The Natural Regrade dropdown menu's Auto Longitudinal Profile command gives the user quick access to a powerful longitudinal profile editing tool that can change the entire longitudinal profile of a 3D polyline or just a portion of the profile in a smooth curve by specifying starting and ending slopes.
When the user left-clicks on Auto Longitudinal Profile, the command line directs the user to Select 3D Polyline and the command prompt reads, "Select objects:". The user selects the 3D polyline that they wish to edit and left-clicks on it. The Auto Longitudinal Profile pop-up dialog box appears, which gives the user the following options.
Bottom Slope can be user-specified by typing a value into the edit box, or the default value, which is the present value for the selected 3D polyline, can be accepted. When the user exits the edit box, e.g., with Tab key, an entered slope value is applied to the profile and the user can inspect the revision on the profile viewer. The user can make multiple adjustments to the longitudinal profile in this fashion until the desired profile is achieved. This setting will be the slope at the lower end of the longitudinal profile.
Connect to Ridge allows
the user to allow a longitudinal profile, e.g., on a ridgeline, to
have an extended convex profile before beginning its concave
longitudinal profile. When toggled off (the default setting with
the "Convex curve length (ft.)" edit box inactivated), the
GeoFluv™ approach will design a longitudinal profile between the
upper and lower elevations of the 3D polyline by constructing a
vertical curve using the specified bottom and top slope percents.
When toggled on, the "Convex curve length (ft.)" edit box is
activated and the user can type in a desired distance value that
the upper end of the profile can remain convex before the GeoFluv™
vertical curve is applied using the specified Top Slope percentage.
This feature can be used to place extra material in a hump, for
example on a ridgeline, and still have the face of the material
grade in a concave profile toward the valley bottom.
When Adjust connecting linework is toggled
on (the default setting) by left-clicking on the box, Natural Regrade will automatically
change all connecting linework, e.g., connecting ridges, to
smoothly fit the new longitudinal profile. To update contours to
reflect the modified surface, the Draw GeoFluv Contours command can
be used.
The dialog box has a profile viewer similar to the Edit Longitudinal Profile command viewer. The user can move the cursor along the profile and the station, elevation, and slope information are displayed along the bottom of the dialog box at the position indicated by the cursor. Simultaneously, an arrow moves along the channel in the drawing pointing to the point along the longitudinal profile that the cursor is covering.
Radio buttons for Vertical Exaggeration settings aid the user in evaluating low relief profiles.
Radio buttons also allow the user to toggle back and forth between Zoom and Pan drag action for the mouse. When set to Zoom, holding the mouse left-click button down while moving it up and down will cause the viewer to zoom in and out on the longitudinal profile. When set to Pan, holding the mouse left-click button down while moving it around the viewer will allow the user to pan around the longitudinal profile. Whether in Zoom mode or Pan mode, the middle mouse button can be held down to pan the profile in the display. Thus, if the user has a middle mouse button, staying in the Zoom mode and using the middle mouse button to pan is most efficient.
Grid Ticks Only toggle allows the user to see a grid on the profile display or to see only tick marks on the axes.
When the user has specified the settings that they want to use for the edit, they then left-click on the OK button to apply the changes. The new vertical curve will be applied to the GeoFluv™ design.
Pulldown Menu Location: Natural Regrade
Keyboard Command: gfAutoPro
Prerequisite: Design geofluv