Copyright: Foresight Software Pty Ltd
Citation: CDS On Line Manual


CDS OnLine Manual

Thank you for using CDS from Foresight Software - we look forward to helping make your daily work easier, and welcome any suggestions which you might care to contribute as to how we might achieve that goal.

The following table of Major Menu Items in CDS will give you a broad overview of how the program is structured.

If you click on the Menu Item of interest, help will display the available options under that menu, and you can then choose the item that interests you and be shown the full topic of help.

Menu Item	What can You Expect in this Menu
File	Allows you to create, open & save Jobs; import/export coordinate data; set up how you want a plan plotted; export DWG, DXF & FPF plots & VRML 3D models; and plot to a plotter or printer.
Entry	You can enter data from data collectors, manually enter traditional or electronic stadia; reduce level books or enter reduced levels, setup and apply feature codes, insert symbols, do traverse network adjustments or digitize.
Points	Lets you add points interactively, then select existing points and edit, transform, translate, rotate, alter, cut, copy, or delete them.
Strings	Where you set up string folders, decide which folders are displayed and/or active, add strings, and change, split, join, cut, copy, or delete existing strings.
Cogo	Here is where you access all the Coordinate Geometry Calculation Routines
Contour	The spot to form triangular models, contour them, interpolate profiles and sections and calculate volumes between surfaces or storage volumes
Road	Whether for roads, freeways, canals, railways or airports, you can plot sections and profiles and design roads or other regular structures using templates, or design irregular structures using individual strings, calculate volumes
Drain	Still in incubation - call again around  November 99
Options	allows you to Re-index the database, Backup and Restore jobs, and perform Quality Assurance on your jobs
Window	Lets you display new windows, or arrange the ones you have so you can see them better.
Help	Gets you to this OnLine manual, and tells you what version of the program you are using.


File Menu

The File menu offers the following commands:

New	Creates a new Foresight Job.
Open	Opens an existing Foresight Job.
Close	Closes the currently selected Job.
Save	Saves the current Job
Save As	Saves the current Job with a new Job ID
Import	Will bring in points and/or strings from the packages listed.
Export	Allows you to export coordinates and strings to a wide range of other design software, and provides a facility to specify and  save various formats of your own.
Import DWG/DXF	Allows you to import points and lines from a DWG or DXF File.
Plot Parameters	You define the contents and scale of the plan what you want to have printed/plotted
Plot Position	You can interactively position the plot sheet over the drawing
Export DWG	Exports the defined plan to an Autocad® Drawing
Export DXF	Exports the defined plan to a Drawing Exchange File
Export FPF	Exports the defined plan to a Foresight Plot File
Export VRML 3D	Allows you to create a file in VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) format to be viewed with your web browser or a dedicated VRML viewer.
Print	Prints or Plots the Job to the Default Windows Printer
Print Preview	Displays on the screen what will be printed/plotted
Print Setup	Selects the printer/plotter you wish to use
Exit	Exits CDS.


Import

The Import option allows you to bring in coordinates and/or strings from other design packages.

Note this is not for bringing information from Drawings or DXF files that are handled under their own option of Import DWG/DXF

At the moment the following options are available;

civilcad

From Bloomfield Consulting/Topcon in Sydney.

You can read in the following

·	ASCII Dump - Version 4 - contains points and strings

·	Cross Sections - an XXX file which contains road information

·	XYZ File - a ‘TXT’ file from earlier versions - please use the ASCII dump instead where available.

Do NOT attempt to use an ASCII file from Version 5 of civilcad , since despite a number of requests, we have not yet been able to determine what the format of this file is meant to be, and civilcad itself is unable to read one of these files back in.

GEOCOMP

You can import information from Points, Strings and Cross Section files created by Geocomp software.

MOSS GENIO

 We have written the program to be able to understand all of the different headers and information in any of the MOSS files we have seen to date, so simply provide the file name and let it loose and you should end up with a recognisable job.

Be warned that it can take a little while to import large MOSS jobs.

Variable ASCII.

This option has been provided to allow you to read data from any file that is in normal ASCII or ‘text’ format and which contains coordinates of points.

You can read data which is in columnar format, or is separated by commas, or which is stored one value per line.

Identify the file you wish to import, and the program will bring up a screen which shows the first few lines of the file in a window, and allows you to either retrieve a saved variable format, or define what type of file you have, and what it contains.


Export

Export gives you the facility to take coordinates (and strings in some cases) and transfer them into a format suitable to be imported into various design packages.

Please note that you can also ‘export’ coordinates into a columnar format that you define by using the List option under the Points menu.

Also note that even if the particular package you wish to talk to is not listed, it will be quite capable of reading in one of the other formats implemented. Try not to be too fixated on a particular name, but rather look for a common format such as MOSS Genio which most serious engineering packages can read.

The following formats are currently implemented.

civilcad - you can export to an ASCII Dump file in Version 4 format, which will transfer points and strings as well as layer information.
You can also save Cross Sections into a ‘.XXX’ file which some version of civilcad were able to read.

Foresight Old Format - allows you to dump out into ASCII files defined by earlier versions of Foresight, and still used by some packages (such as Liscad) as a means of coordinate transfer.

Genamap  transfers to a format which can be read by the Genamap GIS package.

Geocomp  will write out Points and String Files suitable for transferring to Geocomp software

Geovision - will create file in the ‘GINA’ format

KeaysTT  transfers data to a format readable by software from John Keays in Brisbane.

Landmark - this option will create a Landmark file with point and coordinates, however we suggest that since Landmark can also read civilcad ASCII files, and those files transfer strings in addition to points, that might be a more useful option. Note that if you find a problem in using this format, try using the civilcad version 4 ASCII dump file since landmark is happy to read it .

Moss GENIO - comprehensive method of transferring points and strings into this popular format that can be read in, not only by MOSS itself, but by all other packages which have serious claims in the engineering design market.

Paveset - specifically for use in road re-surfacing and created for Statewide Roads

RoadPC -files to import into the forest road design package devised by State Forests in NSW

SITES - a format specific to the transmission line design package operated by Transgrid in NSW.

Variable ASCII  allows you to specify your own format for transferring data.

You can arrange the data in delimited form, with Commas or Tabs separating the fields. In the comma-delimited format, you can create a file which can be read directly into spreadsheet s such as Excel.

You can also specify data in a columnar format where you decide which attribute is in what column, and how wide the columns are.


Plot Parameters

The Plot parameters option brings up a series of tab forms that allow you to configure exactly what you wish to appear on the plot you are creating.

Each of the following forms is described in greater detail in the relevant section below.

Sheet Details	allows you to specify the name/number of the plot to be created along with details of scale, origin, available plot area, borders ,grid etc.
Point Parameters	lets you define the markers to be used for the points, as well as the attributes to be plotted alongside the markers
Point Selection	you can select the points to be plotted either by reference to the Layer form, or by specifying ranges of point numbers/codes/layers to be included in, or excluded from the plot.
String parameters	choose if strings are plotted, and decide on whether to mark the string with ID/area/Bearing/Distance. This also allows you to plot chainages along road centreline strings.
String Selection	displays a ‘tree’ of all available folders and strings so you can pick which ones are to be plotted.
Contours.	Lets you choose if contours are plotted, and if so what colours and linetypes to use and whether to smooth the contours and by how much.


Sheet Details

Please Note:  If you are intending to transfer the job to a DWG or DXF file, then the only thing relevant from this set of parameters is the name of the file.  Since the job is transferred in world coordinates, all other fields concerned with scaling, rotation, paper and grid sizes are irrelevant.

Name

If you only intend to Print the sheet directly from CDS you can ignore this field and leave it blank.

If however you wish to create a DWG, DXF, FPF or VRML file, you need to assign the name/number of the plot you are creating.

While you can use ‘long names’ with Windows 95 and NT you should be careful if there is the possibility that you might need to use the file created in earlier versions of Windows or in DOS.

Printer

Allows you to select which printer you wish to configure the plot for, and which paper size and orientation you wish to use.

When you select this option the Windows Print Setup screen will appear and allow you to choose the printer and other details.

Since we have no idea which printers you are likely to have installed, we can’t hope to offer guidance in this area, so please consult your printer manual or Windows help for details of what to do in this area.

Bearing

The ‘bearing’ referred to is the bearing at which you wish to locate the ‘X Axis’ of your plot sheet, and the default is 90 degrees as seen in the sketch below.

In other programs this may be referred to as ‘Plot Rotation’ or similar, but since rotation is at best ambiguous, and at worst confusing, we have chosen to stick with Bearing which you should understand if you are using CDS.

Bear in mind here that you can use the Printer option to decide between Portrait or landscape orientation for your paper. In Portrait mode the short side of the paper is the ‘X Axis’ and if your are in landscape orientation, the long side of the paper is the  X- Axis

Hopefully the sketches above will explain to you which edge of the paper you are attempting to rotate.

All you need to do is to type in the bearing that you would like this edge of the plot sheet to be at, and all should be well.

Scale

Set the scale, or reduction ratio you wish to use.

Simply type in the number you require, so if you want a scale of 1:500, you only enter the 500.

Origin

The Origin is the bottom left hand corner of the plot sheet that you have already specified in the Printer setup.

If you wish to position the origin of the sheet at a specific location you can type in the coordinates, otherwise these coordinates will be updated as you move the plot sheet around using the  Position Plot option which is described under its own heading.

Shift

The Shift distances allow you to specify where, in relation to the origin you have set, the plot will commence.

This will allow you to leave a clear border along the left edge and the bottom edge of the sheet of paper.

If you use it in conjunction with the Plot Area described below, it gives you complete control over where on the sheet of paper you have selected you require the actual plot area to be positioned.

Plot Area

These X and Y values allow you to specify the dimensions of the area on the sheet of paper that is available to plot in.

By using these dimensions, in conjunction with the Shift distances described above you can accommodate plotting on any pre-printed form, no matter where information is already printed.

The sketch above shows the plot area shaded and outlined in a dashed line within the sheet denoted by a solid line.

Border

You have two options as far as the Border is concerned, you can draw a rectangle around the area to be plotted, or you can insert a Named pre-drawn border that you have stored away as a Windows Metafile. (WMF)

1. Simple Border

If you wish to draw a border around the plot you are producing you should tick the box titled Border.

Of itself, this will simply draw a rectangle that is the size of the Plot Area you have specified, and this rectangle will be positioned on the sheet according to the Shift distances you have entered.

2. Named Border.

If you wish, you may draw plan borders and store them in a Windows Metafile Format to allow you to produce final plans.

These files should have names that start with ‘BORD’ e.g. ‘borda4.wmf’, and must be stored in the ‘Variable’ folder.

In addition, you need to make sure that each of these border metafiles appears in your Symbol Library, and that you have set the correct width and height values in the library.

You may then insert one of these borders into your plot by using the pull down option to select the relevant border, or by entering in its name,

Be aware that you need to adjust the Margins fields to position it in relation to the origin.

You should note that the Shift and Plot Area Fields already described should be used in conjunction with a Named Border to ensure that your plot appears in the correct position.

Note also that the named border will only appear in full at the Print Preview stage, and no attempt is made to display the complete border while you are positioning the plot.

Grid

You may elect to have a coordinate grid plotted on the plan by selecting one of the radio buttons titled Ticks, Crosses or Lines.

Interval

If you do elect to have a grid displayed, you should set the Interval required.

Annotation

If you wish to have the coordinate value of the grid drawn on the plot you need to turn the annotation ON by checking the box.

Tick Length

The Tick length field allows you to specify the size of the grid crosses you wish to have on the plot.

You should note that the Cross, if used, would be twice the size of the tick length you specify

Pen

The pen field allows you to determine what colour the grid will be drawn in.

Linetype

While grids are normally done in a solid line, this option allows you to choose from any of the available linetypes if you so desire.

Font

You may choose the font for the grid annotation, and can also set the size of the lettering.

Layer

You have two layer fields to use if required.

The one adjacent to the Linetype box controls the layer for the grid ticks.

The one below it allows you to determine which layer the grid annotation will be assigned to.


Point Parameters

First you need to decide whether or not the points are to be plotted, and if you want them to be plotted you need to select the Check Box next to Points so that a tick appears.

Once you have decided to plot some points, you need to assign a marker to be placed at the location of the point.

If you pull down the selection box, you can choose from the following options

by layer - the layers screen will decide which markers to be used

+ 	use a cross with the centre of the cross over the point - size as set

0	place a circle centred over the point, radius defined by size field

.	mark the point with a dot

00	place concentric circles over the point - outer radius is 1.8x size set for inner

Next you can choose which attributes you wish to label the point with.

If you wish to use a particular attribute, select its Check Box.

To define the Pen/Colour, Font and Height of the label, select the Change button and then choose from the fonts, sizes and colours presented

Note for DWG/DXF devotees  when you send a CDS job to Autocad, we make no attempt to send the point marker since this is easily definable within Autocad (try Format Point Style), and what is set in there can override any marker we try to send in any case.

Height

Note that the ‘Height’ is specified in Points, and if you are using earlier versions of Autocad this will be translated into an approximate millimetre size. (you may need to reduce size accordingly)

Offset

You can decide on the location of the label in relation to the point by using the Xoff and Yoff fields, and the ‘off’ refers to the offset of the text from the point location.

The offset is specified in millimetres

A positive ‘X’ offset will result in the label being to the right of the point location, and a negative offset puts the label to the left of the point

A positive ‘Y’ offset will result in the label being above the point location, and a negative offset puts the label below the point.

Angle

The Angle field defines the rotation of the label about the point starting from 0 at horizontal to the right.
If you wish to slope the text upwards use a positive angle, and if you wish to rotate it down below the horizontal use a negative angle.

Layer

Layer allows you control over which layer in the drawing the particular attribute will be stored on.

Accuracy

The cryptic Acc is short for Accuracy, and allows you to specify the number of decimal places to be used in plotting the particular attribute.


Point Selection

You have complete control over which points you wish to have plotted, and you can select  the points based on this screen, the layers screen, the  selected points, or only plot the points in the strings you are plotting.

You can either allow the layers screen to control which points are to be plotted, or use this screen to enter in details of which points you need plotted.

Layers

If you wish to hand control to the layers screen simply select the Bylayer button.

The points to be plotted are then determined by what you have entered in the Layers screen.

Point Selection

This indicates that you will control the point to be plotted by filling in the current screen.

You can select based on Point Number, Point Code and Layer.

If you position your cursor in the relevant Point, Code or Layer ‘window’ you can then Add a new range, or Edit the highlighted range by selecting the relevant button.

If you simply want to alter the status of an existing range from Include to Exclude, or vice versa, you only need select the relevant range and then pick the button.

Selected Points

This option allows you to plot only the points which you have already selected using the Select Points facilities.

String Points Only.

Only plots the points which are contained within the strings you decide to plot.


String parameters

If you require Strings to be plotted, you should select the check box so that it has a tick in it.

You can then decide which if any of the other string attributes you wan to appear on the  drawing by ‘ticking’ the relevant boxes.

The items available are

String Id’s- for closed strings will be plotted at the centroid, and for open strings near the end .

Areas - for closed strings only, will be plotted about the centroid

Bearings - are normally plotted centred on the segment of the string to which they refer

Distance - normally centred on the segment of the string to which it refers

Angles.- for those areas which still need this arcane form of title detail.

You can set the pen or colour and font and font size for each item by selecting the ‘Change’ button and choosing from the options presented.

The Layer control allows you to assign each item to a particular layer if you wish.

You can also set the starting position for the short line table by specifying its coordinates relative to the bottom corner of the paper you are using.

Chainage HAO

If you wish to produce a typical road centreline plan with the chainages plotted at ‘half-angles’ along the road you need to turn this option ON by ticking the box.

You should then ensure that you use the String Selection options to make sure that only the strings representing the centrelines you need to plot are selected.

If you wish to have the points marked with a circle as is often the case then you need to use the options on the Point Parameters tab to set the Points to ON and assign a marker of a circle.

You should also use Point Selection and select String Points Only.


String Selection

The string selection Tab will display a hierarchical ‘tree’ showing each string folder within the job and each string within each folder.

You simply select each string you wish to appear on the particular plot.

If you wish to plot all the Strings in a particular Folder, simply select the Folder.

If you wish to select All the strings in the job, use the ‘Select All’ button on the right of the window.

If the folder box contains a ‘grey’ tick it indicates that some of the strings within that folder have been selected, while a black tick means all strings in the folder are selected.


Contours.

If you wish to have Contours plotted, you need to ‘tick’ the check box.

Once they are selected you can choose if you want them to be ‘smooth’ by ticking the box, and if you do elect to have smooth contours you can assign a smoothing factor.

The default factor of 0.4 is reasonable for most jobs, but if you want the lines to be ‘curvier’, enter a higher number and see what happens.

Be warned that if you set the value too high, and your contours are very close together, or have very sharp angles where they change direction, or both, then it is highly likely that the contours might cross over one another and/or loop back on themselves.

Such is the nature of mathematical smoothing polynomial that this crossing/doubling is perfectly proper theoretically, so it is up to you to ensure that you set a reasonable smoothing factor for the data in question.

You can then choose Color (Pen) and Linetype for both Major and Minor contours, and where you have a mix of positive and negative contour values on a plan, we have provided you the ability to differentiate between them by means of colour and/or linetype.

Denoting Major Contours

As far as the linetype is concerned, it is common to use a standard solid line for all natural contours, but to denote the major contours with a thicker line.

To achieve this, select linetype for the major contours, and then set the “Width” field at the top of the form to be a number higher than 1.

You will need to experiment with the value you set because different types of printers will require a slightly different value to achieve the results you desire.

Once the width is set, you will see the major contours drawn in a wider or thicker line on your CDS Screen.

Note: we are aware that with some printer drivers, the Print Preview function may not show the wider lines unless you zoom in on the print preview. So try a print first to see what will happen rather than becoming discouraged if the print preview doesn’t immediately show the wider line.

Likewise, bear in mind the warning above that different values might be needed for an acceptable result, so if the first print doesn’t give you what you need, double the width value and try again.

If you have positioned labels on your contours you can choose a colour and size for them to be drawn in

You can also have the Triangles shown on the drawing by ‘ticking’ the box.


Plot Position

Once you have used Plot Parameters to set a scale, and decide what is to be plotted, and you have used Print Setup to select the correct paper size, you can select this option to move the border of the plot sheet around on screen so that the location of the job details within the plot sheet meet your needs.

When the position is correct, simply press the left mouse button to save away your preferred location.

Note that in this release, if you find that the plot sheet displayed is not adequate, you need to exit from the positioning routine and go back to you plot parameter screen to change the scale, rotation or paper size.


Export DWG

Make sure you have used Plot Control under Plot Parameters to set the appropriate Filename for the drawing before you select this option.

You can export your drawing directly into a Drawing file that Autocad can read.

Note that your Field Coordinates are exported to the DWG file, and as such scaling within Foresight is used only to determine how much of the current job you wish to Export.

Once the DWG file has been created you will be informed, and given the option of opening it .

Note that at this point we are only exporting Drawings in Release 12 format to maintain backward compatibility with older versions of Autocad. Both R13 and R14 will happily read in this format.

NOTES;

1. When we export to Autocad we export real world coordinates.  Therefore, paper size, scale and rotation are ignored.

You may use Paper Space in Autocad to position and scale your plot as required.

2. Grid  since we are exporting the DWG in real world coordinates (in Model Space) it is not logical to export a grid which relates only to a particular sheet of paper, so the Grid is NOT exported to the DWG.

3. Point Markers  any points you select  are sent into Autocad as Points, and since the point markers are easily formatted in Autocad CDS does NOT export any markers.

Within Autocad use Format, Point Style to choose the marker and size you require for your points, and remember that the new Point markers will only appear after the drawing has been regenerated.


Export DXF

Make sure you have used Plot Control under Plot Parameters to set the appropriate Filename for the DXF file before you select this option.

The Drawing eXchange Format is a much less efficient method of storing drawing information than DWG, but it is almost universally recognised by CAD packages.

We do however recommend that you check carefully with the intended recipient of the exported file, and if they can accept a DWG file you should use it for preference.

Also, if the intended recipient of the data you are exporting is using another brand of Engineering Design Software, we recommend that you look at providing coordinate data in one of the formats listed under the Export option on the File Menu, and only use DXF as a last resort for transferring spatial information.


Export FPF

Make sure you have used Plot Control under Plot Parameters to set the appropriate Filename for the FPF file before you select this option.

FPF is short for Foresight Plot File and is a format developed internally to store and edit drawings using previous MSDOS versions of Foresight products.

If you wish to use the old Foresight CAD Facilities you will need to export your drawing to this format.


Export VRML 3D

This option allows you to export a file in the format defined for Virtual Reality Modeling Language.

Once the data is in this format there are a large number of Viewers, ranging from full scale commercial packages costing thousands down to more modest shareware packages which you can register for less than $100 (US).

Depending on the degree of sophistication of the package you use, you can view, shade and render your model, and travel through it .


Entry Menu

Data Collectors	collect data from data recorders, convert the raw data to stadia files. Note the ability to send coordinates back to the field is not yet implemented - please use Version 3.03 if you have this need
Traditional Stadia	Not yet operative, but will let you enter in ‘traditional’ 3 wire stadia observed with a theodolite/level and a staff when implemented in later version
Electronic Stadia	lets you enter in ‘stadia’ taken with EDM including total and semi-total stations, and edit data from Data Collectors
Import Stadia	not yet operative
Field Levels	you can enter readings taken in the field with a level and the program will automatically reduce them for you
Reduced levels	used to enter section data where you have chainage, offset and reduced level for each of the points
Traverse Network	for the entry and adjustment of traverses
Feature Codes	you can set up your own code library to automatically join strings and insert symbols on points, assign points to layers, and mask points as non-contourable
Symbols	allows you to define the symbols you wish to use and to insert them into a job, either attached to point in the database, or ‘free-floating’
Digitizing	please continue to use the MSDOS version until further notice.


Data Collectors

Please note that the terms Data Collectors and Data Recorders are used interchangeably, and refer to any survey instrument, or box attached thereto which purports to record survey information in the field.

It can include hand held overgrown calculators, one piece total stations which record internally , reflectorless  laser measurers, GPS systems, Electronic Levels  and the like, so don’t get too bogged down in the terminology..

The Data Collector Option gives you access to the following routines

Collect Raw Data from Data Recorder	an inbuilt ‘Communications’ program to receive data from any data collector which can send data of its own accord.
Import Raw Data	convert the raw field information from the many formats used by data collectors to a ‘Stadia File’ to allow you to edit it in a spreadsheet format.
Export Raw Data	convert the coordinates of points in the database into the many formats native to the various data collectors
Send Raw Data to Data Collector	an inbuilt ‘Communications’ program to transmit  coordinates from the computer to the data collector.
NOTE: the Collect option only works with Data collectors which have the ability to send the data out from themselves.

If you own one of the units which requires the computer to interrogate it to retrieve the information, you will find that the manufacturer has supplied a program to perform the required interrogation.

We do not like re-inventing the wheel, so we have no intention of writing routines to ‘interrogate’ data collectors. You should organise to run the program supplied by the manufacturer, and store the resulting data into a file which you can then feed into our ‘Import Raw Data Option’


Collect Raw Data From Data Collector

CDS has its own internal communications program that gives you the ability to

import from a Data Collector,
convert the raw data to a Stadia File
calculate and Store the coordinates in the database .

It is not possible to give precise instructions for how to operate all the data collectors, but if you follow the steps outlined below, and intersperse them with instructions from your data recorder manual, you should achieve the result you are seeking.

1. 	From the Entry Menu select Data Collectors, and then Select the Option titled Collect Raw Data
This will open the communications window.

2. 	First pull down Settings, followed by Communication In, and check that the various values are identical to those in use by your particular Data Collector
NOTE that it is not particularly important what settings you choose to use, but it is IMPERATIVE that you use EXACTLY the same settings on both the computer and the Data Collector.

3. 	Next Pull Down the Transfer Menu and select Data to Computer.
The screen will now be in ‘terminal mode’, waiting for data to arrive from the data collector.

Start your Data Collector Transmitting and the data should start to scroll into the Window.
If it does not then there is something wrong with one of the Settings, so press Escape to terminate the receiving mode, then go back and change the settings and then try again.

Once the data has finished scrolling into the Window, press the Escape Key to terminate the transfer mode.

4. 	Now pull down the File menu and Select Save.

Use a filename which makes some sense within your system of operation, but for an example we could use a name of ‘raw1.xyz’ if we intended to store the data in Job ‘XYZ’.
When the file has been saved, Exit from the communications window

5. 	Pull down the Entry menu again, select Data Collectors followed by Import Raw Data.

6. 	First select the file containing the raw data (that is ‘raw1.xyz’ in the example).

Next choose the type of data it is from the pull down list of data collectors.

Then specify the job you wish to store it in, and the Survey number to be used and select the ‘OK’ button.

7. 	Now proceed to the Stadia screen to check and store coordinates in the database.


Import Raw Data

This routine is designed to take the many and varied native data recorder formats and convert them into a common format which we call a ‘Stadia File’

When you select this option you will first need to identify the file in which you have stored the raw data. You can use the normal Windows file locating procedure to track down and identify this file.

Next you will be asked for the Data Type.

You have a Pull Down List which will allow you to select from numerous varieties of data collectors including

GCS - including Liscad format
Geodat
HP48SX
Kern
Nikon
PSION
Quarryman
SDR - native to SOKKIA, but various other can write to this format
Sharp - in MOSS Input Format
Topcon - a variety of options

Wild - now known as Leica - many options to choose from.

Once you have selected the correct input format, you need to identify the Job into which you wish to convert the data.

The program will default to the currently active Job, but you have the option to Browse and select another job if you wish.

Next you need to define the ‘Survey Number’ within the job you have chosen.

The Survey Number allows you to store the field data in a logical order as it arrives at the office, and its usage is many and varied.

Some clients prefer to download each day’s work as it is completed and then start off the next day with a blank data collector. In this situation, the Survey Number is equivalent to the number of days spent on the job.

Other clients prefer to keep all the data in the data collector until the pickup is finished and then dump everything into the one single Survey Number. As long as you are aware that this is the electronic version of Russian Roulette that is OK by us.

Once you have completed all the relevant fields, simply select the OK button and the program will process the raw data and store it into the relevant Stadia file ready for you to inspect  with the Electronic Stadia option.


Export Raw Data.

This option allows you to convert point in your database into a format suitable for ‘uploading’ into you data collector, presumably for the purposes of taking into the field and setting out.

The routine is reasonably self-explanatory.

First you choose the Type of data collector from the list provided.

Next you choose the Job containing the coordinates you wish to convert.

You then need to specify the name of the file to store the coordinates in, and you achieve this by selecting the Browse button on this line and then entering the relevant folder and filename.

Once these items have been completed, select OK and you will be given a table which you fill out with the points required.

You can decide whether to send the natural height of the design height of the points as required.

Once the table is completed to your satisfaction, select OK and the file will be written ready for you to Send to the data recorder.


Send Raw Data to Data Collector.

This is simple a communications program which takes the data file into which you have stored coordinates and sends it to the data collector.

When the program loads you need to check the Settings Out to ensure that both the computer and the data recorder are set to the same values.

Next use the File Open command to load the file in which the coordinates have been stored.

Then use the Transfer - Communications Out to send the file to your Data Recorder.


Electronic Stadia

For Details of how to use the new stadia routines please refer to Tutorial 2 in the Getting Started and Tutorial Manual.

This will give you a complete run through of the operation of the routine, including storing data into the database.


Field Levels

Documentation not yet finished


Reduced Levels

For details of how to operate this routine please refer to Tutorial 5 in your Getting Started and Tutorial Manual.


Traverse Network

For details of how to use this feature please refer to Tutorial 2A in your Getting Started and Tutorial Manual.

This example takes you through an example of how to enter the traverse, calculate the misclose, adjust it and then store the adjusted coordinates into the database.


Feature Codes

Library Name

You may define different libraries for different purposes if you wish, and while you may use ‘long filenames’  under Windows 95 and NT  you should be mindful that these can cause difficulty if you wish to revert to an earlier version of Windows at any stage.

You can use the pull down feature to select from existing libraries, or can simply type in the required name if you wish to start a new library.

Next you have the ability to define which characters you will use to signify ‘tag’ and ‘attributes’, and while it is common to use ‘+’ and ‘-‘ respectively, you have the option to define any character you choose to ensure compatibility with all forms of data recorders and coding systems.

Tag Character

Typically you would use ‘+’  unless your data collector decrees otherwise.

Used to tag points with multiple codes in the source file(eg.stadia) OR tag a code with multiple symbols in the code library.

The most common example of the use of this character would be a fence corner, where, for example, the fence defined by code F1 intersects with the fence defined by code F2.

Presuming you used '+' as the join character, you would code the point with 'F1+F2'.

The other method of usage of this feature is to place multiple symbols over the one point.

For example if you wanted a triangle and a circle over a point for special attention, and you had a  symbol called TRI, and a symbol called CIRC.

The code could then be set up as S=TRI+S=CIRC.

This would result in both symbols being plotted over the point .

The idea is to enter in to the library each of the codes which you intend to use, and then describe what the code is to be used for.

Attribute Character

Signifies that the following items are attributes for that code.

Attributes available are :-

P-pen,

L-linetype,

M-magnification,-

Pens and linetypes are used for strings , magnification is used for symbols.

Attributes may be specified in the code library, or in the source file (eg.stadia), or in a combination of both places. If attributes are specified in both places, those in the source file will take precedence.

If no attributes are specified the defaults are P1, L1, M1,

If 90% of the time a code is to have certain attributes, then you would specify these in the code library and the other 10% of the time you would put the attributes in the source file(eg.stadia) which would override the attributes that were in the code library for those points only.

Magnification.

The magnification applies to any symbols which the code will insert, and works in conjunction with the features of the Symbol Library to determine the size of the symbol on the final plan.

Symbols are initially drawn to occupy a square 10mm square.

If you wish to have the symbol drawn within a 5mm square you would use M0.5 to signify magnification of 0.5.

If you wish to have the symbol drawn 20mm then use M2

What is a ‘Code’

Firstly let us define ‘CODE’, and in this program a code is made up of up to 8 characters which may be letters or numbers or a combination of both.

For example ‘BLE’ is a code, as is ‘110315’, as is ‘BLE23’.

It is also common to add to the code a string number which makes that code unique, so for example the code might be ‘BLE’ which stands for Bitumen Left Edge, but each distinct string of edge of bitumen on the left is also given a number unique to that string.

So we have BLE1, BLE2, BLE23 etc. to identify the different strings in the job.

Now from a field point of view  we would have thought it logical to first identify the item, and then identify which one it is, thus BLE23.

However we are aware that there are other systems which insist that you identify the string number first, and then the item which would give a code of 23BLE.

We don't mind which way you do it, as long as it is done logically and consistently the program will cope with it.

Since you are going to define what each code means, and how it will operate, we do not care much what you choose to use as codes and would suggest that as long as the codes you choose are simple enough for the field party to remember, they should not cause the program any great degree of trouble.

When entering the code names, those codes with similar names can be added using wildcards.

There are two distinct wildcards, one which is a suffix, which means it comes after the code, and one which is a prefix which comes before the code.

The suffix wildcard is * and it will match any number of characters from one upwards. The wildcard can be used when entering codes such as PIT1, PIT2, PIT3 etc..

PIT* alleviates the need to enter each of  these codes separately.

CARE must be taken when using the wildcard, however, as P* will match not only the PIT1, PIT2..... entries, but also POST or any other code that commences with P.

It is strongly recommended that you keep codes a certain length - two or three characters for example, and place the wildcard after them.

The prefix wildcard is ?, and you must use the exact number of characters which you are searching for.

So using our BLE example from above, if you wish to put the string number first, and decide that you will have up to 99 strings, you can have ??BLE as your entry in the code library.

It will happily handle any string from 01BLE to 99BLE and recognise them as unique entities BUT it will NOT recognise 1BLE. (It will also recognise TABLE as a unique entity - i.e. any two characters, followed by BLE will be recognised as a unique string)

Once you have entered a code, you need to define what type or types of activity are to be triggered by the code.

If you have entered a code, and the cursor has moved into the ‘Type’ column, you may use the pull down to choose from the types available which are.

Point - determine the layer, symbol and ‘contourability’ of a point

String - join points to form strings

Description - add a description to the point

Replace - replace one code with another

 1. Point

The point code facilities allow you to assign a point as non- contourable or to assign a symbol to that point, or to indicate that the point is a tree which is a special form of symbol.

Non-Contourable

If you do a full detail survey of an area it is highly likely that you will collect some points which you do not wish to be part of the contoured surface. For example inverts of pits, and temporary benchmarks placed on top of fence posts or up the trunks of trees can come into this category.

So, if you coded all your invert points with INV, you would type [INV] in the code column, select Point  in the type column, and then N for non-contourable in the Action column.

Symbols

Symbols are created elsewhere, and stored as Windows metafiles.

Each symbol can then have magnifications specified for it either in the code library and/or the source file(eg.stadia).

Say for example you had used a code of MH in the field to describe each manhole which you picked up, and that you had a symbol called ‘MHOLE’, and that you required a manhole to be drawn on the plan at each point.

(For the potentially politically correct out there ‘man’ , properly considered, is a diminutive of ‘human’ and as such is equally appropriate to all three of the sexes)

The first thing to do is to put the code ‘MH’ in the code column.

You would then Select ‘Point’  in the type column,

The cursor would then be placed in the Action column.

If you simply wish to insert the ‘MHOLE’ symbol at unit size, you would enter S=MHOLE.

If however you wished to enlarge the symbol by a factor of two, you would enter [S=MHOLE-M2]

Trees

Trees are generally represented by two symbols, one for the trunk and one for the spread of the foliage, and while you can achieve this manually with two codes for each point, if you have a number of trees to identify you should use the specific tree code instead.

The tree code which you use in the field is made up of eight characters, or more specifically four sets of two character pairs which allow you to define the type of tree, the trunk diameter, the spread and the height of the tree.

For example consider a code of EU050913 and what each of the pairs mean.

First Pair: EU means eucalypt, and defines the Type of tree

Second Pair: 05 = 0.5 metres  - specifies the trunk diameter from 0 to 9.9 metres. So, 05 indicates 0.5 metres, while 21 indicates a diameter of 2.1 metres.

Third Pair : 09 = 9 meters - specifies the diameter of the foliage spread in whole metres from 01 to 99.

Fourth pair: 13 = 13 metres - specifies the height of the tree in whole metres from 01 to 99.

To use the code you should proceed as follows.

In the Code column you enter EU or whatever two characters you have used to describe your tree

In the Type column, select a Point code,].

In the Action column you need to define the point as a TREE, and also specify the two symbols you wish to use.

For example if you had a symbol named Trunk and another named Spread, your Features column would read TREE=TRUNK+SPREAD.

Note that you must use the '+' sign here not the character you have specified for joining multiples together.

This would call out the symbol TRUNK and apply a magnification of 0.5, and then would call out the symbol SPREAD and magnify it 9 times its original size.

The height of the tree is stored in the Description field of the point, so you can plot out the heights adjacent to the symbols by simply  turning the Description attribute on when you are ready to do the plot.

In this example the description would be ‘13m’

As well as the height which is automatically stored, you can also add a description if you wish.

To do this you need to enter a separate line in the code library with EU as your code, D for description as the Type of code, and in the Features column you enter TREE = EUCALYPT, or whatever description you choose.

The description you use is then combined with the height, and you have two possible options of how it can be stored, 13m EUCALYPT, or EUCALYPT 13m.

You can control which comes first by how you position your entries in the code library as seen below.

If you specify the symbols first, as below

Code 	Type 	Action 	  Layer

EU 	P 	TREE=TRUNK+SPREAD

EU 	D 	TREE=EUCALYPT

you will have a description of 13m Eucalypt.

Alternatively if you reverse the order of the two codes, as below,

Code 	Type 	Action	 Layer

EU 	D 	TREE=EUCALYPT

EU 	P 	TREE=TRUNK+SPREAD

you will get a Description of EUCALYPT 13m.

2. String Code.

At this stage the strings are by  increasing Point Number Order only, so if points 1,  10 and point 15 all had codes of EB1, the program would process them in point number order, with the result that a line would be drawn from 1 to 10 to 15.

The String Code can indicate either an open or a closed string.

OL - Open Line - as it suggests will draw a line between points with the same code, and the ‘Open’ merely indicates that the first point and the last point are not joined together.

CL - Closed Line - the last point is automatically connected to the first point to form a closed figure.

So, for example if you were picking up buildings, you might use the closed line facility to ensure the whole building was drawn correctly.

You may use the attribute key with both OL and CL to indicate pens and linetypes.

For example OL-P2L3 would draw the line in pen 2 and linetype 3.

Folder

For each string that you specify using the OL or CL function, you can specify which String Folder you want that string to go into.

You can get them to go into more than one string folder at a time by just putting two entries in the code library.

3. Description

This function will simply convert a code into a description.

This allows the field party to use cryptic abbreviations, or complex numeric codes which are then automatically translated to meaningful descriptions for the office staff.

4. Replace

This function is used to replace a code that is being stored in the database with the code that you specify in the Action column.

Note, that if the point is to be assigned a point or control code as well, the original code must be used in the Code column.

As an example, the following is the correct method of setting up the replace code.

Code 	Type 	Action

1234 	P 	S=TREE1-M2P3

1234 	R 	TREE


Symbols

Introduction to Symbols

A symbol is a drawing consisting of lines, arcs and text stored in Windows Metafile format (WMF). You can also use drawings which are Adobe Placeable Metafiles (*.apm), and those in Enhanced Metafile Format (*.emf), but you will need to rename these files so they have an extension of ‘wmf’ before CDS will recognise them.

You can create symbols in most CAD packages by drawing what you wish and then using the Save As option to save the drawing as a WMF.

In addition there are a number of dedicated software packages, both commercial and shareware, which are designed specifically for creating and editing Metafiles.

Before you get too far, you need to understand that a Metafile is ‘elastic’ in that it can be scaled either up or down uniformly, or it can be ‘distorted’ by ‘stretching’ the drawing in one or other direction.

The WMF file itself contains no information which specifes what size it was created at, or what size it is intended to be.

So, it is important that you take care to note down what size you wish the symbol to be, and enter those values into the width and height columns in the symbols table as explained below.

Now while at first glance this ‘elasticity’ might be a little alarming, particularly to Engineers and Surveyors who are not accustomed to dealing with such abstract things, it can be used to your advantage.

For example, you can minimise the amount of time it takes you to create symbols by working smarter.  Consider you need to represent a number of things on your plans which are  ‘rectangular’ in shape. However some are square, some twice as wide as they are high and others twice as high as they are wide.

If you were to use your CAD package to draw a square with sides of 1 unit, you could then save this away as three different names, such as Square, Wide and High.

When you read the symbols into CDS, you would then set width and heights as follows

Symbol	Width	Height

Square	   1	   1

Wide	   2	   1

High	   1	   2

Symbol Library

Any symbols you wish to use in CDS should be stored in the Folder \Foresite\Variable.

When you access the Symbol Library option for the first time, the program will read through any WMF files it finds in the ‘Variable’ folder and display a ‘thumbnail’ of each of the symbols and the name of that symbol in a table.

You then have a number of options.

Scaled

If you wish to draw the symbol at the same size regardless of the plot Scale you should clear the ‘Scaled’ box, and the symbol will become ‘unscaled’.

If you have the Scaled box crossed, the symbol will be scaled according to the plot scale as explained below.

If a magnification is specified by Mn (where n is the number specifying the magnification required) then the symbol will be magnified and then adjusted according to the plot scale specified.

You may get some more understanding of scaling and unscaling from the table below.

e.g. a symbol that is a circle which you wish to have a 10mm diameter i.e. 10m diameter on ground  you would specify both a width and height of 10 for this symbol in the symbols library table. The final size would then be.

 (N.B.: symbols should all be created in mm i.e. at 1:1000).

Scale	(M1) 	(M2) 	(MU2)

1:1000 	10mm 	20mm 	20mm

1:500	20mm 	40mm 	20mm

1:200 	50mm 	100mm 	20mm

1:100	100mm 	200mm 	20mm

If a symbol's magnification is specified MUn it is a non-scaled symbol i.e.. it is to be magnified but is not to then be adjusted according to the plot scale

Width & Height.

All symbols default to a width of 1 and a height of 1 which means that they will be drawn to occupy a 1 millimetre square.

If you wish you can alter this default value either up or down to suit by entering the relevant value.

Insert X &  Insert Y allow you top specify the insertion point of a symbol to be offset from the centre of the square if needed.

The values are specified in millimetres.

ReRead

The  ReRead button allows you to refresh the Symbols tables and again look through your ‘Variable’ folder an display a thumbnail and name of all WMF files which it finds.

BE WARNED however that this process will destroy any scaling or sizing information which you might have already placed in the symbols table.

If you only wish to add in a few new symbols, you should use the Add option instead of this one.

Add a Symbol.

When you select this option you will see a display of the names of all the WMF files which are currently in your '’Variable’ directory.

If you select the name of the symbol you wish to add, and then select the OK option, the symbol will be added onto the end of the table without disturbing any of the sizing information of your existing symbols.

Symbol Display

This option provides you with a table that shows you where symbols have been inserted into the current job.

The name of the Symbol is shown in the left column.

Next you will either find that the symbol has been inserted in space, in which case values of East and North will be shown, OR, the symbols will be attached to a Point in the Database, in which case only the Point Number will be displayed.

The table will also show the Scale at which the symbol has been inserted, and a Rotation which at the moment will always be 90.

With the exception of Rotation, you may enter new values to alter the location or size of the symbols already shown, or you can insert a new symbol by typing in the relevant values.

Insert A Symbol.

As well as inserting symbols by using Feature Codes, you can use this option to insert them interactively.

You may either use the Pull Down option to select the name of the symbol you wish to insert, or type in the name if you know it.

You can then set the scale as necessary.

Once you select OK, you will see a square attached to your cursor and you should position it where required, and then select the location with the left mouse button.

If you Position the symbol directly over an existing Point the program will assume you wish to attach the symbol to the point and do so.

Otherwise you can place symbols wherever your creative desires dictate.

Note that if you wish to see the symbols on the Display you need to use Modes - Display and ensure that they are turned On.


Text

In preparing a plan, it is common to need to add items of text to describe the various features drawn on the plan, and to ensure that you can prepare a basic plan within CDS we have included some basic facilities to allow text to be inserted into your plans..

Please note that we DO NOT intend the facilities provided here to replace a CAD package. If you wish to be able to move the text interactively, or format it to fit particular paths or have it justified then you should use your CAD package to insert it rather than this facility.

Insert Text

When you select the Insert Text option a window will appear to allow you to type in the text you require.

You should type the text you need in the top window.

You can then locate the starting position for the text, either by pointing with your cursor on the screen, or by typing in the coordinates of the point at which you wish to start.

You can specify the bearing of the text either

- by entering in the bearing you require,
- by using the ‘P’ option to get the bearing between two existing points, or
- by using the ‘D’ option to draw the bearing of the text on the screen.

You may use the pull up options to select font, colour, size and text attributes such as bold/italic etc in the normal fashion.

You can also define the layer on which you wish to store the text.

Note for TRPS clients. If you wish to use this text option to enter text to be transferred to a MOSS GENIO file for use by JKR or the like, you must use the following layers to store your text on;

BUILD                    ADANAN                    CPNO
MOSTXT                MUKIM                       RIVER
ROAD                    SURVEY                     VEGE

Text Display

This option will bring up a table showing you the location, bearing and size of all pieces of text you have entered.

If you wish you may type directly into the table to alter any of the values.

If you wish to delete a piece of text, highlight the relevant row in the table by clicking on the numbered row tag on the far left, and then press the delete key.


Points Menu

The Points menu allows you to first select the points you are interested in, and then modify them using one of the following commands:

Add	Allows you to add points directly to the graphic screen by ‘clicking’ on screen or by typing coordinates
Edit	Lets you change the values of an existing point
Select	Allows you to select the points you wish to modify, either individually, by a point range, within a polygon, or on selected strings
List	Lets you define which attributes of the selected points you want listed, and what order you want them in the file.
Transform	Performs a similarity transformation on the selected points
Translate	Performs a translation on the selected points
Rotate	Rotates the selected points about a ‘pivot’ point
Alter	Alters some or all of the database attributes of the selected points
Compress	Removes gaps in point numbering - numbers points sequentially from the selected point number.
Cut	Deletes selected points from the Job and puts them on the clipboard.
Copy	Copies the selected points to the clipboard.
Paste	Pastes points from the clipboard into the current job
Delete	Deletes the selected points from the job
Oops	Allows you to select deleted points, and then ‘undelete’ them


Add

When you select this option, the program will enter ‘Add Mode’ which allows you to interactively ‘click in’ points on the graphic screen.

The cursor will change from the normal arrow to a cross to indicate you are in add mode.

The ‘Add’ cursor appears as seen below

If you wish to add points with specific coordinates, you can click anywhere on the screen to add a point, and then type in the coordinates you require in the table that appears.

When you are finished adding points, you should again select this option to turn it Off and your cursor will return to its normal arrow shape.

Note: you can also exit from the ‘Add Point’ mode by pressing the Escape key.  The next time you move your cursor you will see that it changes back to the normal arrow.


Edit.

Once you select the Edit option, a dialogue box will appear displaying the lowest point in the current Job, and all its attributes.

You may type in the point number of the point you are interested in, and then alter whatever value is necessary.

As well as specifying the Point Number of the point required you can point to the point with the cursor, or you may use the ‘Next’ or ‘Previous’ buttons to scroll through the database.


Select

This allows you to select the points that you wish to transform, translate, rotate, alter, cut or paste.

You can Select individual points, a range of points, and/or points within a polygon, and the selection mode is cumulative, which is a slight variation from what you might be used to in spreadsheets or the like.

In some other windows programs, if you select one item, it is unselected if you simply select a different item. You need to hold down either the Shift or the Ctrl key while selecting to ensure that all the things you point to are selected.

Here we have dispensed with the need to hold down other keys, and each point, or group of points you select is added to the points already selected.

So, you might select three or four individual points, and then draw a polygon around another 10 points  - you will end up with 13 or 14 points selected.

The options available under the select heading are;

*	Select All - all the points in the current job are selected

*	Select Individual Points - the cursor changes to a crosshair as seen below

and you can then select individual points by placing the cursor over the point required and pressing the left mouse button.
As you select a point, the attributes displayed change colour.

*	Select by Range - here a dialogue box will appear which will allow you some reasonably sophisticated selection.
Each of the available attributes of a point is displayed, and you can select the Check Box down the left-hand side for the attributes you wish to use.
Once the item is checked, the entry area to its right will become active and you can type in the selection criteria according to the following rules;

(i) 	individual items are separated by commas - e.g. 1,96,105 will specify those three points
(ii) 	start and end of range separated by ‘tilde’  - ~ -  e.g. 21~35 will get all points between 21 and 35 inclusive.
(iii)	the combination of attributes is an AND situation, so if you check Point Numbers with a range 1~100 and you check Point Codes and enter EBL the only points which will be selected are those which have Point Numbers between 1 and 100 AND have a Point Code of EBL

*	Select by Polygon - this allows you to draw a polygon around the area you are interested in.
Simply select a starting point, and then continue to select points in space which define the corners or nodes of your polygon.
You will see the polygon is drawn interactively as you pick the points so you can see what is being included as you go.

*	Select by selected Strings  will select any points that belong to the strings currently selected.

*	Clear Selection - as its name implies, this option clears all currently selected points.


List

The List Option allows you to construct a list or printout of the points you have selected.

When you access the option you will see a table with four columns which are explained below;

On/Off - you need to ‘tick’ the box if you require the attribute to be included in the list

Order - you can decide in which order the items are printed.  The item or attribute which you want to appear in the left hand column should be number 1 in order, and the remaining items then need to be numbered sequentially as you move to the right.
So, if your client wants a list showing Point Code, Chainage, Height, you can easily create it by ticking those 3 items and then giving Point Code order 1, Chainage order 2 and Height order 3.

Width - the width column allows you to specify how wide you require the field in which the particular attribute is to be written. Note that each of the columns is right justified, so if you wish to move the start of column 2 across to the right, you need to actually widen column 1 to achieve this.

Accuracy - allows you to specify how many decimal places are written out for those items that include decimals.

When you choose OK, the program will open WordPad in a new window and show you the list you have created which has been temporarily stored in a file called ‘ptslist.wri’ in the current Job folder.

You may then use the facilities of WordPad to alter or print the list, and when you are satisfied you should Save the list away.

You should be aware that if you simply try Save, WordPad will inform you that it could not save in the current format. Don’t be concerned because to maintain compatibility with older Windows versions we need to write the list into a ‘WRI’ format that WordPad can read but not save.
Simply go along with its suggestion of saving in a different format, and choose one that suits you from the list that it presents.

You should also remember to use a more meaningful file name than the temporary ‘ptslist’ which we use.

If you use the Save As function, you can save the listing as a Word 6 Document, or alternatively you can save it as a plain Text file, either of which you should be able to import into other programs whether Word Processors, Spreadsheets or CAD packages.


Transform

This function will perform a Similarity transformation on all the currently selected points. It will scale and rotate at the same time if necessary.

Before you approach this routine, you need to have Two points already in the job (say 1 and 100) which are based on the original coordinate origin, and you also need to have two other points which represent the position of these points with respect to the new coordinate origin (say 1001 and 1100).

When you select Transform, a dialogue box will appear which asks you to enter Old Point 1 (1) and Old Point 2 (100) and then New Point 1 (1001) and New Point 2 ( 1100).

Once you press OK, all the selected points will be transformed by the required amount.

WARNING!! In this release of the software there is no OOPS or UNDO function on this routine, so be careful and of course make sure the original data is backed up before you start.


Translate

This option allows you to move or translate the selected points.

All that is required is to enter the bearing and distance by which you wish to move the points and then click OK.

The points will now appear in their new location

WARNING!! In this release of the software there is no OOPS or UNDO function on this routine, so be careful, but if you wish to put them back in the original position you only need to translate again for the same distance using the reverse bearing.


Rotate

You can rotate the selected points about a pivot point.

All you need do is specify the point you wish to rotate about (the Pivot Point), and the angle of rotation required.

Note that this is an angle, not a bearing, so you can enter a negative value if you wish to rotate anti-clockwise about the point.

 WARNING!! In this release of the software there is no OOPS or UNDO function on this routine, so be careful, but if you wish to put them back in the original position you only need to rotate back  about the same point.


Alter

Here you can change the values of the selected points.

You can Add (or subtract by entering a negative value) a constant amount to Point Numbers, East, North, Height, Rd No., Chainage, Offset and Design Height.

You can replace the existing Layer, Code and Description with a new value.

WARNING!! In this release of the software there is no OOPS or UNDO function on this routine, so be careful and of course make sure the original data is backed up before you start.


Compress Points

This option allows you to renumber the selected points, starting from the number specified, and numbering sequentially.

The effect of this operation is to remove gaps in the point numbers.

The program will automatically alter any Strings and triangle files that are in the current job.

Once you select the options, all you need to do is to enter the number you wish to start the compressed point numbers from.


Cut (Points)

Use this command to remove the currently selected points from the Job and put them on the clipboard

If you have not selected any points, this command will not be available

Cutting data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Copy (Points)

Use this command to copy selected points onto the clipboard.

Unlike the Cut command, this command does not delete the points from your Job, but, as its name implies, it makes a duplicate copy of them.

This command is unavailable if you haven’t currently selected any points

Copying data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Note that the points are stored on the clipboard in a format specific to Foresight applications, so it is not possible to copy points to the clipboard and then paste them into a word processor or spreadsheet. If you wish to do this you need to list the points to a file, or export them

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+C


Paste (Points)

Use this command to insert a copy of the clipboard into the current Job.

When you are paste Points into a job, the Alter screen will appear to allow you to add an amount to the point numbers so that the numbers from the clipboard do not attempt to overwrite the existing point numbers in the Job where you are trying to paste them.

This command is unavailable if you haven’t put anything on the clipboard.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Strings Menu

What are Strings?

In Foresight terminology a ‘string’ is simply a line joining two or more points.

It may consist entirely of straight lines, or it may have a combination of straight lines and circular arcs.

A string may start on one point, and finish on a different point thus forming what we term an ‘open string’ e.g. the string defining a road centreline is an open string

Alternatively, the string may finish on the point it started from thus enclosing an area and forming what we call a ‘closed string’  e.g. a string defining the boundary of a parcel of land is a closed string, as is a string defining the perimeter of a building.

The options available on the Strings menu, together with a brief functional description are listed below.

Import Old String Folders	Allows you to import strings created in older versions of Foresight.
Export Old String Folders	Allows you to Export strings in a format suitable for use by older versions of Foresight
String Attributes	Allows you to specify how you require strings displayed or printed
Strings to Display/Print	Choose which strings are to be displayed/printed
Short Line Table	create a table where strings are too short to have bearing/distance written along them
Add	Add a String
Change	Change the existing string definition
Minimum Area	Being added to allow editing of a parcel to achieve a required area by pivoting or sliding a line.
Split	Split an existing string to form two strings
Traverse Adjustment	Provides a simple means of checking the closure of a single string and adjusting any misclose if necessary
Join	Join two strings to form one
Select	Select strings to be cut, copied or deleted
Listings	Allows you to list the selected strings
Cut	Deletes selected strings from the Job and puts them on the clipboard
Copy	Copies the selected strings to the clipboard
Paste	Pastes strings from the clipboard into the current job
Delete	Deletes the selected strings from the job


Import Old String Folders

Background

In previous MSDOS versions of Foresight, and in earlier releases of CDS all strings were stored in individual files or folders.

If for example you had a ‘lots file’ or ‘string folder’ called ‘lots’ and another one called ‘ndis’, in previous versions you would have two separate files stored on the disc called ‘lots.job’ and ‘ndis.job’ respectively.

Each of these files was stored in a simple ASCII format that you could edit, either with a word processor or a text editor.

In the latest release of CDS we have changed the structure of how strings are stored, and from now on there will be only one file per job which contains the string definitions.

Any references to ‘lot files’ or ‘string folders’ will still be applicable, but instead of individual files on the disc, the folder will simply denote a section within the one file.

This file is now in binary format to assist in speed of drawing the strings on the screen, and as such you can no longer simply edit the points in the file with your trusty text editor.

Operation

When you open an old format job with the latest version of CDS, it will automatically load any old format ‘lot files’ or ‘string folders’ which it finds.

However, if you then go back and use the old version of the software, or a text editor to modify the original files in any way, the changes will not be read into CDS automatically.

You will need to run this option to read in any changes you might have made after the first time you accessed the Job with CDS.


Export Old String Folders

If you start a job with CDS and then need to give it to a colleague who is using an older version of Foresight you will need to Export all the strings you have created into the old format.

Once you select this option, CDS will create separate files on disc for each folder you have created, and those files will contain information in the traditional ASCII format which you can display or edit with a word processor and text editor.

Remember however that if you do export your strings and then use a Text editor to alter the string definition, you will need to Import the strings back into CDS before they will be used.


String Attributes

This option allows you to determine how you want your strings displayed or plotted.

You can decide whether strings will be annotated with bearings and/or distances, with string ID’s or possibly chainages.

If the strings are closed, you may also have them filled with a particular colour or hatch pattern, and have their area shown at the centroid.

Class Name

When you Add strings, you are given the option of assigning each string to a particular Class.

This ‘Class’ attribute can then be used to determine how all the strings that belong to a particular class will be displayed and printed.

As an example of some uses of this facility, consider a subdivision that contains lots of different sizes as laid down under zoning guidelines.  Say you had ‘normal’ size lots, ‘super’ lots and other lots to be used as ‘parks’.

If you assigned the relevant strings around the boundaries of these lots to classes, you could then easily have all ‘Super’ lots filled in and coloured red, all ‘Normal’ lots filled in blue, and the ‘Park’ lots coloured in green.

In addition, you might choose to put all the centrelines of the roads within the subdivision into a class called ‘CL’. You could then decide that all strings in the class CL should be drawn with Chainages plotted along them at the half angle offset to the sting.

Fill

If you wish to have closed strings filled with a solid colour you should check this box for the classes required.

Fill Colour

You can select the colour required from the colour palette

Hatch

If you wish to fill closed strings with a hatching pattern check this box.

Please NOTE: at this stage CDS does NOT export any of the hatching to a DWG or DXF file, and the hatching feature is intended only for those of you who wish to draw the plan directly from CDS.

Hatch name

You need to enter the name of the hatching you wish to use.

Please note that the hatching format used by CDS is compatible with the format published by Autodesk for use with their Autocad® products, and you can use existing Autocad hatch patterns if you wish, providing you put the definitions in the file named ‘hatch’ in the folder \Foresite\Variable.

CDS comes with the following list of hatching patterns as standard.

angle,	Angle steel

ansi31,	ANSI Iron, Brick, Stone masonry

ansi32,	ANSI Steel

ansi33,	ANSI Bronze, Brass, Copper

ansi34,	ANSI Plastic, Rubber

ansi35,	ANSI Fire brick, Refractory material

ansi36,	ANSI Marble, Slate, Glass

ansi37,	ANSI Lead, Zinc, Magnesium,

ansi38,	ANSI Aluminum

box,	Box steel

brass,	Brass material

brick,	Brick or masonry-type surface

clay,	Clay material

cork,	Cork material

cross,	A series of crosses

dash,	Dashed lines

dolmit,	Geological rock layering

dots,	A series of dots

earth,	Earth or ground (subterranean)

escher,	Escher pattern

flex,	Flexible material

grass,	Grass area

grate,	Grated area

hex,	Hexagons

honey,	Honeycomb pattern

hound,	Houndstooth check

insul,	Insulation material

line,	Parallel horizontal lines

mudst,	Mud and sand

net,	Horizontal / vertical grid

net3,	Network pattern

plast,	Plastic material

plasti,	Plastic material

sacncr,	Concrete

square,	Small aligned squares

stars,	Star of David

steel,	Steel material

swamp,	Swampy area

trans,	Heat transfer material

triang,	Equilateral triangles

zigzag,	Staircase effect

Hatch Size

Not currently operational  leave at 1 .

Will eventually allow you to increase or decrease the ‘density’ of the hatching pattern you have chosen.


Strings to Display/Print

This option allows you to select which strings you wish to display or print.

When you select the option you will see a ‘tree’ structure which lists the names of the string folders you have created.

If you see a ‘+’ sign in the box to the left of the folder name, it indicates that there are a number of strings in that particular folder.

If you wish to see the individual strings within the folder, simply ‘click on’ the box with the plus sign, and the tree will expand to show you a list of the string Id’s or names contained in the folder.

You will then see that each String has a ‘box’ to the left of it which may be ‘ticked’ if you require the string to be displayed, or ‘unticked’ if you do not wish to see the string.

Note that you may display all strings within a particular folder by simply ‘ticking’ the box adjacent to the folder name.

Obviously you can also ‘hide’ a particular folder by clearing its box.


Short Line Table

When you have a job that contains small or short strings, it is often necessary to have the annotation of those strings placed in a table since the text will not fit adequately along the line.

Both the scale of the plan you are plotting, and the font size chosen  determine whether or not the bearing/distance will fit along a line.

Short Line Parameters

This allows you to choose one of the following actions

Don’t Display Short Lines  if the bearing and/or distance does not fit along the line don’t show it

Display Short Lines  display bearings and distances adjacent to the lines regardless  I will move them with CAD

Place Short Lines in a table - if the bearing and/or distance does not fit along the line, place the bearing and distance in a table with a reference number placed on the line.

Display Short Line table

Place the actual table within the active screen

Recalc Short Line Table

Either the scale or font size has been changed  recalculate whether the annotation will fit on the lines.


Add Strings

This is where you add strings into the job, but before you get around to adding you need to know about String Folders, and String Classes.

Folders

You can choose what folder the string will live in.  If you like to think in terms of ‘layers’, then folders are simply ‘string layers’.

The important thing to understand is that CDS does not insist that your lines or strings be on the same layer as the points that make them up.  Simply put, we recognise that your field party picks up and lays out Points rather than lines, but your drafting staff are more used to working with Lines, and that the points are of lesser importance to them..

If you are of a mind to have the lines live on the point layer, then you can achieve that very simply by setting the folder name to be the same as the layer name.

However, the ability to differentiate between points and lines gives you a considerable degree of flexibility in what you have displayed or printed at any time.

As an example, consider you were working on a project such as a subdivision that is to be built in stages. It is conceivable that you might wish to place all the Points representing corners of the blocks onto a layer called ‘Corner’ for example.

If all the strings or lines were placed on the one layer it would be difficult to simply look at the blocks in Stage 3.

However, if you use folders named Stage1, Stage2 and Stage3 for storing the relevant strings, it now becomes a simple matter to only display the blocks in Stage 3 by turning that folder ON and all the other folders off.

If you wish to place the string in an existing folder you can use the pull down option to see the existing folder names, and select the one that suits your purposes.

If you wish to create a new folder, simply type the name of the folder into the space provided.  Note for the time being please restrict Folder names to 8 characters or less.

Classes

As well as the folder, the Class attribute gives you an additional means of grouping strings of the same type together and then easily determining how all members of that class will be displayed/printed.

As an example of some uses of this facility, consider a subdivision that contains lots of different sizes as laid down under zoning guidelines.  Say for example you had ‘normal’ size lots, ‘super’ lots and other lots to be used as ‘parks’.

If you assigned the relevant strings around the boundaries of these lots to classes, you could then easily have all ‘Super’ lots filled in and coloured red, all ‘Normal’ lots filled in blue, and the ‘Park’ lots coloured in green.

In addition, you might choose to put all the centrelines of the roads within the subdivision into a class called ‘CL’. You could then decide that all strings in the class CL should be drawn with Chainages plotted along them at the half angle offset to the sting

Why have both Folders and Classes?

Simply to give you greater flexibility in how your job is controlled. If we continue the Staged development analogy from the Folders, the Class is the overriding attribute that determines how all strings in a particular class will be shown.

The Folder can then be used to determine which strings belonging to a particular class will be displayed or printed at any given time.

The String ID

You need to give each string a name, or a number, or, in Foresight terminology an ID.

The string ID can be any combination of the letters A through Z and the numbers 0 through 9, and we strongly recommend that you so not include any characters other than these in string names.

It is possible to have more than one string with the same ID in a job.

Adding Simple Strings

You can add the points by pointing to the point on screen with your cursor (arrow) and pressing the left mouse button, or alternatively you can type in the point number.

If you choose to type in the point number, you should separate the points with commas.

Using a Sequence of Point Numbers

If you have a sequence of points in either ascending or descending order, you can have the program handle the sequence by entering the first point in the sequence followed by a full stop or period followed by the end point in the sequence.

E.g. points 1,2,3,4,5,6 can be represented 1.6, and points 6,5,4,3,2,1 can be represented 6.1

Adding Arcs to Strings

If you wish to add a circular curve or arc into a string you need to have the incoming Tangent Point, the Centre Point preceded by a + or  - sign and the outgoing Tangent Point.

You use  ‘+’ if the curve is Right handed or Clockwise about the centre and  ‘-‘ when the curve is Left handed, or anti-clockwise about the centre.

As you build up the string, you will see it drawn on the screen for confirmation.

The buttons on the bottom of the screen are as follows.

Show  draw the string as it is defined so far

Cancel  throw away any changes I have made since I started adding

Finish  finish the process of adding strings & save those added

Apply  save the current string and wait for another to be added.

Adding Points to Strings as you Calculate

If you open the Add Strings box and define a string ID, you can leave it open and then add points to the job, or calculate new points with some of the Cogo routines, and these will be automatically added into the string in the order in which they are calculated.

When the Add Strings box is open, you will find that some of the Cogo options are greyed out since they are not suitable for use in automatically adding points into the strings.

You can also automatically insert a curve you calculate with the IP& Radius option into the string.


Change Strings

This option allows you to alter the definition of a string that is already defined in the current job.

You may select the string required by selecting the Folder name and String name from the relevant pull down boxes.

Alternatively, you may point to the string required with your cursor.

If you are pointing to the string, you should note that only strings that are displayed can be selected, and the closest string to the cursor will be selected.

Once the definition of the string is displayed you can edit it as you see fit to provide the new lot definition


Minimum Area

Work is still progressing but you can try entering the ID of a parcel and then swinging a line on a point to achieve the area you need.

We know that all the ‘pretty bits’ such as pointing to the string etc. are not yet finished, but the swing a line is working if you co-operate with it and type in the String ID etc.


Split Strings

This function splits an existing string either at a point or at a line.

You must have a single string selected before this function is activated on the Strings Menu.

Please note that unless only one string is currently selected, the option will not appear.

Once you select the Option, the program will display the String you have selected, and ask whether you wish to split it at a point, or at a line, and you should select according to your current needs.

If you wish you can assign new ID’s to either or both of the new strings by typing in the relevant information.

Once you select OK the original string will be split in two, and the two resulting strings saved.


Join Strings

This option is only activated when you have two or more strings selected.

To use it, you MUST select the strings that you wish to join together IN the ORDER that you wish them to be joined.

Do not attempt to select a range of strings because there is no guarantee that the order will be correct even though the correct number of strings are selected.

Once you have two or more strings selected you should access the Strings - Join option.

You will see the strings you have selected listed in the top list box, while the bottom list box will display how the result will appear.

You will see +++ to indicate where one string joins another.

If you need to reverse the order of points in any particular string you can do so by selecting the relevant string in the top list box, and then selecting the reverse button.

You will see the order of the points reversed in the bottom list box.

Once you are satisfied that everything is correct you can select OK, and a new string will be created. The individual strings will be deleted unless you choose to deselect the box that says delete original strings.

Note that any duplicate points from the joining of the two strings will be automatically rectified in the final string.

The Info button allows you to look up any of the attributes (e.g. pen, linetype etc.) of any of the strings which you have selected.


Traverse Adjustment

This option allows you to pick any string and check on whether it closes or not.

It is typically used for ‘adjusting’ boundary strings entered from older plans which do not close exactly due to either ‘rounding’ of the bearings/distances shown on the plan, or plain old fashioned poor measurement  in the first place.

Obviously for it to be of any meaning, the string you select should be meant to be closed.

Once you select the required string the window will display the bearing and distance of the misclose, along with a ratio which is the length of the misclose divided by the perimeter of the string.

If you are satisfied that the misclose is within acceptable tolerances you may choose to adjust it by either the Transit Method or the Bowditch Method.

The Bowditch method calculates the correction required to a side by multiplying the total misclose in east and/or north by the length of the corresponding side divided by the total length of the traverse. It can produce noticeable changes in lines which are north-south or east west.

The Transit method calculates a correction by multiplying the east/north misclosure of a side by the east/north of the side divided by the total east/north of the traverse. It generally produces a less pronounced change in the bearings. than does the Bowditch,

If the cause of your misclosure is the strange habit of rounding bearings on older plans, the Transit  method may possibly give you a result which is closer to what was originally intended, rather than the rounded values eventually written on the plan.

Be warned that there is no facility to ‘unadjust’  once you pick the relevant adjustment button, the adjustment is carried out immediately and the new coordinates of the points are stored in the database.


Select Strings

You can Select individual strings, a range of strings, and/or strings within a polygon, and the selection mode is cumulative, which is a slight variation from what you might be used to in spreadsheets or the like.

In some other windows programs, if you select one item, it is unselected if you simply select a different item. You need to hold down either the Shift or the Ctrl key while selecting to ensure that all the things you point to are selected.

Here we have dispensed with the need to hold down other keys, and each string, or group of strings you select is added to the strings already selected.

So, you might select three or four individual strings, and then draw a polygon around another 10 strings  - you will end up with 13 or 14 strings selected.

The options available under the select heading are;

·	Select Individual Strings - the cursor changes to a cross [image]   and you can then select individual strings by placing the cursor over the string required and pressing the left mouse button.
As you select a string,  the string will be highlighted

·	Select All - all the strings in the current job are selected

·	Select by Range - here a hierarchical ‘tree’ diagram will appear which will show you all String Folders in the job, and each of the strings contained in those folders.
Simply ‘tick’ the box of the strings you wish to plot. If you wish to plot all the strings in a Folder you may simply ‘tick’ the box adjacent to the folder.

·	Select by Polygon - you can draw a polygon which enclosed the area you are interested in. All strings that fall wholly within that Polygon will be selected.

·	Clear Selection - once you have finished operating on the strings you have selected you can use this option to clear all currently selected strings.


List Strings

This option operates on the currently selected Strings.

You will be asked if you want to list

·	Points only- a list of String Id’s and the points that make up the String.

·	IDs Only - a list of String Ids only

·	Full Listing - lists Points on the string, bearings and distances between those points, and the coordinates of those points along with perimeter and area if applicable.

The listing is written directly into WordPad, and you use the facilities of WordPad to save or print the list to your printer.

You should be aware that if you simply try Save, WordPad will inform you that it could not save in the current format. Don’t be concerned because to maintain compatibility with older Windows versions we need to write the list into a ‘WRI’ format that WordPad can read but not save.
Simply go along with its suggestion of saving in a different format, and choose one that suits you from the list that it presents.

You should also remember to use a more meaningful file name than the temporary ‘lotlist’ which we use.


Cut (Strings)

Use this command to remove the currently selected strings from the Job and put them on the clipboard.

Note only the string definitions are removed, not the points which make up the string.

If you wish to take the points that make up the string, you need to have those points selected as well as having the string selected.

If you have not selected any strings, this command will not be available

Cutting data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Copy (Strings)

Use this command to copy selected strings onto the clipboard.

Please note that the command only copies the definition of the string, i.e. a list of the point numbers that make up the string, and it does NOT take the points and their coordinates. (Unless the points which make up the string have also been selected using the Select Points option)

If you wish to copy strings from one job to another, you should first make sure that the Points are already in the second Job before you copy the string definitions.

Unlike the Cut command, this command does not delete the strings from your Job, but, as its name implies, it makes a duplicate copy of them.

This command is unavailable if you haven’t currently selected any strings

Copying data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Note that this data is stored on the clipboard in Foresight specific format so you can not past it into any programs other than a Foresight application.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+C


Paste (Strings)

Use this command to insert or paste a copy of the strings on the clipboard into the current Job.

You will be asked to specify which Folder in the job you wish to paste the strings into, and the program will default to the folder that the strings originated from.

This command is not available if you haven’t put any strings on the clipboard with either cut or copy.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Cogo Menu

This is where you perform all forms of coordinate calculations.

The general function of each of the items is listed below

Remember, if you wish to calculate points in 3D to use Modes to set up calculation by grade.

Bearing & Distance	Calculate new points by Brg & Dist ‘traverse’
Radiate	Calculate new points by Brg & Dist radiating from the same point
B & D Intersects	calculate a new point by intersecting 2 bearings,  2 distances or a bearing and a distance
Offset Calcs	calculate new points by; chainage & offset along a baseline, distance along one line & offset from another, parallel offsets and offsets at a corner point
Curves	calculate circular and spiral curves, curves through 3 points, lines tangential to a curve, similar & reverse curves and route alignments
Road Calcs	calculate parallel boundaries, manually where the road width differs, automatically where constant widths, interpolate heights along strings, divide lines or arc into equal segments, and automatically string points in chainage order
Road Intersections	calculate common road intersections including T, 3way, four way and various cul-de-sac heads
Structures	specify standard structures such as project homes, store in a library and insert them interactively into jobs as required  - i.e. ‘fit the house on the block’
Resumptions	Not yet implemented - specify easement/road boundaries through existing land parcels and the program automatically re-subdivides and calculates residuals
Stake Out Reports	allows you to produce reports of stake out radiations from defined stations to ranges of points or chainages
Ch. & Offset Report	will report on the chainage and offset of point relative to a defined straight or curve.
Surround	will report the area of a polygon which you construct surround the area you are interested in.
Piling	allows you to set up a piling grid, define pile structures, snap structures to the grid or points, draw a plan with displacement symbols and create a piling report.


Bearing and Distance Calcs

This provides the fundamental method of calculating the position of a new point, by specifying a bearing and distance from an existing point.

You need to specify the Point to Calculate from, and you may either point with your cursor, or type in the Point Number.

Entering a Bearing

You then need to specify the bearing, which can be done by typing in the required bearing as Degrees Minutes and Seconds in the form of DDD.MMSS

You can also use the following methods of specifying a bearing;

·	Between Points - with the cursor in the bearing field press ‘P’ to indicate bearing from Points. You can then point to the two points in order with your cursor, or enter the two point numbers separated by a comma, and the bearing between the points will be inserted in the field

·	Draw - you can actually draw or sketch on the screen to determine the bearing you require. With the cursor in the bearing field press ‘D’ for draw. Then pick the start point of the line you wish to draw, and ‘drag’ your cursor until the line is positioned where you want it, You will see the bearing updated as you move the cursor.

·	Right - pressing the ‘R’ key in the bearing field will add 90º to the bearing shown there - if you wish to add 180º simply press R twice

·	Left - pressing the ‘L’ key in the bearing field will subtract 90º from the bearing shown there.

·	+ and - you can add or subtract bearings within the bearing field. For example, if you type in 40.3+50.35 and press Enter, the resulting bearing will be 91º 05’

Entering a Distance

You can type in the distance required, or you can use one of the methods below.

·	Between Points - with the cursor in the Distance field press ‘P’ to indicate distance from Points. You can then point to the two points in order with your cursor, or enter the two point numbers separated by a comma, and the distance between the points will be inserted in the field

·	Draw - you can actually draw or sketch on the screen to determine the distance you require. With the cursor in the distance field press ‘D’ for draw. Then pick the start point of the line you wish to draw, and ‘drag’ your cursor until the line is positioned where you want it, You will see the distance updated as you move the cursor.

New Point

You need to specify the Point number for the new Point to be calculated.

The program will default to using the next available number, but you may enter a number of your choice. If the Point number you choose is already assigned, you will be given a choice of recalculating the position or choosing another number when the point is about to be stored.

Multiple

If you have the need to calculate a number of points each at the same distance along a bearing (as in the case of regular lots in a subdivision), you can achieve this by using the multiple field.

Simply enter in the number of distance you require, and when you select Apply, you will see the required number of points calculated along the bearing you have specified.

Azimuth Swing

It is often the case, particularly when attempting to combine old plans, that you need to apply a swing or correction to the bearings shown on the plan to bring them onto the same azimuth as other information.

You can achieve this easily by entering the azimuth swing you require into the field labeled ‘Az.’.

The correction MUST be positive and is in the form DDD.MMSS.

The correction you enter will be added to the bearing you type in the bearing field, and the resulting ‘swung’ bearing will be used to calculate the new point.


Radiate

The radiation routine allows you to calculate points by specifying a bearing and distance from an existing point, and here all the new points are calculated from the one existing point, unlike the Bearing and distance routines that perform a ‘traverse’ mode, and leapfrog forward.

The options for entering bearings and distance are the same as explained under the heading Bearing and Distance, and in this option the Multiple feature is not applicable.


Two Bearing Intersection

This routine allows you to specify two existing points, and the bearing from each of them, and it will calculate and store the new point where the two bearings intersect.

Note that there is only one possible solution to the intersection of two bearings, and if the bearings you specify intersect the point will be stored automatically.

If the point does not appear, you should check the values you entered, particularly the direction of the bearings.

Note the facilities for entering Bearings explained under the heading Bearing & Distance Calcs.

The diagram below illustrates its function and the remainder or its operation is self-explanatory.


Two Distance Intersection

Here you can specify two existing Points, and a distance from each of them.

If the distances you have specified do intersect, the program will draw circles with the respective radii you have entered around each of the points.

Where these circles intersect provide the two possible solutions as seen below

Simply select the solution you require with your mouse and the point will be added into the database.


Bearing and Distance Intersection

In this option you can intersect a bearing through one point with a distance from another point.

The program will display the two possible solutions and you can choose the point that suits your needs.

Simply position your cursor over the point you need and press the left mouse button to have it added into the database.


Offset Calcs

The Offset Calcs allow you to either create cross section type information, or to input field surveys done in the traditional method of establishing a baseline and then locating detail points by distance along that line (Chainage) and the distance from that line (Offset)


Chainage & Offset

This allows you to calculate points by specifying their chainage and offset to a string, or to a line between two points.

If you wish to calculate relative to an Arc you need to have it defined in a String.

When the Dialogue box appears, you need to choose whether you are using the String, or Points by selecting the relevant Radio Button.

If you are using Strings you then need to identify the String Folder and the String ID and you may either type in these values, or use the pull down facilities to pick them from the list presented.

If you are using Points, you need to specify Point 1 and Point 2, and you can either type the numbers in, or ‘pick’ the points with your cursor.

Start Chainage - you need to enter the chainage of either the point at the start of your string, or of Point 1 so that the chainages of the new points can be calculated correctly

New Point - you will be shown the next available Point Number. Remember that it often assists later identification if you ‘group’ points by starting new ranges on even hundreds or even thousands.

Enter Heights - if you are using this routine to enter in data from plans, it is often the case that you will have heights of the points available. If you do, and you wish to enter them you should ‘check’ this box.
When you come to enter the chainage and offset in the columns below, you will then find that a ‘third’ column appears to allow you to enter in the height.

The next step is to simply enter in all the chainages and offsets (and heights if applicable) into the columns provided.

Once all the values have been entered, select the ‘Apply’ button and the points will be calculated and stored in the database.


Distance & Offset

This option allows you to calculate the position of a point by measuring a distance down or along one line, and an offset square off another line.


Parallel Offset

The operation of this can be best seen by referring to the sketch below.

You need to specify 2 points, the bearings through those points, and the respective offsets to the bearings and the program will calculate and store the resulting point for you.


Radiation from Offset

Here you need to specify a corner point followed by the bearings of the two lines which intersect at that corner, and the relative offsets to each of those lines,

The program will then calculate the single point that results from this.


Curves

The curves routines allow you to fit all manner of circular arcs and or transition spirals into your job.

IP & Radius	fit a curve between two defined straights. Once the deflection angle is defined by the straights you can then specify the curve by fixing one of radius, arc length, chord length, tangent, mid-ordinate.
3 Point Arc	fit a curve through any 3 points you choose
Tangent	calculate a line through a point & tangential to a curve
Arc/Chord	calculate points around the curve by specifying the arc/chord length from the start TP
Similar/Reverse	calculate tangential lines between similar or reversing curves
Spiral	calculate a curve with spirals at a single IP
Route Curve	Specify a series of IP’s with the required radii and spiral lengths and have the program automatically calculate all the relevant alignment points and store the centreline string.


IP & Radius

This routine is used to fit a curve of known radius between two straights.

When you enter the routine a table will appear for you to fill in the fields as explained below.

IP is the Intersection Point, or Point of Intersection and should either enter the point number, or use the cursor to select the point where the two straights intersect.

Next you need to specify both the

Incoming Bearing and the Outgoing Bearing.

You may either enter the relevant bearings, or use the other methods of entering a bearing described in this manual, and you will see the Deflection Angle of the curve displayed.

The next field is Radius and once you enter the Radius you require and then press Tab or Enter to leave the field the remainder of the table will be filled out.

Since the Deflection Angle is fixed by the two straights already specified, you may fix a curve by specifying any one of the other parameters being Radius, Arc Length, Chord Length, Tangent Length, or Mid Ordinate.

Once you specify the value you require, all the other values will be automatically calculated.

Note that the Sector and Segment areas are displayed only and you cannot change them.

If you wish to see how the curve will look you can use the ‘Show’ button.

Once you are satisfied you should select the ‘Apply’ button to store the two tangent points and the centre point of your specified curve into the database.


3 Point Arc

The function of this routine is to calculate a circle to fit through three points.

When you enter the routine a table will appear with fields for you to enter the 3 points you require the curve to be fitted through.

You may either type in the Point numbers or select them with your cursor.

When you have entered the numbers and select the ‘Apply’ key the circle will be drawn on the screen and you will be asked if you wish to place the centre point in the database for future use.


Tangent

The function of this routine is to calculate the tangential point of intersection of a line through a given point and a circle.

You need to enter the point on the tangent line, the centre point of the arc, and the radius of the arc.

You may either type in the Point numbers or select them with your cursor.

You may use the ‘P’ function for the radius to specify the radius between two existing points if required.

When you select the ‘Apply’ button, the program will draw a circle of given radius about the centre point, and draw the two possible tangential lines from the point described.

Pick the point you require with your cursor and it will be stored in the database for you.


Arc/Chord

The purpose of this routine is to calculate the coordinates of points on a circular curve using either arc or chord lengths to do so.

Before entering the routine, you must have a centre point of the intended circular curve, and a point on the curve calculated and stored in the database.

When you select this routine a table will appear, and you need to specify the;

Centre point and the

Start point on radius

You should enter the point numbers, or pick the respective points with the cursor.

Next you will see Radio Buttons for Absolute or Chained distances from start point

If you elect to use Absolute, it means that all distances that you subsequently enter will be taken from the start point specified above.

Chained distances on the other hand indicate that the distance entered is to be applied from the last point calculated, and not from the start point.

Note: If you use chained distances you will be able to use the Multiple function to specify that you wish to calculate a number of arcs/chords of the same length. If you do select the Multiple option you can enter the number of chords/arcs you wish to calculate

Once you have indicated your preferred method of distances you need to turn on the relevant Radio Button to indicate whether the distances you will enter will be the Arc length, or the Chord length.

Then enter the length required.

The ‘New Point’ field will show you the next available Point number in the database, and you may use this, or enter another number to suit your particular purposes.

When you are satisfied that all the fields are correctly filled in you should select the ‘Apply’ button and the point or points will be calculated.

When you have finished with the routine use the Cancel button, or press Escape to close down the dialogue box.


Similar/Reverse

These routines are designed to calculate a line tangential to two specified curves.

Similar

The name similar derives from the fact that the curves are of a similar hand, i.e. both right hand or clockwise, or both left hand or anti-clockwise.

You need to enter both centre points and their respective radii into the relevant fields in the dialogue box presented.

You should then select the ‘Show’ button and the program will display the first tangential line it has calculated.

If you select the ‘Other’ button, the alternative solution will be displayed.

Once the result you want is displayed, pick the ‘OK’ button and the two points will be stored in the database for you.

Reverse

This routine calculates a line tangential to two circles that are of the opposite hand as seen from the sketch, and is commonly used in the calculation of reversing curves.

You need to enter both centre points and their respective radii into the relevant fields in the dialog box presented.

You should then select the ‘Show’ button and the program will display the first tangential line it has calculated.

If you select the ‘Other’ button, the alternative solution will be displayed.

Once the result you want is displayed, pick the ‘OK’ button and the two points will be stored in the database for you.


Spiral

The purpose of this routine is to fit a curve of given radius, together with a spiral curve at each end, between two straights.

When you enter the routine you will find a table presented and you need to fill in the fields with the relevant information as described below.

IP - you should either enter the point number, or use the cursor to select the intersection point of the two straights.

Bearing In and Bearing Out - you may either enter the relevant bearings, or use the [P] facility to indicate bearings between known points.

Radius is the radius of the Circular Curve and should enter the relevant radius, or use [P] to indicate the radius is between known points.

Next you should enter the Spiral Length you require at either end of the circular arc.

Then you need to specify the Number of Points to calculate through the spirals.

Since the plotting routines will plot the spiral as a series of short straights, the more stations you calculate the smoother your spiral will be drawn


Route Curve

This routine is designed for those who are calculating major routes or alignments consisting of a number of curves strung together.

Before you commence this routine, you need to have all the intersection points (IP’s) stored in the database.

In addition, you need to have one point with known coordinates and chainage on the straight entering the first curve, and one point on the straight leaving the last curve.

When the entry table appears the first thing to decide is whether you wish to store the centreline string. If you wish to do this then select the check box to put a tick in it.

Next you need to specify the String Folder and the String ID you wish to allocate, and you must type in both of these values as there no pull down facilities available as yet.

Next enter the road number to store the calculated points on.

Any centre points calculated will be stored to road zero to avoid problems with longsections etc, and IP’s will be left with the road number which they currently have.

Now enter the chainage of the point you intend to use as the start point in the first straight.

Select the type of Spiral you wish to use.

Next you need to specify the interval at which you wish to have points calculated on straights, spirals and circular curves.
If you only require the control points (TS, SC, CS, ST etc.) to be calculated you should enter an interval of 0.

The next available point number will be displayed in the New Point field, and you may like to change this to the next even hundred or next even thousand to make subsequent identification easier.

Once all these fields have been completed you simply fill in the Point numbers of your IP’s in the table below.

The first line should be the point on the straight in and no other entry.

When you enter the next IP you will see the distance from the previous point to the IP calculated and displayed.

You then enter the Transition or Spiral In, the Radius required at this IP and the Transition or Spiral out.

You should also enter a curve number for each IP.

All the relevant curve information is written to a file in the data directory named ‘CRVx.'JOB'’, where 'x' is the curve number, and 'JOB' is the currently logged job.

For example if you were logged onto Job '123' and calculated curve 21, the file would be called ‘CRV21.123’. An example of this file can be seen below.

Simply fill in the table with the IP’s and the relevant data at each one, and finish the last line with the point on the last straight with no other values.

When you select the ‘Apply’ button, the points will all be calculated.

If one (or more) of the curves will not fit the program will warn you, and you need to change either the radius or the transition lengths (or both) at that curve and try the Apply key again.

Once you have curves that do not overlap, the points will all be stored in the database, and the string stored if you have requested it to be.

SPIRAL  E 10086.307
CIRCULAR   IP 1
SPIRAL  N  9533.680m
DELTA    12º56'41"    xs      59.995m
Rc         1000m      ys       0.600m
Ls       60.000m      LT      40.002m
Dc      328º16'50"    ST      20.002m
THETAs    1º43'08"    Lc     165.928m
PHIc      0º34'23"    P        0.150m
DELTAc    9º30'25"    k       29.999m
Ts      143.463m      SE
Es        6.565m      LR
LC       59.998m      SPEED

The file is standard ASCII text, and as such may be called into a plot using the CAD facilities, and plotted on the route plan, or incorporated into a report in your word processor.


Road Calcs

The following Options are included under the broad heading of Road Calcs, and a full description of their use is provided under their individual headings

Parallel	calculate a series of points on an alignment which is parallel to, and offset from an existing series of points
Autoroad	calculate an array of points and strings parallel to and offset from a defined alignment.
Equal Segments	divide a line or arc into a specified number of segments
Centreline Heights	will interpolate points with heights at specified intervals along an existing string
Autoline	creates a string from the points in increasing chainage order on the road and offset you specify.


Parallel

The purpose of this routine is to calculate a series of points on an alignment that is parallel to, and offset from an existing series of points.

Each of the new points is calculated on the half angle

If you refer to the sketch below, you will see that points 1,2,3,4,5 make up an existing alignment.

It is our intention to create a line offset 20 metres to the left of the existing line and parallel to it.

When you enter the routine a dialogue box will appear and the first two items you strike are check boxes for the First Offset Point and Last Offset Point.

The First point is 6 on the sketch, while the last point is 10.

If you wish to have them calculated check the boxes.

You will then see a field for Next point, and the next available Point Number will be displayed.

Below that you have a table consisting of 2 columns, the one on the left being for the Point Number at the ‘bends’ and the one on the right being for the Offset, or Width of the Road at that point.

Simply enter in the relevant points and their respective widths or offsets, which in this case would be -20 to indicate 20 metres to the left.

Then choose the OK button, and the points will be calculated and stored.

Note that in this version you cannot point to the points with your cursor, you need to type the numbers in.


Autoroad

The function of this routine is to automatically calculate an array of points and strings parallel to and offset from a defined alignment.

Before you enter this routine you should have defined a string consisting of the points which define the alignment of the road in question.

Specify the Alignment String

When you choose the option, a table will appear, and the first thing to do is to identify the String folder and String ID of the string defining your alignment.

You may either type in the names, or use the pull down facilities to identify them.

Remember that the Folder will only appear in the pull down list if it is set to be displayed.

Decide what to Calculate

You are then provided with Radio Buttons for a number of different combinations to allow maximum efficiency to be obtained in the calculation of road alignments.

·	Alignment Only - will calculate offset points only opposite the existing alignment points, and store away strings if specified.
If you only wish to draw the kerb and gutter lines on a plan for example this is all you need.

·	Chainage Only - will calculate offset points only at the chainages that you specify.
This routine will calculate offset points at regular chainages along the road, as is generally needed for setting out of construction works.

·	Alignment + Chainage - obviously combines both of the previous options.

Specify the Intervals

You now have a table that allows you to specify the chainage intervals you require along the alignment.
For example on a straight section say from Ch 0 to Ch 200 you might want points every 50 metres, but on the curve from Ch 210.65 to Ch 320.16 you might want the section points every 20 metres.

Simply fill in the table with the start and finish chainages of the particular section, and the interval required through that section.

Specify the Offsets

Next you will see a small grid with 5 columns headed Off.

Here you can type in the offsets at which you require your points to be calculated.

Note that if you need more than 5 offsets the grid will scroll sideways when you get to the right hand column, and you can enter a maximum of 10 offset values.

The next field is the ‘New Point Number’ and you will see the next available point in the job displayed.
Remember that it often helps in identifying points if you number them in groups starting on an even hundred or an even thousand.

Now you can specify the Road Number to store the calculated points on.

Store String ID - if you wish to store the strings joining the points that you calculate you need to check this box.

If the box is not checked, the program will calculate and store the points only.

Set Centreline Heights - if the points you have used to define the alignment have heights, the program can interpolate heights along the string for the new points it calculates.

If you require this, then check the box.

Once you have completed the fields to your satisfaction select the ‘OK’ button and the points will be calculated and stored.


Equal Segments

This routine has been provided as a convenient method of dividing either a line or an arc into a number of equal segments.

When you enter the routine first you need to specify whether you wish to work with a

Line

Clockwise Arc

Anti-Clockwise Arc

You should check the Radio Button adjacent to the type you require.

Next you need to specify the Start Point, and the End Point and if you are working with and arc, the Centre Point.

You may either type in the point numbers or select them with your cursor.

If you wish to see the length of the line or arc you have defined, select the button titled ‘Show Distance’ and you will see the length appear.

Next you need to fill in the number of segments you wish to divide the entity into.

You can accept the next point number offered, or enter another number if you wish.

Once you select ‘OK’ the points will be calculated and stored in the database.


Centreline Heights

This routine calculates points and their heights at a specified chainage interval along a string.

The heights are calculated proportionally from the existing points that make up the centre line.

Specify the Alignment String

When you choose the option, a table will appear, and the first thing to do is to identify the String folder and String ID of the string defining your alignment.

You may either type in the names, or use the pull down facilities to identify them.

Remember that the Folder will only appear in the pull down list if it is set to be displayed.

Decide what to Calculate

In this instance the only option which makes any sense is the Chainage Only one, so you should select it.

Specify the Intervals

You now have a table that allows you to specify the chainage intervals you require along the alignment.
For example on a straight section say from Ch 0 to Ch 200 you might want points every 50 metres, but on the curve from Ch 210.65 to Ch 320.16 you might want the section points every 20 metres.

Simply fill in the table with the start and finish chainages of the particular section, and the interval required through that section.

The Offsets grid is irrelevant in this option, as you can only calculate heights between the points with existing heights on the alignment you have specified.

The next field is the ‘New Point Number’ and you will see the next available point in the job displayed.
Remember that it often helps in identifying points if you number them in groups starting on an even hundred or an even thousand.

Now you can specify the Road Number to store the calculated points on.

The Store String ID box is also irrelevant in this option.

Set Centreline Heights - the box will be checked automatically

Once you have completed the fields to your satisfaction select the ‘OK’ button and the points will be calculated and stored.


Autoline

This routine can be used to automatically create strings for points following an alignment where you have points in the database with chainage, offset and road number.

It creates a string from the points in increasing chainage order on the road and offset you specify.

When the Table appears the first thing to do is enter the Road Number that the points have been stored to.

At this stage only the Offset Range has been implemented, and it is automatically selected for you.

The next thing you need to do is enter the Minimum Offset and then the Maximum Offset.

If you only wish to use the one offset value enter it in both fields.

Obviously, an offset of 0.0 will create a string that represents the centreline of the road or alignment.

It is becoming increasingly common for the centrelines, or other strings to have an offset of up to 100mms either side of the exact offset, and you can use the minimum and maximum values to ‘snap' the relevant points to the correct line.

For example, you might use -0.1 as the minimum and 0.1 as the maximum to string all the points that lie within 100 millimetres of the centreline.

Be warned that you can create a string that is a complete shambles if you do not think before using these values, so be careful.

Next you need to enter a String Folder and a String ID to be used to store the string you are calculating.

If you wish you can pull down the folder list to select an existing folder, or you may type in a new folder name.

You should use a new ID.

You can then select the colour and Linetype to be use for the string.

Once you select the OK button the string will be stored away and displayed on the screen.


Road Intersections

In this version only the Cul-de-Sac feature has been implemented.

The remaining types of intersections can be all calculated reasonably easily using standard calculation techniques, however we will be implementing all the missing options in the near future.


Cul-de-Sac

The Cul-de-Sac routine allows you to calculate bowls at the end of roads that may be either straight or curved as they enter the ‘bowl’

Before you access this routine, you should have the centreline of the road calculated and stored as a string.

The last point in this string must be either the TP at the neck of the cul-de-sac bowl, or the centre point of the bowl itself.

When you access the routine you will find a table to fill in the information.

You may use the pull down facilities if required to select both the String folder and the String ID.

The End Point needs to be specified so the program can determine which end on the string you would like to place the bowl, and once you have specified this point you need to select the relevant radio button to specify whether the point is at the TP or the Centre of the Bowl.

You then need to specify the Road Width of the incoming road.

Next you specify the Left and Right Radii where you require curved entry to your bowl. A radius of zero will result in a straight neck on the bowl.

Next specify the radius of the bowl itself.

Once all the fields are complete, select the ‘OK’ button and the Points will all be stored in the database.


Structures

A structure is a ‘standard’ string that you are likely to use a number of times, for example, a project home,  a driveway layout, a standard cul-de-sac head, or a standard roundabout.

Creating and Storing Structures.

Before you actually start on the Structure side of things, you need to enter or calculate the points that make up the structure using the standard entry or Cogo facilities.  You do this in the normal course of a job as if the points and structure were only to be used once.

When all the points have been calculated, you then need to add a string or strings to ‘draw’ the outline of the proposed structure.

Once the item has been created the first time, you then need to follow the 3 steps listed below.

1. - you use the Select Strings option to select the string or strings that define the structure.

2. - use Select Points to select the insertion point of the structure.   NB this Insertion point may or may not be actually in the string defining the structure depending on the circumstances of your individual structure.

3. 	- Pull, down the Cogo menu, select the Structures option, and then select Store a Structure. You will be asked to specify the name of the structure and you can enter any name up to 8 characters in length to identify the current structure.

Inserting a Structure

When you wish to insert a structure into a job, pull down the Cogo menu, Select Structures and select the Insert a Structure option.

You may either type the name of the structure if you know it, or alternatively you can use the pull down facility and select from the list of stored structures.

You can change both the scale and rotation if you wish to suit the particular job.

Once you select OK, the dialog box will clear, and you will see your structure on the screen with the cursor at the insertion point.

You then simply move the structure around the screen until it is in the required location.

You may either insert the structure either ‘in space’ by clicking the left mouse button when you have it where you want, or over an existing point.

If you wish to insert it over an existing point you should position the cursor over that point before you click the left mouse button.

When you insert the structure, the program will calculate points starting from the next available point number, and will also create the string or strings


Stake Out Reports

This option allows you to produce reports of the radiation necessary to stake out points in the field.

You may either obtain a report from a single station to all selected points, or all points within a particular radius, or alternatively you can set up a table defining different Setup Stations and ranges of Points or Chainages to be set out from each one.

All reports will be presented in WordPad for your perusal, formatting and printing where required.

Radial

If you select the Radial Option, you need enter the Point Number of your proposed Setup Station, and then the radial distance from that station.

Selected Points

With this option you need only specify the Point Number of the proposed Setup Station.

The report will then contain radiations to all of the points you have previously selected using the Point s - Select option.

Point Range

This gives you the option to fill in the table to allow a full range of points to be staked from different setup stations.

Enter the Point number of the Setup Station in the left-hand column.

Then specify the points you are interested in as follows. Individual points are separated by commas and ranges of points are denoted by the tilde character.

e.g. If you wish to define radiations to points 1,5, 7 and all points between 20 and 35 the entry would be 1,5,7,20~35.

Chainage Range.

The chainage range operates in an identical fashion to the point range explained above, except that you enter chainages instead of point numbers.

Output Format.

You can choose whether the printed report contains the coordinates, or the chainage and offset of the point to be set out as well as the bearing and distance to it from the relevant setup point.


Chainage & Offset Reports

This routine allows you to calculate and report on the chainage and offset of a point, or series of points relative to either straights or curves.

You may define either a

Straight  - by a Start Point and a Bearing from that point

Line - by the Point numbers on either end of the line.

Left or Right Curve - by defining the incoming Tangent Point (TP) and the centrepoint

Then specify the points you are interested in as follows. Individual points are separated by commas and ranges of points are denoted by the tilde character.

e.g. If you wish to calculate chainage and offset to points 1,5, 7 and all points between 20 and 35 the entry would be 1,5,7,20~35.

You may then show the results in the bottom window, or you may send the results to WordPad for storage and printing by selecting the relevant button.


Surround

This feature allows you to draw a polygon on the screen and when you finish the polygon by pressing the Enter key it will report the area enclosed (or surrounded) by the polygon.

Once you select the option simply select the points of interest on the screen with your left mouse button.

You will see the ‘polygon’ drawn as you build up the points

If you wish to incorporate existing points into the surround you are constructing you need to point very close to the ‘dot’ that marks the point.

Once you have finished constructing the polygon you need simply press the Enter key to end the routine and the area will be displayed.

This routine will be expanded in future releases to ensure it will ‘snap’ to existing points, and to allow you to save the surround polygon away as a string.


Contour Menu

Surface Parameters	define different surfaces within the Job, and select which points belong to which surface based on Pt No, Code or Layer. Also specify the extent and interval of the contours to be formed on each surface
Surface Area	specify the area to be modeled using extents , window or polygons
Form Model	form the triangular model of the selected surface
Edit Model	select triangles, either individually, or within polygons and delete them. Swap triangle sides and add in triangles of your own
Calculate Contours	calculate the contours over the current model
Save Contours	save contours ready for plotting
Boundaries	specify closed areas where no triangles/contours are required and remove them
Specify Label Position	position the ‘label’ on the Index or major contours
Breaklines	merge or trim breaklines or discontinuities to ensure the model formed accurately  represents what was found in the field
Interpolate	interpolate profiles and/or sections across the model and save these points for subsequent design if required
Design Surfaces .	create design or proposed design surfaces by defining a ‘platform’ and batter slopes to the existing surfaces
Merge Surfaces	Not Yet Implemented- will merge incremental surveys such as ‘end of month’ to create models
Volumes	calculate volumes either between surfaces, or to a datum level as well as storage capacity of dams and the like
3D Views	allows you to produce shaded 3D views of any model you form.


Surface Parameters

The surface parameters allow you to define a number of individual surfaces within any particular job.

Each surface has a Surface Number to identify it, and you can then choose which points will be used in that surface.

Adding Surfaces

Each job defaults to using Surface 1 as a natural surface.

If you wish to, you can add other surfaces by selecting the ‘Add Surface’ button.

You then need to specify whether the surface to be added will be Natural, Design, Combined or Contours Only.

At this stage of development the surfaces are numbered Surface 1, Surface 2 etc, and the numbering is assigned sequentially as you add new surfaces.

After you have added the Surface, you need to use the Surface Point Selection screen to define which points are to be assigned to the particular surface.

Note that any points that are already masked as non-contourable will not be used in the model.

Minimum Distance Between Points.

This field allows you to specify a filter to ensure that ‘check shots’ which fall close to one another do not disrupt the model.

You need to be aware that the model will not form a ‘vertical’ surface, so there needs to be at least 1 millimetre difference in the horizontal position of points, and this is the value that the program defaults to.

If two points are found within 1 millimetre of one another, the program will use the first point number that it finds, and ignore any subsequent points which lie within a 1 millimetre radius of it.

Maximum Distance Along Edge of Triangle.

While CDS incorporates Boundary routines, as well as the ability to Delete Triangles, the use of this maximum triangle edge ‘filter’ can often prevent the unwanted triangles form forming in the first place, thus obviating the need to remove them later.

It can be particularly helpful in preventing triangles forming across concave areas of the job.

As an example, if you know that your field party have picked up points which are generally within 20 metres of one another, you could set a ‘maximum triangle edge’ of 35 metres and be reasonably sure that most of the triangles you formed would be valid for the surface.

Also the maximum distance along triangle edge can be used to prevent the formation of triangles across concave areas.

Contour Range and Intervals

You can use the relevant values to determine which contours you form for a particular surface, and what intervals they will be drawn at.

The Major Contours can be denoted by using different linetypes/thickness or colours, and these are defined in the Plotting Parameters.


Surface Point Selection

You have a variety of methods of defining the points to be used for each Surface.

You should make sure that the Surface you intend to use is displayed, and you can choose the one you want from the pull down list.

If you have already selected Points using the facilities on the Points Menu, you can transfer those selected points into the surface point selection window by simply selecting the button titled ‘Selected Points’ on the right hand side.

Alternatively, you can use the facilities here to choose which points will be assigned to the current surface.

You can use the three windows to choose points by their Point Number, Point Code, or their Layer.

To achieve this, ‘click’ your mouse inside the window you wish to work with to make it current.

Then select either the ‘Add’ or the ‘Edit’ button to add in a new range of points/codes/layers, or edit the existing range.

At this stage a pop up window will appear to allow you to enter the Minimum and Maximum values or the range you require, and also whether these values are to be Included, or Excluded.

Tutorial 9 in your Tutorial Manual has a worked example of how this feature can be used if you need further guidance.


Surface Area

You may select the required area for the triangles by either accepting the entire job with Extents, or limiting it with a Window, a single Polygon, or a set of Polygons.

Window allows you to constrain the triangles within a rectangular window. Simply select the Window button, and when the dialogue box disappears, draw the window you require.

Polygon allows you the option of an irregular multi-sided figure.

After you select the button and return to the graphic screen, start drawing your Polygon by clicking points.

Note if you select this option again, the first polygon you drew will be erased - if you want to build up a series of polygons, use this option to enter the first one, and then select the Additional Polygon option for subsequent ones.

Additional Polygon lets you build up a series of areas where you want the contours to be formed.


Form Model

The triangulation routine will run unassisted when you select this option.

The triangles will be displayed on the screen as they are calculated.

If you have defined any discontinuities or breaklines they will be taken into account when the triangles are formed, and you may see a window pop up telling you that discons are being merged.

Breaklines (or discontinuities as they are also known) are simply lines that indicate a constant grade between the points.

Put simply, the sides of a triangle should not cross over a breakline, or, to put it the other way, the triangle sides should follow the breaklines.

It should then follow as a logical extension that you would not achieve anything by adding in a breakline string between points where there is already the side of a triangle between those same points.

Breaklines are simply strings that are placed in particular folders.

These folders should be named ‘discon’x’’ where ‘x’ is replaced by the number of the surface that the breaklines relate to.

So, for Surface1 you should place the breaklines in a folder named ‘discon1’, while breaklines relevant to Surface 3 would live in ‘discon3’.

Breaklines must consist of straight lines only  NO ARCS are allowed in breaklines at this point.


Edit Model

Once the model is formed, you often need to fine tune it by deleting triangles, re-arranging how some triangles are formed, and adding in triangles.

This menu allows you to achieve these things by the following options.

Select independent triangles

Select Triangles by Polygon

Clear Selection

Delete triangles

Swap Triangle Sides

Add Triangles

Enable Instantaneous Height Display

If you run this option on, you will see that the height of the cursor is displayed on the bottom tool bar when you move the cursor over a model.


Select Independent Triangles

This option allows you to select particular triangles within the model.

When you access the option, your cursor will change to a cross with a triangle overlaid on it.

To select a triangle simply ‘click’ inside the relevant triangle with this cursor.

As you select triangles, you will see the outside perimeter of the triangles you have selected change colour to indicate your progress.

Note that this selection cursor is sometimes reluctant to disappear if you simply try and select the option again.

If this should happen to you, the easiest way to exorcise this cursor is to press the Escape key.

When you next move the cursor you will see it revert to the normal pointing cursor.


Select Triangles by Polygon

This option allows you to select all triangles that fall within a polygon that you draw on the screen.

Only those triangles that lie completely within the polygon will be selected.

You will see the outside border of the selected triangles change colour to indicate the extent of the selected triangles.

Note that the selection process is cumulative, so you can select by polygon, then add to those selected by selecting independent triangles if necessary.


Clear Selected Triangles

This routine simply undoes any triangle selection that you may have done, either individually, or within a polygon.


Delete Triangles

This option simply deletes the selected triangles.

Be careful, because there is no OOPS capability, so if you delete something you didn’t mean to, you will need to reform the model.


Swap Triangle Sides

This option only becomes active when you have selected two adjacent triangles.

If you have selected two adjacent triangles you can use this option to simply swap around the location of the common triangle side.

This option can often be used more efficiently than going to the trouble of specifying breaklines/discontinuities if you only need to rectify a small area.


Add Triangles

This option allows you to decide how the triangles should be formed by specifying the three points that you wish to use for the vertices of the triangle.

Simply enter the point numbers you wish to see at the corners of the triangle.

You may either type in the point numbers, or pick them with the mouse.

BE WARNED - the program makes no attempt to check whether the triangle you enter makes sense, or crosses over another triangle, or does any other thing which it should not do.

If you wish to use this option, please do so with care.


Enable Instantaneous Height Display

If you select this option, the program will track the height of the cursor as it moves over a model.

You will see the height displayed in the third field from the left on the status bar.

At this stage of its development, this routine is only designed to give you up to date cursor coordinates, and no attempt is made to insert the height.

Any suggestions for further development of this area will be considered favourably, but before we go any further, we need to know what you wish to achieve with this type of routine.


Calculate Contours

Once your triangles have been calculated, it is time to overlay them with the contours.

When you select this option the process will run unassisted until it is complete.

Once all the contours have been drawn, the program will ask if you wish to save them.

If the picture you see seems to represent the surface you are trying to model then answer Yes and allow the contours to be sorted into an order which will speed future display and plotting

If the contours shown do not appear to accurately model the data, then don’t waste your time saving the contours shown, instead answer No and go back to evaluate your data and find why the contours do not appear correct.


Save Contours

Normally the saving is done automatically after you have calculated the contours, and this option is for situation where you have calculated Isopachs between surfaces, or where you have imported contours for some other software.


Position Labels

Automatic

The Automatic option is not yet operational.

Manual

This method allows you to decide exactly where the contour labels will appear.

When you select this option you draw lines across the contours, and at the position where your line intersects with the major contour, the label will be drawn.

You may draw as many lines as you need by simply clicking a start point and an end point with your mouse.

When you have finished drawing your lines press the Enter key to complete the entry process and start the calculation of the label positions.

You will soon see the screen re-drawn showing the labels positioned where your lines intersect the major contours.


Boundaries

The function of ‘boundaries’ within the CDS_Model package is to allow you to remove contours/triangles within certain areas of the model.

You may set up closed strings to determine where the contours are to be omitted from the plan.

This can be achieved in one of two ways.

If you are only concerned about the appearance of the plot then you can use the ‘Contour’ method listed below. This simply takes out any contours within the prescribed area, and is relatively quick.

If you wish to indicate that there is no valid surface information within the area you have defined, you MUST use the triangle method.

Triangles

This routine will remove triangles from within the specified boundaries, and then re-form the triangles so that edges lie along the boundary you have specified.

Points will be interpolated where necessary and stored in the database to allow these newly created triangles to be stored correctly.

Contours

This is the quick and cosmetic method of obtaining a plan without contours through certain areas.

Again you need to specify closed strings which enclose the area or areas where you want the contours removed.

NOTE that this routine does NOT remove the underlying triangles.

Be Warned that if you are using the model to calculate volumes you should NOT use this method of removing unwanted areas.  You should use the triangle method to ensure that the volumes you get are correct.

Note that as well as defining boundaries around areas where you wish to remove the contours/triangles, you can also use the Edit Model facilities to achieve a similar result.


Breaklines

Breaklines (or discontinuities as they are also known) are simply lines that indicate a constant grade between the points.

Put simply, the sides of a triangle should not cross over a breakline, or, to put it the other way, the triangle sides should follow the breaklines.

It should then follow as a logical extension that you would not achieve anything by adding in a breakline string between points where there is already the side of a triangle between those same points.

Breaklines are simply strings that are placed in particular folders.

These folders should be named ‘discon’x’’ where ‘x’ is replaced by the number of the surface that the breaklines relate to.

So, for Surface1 you should place the breaklines in a folder named ‘discon1’, while breaklines relevant to Surface 3 would live in ‘discon3’.

Breaklines must consist of straight lines only  NO ARCS are allowed in breaklines at this point. (Although from a philosophical view point there is probably no reason why a side of a ‘triangle’ couldn’t be an arc, with the contours interpolated along the slightly greater arc distance between the two vertices)

If you have breaklines specified before you form the model they will be automatically taken into account when the model is formed, and you do not need to use these options.

Merge with Triangles

If you have the need to add in additional breaklines once the model is formed then you can use this option to ‘reform’ the model so that the triangles honour the breaklines you have inserted.

You can of course achieve the same result by simply using the Form Model option.

Trim to Design Surface

This option has not yet been implemented, and will appear in a future release.

For the time being you will need to make a visual inspection and manually trim any breaklines where they cut design surfaces.


Interpolate

The Interpolate option gives you a variety of methods of interpolating profiles and or sections across a model.

The options briefly described are

Simple Profile	profile between 2 points ‘clicked’ in
Multi Profile	profile through more than two points ‘clicked’ in
String Profile	profile along any string defined in the Job
Profiles & Sections	profile along & sections perpendicular/radial to any string defined in the job
Point Heights	specify points by a range, by codes or by layers, and have their heights interpolated to a given surface.
If you only want the profile to follow a straight alignment, you can use either any of the options, but if you wish to include curves you need to put those curves into a string and then use either the String method, or the Profiles & Sections.


Simple Profile

This routine allows you to interpolate a section between any two points across the current surface.

You simply use your mouse to click in the start point and the end point of your profile.

Once the second point is positioned, the program will calculate and display the profile for you.

If you wish you may store the interpolated points into the database,


Multi Profile

The multi profile is an extension of the Simple profile, and allows you to ‘click in’ any number of points to indicate where you wish to have the profile interpolated.

You will see a ‘string’ drawn on the screen to indicate the location of your proposed profile.

Once you have ‘clicked in’ the last point press the Enter key, and the program will quickly calculate and display the profile for you.


String Profile

This method requires that you have stored the alignment you require in a string.

When the dialogue box appears you can either type in the name of the Folder where the string is stored, or use the pull down box to select it.

Note that only folders which are set to be Displayed will appear in the pull down list. If the folder you are looking for does not appear, use the Strings to Display/Print option on the Strings menu to set it to be displayed.

Once you have selected the Folder, you can use the pull down to select the relevant String ID.

Next you need to fill in the remaining fields in the table described below.

Road #	- enter a road number to assign the interpolated point to

Next Point - specify the first point number for the interpolated points. Note that it is often easier to find the points later if you get in the habit of starting at an even hundred or even thousand for different ‘groups’ of points.

Layer - assign a Layer name to store the interpolated points on

Code - assign a code to all of the interpolated points

Xs on St - specify the interval at which you require sections where the alignment is straight

Xs on Crv - specify the interval at which you require sections on curves in the alignment

Go Left & Go Right -  in the string profile option these fields are not used as you are only interpolating a profile

Store All or CS Only - these fields are not applicable to the String Profile routine.

Note that the program will interpolate a point every time the alignment intersects the edge of a triangle, so depending on the field data, you might end up with a large number of points.

Store to Job - you can decide which Job you wish to store the interpolated points in, with the default being the current job.

Refresh Table - once you have filled in the fields in the table to your liking, select the Refresh table button and the chainages of where sections will appear will be displayed in the table.


Profiles and Sections

When the dialogue box appears you can either type in the name of the Folder where the string is stored, or use the pull down box to select it.

Note that only folders which are set to be Displayed will appear in the pull down list. If the folder you are looking for does not appear, use the Strings to Display/Print option on the Strings menu to set it to be displayed

Once you have selected the Folder, you can use the pull down to select the relevant String ID.

Next you need to fill in the remaining fields in the table described below.

Road #	- enter a road number to assign the interpolated point to

Next Point - specify the first point number for the interpolated points. Note that it is often easier to find the points later if you get in the habit of starting at an even hundred or even thousand for different ‘groups’ of points.

Layer - assign a Layer name to store the interpolated points on

Code - assign a code to all of the interpolated points

Xs on St - specify the interval at which you require sections where the alignment is straight

Xs on Crv - specify the interval at which you require sections on curves in the alignment

Go Left & Go Right - specify the distance or width of the sections you require on each side of the alignment.

Store All or CS Only - you can decide if you wish to store all points interpolated along the alignment, or only those where you have taken a cross section.

Note that the program will interpolate a point every time the alignment intersects the edge of a triangle, so depending on the field data, you might end up with a large number of points.

Store to Job - you can decide which Job you wish to store the interpolated points in, with the default being the current job.

Refresh Table - once you have filled in the fields in the table to your liking, select the Refresh table button and the chainages of where sections will appear will be displayed in the table.


Point Heights

This option allows you to specify points that need heights interpolated.

You can choose the points by

All points - calculate heights for all the points in this Job

All Null Heights - calculate heights for all points which currently have a Null height

Range of Points - enter minimum and maximum point numbers

Code - calculate heights for all the points with this code

Layer - calculate heights for all the points on this layer

You can then choose whether you wish to store the calculated heights as Natural Heights or Design heights.

Next you need to specify the Surface to use for interpolation, and the Job which contains that surface.

If you wish to interpolate to a Job other than the current one, you should select the Job first before you try and use the pull down facility to select the Surface.

Once you have selected the points you wish to use, and the surface you wish to project them onto you should select the ‘Calculate’ button.

A window will appear in the bottom of the screen showing you the heights calculated for the points you have specified.

If these heights appear to be reasonable, you can then select the ‘OK’ button and the points (or more correctly the new heights) will be stored away.

If the heights do not fall within your expectations you should careful check the surface and/or job you have selected, and change it is necessary.


Design Surfaces

The following routines fall under this general heading

Create Design Platforms	enter or calculate points with Design Heights that specify the horizontal location of a design platform. Then specify the batter slopes you require and the program will calculate the intersection of the batters with the natural surface
Platform Combined Surface	will automatically tag natural points within the platform and form the combined or ‘as-built’ surface representing the finished platform
Design Platform with Templates.	extends the capabilities of the simple design platform routine listed above by allowing fully operational Intelligent templates to be used around platforms instead of simply batter slopes. The program will automatically report the volume between the proposed design and the natural surface, and offer a suggested adjustment to the design height to achieve a balance of cut/fill.
Housing Estate Design	an Add-On module to CDS designed specifically to improve the efficiency of Surveyors/Engineers/Quantity Surveyors involved in design housing estates in Malaysia. May also be useful no matter where you design.
String Edge of Triangles	this routine will create a closed string around the perimeter of the triangles in the current surface. This string can then be used to ‘tag natural’ points within it so they will not appear on a combined surface.
Tag Natural Points	this routine changes the attributes of natural surface points so that they will appear on a natural surface, but will be hidden when a combined surface is used.
Reset Tagged Points	will set the attributes of the natural points back to their original state.


Create Design Platforms

Before you actually come to run this routine the following things need to have been done.

1. 	Enter the points that make up the perimeter of the platform you are designing.
Note that you are not limited to one platform at a time - you can have a number, but you must be sure that the batters will not overlap if you are using more than one.

2. 	Ensure that each of these points has a Design Height at the height you wish the platform to be. There is no need for the platform to be ‘flat’.
It can be graded, or have steps in it, but it should NOT have vertical steps.

3. 	Create a string that defines the platform perimeter. This string MUST be stored in a Folder called ‘pad’.
You need a separate string for each platform, and each string should have a unique ID.

Once you have satisfied these pre-requisites, you should select the Create Design Platform option and you will be presented with a Dialogue Box containing the following fields

Next Point - you will be presented with the next available point number. Remember it often makes later identification easier if you number new ‘groups’ of points from an even hundred or even thousand.

Distance between Points - this controls how far apart the batter intersections are calculated

If you leave zero here the program will only calculate batter points opposite each of the points in the string.

This might be fine is your underlying natural surface is regular, but will not achieve a satisfactory result if the underlying surface varies to any degree.

Basically the only guidance we can offer is that the more irregular the underlying surface the smaller the distance you need to use.

Fill / Cut Batter Slope - enter the batter slopes you require in the for 1:x.
So if you want a 25% slope it would be entered as 1:4 - and yes we know that in some places you prefer to say 4 to 1 but the end result is still the same - the expression varies with the school you attended.

Once all the fields are successfully filled out, select the ‘OK’ button and the points will be calculated and stored in the database.

For a worked example of a platform calculation see Tutorial 13.


Design Platform with Templates

This option extends the capabilities of the Platform option by allowing you to apply Intelligent Templates to the platform, rather than simply battering to the natural surface from the edge of the platform.

The Template Facilities are accessed from the Road Menu.

Except for the Fixed Intersection and Wild Intersection template entries, all of the listed template types will operate when the template is applied to a platform.

Height Correction – once the initial calculation has been completed, using the design heights you have assigned to the points defining your template, a report will appear showing the amounts of cut and fill needed.

This Height Correction field will display a value which the program has determined is likely to get you to a balance of cut/fill.

If you then select Calculate Points again, the program will apply the suggested correction to the design heights of all the points defining the platform, and then re-calculate the cut and fill quantities, and display a new value for the height correction.

If you are striving to obtain a close balance, this process might take a few iterations.

Base Surface – you need to define which Natural Surface in the job you wish to use as your base.

Design Surface - you need to define which surface to store the calculated design points on.

Folder – allows you to pull down and select from a list of the folders in the current job

String – allows you to select the string that defines your platform.

Point Number - you will be presented with the next available point number. Remember it often makes later identification easier if you number new ‘groups’ of points from an even hundred or an even thousand.

Distance between Points - this field controls how far apart the templates will be applied to calculate the batter intersections and general shape of the platform.

If you leave zero here the program will only calculate batter points opposite each of the points in the string defining the platform.

This might be fine is your underlying natural surface is regular, but will not achieve a satisfactory result if the underlying surface varies to any degree.

Basically the only guidance we can offer is that the more irregular the underlying surface the smaller the distance you need to use.

Template Left & Template Right – these fields allow you to specify which templates are to be used on each side of your platform string.

If you do not wish to apply a template on a particular side, you should enter a value of –1.


Housing Estate Design

These options have been implemented specifically to improve the efficiency of Designers/Surveyors in Malaysia, and other countries that may follow a similar process of housing estate design.

The current methodology involves an interchange of data between;

·	the Designer, who uses a ‘broad brush’ approach to set required design levels for particular groups of house lots, and the centre of road intersections, and

·	the Engineer/Surveyor who then needs to translate these design levels into sufficient design points to allow CDS to form a representative Design Model and then determine earthwork quantities.


House Lot Design

Rationale

This routine is needed to allow designers to easily set a series of lots to a required design level.

The offset is needed to overcome the ‘mask’ that the triangle routine imposes on points in the one location.

The ability to specify an offset of 5mm inside one group of strings and 5 mm inside the adjacent group allows for a practical implementation of the situation where the designer has specified a vertical wall between adjoining pads.

NOTE: since the engineers will often require sections/profiles to be taken through the design surface, you need to establish a value which provides the offset needed to allow triangles to form, but at the same time shows a vertical ‘step’ on the profile/sections.

It is suggested that an offset of 3 or 4 millimetres on each adjoining parcel might meet this requirement, since chainages and offsets are considered to be identical if there is less than 10 millimetres variation between values.

Procedure

need to select a series of adjoining closed strings

need to specify a design level for those strings

need to specify an offset

program will then calculate new points at the specified offset inside the strings and assign the specified design height to the new points

program will then automatically form design discontinuities around the new points calculated


Road Junction Design

Rationale

This routine is needed to cater for the situation where plans are provided from planners/engineers with a design RL shown in the centre of a road junction

The surveyor needs to calculate the coordinates of the points as shown and assign the design RL to the points as they are calculated.

Due to the large number of junctions likely to appear on a plan, a tabular form with the ability to copy down the default information on the previous row has been evaluated as the most efficient method for data input.

This method will allow the operator to ‘pattern match’ and enter a large number of similar junctions one after the other

Note that this table and routine is merely a variation on the calc by chainage and offset already implemented in Cogo but re-arranged to provide processing efficiencies for the methodology currently used in Malaysia.

Procedure

Each Table needs to be numbered and stored within the job to allow for later access when design parameters change.

Table needs the following columns

Pt #  Chainage  Offset  Design RL   New Pt #

The Point # will refer to points already in the database, and can either be typed in or selected with the cursor.

The Chainage can either be type in of obtained by the “P” method to get the distance between existing points.

Once a row of information is entered, all the values except New Pt # become defaults for the next row and are inserted if the Tab or Enter key is pressed.

The New Point # will increment by one from the value above.

The “Chainage”  is to follow the sequence of points as entered down the column

The “Offset” is to operate in the normal fashion with negative being to the left & positive values to the right as viewed in increasing chainage order.

The word “NEW” types in the Point # column indicates the end of one chainage sequence and the start of another.


Road Grading Design.

Rationale

This routine is needed as follow-on once the centres of the road junctions have been established with the road junction tables.

This routine will allow the surveyor to quickly establish the design R.L’s for the edges of the roads by entering an offset and grade to the left and/or right of a string of points.

It is intended to cope quickly and simply with regular rectangular road which form the majority of the roads in a housing estate. If anything more complicated is required the templates and other Cogo routines will need to be used.

The operator will need to add in discon strings manually, as the process does not lend itself to automation in that regard.

Procedure

Each Table needs to be numbered and stored within the job to allow for later access when design parameters change.

Table needs the following columns

Points   Offset Left Grade Left   Offset Right  Grade Right

Also needs a field for Next Point # and will default to the highest point in the database plus one.

The Points column will contain a ‘string’ of point numbers  - field needs to be able to ‘slide’ left or right to contain string of points.

The left and right will be relative to the string of points

The Point will refer to points already in the database, and can either be typed in or selected with the cursor.

The Chainage can either be type in of obtained by the “P” method to get the distance between existing points.


Platform Combined Surface

The function of this routine is to automatically create the Combined or ‘As-built’ model for the platform you have calculated and the surrounding natural surface.

Before you choose this option you should use the Surface Parameters option to Add a new surface and denote it as a Combined Surface.

Then make sure that this new surface is current before you run this option.

Once you select the option the model will be formed automatically.

All you need to do then is to calculate the contours, and allow them to be stored.


String Edge of Triangles

This routine simply creates a closed string around the perimeter of the triangles contained in the current surface.

The routine will ask you to select the surface around which you require the string, and you can use the pull down facility to choose any of the available surfaces in the current Job.

Once that is done the program will create the string or strings, and store them in a Folder called ‘edge’n’’ where ‘n’ is the number of the surface you chose. E.g. Surface2 creates edge2.

This string may be used for plotting purposes, or used for ‘Tagging’ when you are creating combined surfaces.


Tag Natural Points

This routine is used to ‘Tag’ natural points which ‘live’ underneath a proposed design.

The effect of this tagging is that their Point Attributes are changes so they will appear on a Natural Surface, but will NOT appear in any Combined Surface you are using.

All you need to do is to specify the closed String that surrounds the points to be tagged, and you may use the pull down facility to select it.

For an example of this function at work please refer to page 14 of Tutorial 14.


Reset Tagged Points

This option simply resets the attributes of all points currently tagged not to appear on a Combined surface.


Volumes

You may calculate volumes

To a  Plane	gives the volume between the surface selected and a Level Plane at the R.L. you specify
Between Surfaces	calculates the volume between any two surfaces. They may be different Jobs, or alternatively you may calculate the volume between two different surfaces within the one Job
Storage Capacity	allows you to calculate the capacity contained within a closed Combined contour. You can specify the base level to calculate from and the increment value to calculate
.

WARNING - please consider the volumes presented and think whether they are appropriate for the data used before blindly accepting them.

Foresight accepts no responsibility for the results of the volume calculations, nor the use which you make of them, and you use these routines solely at your own risk.

As a broad principle, if the contours for the surfaces you are using look to be correct then you are well on the way to getting a ‘correct’ volume.

Please do not be drawn into the nonsense which too often occurs arguing over a difference in volumes between different software packages if the difference is less than 5% of the total volume.

And the practice of collecting field shots around 30 metres apart and then ‘interpolating’ sections every 5 metres in an attempt to get a more ‘accurate’ volume defies logic.

There is NO such thing as an absolutely correct answer as to how much material has been moved.

There are many answers depending on the method used and the data considered, and in general terms if you answer falls within 5% of the opposition split the difference and get on with your life.

As to the nonsensical practice of ‘checking’ the volume by running the same data through different software packages, anyone with a IQ in excess of their shoe size should realise that you have not checked anything as far as the volume is concerned. If you are concerned about discrepancies you need to do an independent survey in the field.


Volumes to a Plane

This routine allows you to calculate the volume between a surface in the current Job and a level plane.

When the Dialogue Box appears, first you need to specify the Reduced level of the plane you wish to calculate to.

Next you select the Surface to use. The current surface is presented as the default, but you may choose another one using the pull down facility if required.

The ‘File’ field that you next see allows you to supply the name of the file where you would like the results of the calculations to be stored.

The default name of ‘volume.wri’ is fine if all you wish to do is view the results on the screen or print them out, since once you press the OK button the calculations will take place and then Wordpad will be launched to display the results.

To maintain compatibility with earlier Windows version the file is stored in Windows Write - ‘wri’ format.

Under 95 or NT Wordpad can read these files and display and print them, but if you attempt to save the file Wordpad will complain that it can’t save in that format.

If you wish to print the results, you can do so by using the File Print option in the Wordpad window.

If you decide that you wish to store the results in a file, you should use the File, Save As option in Wordpad and then provide a meaningful file name.

If you attempt to use the File, Save option, Wordpad will complain that it cannot save the file in its present ‘wri’ format, so simply agree with its suggestion to save as a Document file and all will be well.


Surface to Surface

This allows you to calculate the volume between any two surfaces that you have formed.

You may use different surfaces within the one job, e.g. volume between natural and design surface.

Alternatively you can use different jobs for both the base and overlaid surfaces.

The program will suggest the current Job as the default for both base and overlay.

If you wish to use another Job for either, select the ‘Change’ button adjacent to the Job you wish to change and then use the normal file management routines in Windows to pick the Job you need.

If you only wish to change surfaces, you can simply use the pull down facility to select from the list of surfaces displayed.

Isopachs

An Isopach is a line joining equal amounts of cut or fill, and the Isopach with a value of zero is often referred to as the ‘daylight line’ in earthmoving circles.

To store Isopachs, you need to create a surface for the isopachs before you actually commence the volume calculation process.

To do this, use the ‘Surface Parameters’ Option on the Contour Menu.

Select the Add button to add a surface with ‘Contours Only’, and then leave this as the current surface when you start the volume routine.

To store the Isopachs you should check the box and enter the relevant contour intervals for the isopachs you wish to form..

The ‘File’ field that you next see allows you to supply the name of the file where you would like the results of the calculations to be stored.

The default name of ‘volume.wri’ is fine if all you wish to do is view the results on the screen or print them out, since once you press the OK button the calculations will take place and then Wordpad will be launched to display the results.

To maintain compatibility with earlier Windows version the file is stored in Windows Write - ‘wri’ format.

Under 95 or NT Wordpad can read these files and display and print them, but if you attempt to save the file Wordpad will complain that it can’t save in that format.

If you wish to print the results, you can do so by using the File Print option in the Wordpad window.

If you decide that you wish to store the results in a file, you should use the File, Save As option, and then provide a meaningful file name.

If you attempt to use the File, Save option, Wordpad will complain that it cannot save the file in its present ‘wri’ format, so simply agree with its suggestion to save as a Document file and all will be well.


Storage Capacity

This routine has been designed specifically to calculate the capacity of water that will be contained in a proposed Dam, but it can be used generally for any storage medium.

The routine will only work with a Combined Surface, and it relies on there being a ‘closed’ contour to contain the water.

Once you select the Option a dialogue box will appear with the following fields

Volume Type - currently only has Dam Volumes so don’t bother with it.

Surface - choose the surface you require, bearing in mind that it needs to be a Combined Surface

Start Point - in the event that you have more than one closed contour at the value you want, enter in the east and north coordinates of a point somewhere within the contour you wish to use.

Limit Value - in the case of a Dam this might be better called Water Level, but in any event it is the top level to which you want the values calculated

Interval - the program can calculate ‘slices’ so you can know the capacity available below any particular level. Enter and interval which is realistic for the data in hand.

The ‘File’ field that you next see allows you to supply the name of the file where you would like the results of the calculations to be stored.

The default name of ‘volume.wri’ is fine if all you wish to do is view the results on the screen or print them out, since once you press the OK button the calculations will take place and then Wordpad will be launched to display the results.

To maintain compatibility with earlier Windows version the file is stored in Windows Write - ‘wri’ format.

Under 95 or NT Wordpad can read these files and display and print them, but if you attempt to save the file Wordpad will complain that it can’t save in that format.

If you wish to print the results, you can do so by using the File Print option in the Wordpad window.

If you decide that you wish to store the results in a file, you should use the File, Save As option, and then provide a meaningful file name.

If you attempt to use the File, Save option, Wordpad will complain that it cannot save the file in its present ‘wri’ format, so simply agree with its suggestion to save as a Document file and all will be well.


3D Views

This option allows you to obtain 3D views of any model you have formed.

You may display either the triangle edges, or show the triangle faces shaded.

In addition you can display the contours, and any strings which you might have.

Please note that the routine is still in its development phase, and has been included with version 1.02 in a ‘beta test’ format in the hope that you will use it and provide some feedback as to how and where you would like the option to develop

Once you select the option, a separate window will appear, and it should contain a ‘3Dview’ of your current surface.

If the window appears, but there is nothing within it, then you will probably need to adjust your display settings to provide for ‘True Colour’

Once the window appears, you can use the Zoom + and Zoom  buttons on the tool bar to enlarge and reduce the display.

You can also manipulate the image by ‘dragging’ your mouse within the window.

If you drag the mouse from left to right it will rotate the image

If you drag the mouse up and down the screen it will ‘tilt’ the image.

If you click the right mouse button within the window a menu will appear with the following options.

View Position

This option allows you to specify the coordinates and height of both an ‘Eye’ Position and the ‘View’ position that the ‘eye is looking at.

At the moment you need to type in the values you wish to change.

You can try experimenting with different positions to see which best suits your particular model.

Outline

The ‘outline’ option means that only the sides or ‘outline’ of the triangles are displayed.

Face

If you wish to see a ‘shaded’ view of the model, you should select the Face option. You will see that the triangles are now shaded or coloured in to present a face instead of merely the triangle outline.

Flight Path Table

This option allows you to either enter in coordinates of the path along which you wish to move, or alternatively you can read in any string in the job and use it to move along.

The string is specified by pulling down the list of folders and string ID’s respectively to choose the string your require.

Once you have selected the required string click on the ‘By String’  button and you will see a series of coordinates placed in the table.

There is no facility at this stage to ‘point’ to the string in the normal model window.

At this stage the other fields concerning Distance between and Rotation have not been implemented.

Once you have managed to get the list of coordinates of the flight path into the table, either manually or from the string, select the OK button to exit the screen.

Single Step Flight Path

This option allows you to move along the flight path one ‘frame’ at a time.

You will see a message indicating that you should click the left mouse button each time you wish to advance a frame.

Flight Path

This option will run you along the selected flight path on the 3D view, and give you a ‘fly-through’ effect as it does so.

Rotate.

Once you select the ‘rotate’ option the image will start to rotate or ‘spin’ within the window.

If you wish to stop the rotation, simply right click and again select the rotate option from the menu.


Road Menu

The Road Menu gives you access to the following menu items.

Natural Criteria	allows you to define which profiles and sections you want to work with

Design Criteria	allows you to enter standard or ‘variable’ templates, position them

Interactive Design	you interactively position vertical IP’s and VC’s

Display & Plotting	define what you want displayed and plotted

Volumes	Calculate volumes

Design Surface	store the design points formed by the templates into the database

Utilities	used to calculate chainage and offsets relative to an alignment


Natural Criteria

Section Parameters	define what you require shown on your sections, both on screen and on the plot

Profile Parameters	define which profiles you wish to display and/or plot

Chainage Filter (Snap)	allows field points collected with Total Station or the like to be ‘snapped’ onto cross sections

Skew Sections	copes with rivers and the like where the sections are not perpendicular or radial to the alignment

Sections from Strings	allows you to collect ‘strings’ in the field and then ‘cut’ sections wherever required.


Section Parameters

This table allows you to define what will be displayed on the sections, both on the screen and on the plot.

Down the left hand side you will see 10 boxes numbered 1 to 10, which gives you the ability to display 10 different lines on each section.

To turn a line on you need to ‘tick’ the box, and then enter the Road number o be used to display that line.

The “layer” column is designed to allow you to display things such as different strata on each section within the one road if you have access to geotechnical data.  This feature is not yet fully operational and will be expanded in future releases

Selecting the Pen box will display a palette of available colours for you to choose from.

Selecting the Ltype box will display a table of available linetypes that you can use in your sections.

The Heading column allows you to type in a label to allow you to identify what each line in the section is, and to label the relative heights.


Profile Parameters

When you access the profile parameters you will be presented with a table which allows you to define what you wish to appear on your profiles.

If you look to the far left of the screen you will see line numbers from one to ten inclusive, allowing you the possibility of ten individually numbered lines called Reference Lines

What is a Reference Line?

A reference line is a line that joins together points with the same attribute on the natural surface, and the most common reference line is the centreline of the road.

In the case of the centreline, the common attribute is an Offset of zero.

Other types of reference lines could be for example a line through all points which make up the left kerb or, a line through all points which make up the right fence.

If you wish to turn on the line you simply ‘tick’ the On box with your mouse.

Note that as well as having the same attribute, the Points must be on the same Road before they will form a reference line.

Road Number

Next you can define which road number you wish to use for the particular reference line

You may have up to 100 different Roads within the one Job, and you should number them from 1 to whatever number you need.

The Layer column is not yet fully operative but in future releases it will allow you to plot different strata on the one road.

Defined By

The next field or column is how the reference line is defined and when you enter the screen you will notice that the word Offset occurs in this position.

This indicates that you wish to define the line by a single Offset value, and the default value of 0 is used to allow the centreline to be automatically used if required.

If you wish to access some of the other methods of definition of a reference line you may use the pull down capabilities of the box to display the following list of possibilities

The types available are:

Offset - a single offset value

Offset Range - the value varies between two defined values

Pcode- a point code

Description - a point description

DH+Offset- a single offset value using design height

DH+Offset Range - a range of offsets using design height

DH+Pcode- point code using design height

DH+Desc- description using design height

Note: In TRPS it would be unusual if you had the occasion to use any of the DH values.

The function of each of these types is discussed in turn below.


Offset

If you wish to define your reference line according to the offset of the points from the centreline, you simply enter the value in the offset column, in which case the program will understand you to mean that only those points which lie exactly on the offset will be used  e.g.  points with an offset of zero will plot on the centreline, but points with an offset of 0.1 will not be used.

The Offset can also be used to define other ‘strings’ or features which have a regular offset, so if an existing road has been well built, you might find the gutter has an offset of -5.

If you have picked up the road by means of a total station and have co-ordinated the input, it is unlikely that all your points which you intended to be the centreline will have an exact offset of zero, rather the offsets will vary by a few millimetres either way depending on how well your pole man placed the pole.(and for the would be politically correct, man is a diminutive of human and as such is gender neutral) .

In this situation you would be better advised to use the offset range


Offset Range

In order to define a reference line by an Offset Range you may enter the upper and lower limits of offset between which you consider the points to lie.

For example you may put in -.6 to .6 and the program will then pick up any points along that road which have an offset between those two values and assign those points to the relevant reference line.

If you know that the left edge of the road is roughly five metres from the centreline, and you have not picked up any other points near that offset, you could assign a value of -4.5 to -5.5, and you would successfully produce a reference line which represents the left edge of the road.

NOTE:- you should take care that the range you use is wide enough to include your points, but not sufficiently broad to include other features.


Point Code

The point code option allows you to assign all points with a particular code to a reference line.

For this option to function effectively, you must ensure that the Code you use is unique..

For example, it is common practice to use EB as a Code to indicate Edge of Bitumen, and it is widely used for both left and right edges of bitumen.

This works for manual plotting, since you know that there is a left and a right, and only use the ones you require.

If you tell the computer to use EB as the code, it will do so happily, and assign both left and right edges to the one reference line.

If you wish this system to be successful, you will need to tighten up your field coding, and use for example EBL and EBR to provide unique codes.

If you use a numeric coding system, the same comments apply, and your numeric codes need to be unique.


Description

You may elect to allocate all points with the common description to a particular reference line and to do this, you set the definition field to DESC and simply type in the description required in the column provided.

The program will then take all points which have a description specified and place them on the reference line.

For this option to function effectively, you must ensure that the Description you use is unique..

For example, it is common practice to use EB as a Description to indicate Edge of Bitumen, and it is widely used for both left and right edges of bitumen.

This works for manual plotting, since you know that there is a left and a right, and only use the ones you require.

If you tell the computer to use EB as the description, it will do so happily, and assign both left and right edges to the one reference line.

If you wish this system to be successful, you will need to tighten up your field coding, and use for example EBL and EBR to provide unique descriptions

As well as stringing the natural surface points together to create a long section, it is often useful to look at a section through the finished design, but since TRPS has no vertical design capabilities it is unlikely that you will need to worry about the types starting with DH

Display

By selecting the "Display" button you can choose the Colour you wish to use when the profile is drawn on the screen, and also the linetype to be used to draw this particular profile.

Plot

By selecting the "plot" button you can choose the Colour you want the line plotted in, and also the linetype to be used to draw this particular profile.

Note that in Version 1.00 only the solid linetype will be used for plotting, and the other ‘fancy’ linetypes will be brought on stream in the next release.


Chainage Filter (Snap)

This option allows you to apply a filter or an envelope of tolerance to chainages when determining which points will be drawn on a particular section.

By default, any two points that have Chainages that are within 5 millimetres of one another are considered to be on the same chainage.

This is fine in theory, and when the sections have been picked up by traditional Level and tape methods where the Chainage was simply assigned to each of the Points along with the measured offset and height.

However it is impractical when modern EDM has been used to locate the points on the sections.

In this case the coordinates of the points are calculated, and then the chainage is calculated mathematically by reference to a defined alignment.

In this situation, it is neither possible nor required for the person in the field to place the pole within 5 millimetres of the exact “square off” chainage position.

So, with this routine you can define what tolerance is allowable either side of the exact chainage, and all points that fall within that tolerance will be “snapped” onto the exact chainage.

Normally the sections are taken at regular intervals, so all that is required is to fill in the Table with the start and end chainages where the sections were taken, the interval they were taken at and the tolerance allowable.

If you are in the habit of using different intervals on straights and curves, all you need to do is to enter different lines in the table for each variation in interval

If you have picked up individual sections at particular chainages (such as bridge abutments, culverts, TP points and the like) simply enter the chainage in both Start and End columns, and use an interval of 1.


Skew Sections

This option allows you to form sections that are not perpendicular, or radial, to the alignment through them.

What you need to determine are three points on each section, and these are a point on the extreme left, the point on the centreline, and the point on the extreme right of the section you want.

If you wish to be able to produce a profile along the centreline points, you also need to have the correct chainage of those points along the centreline.

You may approach the definition of these sections in either of two ways.

1. Define the Sections as Strings

If you wish to draw a plan showing the sections, then you should define each section as a string, and these strings must be stored in a Folder named ‘Skew’.

Each string should have an ID which can be the title you wish to call the section by, so you can use 1,2,3 if you wish, and the string is then made up of 3 points, being left extremity, centre and right extremity.

Once the strings are all defined, you can access the Skew Sections option and then select the button titled “Strings”. This will read the strings from the Folder and insert them into the table

If you have calculated chainages of the points along the centreline, and you wish to identify the sections by those chainages, you can select the button titled ‘Read DB’, and the chainages of the centre points will be read into the table, replacing the labels you assigned.

Once the table is complete, select the Snap Button, and wait while the calculations are completed.

2. Enter Sections Directly into the Table.

If you have no need of strings to plot a plan view, you may simply enter the left, centre and right points of each section directly into the table.

As far as chainage is concerned, you may either enter the chainage if you know it, or alternatively you can use any numeric label you wish.

You can also use the Read DB button if required to retrieve the correct chainages of the centreline points.

The “Tolerance” field allows you to use points which are not exactly on the line between the centre and either extremity.

Unless the field party has set an instrument on the centre and taken shots on an exact line, the points taken will normally wander a little left and right of the exact line.

The tolerance field lets you decide how far away from the line a point can be and still be considered a part of the particular section.


Sections from Strings

This facility allows you to collect ‘strings’ in the field and then ‘cut’ sections from those strings.

You will be presented with a window that contains two tables.

In the top table you define the strings which you wish to use, and in the bottom table you define which sections you need to ‘cut’


Design Criteria

The Design Criteria menu contains the following items.

Profile Parameters	define how your Design Profiles will be drawn

Standard Templates	construct templates which define how ‘regular’ design sections appear

Variable Templates	specify how to construct sections where one or more of the legs varies e.g. passing lanes, left turn lanes etc.

Template Positioning	specify where particular templates are to be used along the design profile

Superelevation	define where superelevation is needed, and at what rate it is to be applied.

Offset Corrections

Kerb Limits	particularly useful when you need to add kerb & gutter to an existing pavement. Allows you to keep side cross fall from the existing pavement within specified limits while you design the longitudinal grading of the kerb line

Design IP Table	provides a tabular method of entering vertical IP’s and VC’s – particularly useful when you need to incorporate someone else’s previous design into your job.

Interactive Design	construct your design profile by placing IP’s on screen or by specifying grades from previous points, adding VC’s and adjusting until the correct balance is achieved.


Profile Parameters

This parameter screen allows you to determine how your Design Profiles will be drawn.

If you look to the far left of the screen you will see line numbers from one to ten inclusive, allowing you the possibility of ten individually numbered lines, and you can turn the line on by ‘ticking’ the box.

The next column lets you define which of the natural surface Reference Lines this design line is to overlay.

Basically the reference line ‘profiles’ a particular line or string on the ground, and that string is defined in plan view space by either offsets or point codes. The design line takes its ‘plan coordinates’ from the reference line to which you assign it.

You are next faced with the choice of how you wish to define the design line and you have two options in this instance, by design, or by reference.

If you intend to enter in Vertical IP’s and Vertical Curves then you will be ‘designing’ the design line, and should check the ‘Dsn’ radio button.

In some situations however, you wish to use the existing natural surface values along the reference line,  either in total, or as a major part of the design.

For example in urban road renewal it is common to use the existing edge of bitumen as the basis for the new design.

The program will not allow you to put design templates around a reference line, but it will, if you desire, copy a reference line to a design line and thereby allow you to place the templates about that line.

If this is your intention you should select the "Ref." radio button.

This has the effect of taking each point along the reference profile and copying it to be a Design IP.

Once the reference line has been copied to a design line by this method, you can modify its design and ‘hang’ templates from it.

The Display and Plot buttons to the right allow you to separately configure what will appear on your design screen and on your plot.

When you select either button, a window will pop up to allow you to select the Pen or Colour you want the line drawn in.

You can also choose different linetypes from the table presented.

If necessary you can assign some “lift” so that other lines on the profile drawing do not overwrite the line. The ‘lift’ is specified in millimetres on the drawing/screen

The “Box No” field allows you to specify in which of the boxes below the profile the height values for this particular line will be placed.

The boxes are numbered from 1 at the bottom and the numbers increase as the boxes proceed up the page.

You can also decide whether to display VC lengths, Grades and IP values on each line by selecting the relevant ‘On’ buttons.


Standard Templates

A template in CDS-Road is the design profile that you intend to string along your vertical grading to make up the design section of the road

When you enter templates they are stored in a template library file which is attached to the currently logged job.

You can currently store 50 templates per job

This number is by no means exhaustive and could be expanded if required, however we feel that it is highly unlikely that any organisation would require more than 50 templates to be current at any given time.

You should note that it is possible to store job templates into a central archive file if required, and you may also select existing templates in the archive, and assign them to a particular job

When you select Standard Templates, you will be presented with the Template Entry Screen.

The cursor will be in the field titled Template Number, and a default number of 1 will be offered

If there is a template of that number current in the library, it will be displayed on the screen and you have the choice of either editing that template or you may type In any other number to access that particular template.

If you select a template that has not been previously used, you will be presented with a blank template entry table.

The cursor will be on the first line, waiting for your input.

Before we actually start on the types of template data you can have, we should have a little guided tour of this entry table.

If you look across the columns you will see the next two to the right of "Type" are headed X and Y. These headings will change to things like “Dist & Grade” depending on the type of template entry you are using.

Regardless of the type of template leg you are defining, these two columns are essentially where you enter the two parameters that describe how to construct the particular leg.

Next there are two blank columns which are for use with some of the more complex entry types which we will explain later.

Next is a column headed "Tab#". This is used to indicate which table the template should refer to if the leg you are defining is to reference the Variable Template Tables.

The Variable Template Tables allow you to design for situations where the width and/or grade of the structure changes with chainage.

Pen.

If you wish to specify that a particular line in a template is drawn with a particular pen (or colour on the screen), you may enter the relevant pen number in this column.

You should note that you can draw ‘invisible’ legs in the template by using pen number zero. For example, you might draw ‘boxing’ or ‘top of subgrade’ you use to calculate volumes to with pen zero. This will allow you to see it on the screen to verify it is correctly positioned, but exclude it from any print/plot or drawing which you create.

Width

The next column is headed Width.

This allows you to vary the width or thickness of the line you use to draw this leg of the template.

Please note that in this version of CDS you can only use a standard solid line for the design templates.

If you need to use a different linetype to distinguish natural sections from design sections, you should change the linetype of the natural sections, and/or change the width of the line representing the design sections.

Annotation

You can toggle this column between 'ON' and 'OFF' by ‘checking’ and unchecking the box with your mouse. A cross in the box indicates ON.

This field serves two purposes. If you require a point to be annotated on the cross section when it is drawn to the plotter, or a drawing, this field should be turned ON. The  Offset and R.L. of the point will hen appear in the drawing, or on the plot.

The second use of this field is to define which points on your template are required as design points that you wish to be created and stored into the database for further editing or plotting. This is done when you are satisfied that your template is correct and after having inspected all of your design cross sections.

When the Design Points into Database routine is run, (which is found in the Other Routines Menu within Roadworks), only those points which have their Anno field set to ON will be stored to the database. Each point will be assigned a code and a lot file will be automatically created joining all the respective points from each cross section.

Volume

If you wish the leg in the template to be used in the calculation of volumes, you should toggle this field to ON .

Grade

This field allows you to plot the gradient of leg in the template along the line when it is toggled on.

Super

This field is used to define which legs in the template are to be superelevated, and those required should obviously be switched ON.

For the Superelevation to work correctly, you must also use the Curve Tables and Superelevation Tables, as well as turning this feature ON.

When you are ready to start entering your template you can press the Enter key to accept the Template number and move the cursor into the first row of the ‘Type’ Column.

Here you can pull down a list of the available entry types, and select it with your mouse.

Once the type you require is displayed, press the [Enter] key and the cursor will move to the next column, where the column heading will have changed according to the type of data you are trying to enter.

Each of the available types is now described in the relevant section below.


Start

Before you can commence on the template you need to tell it where this particular template will start in relation to the design line to which it is attached

If you wish to hang the template exactly from the design line specified, you should have an offset of zero and an initial R.L. of zero and to this end, you may simply accept the defaults when they are presented to you by pressing the enter key.

It is possible to offset the template from the design line both laterally and vertically if required, and if this is required, you would simply enter the required values when prompted. e.g. if you wanted your template to run along the subgrade which was 0.25 metres below the final seal you would enter 0 as the X value and -0.25 as the Y value.


Go to Coordinates

It is possible to specify a template based on a local co-ordinate system if you so desire.

Relative Coordinates allow you to specify that you need the template leg to go from the current location for a certain distance in either X or Y direction

An Absolute coordinate is one where you give the exact coordinate values of the point to which you wish the line to be drawn.

The origin of the absolute co-ordinates system is 0, 0 based on the intersection of the template and the design line to which it is attached..

You may enter positive and negative co-ordinates and may specify those co-ordinates you desire to achieve the desired shape of the template.

When you select either of the coordinate types, the column headings will change to Xabs and Yabs or Xrel and Yrel depending on which type you chose.

Simply enter the coordinates you require, and press [Enter] to lock it in.

If you want to use a table, use the arrow key to move across past the first two columns, leaving them at 0 and enter the number of the table you require in the column.

See Template Example 3 for the use of coordinates.


Distance & Grade

The distance and grade method of defining a template is probably one of the most common in use.

When you select this option the headings will change to Dist and Grade, and you simply enter the relevant values.

Note that the grade is expressed as a percentage

In the common road situations where the pavement is designed to fall at -3% you would simply enter -3 or you may enter any other value you require, but must remember to include the sign of the grade if it is negative.

For some areas where the crossfall is normally denote by a ratio such as 1:30, you may type in 1:30, preceded by a minus sign, and the program will convert it to a percentage value of  -3.333%.

As an example you might have a horizontal distance of 3 metres, and a grade of –3%

See Template Example 1 for a simple use of this method.


Vertical Distance & Grade

The vertical distance and grade allows you to constrain a horizontal grade by defining the vertical distance you want the leg to rise or fall.

So, the distance you enter is the vertical distance that you require, and the Grade is the horizontal cross fall.

This is provided to save the need to go off and do ‘little sums’ to determine what horizontal distance will give you the required vertical component at the grade.

For example you could have a vertical distance of -0.09 and a grade of –3. (those with better than basic arithmetic ability should recognise that this is the equivalent of a horizontal distance of 3 for a grade of –3)

Note that the signs of both the distance and grade need to be specified correctly if you intend for the leg to head in the correct direction.


Offset & Grade

Rather than specify a distance that the grade is to run, it is possible by using this particular code to specify that the grade will run from the point in question to a particular offset.

The headings will then change to offset and grade and you should enter the relevant values.

For example, an offset of 3 for a grade of –3% is effectively the same as a horizontal distance of 3 at a grade of –3%.

But, if you happen to shift your design line in the horizontal direction, this type will allow the leg to ‘rubber-band’ to still end at an offset of 3 metres regardless of where the design line moves to.

Note that the signs of both the offset and grade need to be specified correctly if you intend for the leg to head in the correct direction.


RL & Grade

This code is used when the template is required to arrive at a required reduced level using a specified grade.

When using this code, your headings will change to RL and grade and you simply enter the relevant values.

For example, a leg in your template might need to go from wherever it currently is to intersect with the floor which is level at an R.L. of 100.00.


Fixed Intersection

The fixed intersection grade is similar in a way to a horizontal Distance and Grade, except that it instead of only going to the specified distance, it will ‘trim’ itself if it intersects with another ‘intersection leg’ coming off another design line.

For example where you have a dual carriageway with grassed ‘run-off’ areas in the middle, you might finished each of the respective templates with a Fixed intersection rather than a batter slope.

Again remember that the sign of the grade must be specified.


Wild Intersection

A wild intersection grade is one where you do not know the grade you require the line to run at, but simply require it to intersect with another grade coming from another design line.

It is in essence purely a ‘rubber-band’ which will connect two templates together.

If you access this type, you will see the adjacent column headed Dist. Simply enter the limit to which you want the leg to extend searching for another wild intersection leg to intersect with.


Text

If you wish to place text on your template to describe something, you can use this type of template entry.

You will be asked to "enter the text offset" and you should enter in the distance from the grade line where you require the text to be written.

You will then be asked to enter the text R.L. and should enter the distance above or below the grade line at which the text is to be positioned.

You will then be asked to enter the text and should enter the string of characters you wish to be written.

You will then be asked to enter the rotation angle and you may rotate the text in even degrees measured anticlockwise from horizontal to the right, or measured anticlockwise from a bearing of 90 degrees for those of you who understand the compass.

You will next be asked to enter the height of the text in millimetres and should specify the height required on the final plot in millimetres and/or fractions of a millimetre if applicable.


Jump to Template

If you wish you may connect another template to the template under consideration at the moment by using the jump template option.

To do this you simply select this particular type, and then enter the number of the template to jump to.

This can be useful if you have things like standard kerb profiles defined in particular templates.

Note that once you jump to a template, you cannot get back to the position in the first template from which you jumped.


Cut Condition

This is one of three conditional statements inherent in the template design facility which allow you to set up the one template and have it make ‘intelligent’ decisions depending on the cross section.

The Cut Condition allows you to decide what will occur in the template depending on the amount of cut found at the particular point.

The headings will change to  >>=,  << = and #.

If you wish the condition to operate in any cut use values of 0 and 99, otherwise enter the limits you need.

Then you may enter a condition number between the 0 and 255, indicating that in any particular template, you may have up to 255 conditions.

The idea of this system is that you may have, for example,

Condition 1 which will occur for a values of cut between 0 and 1.5 metres and,

Condition 2 is for values of cut between 1.5 and 3.5 and,

Condition 3 would occur for values of cut between 3.5 and the largest cut in the job.

If this is the situation, you simply enter each of the conditions and specify the relevant limits of cut and assign a condition number.

You would then go on with the remainder of the template depending on what is required and would at some later stage use the start condition to come back and start on each of the conditions in turn and follow them through to a logical conclusion.

This will become clearer when you follow through the example presented at the end of this section.


Fill Condition

This is one of three conditional statements inherent in the template design facility which allow you to set up the one template and have it make ‘intelligent’ decisions depending on the cross section.

The Fill Condition allows you to decide what will occur in the template depending on the amount of Fill found at the particular point.

The headings will change to  >>=,  << = and #.

If you wish the condition to operate in any Fill use values of 0 and 99, otherwise enter the limits you need.

Then you may enter a condition number between the 0 and 255, indicating that in any particular template, you may have up to 255 conditions.

The idea of this system is that you may have, for example,

Condition 1 which will occur for a values of Fill between 0 and 1.5 metres and

Condition 2 is for values of Fill between 1.5 and 3.5 and

Condition 3 would occur for values of Fill  between 3.5 and the largest Fill in the job.

If this is the situation, you simply enter each of the conditions and specify the relevant limits of Fill and assign a condition number.

You would then go on with the remainder of the template depending on what is required and would at some later stage use the start condition to come back and start on each of the conditions in turn and follow them through to a logical conclusion.

Note that the program at this stage does not check for condition numbers so you should keep a record of your own to avoid confusion at a later stage and make sure that you use unique condition numbers for each particular condition described.


Offset Condition

In a similar way to what we've already done for cut and fill, you may determine the future course of action of the template depending on whether or not it reaches a particular offset.

To access this particular feature you should specify the Offset Condition type of entry.

Then enter the limiting value of the offset followed by the condition number.


Start Condition

In order to indicate to the program that you require it to start operating on a particular condition you need to enter a Start Condition type.

All you then need to do is to fill in which Condition Number you are starting.


Cut Batter

When you select a Cut batter, the headings change to Dist and Grade.

When you enter the distance it indicates that the template leg is to go for the distance you enter, or until it intersects with the natural surface, and it will stop whichever it reaches first.

If you wish it to almost certainly intersect, then a large distance such as 50 or 100 will generally get you an intersection.

Next you need to enter the grade of he batter, and while the template will display it as a percentage grade, you can if you wish either enter the percentage grade, or you may type it in in the form 1:x and it will be converted to a percentage for you.

There is some discrepancy of common usage amongst designers as to whether 2:1 or 1:2 should define the slope and we are not prepared to enter into the argument.

What we understand is that if you want the thing to rise 1 unit vertically for every 2 units of horizontal movement, you define it as 1:2 or 50%.

Note that CDS understands that a “Cut” batter goes from the point you are at, ‘up’ or in increasing height value to intersect the natural surface.


Fill Batter

When you select a Fill batter, the headings change to Dist and Rise.

When you enter the distance it indicates that the template leg is to go for the distance you enter, or until it intersects with the natural surface, and it will stop whichever it reaches first.

If you wish it to almost certainly intersect, then a large distance such as 50 or 100 will generally get you an intersection.

Next you need to enter the grade of he batter, and while the template will display it as a percentage grade, you can if you wish either enter the percentage grade, or you may type it in in the form 1:x and it will be converted to a percentage for you.

There is some discrepancy of common usage amongst designers as to whether 2:1 or 1:2 should define the slope and we are not prepared to enter into the argument.

What we understand is that if you want the thing to rise 1 unit vertically for every 2 units of horizontal movement, you define it as 1:2 or 50%.

Note that CDS understands that a “Fill” batter goes from the point you are at, ‘down’ or in decreasing height value to intersect the natural surface.


Batter Distance

This type enables you to enter a horizontal distance you require your batters to extend before intersecting with the natural surface.

Obviously, the resulting grades of the batter slopes will vary.

This routine only needs you to enter the horizontal distance required for the extension of the batters.


Grade to Cut/Fill

The grade/cut fill Type , enables you to select a slope for a batter and also to enter the height above or below the natural surface you require the batter to finish at.

In this case, the horizontal length of the batter will vary.

The first prompt from this code will ask you to enter the slope (1:  ) that is required for the batter. Next you will be asked to enter the fill value, with cut values being entered as negative numbers.

As an example, should you enter 0 (zero) as your fill value, the batter will finish on the natural surface at the slope you specified.


Join Design

This type allows you to draw a line from the current point to join another design line.

You will need to specify the Number of the line you wish to join to.

It is a simpler version of using two Wild Intersect Grades.


Template Example 1

If you consider the sketch below of the simplest possible type of design template, you can see that we have a rather standard rural situation of a 3.5 metre pavement width from the centreline to the edge of bitumen at the standard slope of -3%.

This is followed by a shoulder of 1.5 metres at -4%, and to simplify the example we will then just have a cut or fill batter at 2:1 (or 1 in 2 or 50%) depending on whether the point is in fact in cut or fill.

To enter this template you would proceed as follows.

Entering the Start of the Template.

On Line 1 pull down the available types and select Start.

The start point requires you to put in the X and Y coordinates of where the template leg will commence.

The coordinates are based on an origin of 0,0 where the design vertical grading intersects the reference line on the cross section.

In this case we wish to start at that point, so enter an initial offset of zero and an initial R.L. of zero.

Note: that for future templates, if for example you wanted to start at the bottom of the subgrade material which was 300 mm deep you could use coordinates of 0 and -0.3.

Press the Tab or Enter Keys to skip across the Table column, and again to accept default Pen and Linetypes of 1.

Entering a Horizontal Distance and Grade

Now move the cursor into the Type column on line 2 and select Hdist & Grade for a distance of 3.5 and a grade of -3.

Press Enter to leave the Table field blank and then set pen, linetype, annotation etc, as you require.

On line 4 use another Hdist & Grade with a horizontal distance of 1.5 metres and the grade of -4% and this would take us down to the point where we wish to decide whether we use a cut or fill batter.

Using a Condition

To do this we need the program to check and find whether this point is in cut or fill at each section, and respond accordingly.

You should scroll down through the available Types until you find Fill Condition, and select it.

Use values of zero and 99 respectively to indicate that you want it to react for any amount of fill (or at least any amount between 0 and 99)

Assign it a condition number of 1 by entering 1 in the GoTo # column.

What will happen at this point is that the program will check to see if there is any fill, and if there is it will go off down the template looking to find something which says it is Condition 1

If there is no fill, then the condition will not be satisfied, so the program will operate on the next line (Line 5) in the template.

If there is no fill, there should by definition be some cut, so the next line in the template is where we tell the program what to do when the point is in cut.

Entering a Cut Batter

Use a Type of Cut Batter at Grade and enter a distance of 100 with a cut batter of 1:2.

This indicates that the batter slope should proceed until it intersects with the natural surface, or until it gets to an offset of 100 metres without intersecting the natural surface.

Having taken care of the situation if the edge of the road was in cut, we now need to define what is to happen when it was in fill and Condition 1 was satisfied.

Starting a Conditional Response.

Now you should be on line 6, and you need to scroll through the Types to find Start Condition #, and tell it condition 1 is the one to start.

Entering a Fill Batter.

Now we need to put in the type called Fill Batter at Grade and indicate that we require the fill to proceed to 100 metres or until it intersects with the natural surface and enter [1:2] for the slope.


Template Example 2

While the template specified in Example 1 is a good introduction to get you acquainted with the basics of template construction, it is probably not completely suited for the design of rural roads.

We will now present another example that should provide the basis of any rural template that you might need.

If you look at the drawing shown below you will see that we have included both a table drain, and a catch drain where necessary for cut situations.

To start this template, we use the Start type as before, with zero for both 'X' and 'Y' offsets.

Next you would use a Hdist & Grade, with a horizontal distance of 5.3 metres, and a grade of -3%.

This will bring us to a point which we have marked 'A' on the diagram, and at this point we need to check whether the design is in cut or fill in order to determine the next action.

If you look at the point labeled 'A' on the diagram, and refer back to a similar point in Example 1, you will remember that we simply tested for the existence of cut or fill, and used an amount of both as zero.

In real life, this simplistic solution is generally not sufficient, and it is necessary to protect the subgrade against water penetration by including a table drain for points which are in a small amount of fill.

The construction of the table drain and the depth of the subgrade material usually determine the “small amount”.

From the sketch below, you can see that we intend to have an entry to the drain over a 1.5 metre distance, with a slope of -25%, or 1:4.

Simple arithmetic shows that the drain will drop 0.375 metres over this distance, so it is fair to say that if we start at point 'A', 0.375 above the natural surface, we still need to construct a table drain situation in most instances of cut.

As we demonstrated in the first example, the template will check a condition and if it does not satisfy the requirements it will proceed to do the next line in the template. This means we don't have to check for both cut and fill at a point of interest, and we will use this feature again here and simply check for a fill situation of more than 0.375.

You would Select a Fill Condition and enter a minimum amount of  [0.375], and then enter [100] as the maximum. . Assign this condition number 1.

As a matter of interest, if you wanted to achieve this with a Cut condition you would use a minimum cut value of -0.375.

If the condition is not satisfied, the point is obviously one where we need to construct the table drain, so the first part is a simple distance and grade, achieved with a Hdist & Grade  with a horizontal distance of 1.5, and a grade of -25%.

We have now arrived at point 'B' on the diagram.

Before proceeding on, we should consider that it is possible for the natural surface to slope away at a 25% grade, or greater between A and B, and if this were to happen, our last point may be left stranded in mid air, (or in fill). If this were to occur, there would be no point in continuing on with the table drain scenario, so it seems that we should check this point for cut or fill.

You should again select a Fill Condition, and use the values of zero to 99 and again assign it to Condition 1 if it is satisfied.

If the point is in any amount of cut, we need to go on with the table drain, which in this case is a grader blade wide, and level on the bottom. In this case our particular grader blade is 2.4 metres wide.

There are a number of options as to how this leg could be entered, however only one will give the correct result if the natural surface should happen to intersect with the design through this leg.

You should be aware that the Cut and Fill Batters are the only template types which will actually stop when they intersect the natural surface. All other types will continue on as instructed regardless of whether they cut the natural surface or not.

In this case we wish the leg to have a flat grade, and you will find that a slope or 1:9999, will result in a grade of -0.01%, which is flat for all practical purposes.

You should select a Fill Batter, and give 2.4 for the distance, and [1:9999] for the slope.

We have now arrived at point 'C' on the diagram.

Since it is possible that the natural surface may have run away from us again, it is wise to again check if this point is in fill, and if it is we will just batter down to the natural surface

Enter the now familiar Fill Condition, using values of 0 and 99 and again assigning condition 1

From this point on, we wish to use a cut batter of 1:1.5, however we have decided that if the cut batter is to extend for more than 3 metres vertically (4.5 metres horizontally), we need to construct a catch drain or bench.

Select a Cut Batter, and a distance of [4.5] horizontally, with a batter slope of [1:1.5].

We have now arrived at point 'D' on the diagram.

At this point we wish to construct a bench which is one grader blade wide, and slopes away from the formation at 5% or 1:20.

There are a number of options as to how this leg could be entered, however only one will give the correct result if the natural surface should happen to intersect with the design through this leg.

You should already be aware, from the discussion above, that the Cut and Fill Batters are the only template types that will actually stop when they intersect the natural surface.

We actually wish this particular leg to be a Fill Batter, so select it.

The distance of 2.4 is still the width of the blade, and a slope of -5% is actually a batter grade of 1:20.

Once this has finished, we simply wish to use a Cut Batter of 1:1.5 until it intersects the natural surface.

Enter Cut Batter, with a distance of 100, and a slope of 1:1.5.

Now that you have followed the cut through to its logical conclusion, you need to deal with Condition 1 that you have referred to throughout the process.

Select a Start Condition, and enter a number of 1.

Next select a Fill Batter. Enter 100 for distance and a grade of 1:4.

The template is now completed.

Remember, if you want this template to be used for volume calculations, you need to go through and turn the Vol attribute On for all lines.


Template Example 3

Next, let us consider an urban situation that requires a kerb and gutter, and a footpath to be added onto the pavement.

The template is sketched below for your perusal.

Since this starts on the centreline, our first entry would be a Start of 0,0.

Next we use a Hdist & Grade and enter a horizontal distance of 2.4 metres, and a grade of -3%.

Now we start on the kerbing, and the easiest way to enter this particular item is by coordinates, and since each dimension is relative to the one before, we will use Relative coordinates

Use GoTo Coords (Rel) with the relative 'X' value of 0.3, and the relative 'Y' value of - 0.04.

Our next leg also lends itself to relative coordinates, so select GoTo Coords (Rel) and enter a 'X' distance of 0.2, and a 'Y' distance of 0.125.

Again select GoTo Coords (Rel) with a 'X' distance of 0.1, and a 'Y' distance of 0.0, to indicate a horizontal line.

Now we need to construct the footpath with a distance and grade, so enter a Hdist & Grade, with a horizontal distance of 3.0 and a grade of 3%.

At this point we need to test for cut or fill, so we will select a Fill Condition with values of 0 and 99 and assign it to Condition Number 1.

If the fill condition is not satisfied obviously we are in cut, so all that is required is a cut batter at 1:5 to the natural surface.

Enter a Cut Batter, with a distance of 100 metres (or to the natural surface, whichever comes first) and enter a batter of 1:5.

Finally we consider what happens if the conditional point was in fill.

Enter a Start Condition and indicate that you wish to start on Condition 1.

Select a Fill batter, followed by 100 to intersect the natural surface, and a batter of 1:5.


Variable Templates

Concept

This facility is designed to improve your efficiency in dealing with roads where the cross section profile is varying in width, and or grade.

For example, this commonly occurs where you need to construct a passing lane, or where you need to construct deceleration and acceleration lanes at intersections.

While you can achieve this type of design by entering a number of templates, if the design parameters change, it means that you have to edit all the templates.

Using the Variable Template process, you can define the one template that has a leg that varies, and simply construct a table that lists the chainages and the relevant widths or coordinates at each chainage where a variation occurs.

This way, when the inevitable design change takes place, you only have to change the values in one table, not a whole list of templates.

Operation

When you access the routine for the first time, the program will display a blank Table 1 with columns headed Chainage, Distance/x, Grade/y.

The chainage column should be self-explanitory, and all you need do is to enter in the chainages of where the changes in width/grade take place.

The line in the standard template that called this particular table determines what you put in the other two columns.

If that line was a distance and grade then obviously you will enter the varying distances and grades in this table.

Likewise, if the line in the standard templates was to Go To Coordinates, then you will enter the varying ‘x’ and ‘y’ coordinate values into the table.

Please NOTE – you can NOT mix the different values in the one table – i.e. a table may only have distances and grades OR coordinates.

Example..

In the sketch below you can see a basic example of a situation where a variable template is typically used.

In this case, we need to construct a lane for a bus to stop in.

It is simply a matter of filling in the chainages where the road varies and the relevant distance and grades, or X and Y coordinates depending on what line in the standard template has referenced this table.

In this instance, because the road is not symmetrical on both sides of the centreline you would need to use two templates

e.g. Template 1 to be used on the right of the centrelne is a standard template which starts at 0,0, goes for a distance of 3 metres at a grade of –3% and then does whatever to get back to the natural surface.

Template 2 to be used on the left of the centreline starts at 0,0 and then the next line has a type of Dist/Grade which references Variable Table Number 1.

In variable table number 1, you would have the following entries

Chainage	Distance/x	Grade/y

0	3	-3

200	3	-3

215	6	-3

255	6	-3

270	3	-3

400	3	-3


Template Positioning

The Template Positioning facility allows you to specify in a tabular format, what templates are to be used at each particular chainage along the road.

When you access this option, a table will be presented listing the chainage of every cross section n the current road.

To the right of that will be two columns for each design line you have turned on.

The columns will be headed 1L and 1R or similar, and the Number signifies the design line, and the L signifies to the left while the R signifies to the right of each line..

All the natural cross section chainages will be displayed, and all that is required is to move through the table entering the relevant template numbers required to the left and right of each active design line.

If you wish to use the same template throughout, position the cursor in the first row of the particular column, type in the template number you wish to use and press Enter.

Then position the cursor in that cell again and press the Right Mouse Button.

All the subsequent values in that column will be changed.


Superelevation

In the design of major traffic roads and highways, it is necessary to apply superelevation to the design templates when the horizontal alignment of the road is curved.

The superelevation is gradually built up over a transition, and there are a number of formulae currently used to calculate the rate of introduction of super, together with the centreline offset and widening also associated with transitions.

In New South Wales, the Road & Traffic Authority (RTA) developed a set of tables which define the rate of introduction of super in relation to the radius of the circular arc. These tables are based on the NAASRA standard, and as such should be applicable to all states of Australia.

We have found that the tabular approach provides a highly flexible method of specifying the rate of introduction of super, and as such we have adopted this approach in CDS-Road.

The standard tables developed by the RTA  have been provided for your use, and in addition you have ability to add extra tables, or modify the existing ones to cope with all possible design contingencies.

Before we commence on an explanation of the tables, we will briefly define some of the terminology used.

A sketch of a typical curve is provided below, and should explain how the widening, offset of the base centreline, and superelevation are applied over the length of the transition.

The principal points as shown on the sketch are:

SS - Start Super - the start of the superelevation transition, although with the new system of tables which start 10 metres prior to the SS, this is no longer strictly true, since the superelevation starts somewhere prior tot he point called the SS.

No matter – for the purposes of this exercise, the SS is simply the SS.

TS - Tangent Spiral - the common point of the tangent and the spiral curve.

TP - Tangent Point - the common point of the tangent and the circular curve.

SC - Spiral Curve - common point of the spiral and circular curve.

Base Centreline - the horizontal position of the centreline if the curve was neither transitioned or widened.

True Centreline - the horizontal position of the centreline after the transition offset has been applied.

Now that you have an understanding of the basis for superelevation, we will explain how it is implemented.


Specify Curves

In order to have the program apply superelevation to a design template, it is necessary for you to specify the chainage of the SS at the start of the curve, and the chainage of the SS at the end of the curve

In addition you need to specify the particular table to be used for the rate of application of super.

In ideal situations, the same table should be used for both the incoming and outgoing transition, however since roads are not always constructed in ideal situations, we have made provision for different tables for both incoming and outgoing transitions.

When you access this routine, you will be presented with a blank table similar to that seen below.

All that is required is to fill in the relevant values of the SS chainages, table numbers and carriage widths.

The chainages need no further explanation.

The table number is directly related to the radius of the curve.

Table numbers and where to find them are fully explained in the next section of this chapter.

You should note however that horizontal curves can be either left or right handed, and that consequently you need to specify the hand of the curve in order for the superelevation to be correctly applied.

This is easily achieved, since a negative table number denotes all left-hand curves.

Conversely a positive table number denotes right hand curves

The Carriage Width column is now redundant, and ignored as the points to be superelevated are defined in the template by checking the Super box.

The example provided below should clarify the specification of curves.

The sketch shows our design horizontal alignment.

The table on the previous page shows the finished curve specification for the above sketch.


Edit tables

There are eight standard tables provided for your use, and their salient features are listed in the following table.

Table.	Radius 	Transition Length 	Max. Crossfall 	Offset

1 	90 - 140 	70 	7% 	0.6

2 	160 - 220	70	7% 	0.4

3 	240 - 320 	90 	7% 	0.5

4 	340 - 440 	90 	6% 	0.4

5 	460 - 550 	90 	6% 	0.3

6	600 - 700 	90 	5%	Nil

7 	750 - 900 	90	4% 	Nil

 	>> 1000 	90 	3% 	Nil

The illustration below shows graphically how the superelevation is developed over the length of the curve, and this particular illustration shows the values from Table 3.

Each of the tables is listed below for your information

If you examine table 1 shown below, we will explain the relevant features of each line in the table.

Control Data :- this line simply contains descriptive information showing the applicable radii and the chainages of the control points from the SS.

Note that the 'Speed' columns are for your use for providing a guide only, and the design speed is not considered in the application of the super.

SC Chainage  on the control data line defines the length of the transition, and is used to determine whether the tables specified will fit between the start and end of the curves specified.

Dist from SS:- this line contains a series of incremental distances from the SS, with a usual increment being 10 metres.

Fall Outside : - indicates the crossfall that will be applied to the template on the outside of the curve at the particular chainage from the SS.

Fall Inside : - indicates the crossfall that will be applied to the template on the inside of the curve at the particular chainage from the SS.

NOTE: all tables show a crossfall of -3% at the point 10 metres prior to the SS, and all subsequent crossfalls are based on this datum.

If your standard crossfall is not -3%, then the tables will not function as itemised, instead all other crossfalls will be altered by the difference between the template crossfall at the SS and the standard value of -3%.

e.g. if you had a template with a crossfall of -4% at 10 metres before the SS, then all subsequent crossfalls would be decreased by one percent. while if the standard template had -2%, all subsequent crossfalls would be increased by one percent.

Offset : -  this line shows the offset from the base centreline to the true centreline at each chainage.

Pave Width:- each line specifies how much widening is to be applied at each chainage for the particular pavement width.

NOTE: the pavement width is determined automatically from the first leg in the template, and the numbers entered here should correspond to your standard pavement widths used in the templates.

The incremental distances from the SS are added to the chainage of the SS specified in Section 4 above to produce the chainages of the design cross sections.

If your natural surface cross sections have not been picked up on these chainages, the program will perform a linear interpolation to arrive at the correct superelevation values for your selected chainages.

You should note also that the program will maintain the crossfalls, offset and widening specified at the SC throughout the length of the circular curve, and then commence to wind down from the far SC.

Special care should be taken if you intend to use different tables at each end of the circular curve. In this case it is important that you ensure that the crossfalls specified at the SC are the same in each table.

Changing a Table

To call up a table, all you need do is enter the relevant table number when asked.

Once the table is displayed, you may use the arrow keys on the keyboard to drive the cursor around the table.

If you wish to change any of the values in the standard tables supplied, all you need do is position the cursor over the relevant value, and type in the required value.

If you wish to view another table,  simply enter the relevant table number.

Adding New Tables

If you wish to add in an extra table, you may approach it in one of two ways.

If you have an existing table that is similar to the one required, we suggest that you copy the existing table to a new table number, and then edit the new table.

For example, if you wished to create Table 24, and it was to be similar to Table 6, you would call up Table 6.

Next you would press the [F10] key to copy a table.

When asked to "Enter destination table number", you should respond with [24] followed by [Enter].

If you look at the top of the screen, you will see that you are now working on Table 24, which is a replica of Table 6. You may now make the relevant alterations, and when you exit the changes will be saved as Table 24.

If you wish to create a complete new table you should enter an unused table number when first asked for a table number.

You will then be presented with a blank table, and may fill in the values as required.


Offset Corrections

This facility gives you the ability to move any Design Line side to side about the centreline.

You can establish different parameters for each design line if necessary.

You must specify a start chainage, and start offset, and a finish chainage and offset for each line in the table.

If the start or finish offset you specify is different to that defined in the natural data, the program will taper from the previous or next cross section to the value specified.

 If the offset of the start and end points are different, the program will perform a linear interpolation between them to calculate the correction required at any particular chainage.


Kerb Limits

This routine is designed to make the design of Kerb and Gutter more efficient.

It is designed to operate where the new Kerb & Gutter is being constructed adjacent to an existing pavement.

Normally the existing pavement from the crown or centreline to the edge of seal will be left ‘as is’ and a new kerb line designed at a fixed offset from the centre.

Since the existing edge of seal will normally be ‘ragged’ you are faced with filling in the new piece of pavement over a varying distance between the existing edge of seal and the new kerb line.

In doing this design, you need to simultaneously

ensure that the longitudinal grading along the kerb line is such that it will drain correctly,

and ensure that the ‘side slope’ into the new kerb is within a range of values.

When you call up this option, you need to define left and right kerbs separately.

With the relevant side kerb chosen, you need to fill out the table with the chainages and the minimum and maximum grades you are prepared to accept from the Edge of Seal to the new kerb.

Next you need to specify which Design line number you are using for the Edge of Seal, and which Design Line number you are using for the Kerb Line.

You then need to check the box to display the kerb line you are interested in.

When you now go to the Interactive Design, each point on the profile of the Kerb Line will be drawn with an “I” beam on it.

The top of the “I’ indicates the maximum cross fall grade allowable at that chainage, while the bottom of the “I” indicates the minimum allowable grade.

So, when you position the design grading for the kerb, you can concentrate on ensuring that it will drain in the manner you require. Providing you keep the design line between the top and bottom of the ‘I beams’ you can be sure that the cross fall requirements are satisfied.


Design IP Table

As well as being able to enter your vertical grading by placing design IP's interactively, we have also implemented the following table which allows you to enter the details in tabular format.

This can be particularly useful when you have a need to enter in someone else's design details which are already tabulated.

The operation should be self evident, and once you have specified the Design Line you are interested in, all you need to do is enter the chainage and reduced level of the IP , and the length of the Vertical Curve if any at that point.

Note that the Road Number which the program works on is that currently assigned by the relevant reference and design line in the natural Parameter Screen, and there are no facilities to change the number in this program.


Interactive Design

This is where you actually carry out the vertical grading to determine how you want your finished profile or long section to appear.

The process consists of adding in Vertical Intersection Points, and then adding Vertical Curves to those IP’s where required.

When the Profile Window is active, you can access all of the Interactive Design Options by clicking your Right mouse button.

To actually add in an IP, you can choose from the various menu options presented when you click the Right Mouse button, and then either click the Left button to position the point, or respond to the prompts presented.


Active Line

You can only design on one line at any time, and this option allows you select which line you wish to work with from those that are turned on.


Add

This allows you to position a vertical IP by clicking at the relevant position with your mouse.

As you move your mouse cursor around the screen you can see the current Chainage and R.L update in the display window.

When you select a point the program will prompt you with the following options.

Y - yes, accept the chainage and offset I have pointed to and add in a vertical IP

N - no, don't accept the rough position.  Prompt for Chainage and R.L. and I will enter the exact location where the vertical I.P should be placed.

S - snap, snap onto the nearest point on the reference line, and adopt its values as a Vertical IP

Once you have added the first point the program will ask you to select the position of the new design point.

You can now continue placing Vertical IP's until you are finished with this method, when you can press [Esc] to end this input sequence.


Add by Grade

Specify a new IP defined by a grade and a distance from an existing IP, and the new IP will have a higher chainage than the existing IP.

You will be asked to select the point to grade from, and you should position your cursor in the box denoting the relevant I.P

You will then be asked for a distance and a grade.

Note that the distance you enter is a Horizontal distance, and that the sign of the grade is important.

A positive grade indicates that the line is rising in the direction of travel while a negative grade indicates a falling line.


Add by Back Grade

This is the same procedure as add by grade , but it allows you to calculate an IP of lower chainage than the one you are grading  from by entering a distance and grade


Add by Intersecting Grades

Allows you to intersect two known grades from adjacent vertical IP’s.

You need to select the IP with the lowest chainage when asked for the "Point to grade from", and then you enter the grade required from that point in the direction of increasing chainage.

Next you are asked to "Enter back grade", which is the grade from the IP with the higher chainage back towards the IP previously selected.

If the grades intersect the new IP will be stored, otherwise you will be told that they do not intersect, and should enter the grades again, paying attention to the sign of the grade


Add Grade to natural

This function will run at a grade from an IP until it strikes the natural surface.

You need to select the Point to grade from" with the mouse, and then enter the required grade.

Note that it only works in the direction of increasing chainage, so the IP you use must have a lower chainage than the point calculated on the natural surface.

TIP: You need to place a point at a fixed RL on the natural surface near the start of the job. You can run the cursor up the natural surface and try and read off the height you need, but this trick will get the point exactly. First add a dummy IP at chainage -10 and the RL you need, then use this option to run at a grade of 0 to the natural, and then delete your dummy IP


Delete

You can delete any existing vertical IP with this option. Simply position your cursor over the point and it is gone forever.

Be Careful there is no OOPS


Move

This allows you to "drag" an IP around, complete with VC if applicable so you can see the effect of the change.

You select the IP you wish to move with the cursor, and then 'drag' it around  to where you think it should be.

You then have the Y/n/s option to finally position the point if you wish


VC

You can add in a Vertical curve at any I.P by selecting this option.

You will be asked to select the point and should click your mouse inside the box denoting the relevant IP

You are then asked to specify the length of the vertical curve required.

If you need some assistance determining the length of VC you can press T and a table will pop up as seen below.

This shows suggested lengths of vertical curve for different design speeds according to design standards published by Austroads


Left-Right

This option allows you to add or subtract a chainage value to or from an existing design to cope with those situations where the horizontal alignment in the section before you has changed.

If the road prior to your section has shortened, you can simply subtract the amount of the ‘shortening’ from all natural and design points you are working with to ‘slide’ them back onto the new chainages.

Likewise, if the road prior to your section has ‘grown’ due to alignment variations, you can simply add the chainage value to ‘slide’ your section onto the newly corrected chainage values.


Up-Down

Allows you to raise or lower existing design lines.

It operates on the current active line, and you specify the distance to move.

If you want to lower the design simply enter a negative amount


Copy

You can copy an existing design to another design, and/or another road

When you select the option you will be asked for the new road number.

You will then be asked for the new design number


Save to Name

You can save away any design and give it a name so it can be recalled and used in other jobs.

This is particularly useful when you need to design standard intersections or driveways where the first section of the design is always the same.

It can also be used to save away the profile of a car so you can check clearances against driveways.

You are asked if you are saving or restoring a design, and should press s or r respectively.

You are then asked to enter the name of the design, and you can use 6 characters to identify it.


Restore From Name

You can recall any design that has been stored with a name.

This is particularly useful when you need to design standard intersections or driveways where the first section of the design is always the same.

It can also be used to save away the profile of a car so you can check clearances against driveways.


Display & Plotting

Display Profile	Will open a new window within the Road window and display the profile or profiles currently selected
Profile Parameters	allows you to define which profiles will be displayed or plotted, and how they are to be drawn
Display Section	will open a new window within the Road window and display the first section on the current road
Section Parameters	allows you to define how the sections are to be drawn on the screen and/or plotted


Display Profile

When you select the Display Profile option, a new window will be opened within the Road Window, and it will display the profile or profiles currently turned on in the Profile Parameter table.

When this window is Active, you can use the Right Mouse Button to access the various items described under the Interactive Design heading.


Profile Parameters

The profile parameters table may be accessed either from the pull down Road menu, or by selecting the Icon.

Plot#

The plot number allows you to assign a number between 1 and 999 to the plot that you intend to create.

The name of the plot file will then take the form

Range of Chainages

Allows you to specify the minimum and maximum chainage values to appear on the particular plot or display you are configuring

Scales

You can assign a Horizontal Scale and a Vertical scale to suit your particular requirements

If the scales you use will not fit within the paper you specify, you will see the program wrap the plot around and ‘scribble’ over the good section of the profile to draw this fact to your attention

Origin

Allows you to specify the start of the profile plot in relation to the bottom left hand corner of your plot sheet.

You can set both X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) displacements, so you should find it easy to locate your profile clear of any title blocks or fancy border.

You can also use this facility to make it easy to position more than one profile on a single sheet of paper

Type

The Type feature has not yet been implemented to allow you to do a ‘grid’ of horizontal lines up the profile, and you should leave it set to Box for the moment.

This will simply leave the boxing you set up below the profile, and the Datum R.L. for the drawing will be the top of the boxes.

As a small aside, the need for this “Grid” type of profile arises very infrequently, and stems from the fact that some government departments used to have special sheets on which they would draw their profiles.

Because the drawing was done manually, it was advantageous to have a horizontal line drawn say every 10mm up the page to allow you to easily plot the profile on.

Some poor unfortunates seem to be unable to change from a mindset developed over years of manual plotting, and they demand to see things the ways they always were, hence the infrequent request for this ‘grid’ type of profile.

It will be implemented in a future release, and if someone requests it from you let us know and we will do it as soon as we can.

If the requesting person has followed the same thought patterns in other areas of life, they will be easy to recognise as they tether their horse in front of your building, and walk up the stairs because they are unable to understand the concept of an elevator. Be kind to them while they wait for the 19th century to finish, drop us an email, and we will implement the thing for you.

Border

You can either turn the border On or Off.

If it is on, a simple rectangular border will be drawn around the edge of the plot sheet.

Alternatively, if you have saved a particular border with company details and the like, you can check the Name button and then enter the name of the border you wish to use.

Datum

The Datum field controls how the profile is positioned vertically in relation to the boxing below it.

If you wish to specify a precise datum, you can turn Datum On, and then fill in that value you require in the field titled Datum value.

If you are happy to let the program choose a datum value, you can turn Datum Off, and then specify a minimum Distance.

The program will then find the lowest point in the section you are plotting and take the minimum distance (at Scale) away from it to determine the datum value to be used

The maximum distance allows you to control how “tall” your profile can be.

If you wish to plot a plan view above the profile, you will need to determine the maximum vertical extent of the profile, and you can the use this value to cause the program to ‘break’ the plot and bring it back down to the minimum distance above the datum line.

Extra Chainages

In some cases you wish to have values plotted on the profile where no section was taken in the field.

If that is the case, you can turn the Extra Chainages button On and then select the Table button to fill in a table specifying where the extra values are to be placed.

In some circumstances you may use this feature to “pretty up” a profile.

For example you may have profiled something which has a large number of “odd” chainages, and you wish to see the profile drawn with a chainage and RL shown every 20 metres.

To achieve this you need to use the Extra Chainages in combination with the Delete Chainages.

If the profile goes from Ch 0 to Ch 500, first set up the Delete Chainages table to delete all the values between 0 and 500

Then set up the Extra Chainages table to interpolate between 0 and 500 at an interval of 20 metres.

When you come to plot, make sure both Extra Chainages and Delete Chainages are turned ON, and you should get a profile that shows values every 20 metres.

Delete Chainages

In some situations, the field crew may have taken too many shots, or you may have interpolated a profile across a model with very small triangles, both of which will result in extraneous values appearing on your profile.

If that is the case you may turn On the Delete Chainages option, and then set up a table listing which chainages you wish to delete.

Note that this feature does not delete points from the Job, it simply marks the points so that they are not plotted on either profiles or sections.

Adjust Chainages

The Adjust Chainages option allows you to cope with the situation where someone has changed the horizontal alignment somewhere prior to where your profile commences, resulting in a different chainage to the one you started with.

For example, say you had started on a point which had a chainage of 3050, and had picked up sections every 20 metres for 3 kilometres.

You then find that the alignment has changed, and the point which was 3050, now has a Chainage of 3065.5.

You can simply use this facility to adjust all chainages from 3050 to 6050 by an amount of 15.5

You can also use the feature if you are dealing with State or national Road or Rail authorities, who have a habit of using a running chainage based on 0 at the capital city.

This means you may have to deal with Chainages of the order of 243,320.00 which is a sure way to introduce both typist cramp and typing errors.

Instead of typing in these large numbers, you can simply start your chainages at 320.00, and then use the adjust chainages option to Add 243,000 to all the chainages when you plot out.

Text Strings

If you select the Text Strings button you will be presented with a table which allows you to control the format for how

Chainage,
Design RL’s,
Reference RL’s,
IP’s, ( Intersection Points)
Grades and
VC’s  (Vertical Curves)

will be drawn on your profile.

You can control the Colour, Font, Size of text, number of decimal places and layer on which the text is stored.

Format

The Format screen gives you control over the appearance of the Profile you wish to create.

By experimenting with the various options available, you should be able to create a profile in whatever format your client desires.

The items over which you have control are.

·	Box Lines - are the Horizontal Lines which form the ‘boxes’ below the profile - set them to white if they are not required

·	Descender Lines - are the vertical lines showing where the values occur - set them to white if they are not required

·	Descender Text -  the features here are not yet implemented .

You have the opportunity to put a maximum of 7 different profiles on the one plot by using the 8 boxes (one is needed for Chainage).

The box numbering starts at the bottom and works upward, so Box 1 will always be the bottom box and Box 2 will be on top of it etc.

You need to use this facility in conjunction with what you have already specified in the Reference table where you used the Display and Plot buttons to specify which reference Line would appear in which box.

Here you can enter the label which you wish to use for the box, and arrange the other items in the surrounding boxes.

You can decide which value is to be placed in which box using by using the pull down list to select the required item.

The Items available are;

*	Blank - create a box, but don’t put anything in it

*	Chainage - write the Chainage values here

*	Cut  - write the amount of cut (if any) between the reference and the design (not TRPS)

*	Dsn# - write the values of the design profile here (not applicable in TRPS)

*	Fill - write the amount of Fill (if any) between the reference and the design (not TRPS)

*	Horizontal Alignment - currently not implemented, but will create a blank box if selected

*	Not Used - don’t draw a box

*	Ref #- write the values of the specified reference line in this box. The particular reference Line  to be placed in any given box will be determined by what you set in the Reference table of Natural Criteria.

*	Superelevation - not yet implemented, but will create a blank box if selected


Display Sections

The Display Sections option will open a new window within the Road Window and will display in it the section or sections which are currently turned on in the Section parameters table.

You have two sets of options available while this window is active or current; the options on the tool bar, and the options on the Right Mouse Button.

The specialised Tool Bar on the bottom line, contains the following options;

·	Start - go to the first cross section on the current road

·	End - go to the last cross section on the current road

·	Next - go to the cross section with the next highest chainage value

·	Prev - go to the Previous cross section i.e. the one with the chainage immediately below the one currently displayed.

·	Chainage - You also have a entry field titled Chainage.
If you position your cursor in this field, you may type in the Chainage of the cross section you wish to view.
Once you press the Enter key, the chainage you have chosen will be displayed.

·	Scroll Bar - You will also see a Scroll Bar to the right of the Chainage field. The Left arrow is equivalent to Prev, and the Right arrow is equivalent to Next. If you wish, you may ‘drag’ the scroll bar to get to the chainage you require.

If you press the Right Mouse Button, you will find that an options window will pop up.

The top group of options allow you to Zoom up the Display of the Sections Window.

Since TRPS does not include a vertical design capability, most of the bottom group of options will be ‘greyed out’ , but you will be able to access the option titled Reference Coordinates

Reference Coordinates - selecting this option will bring up a window which displays the Point Number, Road Number, Chainage and Offset of all the points on the current cross section.

The table is for your information only, and if you wish to alter any of the points you will need to make a note (mentally or otherwise) of the point(s) you wish to change.

Then select OK to close the Reference Coordinates table and to change the points use the Query capability which you can access by simply pressing the ‘?’ key.

You can then change whatever values you may wish within the Query Table.


Section Parameters

The Section parameter screen may be accessed either from the pull down Road menu, or by accessing the Icon.

The Section parameter screen is divided into an upper section which controls the Display, and a Lower section which controls the Plot.

Format Type

There are currently 16 different cross section formats available, as detailed below.

Types 1 to 4 Standard Urban

Types 5 to 8 Simple Rural

Types 9 to 12 Rural with datum

Types 13 to 16 Urban with Comment Boxes - configurable using Format button below.

Chainage Range

You have two fields in which to enter the minimum and maximum chainages of the part of the Job you wish to display or plot.

If you wish to use the Minimum Chainage contained on the road you can select the button titled “Min” and the minimum chainage will be inserted into the field for you.

If you wish to use the Maximum Chainage contained on the road, you may select the button titled “Max” and the maximum chainage on the road will be inserted into the field for you.

Adjust Chainages

The Adjust Chainages option allows you to cope with the situation where someone has changed the horizontal alignment somewhere prior to where your profile commences, resulting in a different chainage to the one you started with.

For example, say you had started on a point which had a chainage of 3050, and had picked up sections every 20 metres for 3 kilometres.

You then find that the alignment has changed, and the point which was 3050, now has a Chainage of 3065.5.

You can simply use this facility to adjust all chainages from 3050 to 6050 by an amount of 15.5

You can also use the feature if you are dealing with State or national Road or Rail authorities, who have a habit of using a running chainage based on 0 at the capital city.

This means you may have to deal with Chainages of the order of 243,320.00 which is a sure way to introduce both typist cramp and typing errors.

Instead of typing in these large numbers, you can simply start your chainages at 320.00, and then use the adjust chainages option to Add 243,000 to all the chainages when you plot out

Delete Chainages

In some situations, the field crew may have taken too many shots, or you may have interpolated a profile across a model with very small triangles, both of which will result in extraneous values appearing on your profile.

If that is the case you may turn On the Delete Chainages option, and then set up a table listing which chainages you wish to delete.

Note that this feature does not delete points from the Job, it simply marks the points so that they are not plotted on either profiles or sections

Display

The facility to customise how the display appears has not yet been implemented, and for the moment, the display will take its cue from the parameters you define in the Plot section below it.

Plot

Plot #

Scales

Rows Cols

Text Strings

Chainage Position

Datum Position

Chainage

Datum

Offsets

Ref RL’s

Dsn RL’s

Format Definition

Origin

Plot Limits

Offset Limits

Fixed Datum	Datum Value

Descender Top Boxing Bottom Boxing

Boxes contain

Offset, Ref, Dsn

No.

Label

Pen Font Size.


Volumes


Progress Volumes

This routine has been provided to allow you to calculate progress claims as the construction of the road proceeds.

When the Table appears, you should first select the road number you require.

Then you should select either Dipping method or Reduced Levels.

The chainage of every natural surface cross section will be listed ready for your input.

If you choose Reduced levels, you need to enter the RL at the top of both the left and right extremity of formation as currently constructed.

You can also enter the grade of the formation towards the centreline if it is being formed at a grade rather than flat.

If you choose the Dip Method, you need to enter the vertical distance from the design centreline level to both the left and right edges of formation as currently constructed. If the formation is graded then you can also enter the grade towards the centreline.

Once the table is completed you can select either of the following items.

Progress Areas

This routine will shade each design cross section to indicate the amount of material that has been currently placed.

This is purely a visual inspection to ensure that there are no gross errors before you move on to the volume report.

Progress Volumes

When you access this option to obtain a report of the quantity placed to date the program will scan through each of the sections displaying the area before presenting a report.


Natural Volume Parameters

This routine allows you to calculate progressive volumes on work in progress

The approach taken is that each period is entered as a separate road within the one job.

For example, if you were checking on a monthly basis, you would go into the field at the end of January and pick up the cross sections to define the job.

Back in the office you would enter these into the program as Road 1.

At the end of February you would again collect the cross section data from the field, trying to ensure as much as possible that you took cross sections at the same place as in January.

You would then enter this data into the same job as Road 2.

The different roads can then be checked one against the other to determine the volume between the different surfaces.

Range Of Chainages

The start and finish chainages allow you to specify the extent where you require the volumes calculated.

You should enter the relevant chainages for the job in hand before proceeding to the next field.

Output Format

You have choice between Normal, Condensed or Malaysian formats.

We suggest you try each one and see which one best suits your particular need.

Note that with Normal Format, when you get to WordPad you should use Page Setup to alter the Orientation to landscape, and you will see a better result.

The overlaid road number allows you to enter the road number which contains the data for the latest stage of the works, and in the case above, you would enter Road 2 to signify February.

The base road number allows you to enter the number of the road which contains data for the base of the volume. In the case above, you would enter Road 1 to signify January data.

Once you have specified the relevant parameters, select the OK button to return to the menu.


Natural Volumes

Once the parameters have been set up, you can access this option

The calculations will take place, and the program will then load WordPad and display your results.

You can use the facilities of WordPad to add Project names, alter fonts and paper orientation if you wish, and then print the results, or save them to a file.

Note that to maintain compatibility with earlier versions of Windows we have written the results into a Windows Write file format which WordPad can read, but not write.

If you choose Save, Wordpad will inform you it can’t save in this format, and guide you to using in one of the other formats it is happier with.

Design Volume Parameters

Design Volumes


Design Surface

Store Design Points

Store Profile Design Points

Create Combined Surface

Create Batter Report

Create Batter Report


Utilities


Calculate Coordinates from Chainage & Offset.

This feature allows you to take Points which have only values for Chainage, Offset and Height, and calculate East and North coordinates for them based on a particular alignment.

You need to have a String that defines the alignment along which the chainages and offsets were taken.

The points that define this string must have correct Chainage values stored in the database.

When you access this option you need to define the String Folder in which the alignment string is stored.

You then need to define the String ID that you gave to the alignment.

Next you need to assign the road number on which the points lie.

You can then choose between calculating coordinates for all the points, or only for those with a particular Point Code.

Once you have filled in the fields to suit your requirements, select the OK button.


Calculate Chainage & Offset from Coordinates

This option allows you to calculate the Chainage along and Offset to a particular alignment of any existing co-ordinated points.

You need to have the alignment defined as a String.

String

When you access the option you need to define the String Folder and the String ID of the alignment.

Calculate By

You then select which points you wish to calculate coordinates for, and can calculate

All points in the Job,
Only those points on the string, or
Select points by
Road Number
Range of Point Numbers
Point Code

Offset

Next you define the Offset of the (Alignment) String. While it is common to have the centreline as the alignment, and thus have an offset of zero, it is by no means mandatory.

As long as the alignment you use has the one offset, it doesn’t matter whether you use the centreline, the left kerb, or the right fence as the alignment string.

Chainage

You then need to specify the Chainage at the start of the alignment String.

Offset Limits

The offset limits default to a large number which is fine if your alignment is relatively straight.

However, if the alignment is curved, and particularly if it doubles back on itself, this will not work.

The program calculates a chainage and offset of each point to the alignment wherever possible, and so it is possible in curved situation that one point might have three of four possible chainages depending where along the alignment the calculation is made.

If you know that the points should fall within a particular ‘envelope’ on either side of the alignment then you can use this to eliminate the extraneous chainage and offset values, as only the one which falls within the limits you set will be stored.


Options Menu

Re-Index the Database

It is possible for the database indexes to get ‘corrupted’ through a variety of causes ranging from power failure to operator misadventure.

Symptoms include points appearing out of position, strings and contours ‘scribbling’ randomly over the job.

While it cannot be guaranteed to work on all occasions, this routine will do what it can to fix up the indexes and return the job to a useful state.


Window Menu

The Window menu offers the following commands, which enable you to arrange multiple views of the same job, or multiple views containing different jobs on the screen

New Window	Creates a new window that contains another view of the same Job
Cascade	Arranges windows in an overlapped fashion.
Tile	Arranges windows in non-overlapped tiles.
Arrange Icons	Arranges icons of closed windows.
Window 1, 2, ...	Goes to specified window.


Help Menu

The Help menu offers the following commands, which provide you assistance with this application:

Index	Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.
Using Help	Provides general instructions on using help.
About	Displays the version number of this application.


New command (File menu)

Use this command to create a new  Job in CDS.

Before you go too far, it is essential that you understand the naming conventions regarding jobs, and this varies depending on which version of windows you are using.

1. Using Windows 3.11 or NT3.51

Historically, Foresight has identified its jobs by a 3 character ‘job ID’, and if you are working under Windows 3.11, you will need to stick to this system.

Also, if you wish the job you create to be able to be used under earlier versions of Foresight, you should also restrict your Job Name to a 3 character ID.

The core of any Foresight Job is the database where the coordinates are stored, and this file is called by the name ‘db.’job’’, where ‘job’ can be any combination of letters or numbers.

So, for example, if you wished to open a job with an Id of ‘123’, you would need to type in  ‘db.123’, then select Open.

2. Using Windows95 or NT4

If you are using either of Win95 (or 97 or 98) or Windows NT4 then the restriction regarding 3 characters does not apply, and you may use ‘long filenames’ providing you adhere to the following restrictions.

(a) 	the name must be in the form ‘db.’longname’’

(b) 	‘longname’ can be replaced with any combination of letters or numbers, but MUST NOT have any spaces, commas, fullstops , semi-colons or colons , slashes or greater than or less than signs in it.

(c) 	you may use up to 250 characters to replace ‘longname’ but we do urge you to restrict the names to something considerably less, and use the descriptive fields below to provide further means of identification

You can open an existing Job with the Open command, and if you specify a Job which already exists with the New command you will be told to use the Open Command

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+N

File New dialogue box


Open

Use this command to open an existing Job in a new window.

You can open multiple Jobs at once.

Use the Window menu to switch among the multiple open Jobs. See Window 1,2,3

You can also use the Tile Horizontal and Tile Vertical commands to display the different Jobs simultaneously.

You can create new Jobs with the New command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+O

File Open dialogue box

 The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open.  This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open:

Since Foresight Jobs all revolve around the database in which the points are stored, the key File is the file called ‘db.’job’’, where ‘job’ is replaced by the particular Job ID you have used to identify your jobs.

The type of file will default to db.* which will show you all the Foresight jobs in the current Folder/Directory

Drives

Select the drive in which CDS stores the file that you want to open.

Folder/ Directory

Select the Folder/ Directory in which CDS can find the Job that you want to open.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Close command (File menu)

Use this command to close all windows containing the active Job

Foresight  suggests that you save changes to your document before you close it.

If you close a document without saving, you will lose all changes made since the last time you saved it.

You can also close a document by using the Close icon on the document's window, as shown below:


Save command (File menu)

Use this command to save the active Job to its current name and directory

If you want to change the name and directory of an existing Job before you save it, choose the Save As command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+S


Save As command (File menu)

Use this command to save and name the active document.  CDS displays the Save As dialogue box so you can name your Job.

To save a Job with its existing name and directory, use the Save command.

File Save As dialogue box

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you're about to save:

File Name

Type a new filename to save a Job with a different name.

The Job name takes the form of db.xyz where xyz are the three characters you wish to use as your new Job ID

Drives

Select the drive in which you want to store the Job.

Directories

Select the directory in which you want to store the Job.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your CDS session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.  CDS prompts you to save Jobs with unsaved changes.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


New Window

Use this command to open a new window with the same contents as the active window.

You can open multiple document windows to display different parts or views of a Job at the same time.

If you change the contents in one window, all other windows containing the same Job reflect those changes the next time they are redrawn.

When you open a new window, it becomes the active window and is displayed on top of all other open windows.


Cascade  (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows in an overlapped fashion.


Tile Horizontal  (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows in a non-overlapped fashion one on top of the other


Tile Vertical  (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows side by side.

1, 2, ... command (Window menu)

CDS displays a list of currently open Job windows at the bottom of the Window menu.

A check mark appears in front of the Job name of the active window.

Choose a Job from this list to make its window active.


Controlling the Display

It is essential that you familiarize yourself with some of the basic screen controls as described below.

What you see on your display once you open a Job is determined by a combination of two features called Modes and Layers.

When you first open a Job with CDS the control of the display defaults to the Layers screen.

This method allows you to determine which layers are displayed, what colour each layer is shown in, and what attribute (e.g. point number, code, height etc)  is shown for each layer

If your job does not have layers, or if the layers do not give you the flexibility you require, you can take control of what you see on the display by switching control to Modes.

Modes has two functions;

(a) 	Display  - to allow you to specify which points, and what attribute is displayed

(b) 	Input - to specify what units you will use for angles and distances.

In addition to controlling what is displayed on the screen, you can control how much of the job you see at any time by using a combination of Zoom and Pan.


Modes

Modes can be used to control both what you see on your display, and how you input data as you calculate points.

Modes - Display

The Modes tables are activated by either selecting the Modes Icon from the toolbar, or by pressing the F9 Function Key.

Using the On/Off/Select radio buttons can control each of the items listed below, or they can be turned On or Off by using the relevant function key shown in brackets adjacent to the item.

Note that the Modes feature only allows you to have one attribute displayed at any one time. I.e. you may have the point numbers displayed, or the heights, but you can’t have the numbers for some points and heights for others - that capability requires Layers.

Points - the points are marked on the screen by a dot at their specified location. If you do not wish to have these ‘dots’ shown, you may turn them off.
You can also Select which Points you wish to be displayed by checking the Select Button, and then entering the Minimum and maximum point numbers of the range you wish to see displayed

Point Numbers (F2) - you can display all the point numbers by using On, or, if you wish to only see a range of Point Numbers, you can check the Select button and enter the minimum and maximum Point numbers of your required range.

Heights  (F5) -  you can display all heights, or alternatively you can use Select to only display the heights within a particular range

Codes  (F6)  - you can display all codes, or alternatively you can use Select to only display the codes within a particular range to help in joining a string or similar task

Descriptions - can be turned On or Off - there is no Select capability for the foreseeable future

Layer Names - can be turned On or Off - there is no Select capability for the foreseeable future

Road Numbers - can be turned On or Off, or you might decide to Select and only display Road Number 1 to help you identify those points.

Chainages -can be turned On or Off, or you might decide to Select and only display Chainages within a particular range to help you identify a troublesome design area.

Offsets - can be turned On or Off - there is no Select capability

Design - can be turned On or Off - there is no Select capability

As well as the Point Attributes listed above, you can also control the display of the following items

String Lines  (F3) - this turns the strings On or Off, and you control which Strings are displayed by using the Display button in the Folder option under the Strings Menu.

String Names  (F4) - the name or number of the string can be displayed either along an open string, or in the center of a closed string

Contours  (F7) - can be turned on or off once they have been formed

Triangles  (F8) - can be turned on or off.

Symbols can be turned on or off

Modes - Input

The Modes Input screen allows you to define what format your Bearings are in, and what units of distance you have used.

In addition you can have the program prompt you for additional values as you add/calculate points, or alternatively you can set constant values which will be assigned to all points calculated or added into the job.

Bearings

In this Version of the software, you can only enter Degrees, and they are entered in the format DDD.MMSS where DDD is degrees between 0 and 360, MM is minutes between 0 and 60 and SS is seconds between 0 and 60.

The alternative methods of angular measurement will be implemented as and when there is a demand for them.

Distances

You can set the Input Distances to any of the following units, and once you have done so, any distance you enter into any of the Cogo calculation routines will be in the units specified.

Metres - the default unit of entry.

Feet - decimal Feet

Feet and Inches - where 3 feet 11 inches is entered as 3’11”
and 5 feet 8 and five eight inches is entered as 5’8”5/8

Links

You can set the Output Distances to be any of the above units, and once set, any distances plotted on a plan, of given to you as the result of a Join will be in the units you specify.

Please note that with regard to feet, the program does NOT provide output in feet and inches, but will give you the output in decimal feet.

Please Note that these distance units have been implemented solely for the purposes of allowing you to convert old imperial plans into metres, and that all coordinates in the database, and all heights are in metres.

Be aware that if you happen to have points with heights, and you do a Join with the output units in anything other than metres, the Grade displayed will be wrong.

Note that there are two fields at the extreme right of the Status bar that will indicate the units to be Input (in the left-hand field) and Output (on the Right Hand field)

Point Input

You can also set the program up to either prompt you for additional information about points which you calculate, or alternatively you can assign a Constant value or values to all points calculated.

Note that as far as Layers are concerned, if you set the Layers option to NO. Then all points subsequently added will be assigned to Layer 0 (zero) which is the equivalent of no layer.

Note that you can also change the Layer onto which points are place ‘on the fly’ if you wish by either pulling down and selecting from the field adjacent to the Layers Icon, or by typing a new layer name into that field.

Use of this Layers Pull Down is the same as using the Modes Input Constant option, but has been implemented to allow you greater flexibility in assigning points to layers as you calculate.

If you select the Yes option for any of the attributes, the program will bring up the ‘Add Points’ Dialogue Box after you Apply the calculation to allow you to type in the value you require.


Layers

The Layers Screen allows you to determine whether points on a particular layer are displayed or not.

If a layer is not displayed, then points on that layer will not be selected or deleted.

If the layer is displayed, you can set the colour for the points, and the attribute to be displayed.

You can also specify whether the layer is active or locked.

If a layer is Locked, points on that layer cannot be selected but can be included in strings.

You can also decide if a particular layer is to be plotted or not, and if it is to be plotted which particular Point marker is to be used.

Note that to add a new layer you should use either the Modes - Input Option, or alternatively you can type a new layer name into the pull down field that appears adjacent to the Layers Icon.


Zoom

The Zoom function may be accessed by pressing the ‘Z’ key on the keyboard at any time.

You will see the cursor change to a magnifying glass with a cross in the centre, and this cursor means you are in Zoom Window mode.

All you need to do is to select one corner of the window you wish to see, and then ‘drag’ the other corner of the window until it includes the area of interest.

Once you release the mouse button, the screen will be redrawn to display the area you have selected.

If you wish to simply see the whole job in the active window, you need to Zoom Extents, and you can achieve this at any time by pressing ‘Z’, and then pressing the ‘E’ key immediately.

There are two other Zoom functions which are accessed from Icons on the toolbar.

You can Zoom In on the job by selecting the Icon showing a magnifying glass with a plus sign.

You can Zoom Out to see more of the job by selecting the Icon showing the magnifying g glass with a minus sign.


Pan

The Pan option allows you to ‘drag’ the job around in the active window.

You can access Pan by either selecting the Icon showing four arrows on the tool bar, or you can simply press the ‘P’ key on the keyboard.

You will see the cursor change to show a cross with four arrows.

Position this cursor over the point that you wish to move.

Then hold down the left mouse button and move the cursor to the position where you would like the point to now be located.

When you release the button the screen will be redrawn to show the new location of the point within the window.


Join or Inverse

The Join function allows you to find the bearing and distance between any two points in the job.

Pressing the ‘J’ key on the keyboard accesses it.

You will see a box displayed requesting First and Second points.

You may either type in the point numbers, or point to the required points on the screen.

Once you have entered the two point numbers, the bearing and distance from the first point to the second point will be shown.

If the two points have heights, the grade between them will also be displayed.

Note however that if you have chosen to output distances in any units other than metres, the grade displayed will not be correct, so please ignore it in those circumstances.


Re-Index Database

Occasionally as you work through Jobs you may find that points ‘go missing’, or appear out of location, or some other strange manifestation may appear and cause you concern.

This can occur for a variety of reasons, some of which may be connected with what you have been doing in the program, or, perhaps more commonly, extraneous events such as power glitches, or other Windows programs behaving erratically and ‘clobbering’ the RAM.

If such a thing happens, it is possible that the Indexes that indicate the location of points in the database might have become corrupted, scrambled or simply ‘screwy’.

You should select this Option and allow the program to attempt to re-create the indexes to see if this cures the problem.

If the problem does not seem to be cured immediately on Re-Indexing the Database, you should Exit from CDS, take a deep breath, relax, count to 10, and then start up CDS again and open the Job where you had the trouble.

Past experience has shown that in 99 cases out of 100 this will fix the Job up for you

If you have the misfortune to be the other 1 case, you will suddenly see the wisdom of backing up your data on a regular basis.


Backup Job

This option allows you to Copy all the data files that make up any one job onto a floppy disc, or to some other location.

All you need do is select the Job you wish to backup and place it in the field called ‘Source’, and then identify the destination you wish to send it to.

The program will then copy all the necessary files for you, and it will report its progress along the bottom left of the Status Bar while the process is taking place.

Note: A ‘Job’ in CDS consists of a variable number of files, depending on what options you have used.

The ‘Job ID’ which you supply is the identifier for each ‘Job’

These files are in the form

*.Job  the traditional form of storage from older DOS versions

Job.* - the new form to which everything is slowly changing

If you wish to copy or otherwise move jobs around using anything other than the Backup and Restore routines you MUST make certain that you select and move both ‘*.JOB’ and ‘JOB.*’


Restore Job

This option allows you to Copy all the data files which make up any one job from a floppy disc, or other storage location to some other location.

All you need do is select the Job you wish to restore and place it in the field called ‘Source’, and then identify the destination you wish to send it to.

The program will then copy all the necessary files for you, and it will report its progress along the bottom left of the Status Bar while the process is taking place.


QA Routines

Quality Assurance now seem to be the buzzwords in all manner of industries, and Civil Engineering and Surveying are no exception.

Perhaps if the later day converts to this new age religion understood that Surveyors (and to a lesser extent Engineers) have always implemented Quality Assurance by closing traverses, and level loops and the like, we might be able to convince them to introduce a standard for our particular field of expertise which is vaguely applicable instead of the cobbled together theoretical mish-mash which currently passes for a ‘Standard’.

At the present time C D S contains an option to check and rectify ‘duplicate points’  along with an option to remove points no longer in the Job from strings.


Filter Duplicate Coordinates

This option allows you to check through the database to find points which lie ‘on top’ of one another.

While sometimes you do need to have two or more points at the one location, there are many other times when such an occurrence is a distinct nuisance.

Typically this can happen when you have imported information from some other CAD package which has stored what we understand as Strings as a series of individual Lines rather than polylines. In this case you have two identical points at the end of each line segment, effectively doubling the number of points in the job.

This routine allows you to specify the Tolerance or Filter distance, which in the case of identical line ends should be set to 1 millimetre.

In other cases you can set a distance which suits the purpose at hand. For example, if you have received data from Aerial Photography which happens to have points every 0.2 metres along all the contours, you can undertake some ‘thinning’ by setting a tolerance of 0.3 and letting the routine loose.

Once you have specified the tolerance required, you will find a series of attributes listed that you can consider in determining whether or not the points are ‘duplicate’.

For example, if you choose to consider Heights, and the program finds two points that have identical coordinates but different heights, the points will not be considered as ‘duplicates’,

Next you can choose if you wish to consider strings.

If two points are in the same location, and one is in a string and the other not, then the point not in the string is ordinarily the one to disappear down the filter.

If both points are in strings, the program will present both point to you and give you the option of deleting one, or the other, or none of the above.


Check String Points

This option is designed to check the strings you have defined, and determine if the points that make up the strings are still contained in the job.

You can rectify the strings by removing reference to any points no longer in the Job by selecting the relevant option.

You can also ask the program to give you a report that will identify the points that have gone and the strings and folders that they live in to allow you to fix the problem manually if you wish.


Check Breaklines


Points NOT in Strings


Codes NOT in Code Library


Code Splitting


Check for Steps


Convert Soundings to Levels

This option allows you to convert depth soundings, normally taken from a boat, into Reduced Levels.

You should enter all the points you have into a job with the sounding values entered as the Height.

When you access this option you will see the minimum and maximum values reported, and you will be asked to specify the Datum Level.

This is normally the Reduced Level of the water surface from which the soundings were taken.

The program then takes the sounding value of the point from the datum level specified to arrive at a reduced level for the points.

Please note that the program operates on ALL points in the job, so it is essential that you do not try and mix soundings with other points until the values have been converted correctly.


Copy String ID's to Codes

As its name suggests, the function of this routine is to assign the String ID to be the point code of all the points that lie on the string.

Be Warned however that codes are currently limited to 8 characters in length while String ID’s can be considerably longer. If you have a string ID longer than 8 characters and you attempt to use it in this function only the first 8 characters will be used as a code.

Please note that the function will be ‘greyed out’ on the menu until you have at least one string selected.

You should select the String or Strings, which you wish to process using the normal String Selection methods.

Once you have selected the relevant strings, simply access this routine from the Options Menu, and the process will go ahead.


Piling

The piling routines have been implemented as a separate Add-On module to CDS for those clients who need to set out and/or monitor Piling operations.

Please note that if this option is ‘greyed-out’ on the menu it means that it has not yet been ‘authorised’ or purchased.

Please contact your Dealer. or Foresight direct to arrange purchase and authorisation.


Grid Calculation

Grid Number

CDS allows you to define multiple grids, and a unique “Grid Number” identifies each individual grid.

Each Grid consists of two axes related to one another by the parameters specified in the fields below.

Axis 1

Origin – you need to specify the origin of the 1st axis for each grid by typing in the East and North coordinates of the start point of the axis.

Bearing – type in the bearing of this particular axis.

Spacing – the grids along an axis may either be spaced regularly i.e. all the grid are the same distance apart, or irregularly i.e. there is a different spacing between some of the grids.

·	Regular – for a regular grid you type in the grid interval, and then use the No. column to the right to identify how many grids there are along this axis.
e.g. if you had a 20 metre grid and you needed 6 grids, you would place 20 in the spacing column and then place 6 in the Number column.

·	Irregular – an irregular grid is where you do not have the same spacing between all of the grids along a particular axis. e.g. you had 3 grids 20 metres apart, then 12 metres to the next, then another 3 at 20 metres apart..
In this case you define all of the grids you need within the “spacing” field , and the program will ignore the No. column.
For example, to define the grid used in the example above, you would enter 3*20,12,3*20.
Note that the entry will ‘slide’ to the left if it is longer than the column space allowed.

 Label

Each axis of a grid can be given either an alpha i.e. a letter between a to z, of a numeric i.e. a number between 1 and 9999.

No.

The number column is used to define the number of grids you need when you are defining a regular grid – see Spacing above.

Axis 2

The second axis is defined using the same elements already described above under Axis 1.

Note that the Origin does not need to be the same as the origin you used for Axis 1.

Note also that though grids are often rectangular i.e. Axis 2 is perpendicular to Axis 1, they do not need to be and you can easily define a skewed grid by using the relevant bearing for Axis 2.


Define Pile Structure

A Pile Structure is a ‘standard’ layout of piles which you are likely to use a number of times.

Creating and Storing Structures.

Before you actually start on the Structure side of things, you need to enter or calculate the points that make up the pile structure using the standard entry or Cogo facilities.  You do this in the normal course of a job as if the points and structure were only to be used once.

When all the points have been calculated, you then need to add a string or strings to ‘draw’ the outline of the proposed structure.

Once the item has been created the first time, you then need to follow the 3 steps listed below.

1. - you use the Select Strings option to select the string or strings that define the structure.

2. - use Select Points to select the insertion point of the structure.   NB this Insertion point may or may not be actually in the string defining the structure depending on the circumstances of your individual structure.

3.- Pull, down the Cogo menu, select the Piling option, and then select Define a Pile Structure. You will be asked to specify the name of the structure and you can enter any name up to 8 characters in length to identify the current structure.


Define Pile Location

You can define the location of the piles by either interactively ‘snapping’ a pile structure onto a grid intersection, or by filling in a table using the Pile Location Table option.

When you select this option you will be presented with a Pop-Up window requesting the name of the structure to be inserted.

You can either type in the name, or use the Pull Down facility to choose from the list of defined structures.


Pile Location Table

This option is designed to allow you to tabulate where a particular Pile Structure is to be inserted.

You need to type in the name of the Pile Structure you wish to insert.

If you wish to offset the structure from the Insertion Point/Grid then you can type in the values of the X and Y offset which you require.

Next you can list the Points where you wish the particular structure to be inserted.

You may either use the Point Numbers of points already stored in the database, or you may use the label of the Grid Intersection Point where you wish to insert the structure.


Define Dispalcement Symbol

This option will display the Piling parameter screen for you, and you should concentrate your attention on the section titled Displacement Symbols.

If you wish to have the symbols displayed and plotted you need to check the box adjacent to the heading.

Next you need to choose which of the four symbols you wish to use to represent the displacement between the design and surveyed locations of the piles.

Once you have chosen the symbol you wish to use, you can define the size of it by filling in the relevant values in the fields titled Dist X and Dist Y.

The Scale field allows you to

The Offset values allow you to specify how far away from the point the symbol is placed.


Calculate Displacements

Before you can calculate the displacements, you need to ensure that the fields titled Design Location and Surveyed Location on the bottom of the Piling Parameters screen are correctly filled in.

By definition, the points defining the Design Location must be in the current job, so it is only a matter of defining the relevant range of points.

Points defining the Surveyed Location can either be stored in the current job, or in another job depending on the nature of the work in hand.

You need to define the job where necessary, then fill in the relevant range of point numbers.


Piling Report