AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 introduces the capability of slope-controlled Offset Profile children based on their Offset Alignment parents. The new Civil 3D 2018 function also supports automatic slope transitions between regions within the Offset Profile from the new Offset Parameters tab in the Offset Profile box. People want to know…
“Do Offset Profiles work with the Superelevation Tools in Civil 3D?”
I saw a recent Civil 3D Ideas post this week that requested the slope-control for an Offset Profile might also come from the calculated Superelevation of the parent Alignment. Huh? If you’re not going to use the slope-control of the Offset Profile it already does. Maybe that’s not what the idea means. More on that in a bit. Are these two Civil 3D software tools independent or dependent?
Can Offset Slope Control and Superelevation Work Together?
Good question.
If you are going to employ a properly configured Assembly in a Baseline and Region, the combination of slope-controlled Offset Profiles with parent Alignment superelevation already works.
For example: the following video demos a classic Divided Crowned Centerline Assembly with a median that employs both slope- controlled Offset Profile targets and center Alignment parent superelevation calculation.
The Framework for Civil 3D Works in 2018
The Offset Alignment width/widening horizontal control and Offset Profile slope-based vertical control does get you a more adaptable corridor with less rigmarole.
That’s right. All that is done with nothing up my sleeve and no tricky custom PKT files just the Civil 3d stock subassemblies. Does Civil 3D 2018 still employ the 2017 version subassembly code? In this upgraded Example Corridors 2017 drawing from our affordable Templates Only 2017 product they did.
Did you know we even provide a free Subassembly Code Tool for website members to download. There’s only one place to get those mission critical Civil 3D resources. Register. That zip file includes a resource drawing from the Framework for Civil 3D with all the stock subs inserted. Can you say, “Faster and Better Code Set Styles?” Use the Subassembly Composer? Employ the stock codes in your PKTs to save everyone time and confusion forever.
Some Assembly Required
Note the classic use of invisible (Omit Link=Yes) LinkOffsetandElevation links in the Assembly to create the appropriate Region targets and to properly Group the subassemblies inside Assembly. The example corridor rebuilds do not throw superelevation errors. In the Assembly example I did not employ a Center Group and my parent Alignment also has an AASHTO 2011 slightly non-compliant spiral radius. The corridor results do appear to honor the calculated Lane and Shoulder slopes with the Offset Profile slope-control and even slope transitions applied.
Are We Happy Yet?
The idea discussed above might really mean that I have multiple Offset Alignments controlling multiple Lanes and I want the Offset Profile children to obey the parent Alignment’s Superelevation values. That sounds like it might make sense but I think assumes that the Superelevation calculator does things it doesn’t in regards to offsets. Alan Gilbert’s in-depth video series from the Civil Immersion blog on Superelevation in Civil 3D is worth a look see. All the videos on a page. Imagine that.
Let’s put the idea another way - you may want to employ the Offset Alignments and Offset Profiles as separate Baselines and Regions in a new 2018 Multiple Dynamic Baseline corridor set up.
Nothing says that you cannot employ separate Undivided Crown or Undivided Planar Assembly types for the MDB Regions and calculate the Superelevation on the Offset Alignment children. You get separate Super calcs. Sans a video that appears to work fine too. Maybe that is still not what the idea maker was after?