Open Cross Section

Icon:       
Menu:    Roads > Select/Open/Edit > Open Cross Section Window
Ribbon: Roads Tab > Select Panel > Open Cross Section

Introduction

Civil Site Design supports the opening of multiple cross section windows for any road, string or other CSD object.

This command allows the designer to open a new cross section window for any selected CSD object.  This window will display the cross section design at the user nominated chainage for the selected CSD object.

The Cross Section Window is also accessible from the Vertical Grading Editor Window and the Design Data Form.

After starting the command, the designer needs to select the CSD object (eg: Road) and the chainage to display.

In the display window of the cross section, designers can use the middle mouse button to zoom and pan.

Cross section windows are also able to be opened from a Vertical Grading Editor Window - in this case the chainage of the cross section window can be set to react to a right mouse button click in the Vertical Grading Editor Window.  Users hover the mouse pointer near a sampled chainage in the Vertical Grading Editor window and click on the right mouse button to view that cross section in the Cross Section Window. 

Pre-Setting the Cross Section Window Display

Users are able to configure the information displayed in the Cross Section Window, including the inclusion of objects in the view such as other Strings/Profiles, Alignments, CSD Pipes and selected AutoCAD objects.  Whilst this can typically be configured on each cross section window displayed, defaults can also be set for cross section windows when they are opened via the following CSD commands:

Marker Display in the Drawing

The active cross section is highlighted with a marker in the drawing.  This marker is managed via a block in the Civil Site Design Settings (CSD Settings) folder.  Users are able to replace this drawing block as desired.  The CSD Settings folder can be opened in Windows Explorer via the Open Settings Folder command in the General menu/ribbon.  The block is named XSECTACTIVE.dwg. 

As the mouse if moved across a cross section window, a line will track the mouse location, displaying perpendicular to the section in the drawing.

Details

After starting the command, select an CSD Object (by clicking on/near the alignment) and then click on the nearest chainage. The following form will be displayed:


 
Display Window The display window graphically shows the cross section.  Users can use the middle mouse button to zoom (scroll) and pan (hold down) the display.
Previous-All Change all open cross section windows to display the previous sampled cross section chainage.
Previous Change the cross section window to show the previous sampled cross section chainage.
Chainage Pick box allowing the user to toggle to the sampled chainage to display.  After clicking in the box with the left mouse button, the up and down buttons on the keyboard can be used to cycle through the cross sections
Next Change the cross section window to show the next sampled cross section chainage.
Next-All Change all open cross section windows to display the next sampled cross section chainage.
Pick Chainage Pick a cross section from the drawing to display
Vertical Exaggeration Pick list to select the desired vertical exaggeration.
Actual VE Displays the actual vertical exaggeration being applied to the cross section window.
Offset/Level Prefixed by O: for offset and L: for level, the numbers represent the exact location of the mouse pointer inside the cross section display window.
Settings This command enables user control over what is displayed in the cross section window.  Upon selecting this command the following form is displayed:
Toggle Display/Control Set display controls and turn textual information on/off.  Text will stack vertically against each code where the text relates to a code
  Lock View After zooming and panning into a part of the cross section, toggling this on will lock in the zoom/pan control, so cycling through cross sections will not result in the cross sections automatically rescaling to show the entire cross section view
  Show Depth Display the level difference (-ve cut, +ve fill) between each Code level and the sampled surface level
  Show XFall Displays the design cross fall on each section
  Show Offsets Displays the offsets from the CL at each Code
  Show Levels Displays the design level at each Code (example in the top image)
  Show Code Displays the design Codes for the cross section
  Show Pipes Displays all CSD Pipes that cross or run parallel to a Cross Section Window.
  End Padding Adds blank space to both ends of the cross section extents being displayed
Offset Display Sets a tracker in the plan view
  No Offset Turns the tracker off
  Follow Mouse Shows a tracker in the plan in relation to the mouse position in the Section View.

  Fixed Offset Set a value to place the tracker line away from the road centreline (CL), negative (-) sets line to left of CL, positive (+) sets line to the right of the CL

  Use Code Select a template code to place the tracker line in plan view
General Allows setting of default controls
  Apply to All Section Viewers Apply these settings to all open Cross Section Windows
  Set as Default Makes these settings the default settings for all future Cross Section Windows when first opened.
OK Apply and exit.
Cancel Exit without applying settings changes
Show Objects This command enables additional objects/data to be displayed on the cross section windows.  The form layout and details are described in the Cross Section Window Object Display command.
 Fast Forward Runs through the cross sections, from the current chainage to the end of the String
 Fast Reverse Runs through the cross sections, from the current chainage to the start of the String
Open Vertical Grading Editor Window Opens the Vertical Grading Editor Window for the CSD Object,  if not already displayed.
Open Design Data Form Opens the  Design Data Form, if not already displayed
Show other Strings Opens the Vertical Grading Editor window for every String that is associated to the current String (by way of Varation).
Zoom to Section Zooms to the section location in the drawing.
Zoom extents Zooms to the full extents of the cross section
Zoom In Zooms in by 25%
Note: Scrolling using the middle mouse button enables zoom
Hold down the middle mouse button to pan
Zoom Out Zooms out by 25%
Note: Scrolling using the middle mouse button enables zoom
Hold down the middle mouse button to pan
Max Exaggeration Use the pick box to select the maximum vertical exaggeration to be applied in the cross section window.