2D to 3D Polyline by Surface Model

This command converts a 2D polyline into a 3D polyline by calculating 3D polyline vertices at all the intersects of the 2D polyline with the surface definition contained in the selected grid (.grd) or triangulation (.flt, .tin) surface file. The command then interpolates elevations from these intersections at the original vertex locations. An application for this command is to "drape" linear features along a surface such as a 2D centerline. For example, a 2D centerline may be created in the drawing and then elevated to the target surface, thus providing a quick "profile" of the centerline which can then be offset for left and right edges, constructing a 3 dimensional model of the corridor alignment.

When you first run the command, a dialog pops up for selecting the desired surface file to use. Once selected, the following prompts appear:

Prompts

Loading edges...
Loaded 8788 points and 26097 edges
Created 17310 triangles

Select polylines to convert. select one or more 2D polylines
Select objects: 1 found
Select objects: press Enter to conclude selection.

Use current polyline elevations as vertical offset from surface [Yes/<No>]? press Enter to accept default.
Keep existing polylines [Yes/<No>]?
Set layer name for converted polylines [Yes/<No>]? Press Y to assign a new layer name or press Enter
Converting polylines ...
Elevated 1 polylines.

Pulldown Menu Location: 3D Data > 2D to 3D Polyline
Keyboard Command: 2dto3dpf
Prerequisite: polylines and a grid file or triangulation file.