Pile Definition Manager
Command Licensing and Default Menu Location
- The Pile Definition Manager command is part of the RPS Tool Shed Toolbox
- The command is located on the Tool Shed Toolbox menu ribbon
- The command is located in the Piling menu group
Command Description
The Pile definition manager allows you to create or import pile type definitions that are then used with the Import Pile Plan command. The pile type definitions include the pile type name, shape, material, pile design layer, pile as built layer, pile length, width and height and the minimum depth of embedment and minimum reveal properties.
Video Demonstration
The following video shows how to utilize the Pile Definition Manager command
Command Interface Description
The Pile Definition Manager command dialog looks as follows
The left side of the dialog is used to create and edit pile definitions. The right side of the dialog is used to import pile definition files from your RPS Settings folder. Pile definitions defined in one project can be used in subsequent projects.
Left Side of the Pile Definition Manager command dialog
On this side of the dialog you can add new, edit existing and delete existing pile type definitions inside the TBC project. Once pile type definitions have been created, edited or deleted, you can save an external pile type definitions settings file for subsequent use on other projects.
The main difference between the left and right side of the dialog is that on the left you are working inside the TBC project whereas on the right side you are working on an external settings file. You can copy pile type definitions from the external settings file into the TBC project using this command.
Create pile definition:
Click the 
button to create a new pile definition. The pile definition editor will open as shown below.
Pile type:
Enter the name of the pile type definition. For solar farm work this is typically the color of the pile which is directly related to the length and cross sectional shape of the pile. Typically pile shape is defined by steel standard naming e.g. W6x8 which is the width of the steel (H Pile) e.g. 6" and the lbs / linear foot in weight. Below you can see a table of typical steel standards used in solar farm piles.
The name that you enter here has to exist in the imported pile data associated with the pile record, so that the pile record and pile definition can be matched up. The names have to be identical to create the match. For example if you have two definitions for a White pile , one that uses W6x20 and one that uses W6x15 steel, then you will require two pile definitions in the Pile Definition manager e.g. White 1 and White 2 or White - W6x20 and White - W6x15 etc. that are also defined in the file to be imported.
The name used in the definition is the Pile Type property of the pile that is created.
Shape:
Select the shape of the pile from the pull down list. Typically the shape of piles on solar farm projects are H piles where the H is aligned North to South.
Material:
Enter the material for the piles. Typically the piles on solar farm projects are Steel.
Layer:
Select the layer for the design piles that will be created using the Import Pile Plan command. You can create a new layer / layer group, filter the layer list using character filters as per the New Layer command control (for more information Click Here).
As-Built Layer:
Select the layer for the As-Built piles that will be created using the Import Pile Plan command.
Length:
Enter the length of the pile for the pile definition. The length is the distance from the top to bottom of the pile.
Width:
Enter the width of the pile - this is the distance from the left side to the right side of the pile across the web in an H pile. If you have that measurement in inches you can enter the value as 6" or 6in or 6/12 to convert the value into feet.
Height:
Enter the height of the pile - this is the distance from the base of the H to the top of the H in an H Pile. If you have that measurement in inches you can enter the value as 6" or 6in or 6/12 to convert the value into feet.
Minimum depth:
Enter the minimum embedment depth expected for this type of pile. The embedment depth is the amount of the pile that will be below the ground surface after piling is completed. The length of pile remaining above the ground is called the reveal height.
Minimum reveal:
Enter the minimum reveal height expected for this type of pile. The reveal height is the length of pile remaining above the ground surface after piling is completed. The length of pile in the ground is called the embedment depth.
Note:
A pile is always longer than the sum of the minimum embedment depth and the minimum reveal height. The difference is the “wriggle room” that you have when piling on uneven terrain to ensure that you can achieve the minimum embedment depth for all piles (required to support the solar arrays) and the minimum reveal for all piles (required for clearance allowing the solar arrays to pivot without catching the ground surface). These two values are required in the QA reporting process for all pile definitions.
Edit pile definition:
Highlight a pile definition in the list of pile definitions displayed, and click the 
button to edit the definition. The pile definition editor dialog (described above) will open and you can edit the properties of the pile definition.
You can also double left click a pile type definition in the list to open the editor for that definition.
Delete pile definition:
Highlight the pile definition that you wish to delete and click the 
button to delete the definition.
Save to file:
When you have completed the creation / editing of all pile definitions, you can save the definitions to an external file for later re-use.
If you right click in the file name field you can select from the following options
Browse … allows you to open the file explorer function to browse your computers folder locations for the location in which to store the file.
Project data … allows you to open the current project folder for the location in which to store the file.
Settings folder … allows you to open your RPS Settings folder (as defined by RPS Settings - File Locations) for the location in which to store the file.
Copy the file name to the clipboard - allows you to copy the entered path and filename to the clipboard for use e.g. in File Explorer.
Click the 
button to browse for a folder location - this starts by default in the RPS Settings folder (the recommended place for all RPS Settings files).
To save an update to the currently selected file, click the 
button
The file created has the file extension .RPS e.g./ Pile Types.RPS and will typically be saved into your RPS Settings folder.
Custom shape editor:
If you select Shape = Custom (Solid) or Custom (Hollow/Open) then you can enter the shape details in the spreadsheet editor. Simply enter a series of X,Y values centered around the reference point for the pile. For example if you are creating an H Pile shape, the 0,0 point would be at the center of the H (middle of web) and all key points of the pile shape would be defined as a series of X,Y values in the spreadsheet as shown below
Right side of the Pile Definition Manager dialog:
The main difference between the Left side of the dialog to the right side of the dialog is that on the left you are creating pile type definitions inside the TBC project, whereas on the right side of the dialog you are creating them directly into an external settings file. You can use the right side of the dialog to open an existing pile type definitions file, and then select and copy all or some of those pile type definitions into the current TBC project.
If you have previously saved a Pile Type definition file, you can open that file here and import all or some of the pile type definitions into the TBC project.
Opening a Pile Type definition settings file:
Right click in the file name field and select Browse, Project data or Settings folder as the start point for your file selection process. These options will take you to file explorer in your RPS Settings folder as a start point, the current TBC projects project folder or the RPS Settings folder (as defined in RPS Settings - File Locations).
Search for the file that you wish to open and extract pile type definitions from. The file will have the extension .RPS as described above.
Adding, Editing, Deleting New Pile Type Definitions:
If you use the Add, Edit or delete buttons on the right side of the dialog, that will change the contents of the external settings file. If you make changes, pressing the save button will save the updated settings file to your computer disk / folder.
You can double left click a pile definition in the list to open the Pile type definition editor for that definition entry.
Copying pile type definitions from the settings file into the TBC project:
From the list of pile definitions displayed on the right side of the dialog, select those definitions that you wish to add to the current TBC project. Once selected click the left arrow button to transfer them into the TBC project.
Copying pile type definitions from the TBC project into the settings file:
From the list of pile definitions in the TBC project on the left side of the dialog, select the pile definitions that you wish to copy into the settings file. Once selected, click the right arrow button to copy the pile definitions into the settings file. Click save to commit the changes to the file.
OK
Executes the command, saves all changes and closes the command on completion
Use Case Videos
The following videos show the use of the Pile Definition Manager command in a work process context
Feedback and Enhancement Requests
If you would like to provide feedback on the use of the Pile Definition Manager command or to request enhancements or improvements to the command please click Reply below.