Selecting the Polyline button from the Create
panel in the Action tab will open the Polyline
Creation dialog.
The Snap Mode Panel offers twelve different options for snapping to points in the cloud in the open scene.
Cloud - No snap function is active. The vertex of the polyline will be placed at the cloud point nearest to the selected location.
Low - The polyline vertex is placed at the lowest point (smallest z value) within the Snap Radius.
High - The polyline vertex is placed at the highest point (largest z value) within the Snap Radius.
Low Edge - Snaps to the low edge of a feature. A dynamic window in the upper left of the scene displays a cross section of the area within the Snap Radius and displays the high and low edge as red squares.
High Edge - Snaps to the high edge of a feature. A dynamic window in the upper left of the scene displays a cross section of the area within the Snap Radius and displays the high and low edge as red squares.
Slope Bottom - Snaps to the bottom edge of a slope that is less than 45 degrees. This is useful for finding low edges on mountable curbs and other non-vertical features.
Slope Top - Snaps to the top edge of a slope that is less than 45 degrees. This is useful for finding upper edges on mountable curbs and other non-vertical features.
Average Point - This snap averages Northing, Easting and Elevation for all points within the Snap Radius and uses the averaged values for the coordinate for the new polyline vertex.
End Point - Snaps the new polyline vertex to the endpoint of existing polylines.
Mid Point - Snaps the new polyline vertex to the midpoint of existing polylines.
Node - Snaps the new polyline vertex to points placed in the drawing using Carlson Point Cloud.
Nearest - Snaps the new polyline vertex to the point on an existing polyline nearest to the cursor location.
The Create Polyline Panel sets options for creating polylines from the Point Cloud. Each option is discussed below.
Point Number - Creating a Polyline by Point Number allows the user to automatically draw polylines between points that have been defined using the Create Point command. Type the starting point number in the Point Number field and press enter. Type the next point number and press enter. A polyline will be drawn between the numbers entered. Continue entering point numbers to draw more segments. The point numbers must be defined in the Coordinate Points list found on the Project tab.
Segment Mode - Note: Segment mode can only be used when the Snap Type is set to High Edge or Low Edge. Segment Mode creates a best fit polyline between the two selected points by breaking the distance into smaller segments with length equal to the snap radius. A point is found at each new segment location and a best fit line created through the resulting points.
Polyline Layer - Users can specify the layer to draw the new polyline on by typing a name in the Polyline layer field. Users may also click the Select button and select any layer currently in the scene or they may create a new layer to be used by typing it at the bottom of the Select Polyline layer dialog box.
Undo - Removes the last polyline segment drawn and allows the user to continue the polyline creation from the previous endpoint.
Draw Arc - Draws a three point arc in the current polyline using the last point selected as the PC. The user is prompted to specify second point on arc. A line will display for the PC to the POC. After selecting the second point the user is prompted to specify end point of arc. The arc is drawn and the line from the PC to POC is gone.
Draw Curb - The draw curb toggle when selected activates the Curb Settings Button
Curb Settings window
There are four curb types to choose from by clicking the radio button below the desired type. The dimensions for each curb can be specified using either feet or inches. The curb direction is relative to the direction you select the curb points in.
The polyline created from the picked points will be named like any other polyline. The additional polylines created from the draw curb routine will include the name of the main polyline and a suffix number.
Below is an example of polylines created using Curb Type 1.
The Active Polyline Panel controls the polyline creation for the current or active polyline. There can be more than one active polyline at a time. The polyline that is being worked with will be highlighted in the Active Polylines list. To change the active polyline, click on the desired polyline in the list. Note: It is recommended to work with only one polyline at a time, ending the current action when finished to avoid confusion with multiple active polylines.
New - Starts a new polyline
End - Ends the polyline that is highlighted in the list of Active Polylines
Close - Closes the current polyline to its starting point
Edit - Opens the Edit Polyline dialog box. The Edit Polyline dialog box can also be accessed by double clicking a polyline from the Current Project tree in the Project tab or by right clicking the polyline from the Current Project tree and selecting Edit. For more information on the Polyline edit Dialog box see Polyline Editor
Draw to CAD - Draws the active polylines into the current CAD file.
The Screen Pick Action Panel provides options for editing polylines in the active scene. Each option is discussed below.
Edit Vertex - The user selects the polyline to be edited by clicking on it in the current Scene. After selecting a polyline the user is prompted to pick point on polyline to edit by clicking on the point. The dialog box below is presented to the user.
The user can change the coordinates by typing in the X, Y or Z fields or by clicking on a new position in the current Scene (click the Screen Pick button). There are buttons to advance to the Next vertex or return to the previous vertex along the polyline. The user can also change the point type from Basic to Coordinate Point reference.
Add Vertex - Click on the desired polyline in the current scene and then pick a new position to add the new vertex. Vertices can be added until the End Add Vertex button is clicked.
Remove Vertex - Click on the desired polyline in the current scene and then pick the vertex to remove. The user can continue to remove vertices until the End Remove Vertex button is clicked.
Activate - The Activate button can be used to make a polyline previously drawn active again so you can add on to that polyline. The user is prompted to select the polyline to activate. Multiple polylines can be activated. Click the End Activate button before trying to work with one of the activated polylines.
Delete - Click on the desired polyline in the current scene to delete it. Note: There is not an undo command for this delete function. Polylines can be deleted until the End Delete button is clicked.
Tab Location: Action
Panel and Button: Create Polyline
Prerequisite: Open Point Cloud Scene