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Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

  • 1.  Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

    Posted 01-08-2019 13:18

    This question came up this morning - thought I should capture it for you all to see

     

    Answer Follows



  • 2.  Re: Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

    Posted 01-08-2019 13:20

    Yes - you can copy a Vertical Alignment. Find the Alignment in the Project Explorer. Open the Alignment and you will see the Vertical Alignment listed beneath it in the Tree. Select the Vertical Alignment in the Tree and then use the Copy command to create a copy. The Copy will have the same name as the original, so remember to rename it using properties pane.

     

    Hope this helps

     

    Alan



  • 3.  Re: Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

    Posted 08-31-2019 10:27

    Hi Alan,

     

    I've created an alignment with a vertical alignment but I don't see the vertical alignment showing up in the Project Explorer dropdown tree (unless it is the subheading) and I don't see a copy command when I right click.  What am I missing here?  If I run the "Copy" command from the ribbon it does create a new alignment but none of the vertical elevations are in it.

     

    I would also like to be able to apply all previously created corridor templates to a new alignment but I'm stuck there too.  My goal here is to slightly modify an existing alignment/corridor by duplicating it and then tweaking the copy without screwing up the original.  Any suggestions?



  • 4.  Re: Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

    Posted 08-31-2019 15:01

    If you have created a HAL with a VAL alignment - the VAL will be displayed as a branch off the alignment in the Project Explorer - if you select and edit the HAL you can see the VAL in the Vertical Tab of the alignment editor.

     

    If you copy a HAL it will copy the HAL and the VAL if it exists and place another HAL in the Alignments section of the Project Explorer

     

    If you want to create a second road using the same HAL / VAL and it is not changing you do not need to copy the HAL or The VAL you can use it again and again in as many Corridors as you want - there is no limit here unless you want to edit the HAL /. Val in which case make a copy is a good idea.

     

    I believe you can copy the Corridor also - I have never tried that but it should work - you could also select the Corridor and export it to a VCL file - and then I would change the names of the original alignment and Corridor in the original project to e.g. Name - Rev A before importing the VCL back in again - that will then create you a full copy - however note that when you export a Corridor all dependent objects get exported including the HAL / VAL plus any references lines or surfaces or 2D Lines used as well as a materials library etc and those will get duplicated in the project - this approach is better if you want to use all the data in a new project and make the changes - leaving the original project alone

     

    A Template can be used in a new corridor - when inserting a template - you can select Copy Template (reference should not be used if you intend to edit it or change it and I think we don't allow use of reference in a new Corridor. Copy Template works better if you are going to modify it anyhow. You can also copy instructions from a template (highlight them and right click to copy and then you can paste them elsewhere in another road model

     

    Alan

     

    Sent from my iPhone



  • 5.  Re: Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

    Posted 09-01-2019 14:04

    Hi Alan,

     

    What's confusing me is where are you placing your mouse to access the copy command?  I get no copy command right clicking in the Project Explorer pane.  I get a copy command in the vertical edit tab in the alignment editor but I don't get a paste command after I perform the copy.  I get a copy/paste/select command in the drop down naming window and that's it.  Something this simple shouldn't be this complicated.  I should be able to do this operation all the in Project Explorer window but alas, no copy command and no paste command is there when I right click.

     

    Now this is weird... if I highlight a VAL in Project Explorer and then click "COPY" in the ribbon panel it creates a copy on the Project Explorer window.... is it a bug or a feature????



  • 6.  Re: Can I copy a Vertical Alignment?

    Posted 09-02-2019 09:46

    To copy an Alignment you select it in the project Explorer or Graphically

    and then run the Copy Command (from the Menus or Toolbars or from a

    Keyboard Shortcut (I have mine mapped to CTRL SHIFT C in my Menu System

    that I hare on the Forum). This is how it is designed to work.

     

    I agree that Copy in the HAL or VAL Editor is there on the right click menu

    but there is not a paste function and this is strange - I will log that in

    as a defect - in all honesty, copying and pasting parts of a HAL or a VAL

    into itself or even another alignment makes no sense really as all

    alignments have different stationing and coordinates- copying the entire

    HAL and VAL makes some sense if you get a revision and that behavior works

    fine right now. Copy and Paste between Templates makes more sense and that

    is supported behavior as well as copy and paste of Table data between e.g.

    Excel and TBC and that is also supported behavior.

     

    I dont think Copy is really ever available on the Right Click Menu other

    than in the Template Editor for Corridor or Sideslope because it is not

    considered to be a typical command that is used like Break, Trim, Extend,

    Offset etc would be for a Line etc. That is why it is not shown on the

    right click menus in most cases in the software, however in the Template

    Editors and Table Editors it is an expected action and therefore is enabled

    as a Right Click function. We try to keep the Right Click Menu Context

    Sensitive and also minimized to the extent that we show commonly executed

    commands and copy is not considered one of those in most cases

     

    Alan