Drawing Generator

The existing plan and profile tools are replaced in the Drawing Generator menu. This will make the workflow to automatically create the plan and profile drawings more understandable. If you start with matchline drawing, continue with spreading the plan frames, then draw the profiles, you finally will be able the automatically draw the drawing layouts.

• The Draw Profile Frames Along Line will automatically select the previously selected style in the Draw Longitudinal Profile tool.

Use this function to generate a plan and longitudinal profiles for the corresponding plan.

• Plan and respective profiles will be generated on a section basis of 750.0 m.

• The function clips and pastes together parts of plans and corresponding longitudinal profiles.

• The function is based on the CAD commands model space and paper space.

  • For a detailed description of model space and paper space, see CAD help.

The minimum requirements before executing the function are as follows:

1. Draw the road model and the centerline using the function Draw Road Model.

   • For a detailed description of generating a road model plan, refer to the topic Draw Road Model.

2. Draw plan frames to the road model (plan) using the function Draw Plan Frames Along Line.

   • For a description of generating plan frames, refer to the topic Draw Plan Frames Along Line above.

   • The frame to be used for the function Autodraw Plan and Profile is Half height A1.

   • The frame covers a length of 750.0m of the road plan.

3. Draw the profile frames using the function Draw Profile Frames Along Line.

   • For a description of generating profile frames, refer to the topic Draw Profile Frames Along Line above.

Procedure

Run the function from the following locations:

MOUS_ICO Toolbar: Drawing Generator: Plan and Profile Layout Generator

MOUS_ICO Menu: Road > Drawing Generator > Plan and Profile > Plan and Profile Layout Generator

Command prompts for:

Select plan frame:

Select the plan frame.

Enter plan view name:

Define a name for the plan frame. Ex. Plan-1.

Select Profile frame:

Select the longitudinal profile corresponding to the plan frame selected.

Enter profile view name:

Define a name for the profile frame. Ex. Profile-1

The function exits after the plan and profile frames are selected and names are assigned. Repeat the function Autodraw Plan and Profile and select the next plan frame and corresponding profile and name as Plan-2 and Profile-2. Repeat the function until all the plan frames are selected.

Paper space

After selecting the plan frames, corresponding profile frames, and assigning respective names, activate the paper space (Layout).

• To do so click the tab Layout 1 or use the CAD command Layout.

• Cancel the dialog Page Setup - Layout, which pops up as the layout is activated for the first time.

• Run the function Plan and Profile Layout Generator again.

• The function behaves differently in paper space (layout) compared to model space.

• The dialog Select view will pop up. The dialog list all the plans and profiles available. Users can identify them by the view names specified earlier.

• Select Plan-1 and click OK. The function will paste the plan drawing.

• The dialog Select view will pop up again. Select the corresponding profile frame of Plan-1, i.e. Profile-1 and click OK. The function will paste the selected profile frame just above the plan frame.

To generate the next plan and profile drawing:

• Create a new layout and repeat the function Plan and Profile Layout Generator.

• Select next plan and corresponding profile frame, i.e. Plan-2 and Profile-2.

Repeat the same to generate the remaining plan and profiles. Users can rename the layouts as desired by them.

The plan frames in the model space cross each other and are drawn as a part of the plan drawing. The intercepted part of one frame is shown in the other frame. The easiest way to change this is to create one layer for each plan frame and freeze the other plan frame layers while generating plan and profile frames on the layout (paper space).

The grid will also be missing in the map/plan area.

Grid, frame, and titleblock

Go to model space, set the layer Plan-Profile-1 current. Launch the function Draw Grid Lines of the menu Novapoint Drawing Layout. Clear the check box Frame and mark the check box Title box. Command prompts for the three corners of the grid and the upper left corner of the title box. Pick the four points of the plan frame using the CAD snap modes. Draw the grid lines for the remaining plan frames.

To avoid the map or other objects being visible under the titleblock, the viewport for the plan frame must be clipped. Use the following procedure:

1. Go to paper space.

2. Select the plan frame.

3. Use the right mouse button, select Viewport clip, and press Enter for polygonal.

4. Start at the lower-left corner of the title, then the upper left corner, etc. until the whole plan frame except the title area is defined. Exit by pressing Enter.

5. The part of model space containing the title area is no longer visible in paper space.

6. Run the function Insert frame/panel from the Novapoint menu > Drawing layout.

7. Pick A1 with the title box and press OK.

8. Define insertion point and press Enter to accept 0,0.

9. A title block has been inserted in paper space.

Repeat the procedure for all layouts.

Run the command Print of CAD, define plot settings, etc. Make sure that the plot is correct using the Full Preview option and click OK to obtain a printout.

Return to the model space after plotting.

Next topic: Plan and Profile Drawings