Trimble Business Center

I'm trying to create a subgrade grading surface for our machine controller and SCS900 using the identify site regions command to offset the finished surface down per the paving thicknesses specified in the plans.  However, in some areas where a 5" paving thickness is bounded by a 6" paving thickness (or other thicknesses), there are asymptotes at the region perimeter.  The surface slicer shows the correct subgrade thickness on one side, then a sharp rise up to finished grade elevation, then back down to subgrade on the other side.  The entire peak is only 0.003' wide from base to base.  There are other locations on the site almost exactly the same where the subgrade model rises 1" from 6" to 5" just as I require so I know it is possible. 

Being so thin it will probably not make too much difference for the machine controller but the field crews using the SCS900 will lock on to my line work which happens to be the peak of the asymptote.  This will probably cause them to read the finished grade elevation instead of the subgrade elevation.

I need to know if there is something specific I can do to remove these asymptotes completely.  I've tried the standard Identify site regions command and a simple subgade adjustments.  Both result in the same subgrade surface.  

Ben

Those small vertical walls will not affect the Machine at all - this has been tried many times and the machines are all ok - so no fears there. The Spikes are created because you cannot have vertical faces in a TIN Model, so we offset the base of the Site Improvement a little to stop the wall of the SI being vertical. Where you have different thicknesses of material either side of a source line results in creating the base of either one at a slight offset to the source line, and the source line remains in the model - causing the spike.

If you want to try to remove the spike - you can try the recently updated Explode Surface Command - and in that you can now select "Only at slope break" and then define a Break Angle eg 45 degrees - this will find anywhere that you have a vertical wall and create you a set of 3D Linework on a layer that you can edit to try and remove the wall tops - you will have to break the lines where they need to be broken and then remove the elements not needed and then create your subgrade adjusted surface

Here is a simple example where I had 3 Pad Areas with different subgrade thicknesses. I exploded the subgrade adjusted surfaces and broke the lines as shown here and then deleted the segments shown in Orange

and then made a surface out of the lines remaining

This gives a pretty nice result. On a more complex job this would of course take some extra time - the above was just a few seconds work. and now the remaining lines are all at the correct elevations (and I have all the Subgrade Lines as well.

Hope that this helps - if you try this and it works could you post some screen shots of your results. We have a command to be released soon called Explode Lines that would help here also - it explodes lines down into single elements and you can control where it breaks them using a max angle setting - but the Break command will also work just fine here as well.

Alan

Alan

Thank you for your reply, but I can't seem to find the Explode Surface command in Business Center.  I'm running version 5.10 which as far as I know that is the most up to date version.  I'm not able to find any reference to the command in the help menu either.  

This command is a TML macro, so if you have it, its on the macros tab.  Most macros are installed with the program.  These commands all begin with "_" so you see them at the top of the command list.  Some additional macros are available only from the TML Macro forum.

TBC Macros and Extensions 

tim

If you go to Rockpilesolutions.com and download a tool called TMLStatus and then run it and then start TBC and then run TMLStatus from Command Pane (F12) and select all offered Trimble TMLs at least - download and install them then you will have it on your Macros Menu or in the command list (F12)

Alan

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@CAMERON TOMKINS $$

Thanks Alan and everyone who is contributing to the TML library!  HOLY SMOKES that's a lot of good stuff there!

Alan,

Thanks for the info.  Got the macro installed and the new surface is coming along nicely.  It has created some vertical lines that are causing some minor grading flags but overall much easier than offsetting lines to form subgrade surfaces!

Good to hear

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