InRoads XM Manual Surface Manipulations

Why Manual?
Surfaces created from graphics
Applying an exterior boundary Modify feature Modify/delete triangles

Surfaces created by Modeler

Exterior boundary incorrect or non-existent Modify feature Extend surface Alternate subgrade surfaces

Considerations
Intelligence from styles and tags Feature style and exclusion from triangulation may be modified.

Surface Created From Graphics

Need Exterior Boundary
Imported breaklines and points from graphics. Triangulated and displayed triangles. Problem triangles in areas where no shots were taken.

Surface Created From Graphics

Solution
1. Delete extra triangles (do not re-triangulate yet). 2. Display the perimeter. 3. Import the perimeter into the surface as exterior boundary. 4. Now re-triangulate 5. Display triangles 6. Save the surface

Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 1. Surface > Edit Surface > Delete Triangle; select the surface and click [Apply]. Data point inside the inner most triangle, then data point outside the outer most triangle, drawing a line across a lot of triangles to be deleted. Accept with a data point anywhere. (New in XM the graphics of the triangles delete, as well as the triangles stored in the binary DTM yay!) Youve just performed an InRoads function and a MicroStation function also. An Undo in MicroStation will bring back the graphics of the triangles only.

Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 2. Surface > View Surface > Perimeter; select the surface, set the symbology, and click [Apply]. Notice that the perimeter is drawn along the outside edge of the existing triangles. You can graphically edit the perimeter now, especially if there were outer triangles that were missed in the previous step. If the perimeter is modified to run on the inside of those triangles, they will be gone when the final surface is created. The image above shows the perimeter being modified to exclude another triangle.

Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 3. InRoads File > Import > Surface Set the dialog up as shown; make sure Point Type is set to Exterior, and click [Apply]. Select the perimeter and accept the import.

Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 4. Surface > Triangluate Surface Select the surface and click [Apply]. 5. Surface > View Surface > Triangles Select the surface, set the symbology, and click [Apply]. 6. InRoads File > Save > Surface The exterior boundary can be easily deleted from the surface using: Surface > Edit Surface > Delete Feature

Surface Created From Graphics

Modify Feature
Breaklines were not connected and should be (e.g. Ditch or EP) Exterior Boundary needs to be adjusted.

Need to connect an edge of pavement line so that a triangle does not cross it and so that the EP feature can be annotated on a cross section through that station. Need to adjust the exterior boundary (just another feature) to lie along the outermost breakline and not allow triangulation outside.

Surface Created From Graphics

Solution
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Use Join Features Use Edit Feature Points Re-triangulate Display triangles Save the surface

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Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 1. Surface > Edit Surface > Join Features; follow the prompts in the MicroStation Status Bar and select first one feature; accept; and then select the second feature; accept. The features will be joined and redisplayed. The name of the second feature will no longer appear in the feature properties of the surface it has been incorporated into the feature name of the feature that was selected first.

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Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 2. Surface > Edit Surface > Edit Feature Point. Use the target button [+] next to the Feature field, then select the feature graphically. Use the advance or rewind buttons [>] or [<], or the target button on the Point field, until the point you wish to modify displays a magenta target box on it. I will be inserting two new vertices, so I select the higher point number surrounding my area of interest and click [Insert]. (The new point will be inserted before the current point.) Immediately use the largest target button, spanning northing, easting, AND elevation and select the angle point in the green breakline.

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Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 2. continued Immediately use the largest target button, spanning northing, easting, AND elevation and tentative snap to the angle point in the green breakline. Accept with a data point. I want to insert one more point, so I click [Insert] again and use the target button and snap to the other angle point. During this process, the magenta target boxes dont appear to be following a graphical line. Thats okay, because they arent they are following the feature as it is being modified in virtual memory.

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Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 2. continued When done inserting and moving points, click [Apply]. The feature will be re-drawn (or drawn if it has not been yet) graphically. We can see in the image above that I had been locating on the graphics that were used to draw the perimeter. When I clicked [Apply], the modified feature named Exterior was drawn with its style Default (color 0).

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Surface Created From Graphics

The Steps: 3. Use Surface > Triangulate Surface; select the surface and click [Apply]. 4. Use Surface > View Surface > Triangles; select the surface, set the symbology, and click [Apply]. 5. Save the surface.

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