Everything you need to know about the new AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018.1 Rehab Corridor tools, but you didn’t know to ask is the theme of this on-going series of posts and videos. This is a big post. We have a lot to cover.
Roadway Rehab Mania
First, we focus on the initial essentials of what you need to know and get setup to create Rehab Corridors from Civil 3D Survey. Then there are the important issues you probably don’t expect in the new Rehab Corridor tools. The video there also previewed how the Framework for Civil 3D Styles and the supplied powerful resources come to your aid while we built a Rehab corridor from raw and processed data from a Survey Db.
The Civil 3D Rehab Corridor Creation Details post certainly provides many nuances about the creation of Rehab Corridors and the new and slightly bizarre dynamic Rehab Assembly. The video there walks through the construction of a multi-lane Rehab corridor and the creation of an additional Baseline and Rehab Region to divide and master the typical rehab projects with lane splits.
Here we will focus on the on the in-depth nuances of the Rehab dynamic Assembly and Rehab Corridor Edits.
Someone asks,
“What about the older rehab subassemblies and the new Rehab Tools?”
Old and New Rehab Subassemblies
The older Civil 3D rehab subassemblies are NOT recognized by the new Rehab tool.
It appears some of the capabilities in the existing set can be duplicated with the new rehab subassemblies. There are important exceptions. Theoretically, you could combine the old and new is certain circumstances. As mentioned previously, the old and new rehab subassemblies do not share all of the same subassembly codes.
Data Prep Matters
Data preparation before you pull the trigger on a new Rehab Corridor is more important that you expect. Isn’t Civil 3D always like that?
- A raw sampled surface profile may not be really what you want.
Do you actually want the frequency of the sections in the Region(s) is based on the crossing TIN triangles in the sampled surface? - Some skill with constructing initial Alignments and targets from existing conditions and gathered data is definitely required.
Roadway Rehab WTMC
Way Too Many Choices. The Rehab Parameters are quietly full of a lot of potential choice. This is common in the deeper design and survey tools inside Civil 3D. Using them is an acquired experiential skill.
Needless to say, your planned design intent for the Rehab Assembly and Corridor makes all the difference. When you learn a new tool this is a bit difficult because you want to discover the capabilities.
Advance design goal setting and using known Civil 3D project data behind will help you learn the Rehab Tools faster.
That said here are some thoughts and realities on Rehab dynamic Assembly and Rehab Corridor Edits…
Rehab Edits
Only the new Edit Rehab Corridor tool pick in the Corridor Ribbon after you select a Rehab Corridor gets you back to the Rehab Corridors tool. Ok. You can select it and type the EDITRAHBCORRIDOR command too.
- Using the Edit Rehab Corridor tool on a Corridor that does not have a Region with a dynamic Rehab Assembly assigned will not make that Corridor a Rehab Corridor.
- Currently, you cannot get to the Rehab Parameters for a Region’s dynamic Assembly without loading the new Rehab Section Editor.
Hear me whine like a jet. - Don’t miss this non-intuitive, no-brainer from the Civil 3D Help:
You cannot copy Lane parameters from one Region in a Rehab Corridor to another.
The lane parameters help define the chosen subassembly in the dynamic Rehab Assembly. - If you change the critical Rehab Parameters that change the assigned subassembly in the dynamic Rehab Assembly, the Assembly Targets and other subassembly parameter specifics are returned to default values.
Er…for the most part.
Edit Corridor Properties
Edit Corridor Properties works for a Rehab Corridor.
- You cannot change the dynamic Rehab Assembly properties in the Corridor Properties box.
- It might make some sense to do targeting in the Corridor properties box?
The target list may be easier to understand from there. - Rehab Parameters box Lane Target tools often sets multiple targets at the same time.
Added Subassemblies
You can add additional subassemblies to the dynamic Rehab Assembly – e.g. Curbs and Lanes and Curbs.
- Get the subassembly decisions and major kinks out of the Rehab dynamic Assembly before you do.
- You can employ subassembly Output Parameters to drive the calculated Rehab slopes to the next subassembly properties. For example: a new widening lane or replacement Curb or Shoulder.
Add Baselines and Regions
You can add multiple Baselines and Regions to Baselines in Rehab Corridors.
- You can Add Baselines and Regions with new Rehab subassemblies but these will have NO assigned Rehab Parameters box properties so getting to the Region may require that you turn OFF other Rehab Regions and/or Baselines in the Corridor.
See the video in the Civil 3D Rehab Corridor Creation Details - Best remember Region assigned Rehab Assemblies with the same name respond to all changes the Rehab Parameters box except targets.
Split and Merge Rehab Regions
Currently, you should probably avoid the use of the Corridor Region Edit tools without practice and attention to the specific details and consequences.
- The most common reason to Split Region is a change in Region Targets and/or Rehab Parameters. These are NOT the same thing.
- Spilt Region does create new Regions with separate dynamic Assemblies but leaves you with the same dynamic Rehab Assembly assigned to both Regions.
- Check the assignment of frequency sections when you do a Spilt Region in the Corridor properties.
You may not automatically get a new corridor frequency section which is usually necessary.
You can employ a Feature Lines Only Code Set Style in Plan to check for property Corridor Feature Line creation after Splits and or Merges. - If you have a previously created a different and therefore separate named dynamic Rehab Assembly, you can manually assign it to a new Split or Added Region.
- After Merge Regions double check the Rehab Parameters carefully.
Rehab Assembly Resets
It appears the easy way to disconnect the dynamic Rehab Assembly is to kill the Region, the Baseline or the entire Corridor and start over. You could also use Corridor Properties to assign a separate non-dynamic Assembly, rebuild, and reassign another preexisting dynamic Rehab Assembly that employs the new sub(s).
Rehab Targets
Rehab Corridors will allow you to pick and target the typical Corridor target features from an XREF as well as the current drawing.
Targeting gets removed and/or may be assigned incorrectly if the Rehab Parameters affect the subassemblies in the dynamic Rehab Assembly.
- Changes of the Inside Lane Offset (how the Assembly is centered relative to the Alignment/Profile control removes any previous targeting.
In particular the targeting for multi-Lane Rehab Regions can at first be confusing.
- Get the Lane decisions and Mill, Overlay, and Level type decisions executed first
- If you want to change the number of Lanes in a Rehab Assembly, it seems to pay to remove all the previous Lane targeting first.
- Technically you are changing the Targets for separate subassemblies within the Rehab Assembly when you select another Lane. This is not clear in the Rehab Parameters box.
- Assign the targeting from the outside Lanes into the inside Lanes.
Figure Targets
Survey Figure targets do not appear to require unique names. They have unique ID in the Survey Db.
- I might still take the minor Figure edit time in the Survey Db to create unique figure names.
Finding the exact targeted ones in other places later can be difficult.
You can create and add manually constructed Figures to a new or existing Survey Db. Therefore, figures provide and easy way to produce different iterations of Rehab Assembly targeting in separate Rehab Corridor drawings.
Feature Line Targets
The create Rehab Corridor command currently only allows Alignment/Profile pair Baselines.
Feature Line Baselines currently do not really work with Rehab edit tools.
- As usual Feature Line targets must be uniquely named Feature lines.
- Don’t neglect the powerful Transition option in the Create Feature Lines command if you must manually create Target Feature Line from points or surfaces.
Feature Line Target Creation from Survey tricks:
- Remember you can create zero offset Feature Lines from Survey figures to employ disconnected and/or edited named Feature Line targets.
Sadly, the Offset tool in the Geometry Edit panel will not allow you to create a zero offset Feature Line. You must offset one; offset another back; and delete the first. Annoying. - We tend to make the Feature Lines from Figures in separate drawing be that be either a surface construction drawing or a Figures edit drawing.
You can use the WBLOCK and INSERT/EXPLODE method to get them from your Figures model or Surface model drawing and into your Rehab Corridor drawing.
Alignment Targets
Beyond the initial Alignment/Profile assigned pair in the parent Corridor Baseline the new Rehab subassemblies compute the resolved results from the Target surface and the particulars of the Rehab Parameters.
- The Rehab subassemblies only reference one horizontal Alignment control and a vertical control child Profile of that Alignment.
- All the remaining Target control is horizontal which is far from the Civil 3D norm for supplied subassemblies.
- Separate Alignments (of any type) and/or Offset Alignments with Widenings function as Rehab Assembly Lane Targets.
- You can employ separate Baselines and Rehab Regions that reference Offset Alignments and the new 2018 Slope Controlled Offset Profiles.
Built-In Superelevation Capabilities
The new 2018.1 rehab subassemblies recognize multiple Lane Alignment Corridor Baselines with calculated Civil 3D Superelevation results as subassembly evaluation parameters. In effect, they replace the Ideal Slope parameters when applied.
This embedded Superelevation capability allows you to rehab and reengineer older roadways:
- Match and/or approximate existing supered roadways in multiple lanes
- Correct roadways with older Superelevation standards to newer Superelevation Standards.
This is a significant benefit. This topic deserves a post and video of its own.
Next time we’ll also explore those Cross Slope Correction Details too.
Get the Framework for Civil 3D
Rehab Tools in Civil 3D Posts
- Rehab Corridors from Civil 3D Survey
- Civil 3D Rehab Corridor Creation Details
- Civil 3D Rehab Corridor Edit Details
- Civil 3D Rehab Slope and Superelevation
- Rehab Tools for Civil 3D 2018.1 Reprise
- Rehab Intersections in Civil 3D 2018.1