Alignments as Surface Edges

This dialog box can be activated using the button New Line/Edit Line in the dialog Road Surfaces or Pavement. The function is used to define surface edges based on input from alignment objects in the Quadri model.

Using objects as surface edges makes it easier to create exact edges in both horizontal- and/or vertical geometry. The alignment will be applied at the outer edge of the surface.

The function is a key element when designing accurate surface edges at intersections, placing curb stones at bus stops and when designing footpaths and cycle tracks with separate horizontal and/or vertical geometry than that of the road it is connected to.

An alignment for use as a surface edge can be without vertical geometry depending on the Method of connection (below) used. There are 7 different methods for applying an alignment as a surface edge (for Detailed Pavement there are only two methods).

Tip: An alignment must not appear more than one time in a cross-section where the alignment is to be applied as the model will not know which part of the line to use. In these cases, it is recommended to break the alignment (see Modify under Menu) into separate alignments before using them in the model.

Use an alignment as a surface edge

1. Select which surface to apply the alignment as surface edge.

2. Press the New Line button on the bottom left of the dialog.

3. In the new dialog, define a section (from-to station).

4. Select a method for using the alignment on the surface.

5. Select the alignment to use.

6. Press OK and the indata will be shown as grey lines in the surface description dialog.

Editing an alignment used as a surface edge

• To edit the input select the Edit Line button (same as the New Line button).

• To delete the input simply select one of the alignments as the surface edge in the surface description and press the Delete button.

From/To

Define the section for which the alignment is to be applied in the From and To.

Method of connection

Select the desired method for using an object as a surface edge from the pull-down menu (see below).

• Method 0 - Distance from a line, slope from a surface description

• Method 1 - Distance from a line, slope from the vertical alignment

• Method 2 - Distance from a line, slope from terrain elevation in the line

• Method 3 - Width from the surface description, slope from a vertical alignment

• Method 4 - Slope from the surface description, level from a vertical alignment

• Method 5 - Offset from the line, slope from a surface description

• Method 6 - Distance from the line, slope from the vertical offset

Selecting the object

• All the objects available in the active database will be listed in the table of this dialog.

• Select an object from the list, by clicking on it.

  • Alternatively, select an object by entering the name of the object in the field Enter the first few letters.

• The selected object will be highlighted and marked with a tick if it is, or has been, active in the road model.

• The alignment is used as the centerline in the road model will be indicated as Centerline in the dialog box.

Note: When selecting an object from the database, be aware that there is no check available at this point to verify whether the selected object is valid within the specified section, or whether the selected object is defined with the vertical geometry necessary for the selected method.

Details

Click this button to expand the dialog box, showing detailed information about the selected object.

Method 0: Distance from a line, slope from the surface description

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal geometry but does not need to have vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Increase or decrease the surface width to the selected alignment

2. Keep the surface slope defined in the surface description

Method 1: Distance from a line, slope from the vertical alignment

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal and vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Increase or decrease the surface width to the selected alignment

2. Calculate the surface slope to match the slope between the previous surface edge and the selected alignment

Method 2: Distance from a line, slope from terrain elevation in the line

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal geometry but does not need to have vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Increase or decrease the surface width to the selected alignment

2. Calculate the surface slope to match the slope between the previous surface edge the terrain directly underneath the selected alignment.

Method 3: Width from surface description, slope from a vertical alignment

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal and vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Keep the surface width from the surface description

2. Calculate the surface slope to match the slope between the previous surface edge and the vertical elevation on the selected alignment. The surface edge will have the same elevation as the alignment.

Method 4: Slope from surface description, level from a vertical alignment

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal geometry but does not need to have vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Keep the surface slope defined in the surface description

2. Increase or decrease the surface width to end at the elevation in the selected alignment

Method 5: Offset from line, slope from surface description

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal geometry but does not need to have vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Add the surface width between the previous surface and the selected alignment to the overall width of the surface.

2. Keep the surface slope defined in the surface description

Method 6: Distance from line, slope from vertical offset

The alignment for use as surface edge must have horizontal and vertical geometry.

This method will:

1. Offset in the x-direction based on the values put in the width column

2. Offset in the y-direction based on the values put in the slope column

Illustrations

These figures show the difference between the methods for Alignments as Surface Edges in a cross-section. The cross mark indicates the horizontal and vertical position of the alignment, and the red line indicates the impact of different methods on the road surface.

Next topic: Boundaries