Create one or more specialized corridor surfaces based on alignments that represent a linear structure, such as a roadway, canal, or pipeline. For roadway corridors, you can also create intersections, cul-de-sacs, highway interchanges, and ramps.

Following are the basic steps for this workflow. For more detailed instructions, see Create a Corridor.

Steps:

Commands:

1.

Open a project or start a new project and import the data from which you want to create a corridor surface.

Open Project

New Default Project - Use the default template.

New Project - Choose a template.

2.

Check your alignment- and corridor-related Project Settings:

• Units > Station
• View > Corridor Template View
• View > Station Navigation
• View > Superelevation Diagram
• Computations > Road Intersection
• Computations > Corridor

Project Settings

3.

Create or import the horizontal and, optionally, vertical alignments on which the corridor will be based.

Note: Doing this will open the Alignment Editor, so you may not need to run the command below.

Create Alignment

Import

4.

If necessary:

Create superelevations to ensure correct banking of the corridor along a horizontal curve.
In the Superelevation View, you can add and modify text objects, polylines, and linestrings. You can also add a frame (closed line) and create a dynaview in another view using the frame. For a detailed workflow, see Add Superelevation to a Corridor.

Create horizontal alignment labels to display values for stations, station equations, horizontal alignment (HAL) points, and abbreviations for other key points along an alignment.

In the Alignment Editor - Select the Superelevation tab.

Create Horizontal Alignment Labels

In addition to inbound and outbound slopes of vertical arcs or symmetrical/asymmetrical vertical curves, the Profile View also shows the grade of segments.

New Profile View

5.

If necessary, create additional lines along the corridor.

Polylines and linestrings can be used as reference lines along the alignment when creating template instructions.

To see the profiles of lines in relation to an alignment's profile, create a profile proxy.

Create Polyline

Create Linestring

6.

Optionally, import or create (from imported topo lines) a surface that models existing terrain on the corridor site.

When you create a corridor, you can specify a reference surface to which the template instructions can tie.

Create Surface

7.

As the first step in creating the corridor, create abbreviated names (such as EoP for edge of pavement) to be used to identify nodes in the corridor's cross-section templates.

If you plan to create intersections, make sure to select a type, such as Lane edge or Shoulder, for each node name. This is required to help connect the right nodes in the corridor to those in the intersection. For example, EoP = Lane edge, and edge of the shoulder = Shoulder.

Manage Template Node Names

8.

Specify corridor subgrade material layers, each of which represents a different surface level within the corridor.

For example, in descending order: Finish, base, subbase, and subgrade

Manage Material Layers

9.

Create the corridor (or corridors).

A corridor consists of an alignment and one or more cross-sectional templates that can be used to build corridor surfaces.

Create Corridor

10.

Insert cross-section templates that define the shape of the corridor at different stations.

The Insert Corridor Template command opens automatically after you create a corridor.

After you create one side of a symmetrical, cross-sectional template, you can use the Mirror Instructions button on the Edit Corridor Template command pane's toolbar.

Insert Corridor Template

Mirror Instructions
(click the icon at the top of the pane)

11.

Create instructions for each corridor template that define the shape and other characteristics of the template.

The Edit Corridor Template command opens automatically after the Insert Corridor Template command.

Edit Corridor Template

12.

The Finish corridor surface is created by default, but you must to create corridor surfaces from any other material layer in the templates manually.

Create Corridor Surface

13.

If needed, create parametric geometry for the junction between two or more alignments or corridors.

You can select either multiple alignments or multiple corridors that intersect in 3D. In rare cases, you can use corridors that do not quite intersect.

Create Intersection

14.

Modify the intersection using a variety of commands:

Select the intersection, or a child leg, connection, or line and edit its properties.

or

Move the geometry and properties of one or more intersection legs to other legs when they import to the wrong positions.

Duplicate corridor intersection, leg, connection, and cul-de-sac properties on other intersections, legs, connections, and cul-de-sacs respectively.

If you have an intersection template saved from a previous intersection, you can load it.

Other helpful tools when editing an intersection:

Enable grips to see the ends of line segments.

Enable line marking to see locations and elevations of vertical points and the radii of vertical arcs.

Edit linestrings to see their details.

Explore objects to see elevation at any position.

Use the Profile Viewer with Explore Object to track lines in Plan and Profile Views.

Use the 3D View to get a better picture of the results.

Properties pane

or

Right-click an object and select:

Rotate Legs

Copy Properties

Paste Properties

Select Child Lines

Load Intersection Template

15.

Save the settings for different types of intersection geometry so that you can reuse the complex parametric designs that you have modified for specific scenarios when creating other intersections.

Select the intersection before you save its template.

Save Intersection Template

16.

Create parametric geometry for the end of a single alignment or corridor. A corridor can end in either a roundabout or a hammerhead shape.

Create Cul-de-Sac

17.

If you have a main highway alignment and another road alignment that crosses above or below the first alignment, build an interchange with ramps for the transitions between the two.

Create Interchange

18.

Build additional transitions for your interchange. Then you can control the shapes of the ramps using properties.

When creating or editing ramps, you can also use the Copy Properties command to copy-and-paste all properties from one ramp to another ramp so that they match.

Create Ramp

19.

Optionally, create additional surface-based objects to use in checking the corridor. View them using the commands in the step below.

Create Surface Profile

Create Surface Cross-section

20.

Check the corridor, intersections and cul-de-sacs to make sure they accurately reflect the designs.

Orbit and view the surface in the 3D View.

New 3D View

Use the Coordinates scroll to check elevations at specific locations.

Coordinate Scroll

Slice across the surface to see a cross-section in any direction.

Surface Slicer View

"Drive" down the alignment.

You must select an alignment before opening an alignment-based view.

New 3D Drive View
(Select an alignment first.)

Review a surface cross-section along or across the alignment.

New Cross-section View
(Select an alignment first.)

Review a surface profile along the alignment.

New Profile View
(Select an alignment first.)

Check flagged data to see if anything needs to be fixed.

Flags Pane

21.

Edit the corridor and its templates to fix any problems.

Edit Corridor

Edit Corridor Template

22.

Edit the corridor surface's properties as needed to correct remaining issues. If necessary for field work, densify the surface by editing properties in the Densification group.

Make sure you have the corridor surface (not the corridor object) selected.

Properties

23.

Optionally, prepare the corridor for visualization and printing by adding textures to specific areas.

Specify image files (or colors) to use as material textures (in a material's properties) in the Material and Site Improvement Manager.

Add Surface Texture

24.

Run reports on the alignments and corridors.

Alignment Geometry Report

Corridor Definition Report

Corridor Earthwork Report

Station Offset Elevation Report

Geometry Report

25.

If desired, export a corridor to third parties in LandXML or Data Collector formats.

Export