Create a Corridor

A corridor is defined by an alignment and one or more cross-sectional templates that can be used to build corridor surfaces, which are 3D models of a linear structure, such as a road or waterway. The alignment (comprised of a horizontal and (optionally) a vertical alignment) defines the path (usually centerline), elevation, and stationing of the corridor. The templates, which control cross-sections throughout the length of the corridor, define the width and shape of the corridor. For more information, see Understanding Corridors and Corridor Surfaces.

Prerequisites:

License; See the Subscription Plans page. For a license matrix by command, see the License page in the TBC Community. Also see View and manage licensed features.
Alignment

To access the command:

Do one of the following:

Select Create Corridor in Corridors > Corridor.
Right-click an alignment, and select Create Corridor from the context menu.

To create a corridor:

In the Name field, enter a name for the new corridor.
In the Horizontal alignment list, select the horizontal alignment on which you want to base the new corridor.
If necessary, select <New...> to create a new alignment. The Create Alignment pane displays. For additional instructions, see Create an Alignment.
The horizontal alignment you choose defines the centerline and stationing for the corridor.
In the Vertical alignment drop-down list, select the vertical alignment on which you want to base the new corridor.
In the Current material layer list, select the material layer you want to be displayed in the Plan View and 3D View. This is also the layer that will be used to create a corridor surface if you export the corridor. Optionally, select <New...> to display the Manage Material Layers pane to create a new layer. For more information, see Create, Edit, and Delete Material Layers.
Select the surface (if any) that represents the site's existing topography in the Original Ground list; this will make the surface available to select as a reference surface in step 9.
If you want to account for unique material properties (such as shrinkage and bulkage in volume calculations), specify earthen materials in the lists:
- Native material - Select the uppermost/most representative earthen material of the original ground surface or native material that exists on-site.
  Note: If no subsurface earthen material strata have been defined, the Native material control will be enabled, allowing a single representative earthen material to be identified. Otherwise, the materials associated with the defined strata will be employed as they are encountered via excavation, and the Native material control will be disabled.
  Note: Earthen (select) materials are typically processed offsite and/or purchased as fill materials, so (unlike earthen (mass earthworks) materials) they are not applicable to select and use as native, in-situ materials.
- Fill (borrow) material - Select a material to be obtained from off-site sources should there be a net deficit in material/a non-native material that must be brought from off-site.
  Note: 'Borrow' is occasionally used to refer to materials that exist on-site, but in a location far from where they need to be placed.
  Note: Before using this option, you need to have defined surface materials in the Material and Site Improvement Manager.
Click the +/- button located in the Reference lines section to display the Edit Reference Lines pane, which you use to add reference lines to the corridor. Each reference line you add becomes a node to which you can reference instructions in one or more cross-section templates used to define the corridor.
For instructions on adding reference lines using the Edit Reference Lines pane, see step 2 in Add and Remove Corridor Reference Lines.
Note: A reference line can be any linear entity in your project.
In the Reference surfaces list, select the surface(s) you want to reference in the corridor. Reference surfaces define existing terrain where the corridor will be located.
When you are done, click the OK button.
The newly created corridor displays in the Plan View and 3D View and is represented by an icon in the Project Explorer.
You are now ready to create and insert cross-section templates into the new corridor. For instructions, see Create Corridor Templates.

Dependencies:

None; the corridor's definition includes corridor templates. A corridor surface is dependent on the templates.