Surface Intersection Linestring
COMMAND LICENSING AND DEFAULT MENU LOCATIONS
- The Surface Intersection Linestring command is part of the RPS Modeling Toolbox.
- The command is located on the Modeling Toolbox menu ribbon.
- The command is located in the Surface menu group.
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
Creates a line along the zero cut / fill line between two selected surface models. The lines created are set to Sharp and Texture Boundary and can optionally be included in either or both of the source surface models.
The command has been enhanced to fully support the use of Reference Surfaces introduced with TBC v5.60.
COMMAND HISTORY
Update Information
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION
The following video shows how to utilize the Surface Intersection Linestring command:
SETUP AND CONFIGURATION
Command Interface Description
The Surface Intersection Linestring command dialog looks as follows:
First Surface:
Select the first of two surfaces required for this command. Typically, the first surface will be the Existing Ground surface model.
Second Surface:
Select the second of two surfaces required for this command. Typically, the second surface will be the Finished Grade or Subgrade Adjusted Finished Grade surface model.
Boundary:
Select an optional boundary if you wish to constrain the area for which the computations are carried out.
The computation first computes a difference model between the two surfaces in order to determine the areas of Cut and Fill for the project. Once the Cut and Fill or isopach model is determined, the command creates the “0 elevation contour” for the isopach model. The contour lines are then draped on the first surface to provide them with real elevation values. The lines created are set to have the Sharp and Texture Boundary property. The lines are then optionally added to either or both of the source surfaces, and the surfaces are then re-triangulated with the additional data.
The benefits of the Rockpile approach are that we take the additional steps to make the created lines instantly usable for downstream actions. We can, for example, apply null or real textures to either surface using the new lines to null out surface triangles or apply textures for rendering purposes.
EXECUTE
Resulting Linestrings Section
Layer:
Select the layer on which you wish to place the surface intersection linestrings. The created lines are set to ByLayer for Color, Linestyle, and Lineweight.
Add to surface: First Surface Name Checkbox:
Check this checkbox if you wish to add the surface intersection linestrings to this surface. Note that you cannot apply surface textures (null or otherwise) to a surface using these lines as a texture boundary unless they are added to the surface model.
Add to surface: Second Surface Name Checkbox:
Check this checkbox if you wish to add the surface intersection linestrings to this surface. Note that you cannot apply surface textures (null or otherwise) to a surface using these lines as a texture boundary unless they are added to the surface model.
Note that if either or both surfaces are Reference Surfaces, as introduced with TBC v5.60, the lines created by this command cannot be added to a Reference Surface and will be marked “Not Allowed” in the dialog. Reference Surfaces cannot have objects added to them. You could use the RPS Copy to Clipboard and RPS Paste commands to copy the created lines into the Reference File project from which the Reference Surfaces are derived, then add the lines to the original surfaces, save the updated Reference File, and refresh the Reference File in the current project.
Name:
Enter the name you require for the surface intersection linestrings. Either enter straight text for the name, or you can name them using the smart naming options. For example:
- {S1} for the First Surface name.
- {S2} for the Second Surface name.
- {#} for line numbers if you want each line element to have a unique line number.
- {#.NNN} for line numbers that start at NNN, e.g., {#.10} starts at 10 and increments by 1.
- {#.NNN.I} for line numbers that start at NNN and increment by I, e.g., #.10.2 would number 10, 12, 14, etc.
INPUTS
First Surface:
Select the first surface to use in the intersection calculation. This will typically be the Existing Ground surface.
Second Surface:
Select the second surface to compare against the first surface. This will typically be the Finished Grade or adjusted design surface.
Boundary:
Optionally select a boundary to limit the area where the surface intersection calculations will be performed.
Output Settings:
Select the layer, name, and whether the resulting linestrings should be added to either of the source surfaces.
HOT KEYS
U = Unlock
Q = Rotate Screen 15 degrees clockwise
E = Rotate Screen 15 Degrees anti clockwise
SHIFT Q = Rotate Screen 30 Degrees clockwise
SHIFT E = Rotate Screen 30 Degrees Anti Clockwise
WASD = Pan Up, Pan Left, Pan Down, Pan Right
SHIFT M = Pop Up Menu
Shift X = Undo Last Click or Pop Up Elevation Entry
X = Start Over
Z = Decrement
C = Increment
Shift Z = Reverse Direction to Downwards / Decrease (and decrease 2x)
Shift C = Reverse Direction to Upwards / Increase (and Increase by 2x)
HEADER BAR COMMANDS
In the Header Bar of the command, you will find command icons that link you to other commands that you may need access to while using this command. In this command, the following commands are linked:
- Help - this document access
- RPS Settings
- Takeoff Lines
- Smart Edit
- Adjust Linestring Elevation
- Create Surface
- Add/Remove Surface Members
- Create Surface Edge Breakline
- Add/Remove Surface Boundaries
- Create Boundary
- Offset Line
- Combine Surfaces
- Create Composite Surface
COMMAND BUTTONS
Apply
When you tap Apply, the surface intersection linestrings will be computed and drawn, and the surface models will be updated as requested. The command will prepare itself for another selection set and repeat process execution. If you do not want to make a second selection and repeat the process, tap Cancel to finish the process.
OK
Executes the command and closes on completion.
Cancel
Closes the command without further execution.
HELP
In the Help area, you will find a shortcut link to this Help document and training video. You can also access this document by pressing F1 on your keyboard.
USE CASE VIDEOS
The following videos show the use of the Surface Intersection Linestring command in a workflow context:
FEEDBACK AND ENHANCEMENT REQUESTS
If you would like to provide feedback on the use of the Surface Intersection Linestring command or to request enhancements or improvements to the command, please click Reply below.