is explained in more detail in %Profile Based Parameters%

Now on to Lesson 4 – Clever Coding

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Custom Subassemblies

Custom Subassemblies Lesson 1 – Do I even need a custom subassembly?

You might be already well aware you need a custom subassembly (CS) because things are getting hectic, so you can skip this article

It is always a good idea to stop and determine “if I even need to” though. So, if you’re not sure, here are some general rules of thumb to follow to determine if you need a CS.

You should create a CS if:-

1. Your Corridor Model requires you to transition daylight slopes smoothly over distance. I.E 1:2 up to 1:6 and back to 1:2 over specified distances

2. Your corridor model has a complicated target list, say 5 or more targets you need to specify. Particularly elevation/grade targets. These can take longer to manage as they are usually all different targets, unlike surfaces which are typically all just EG and can be set all at once.

This list can grow long very quickly! Particularly when you start changing the targets between regions etc.

3. Managing your codes (point/link/shape) is becoming difficult to manage

4. You want to develop multiple stages to calculate volumes over time. Similar to above.

5. You wish to calculate internal materials that differ from the generic/road based subassemblies provided by the software. (plus making surfaces is difficult due to differing boundary conditions)

These are a few good signs that creating a CS will benefit you. However as an umbrella rule,

if it is taking too much time….. take some time… to create a CS.

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