Create and edit Alignments

Command: Alignment, AlignmentEdit, AlignmentView

About: In BricsCAD, alignments are created using the Alignment tool. Alignment is the route of the linear objects, defined as a combination of lines and curves that are viewed as one object.

Lesson objectives: After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Create a horizontal alignment
• Create a vertical alignment
• Create a 3D alignment
• Create alignment from Civil 3D alignment
• Edit an alignment
• Create a vertical alignment view

About Alignment

Alignment is a reference system used to position linear objects, like roads, railways, pipe networks, streets, retaining walls and bridges, in space. An alignment is represented with horizontal, vertical 2D curves, resulting in 3D alignment.

For more information about this command, visit the Command Reference article Alignment.

Horizontal alignment

Horizontal alignment is a 2D curve that is needed to precisely position linear objects in a horizontal direction. It becomes defined by the Points of Intersection (PI). Horizontal alignment is the horizontal trace on your TIN Surface which is used to generate the height profile and vertical alignment. A single horizontal alignment can have multiple vertical alignments. The horizontal alignment will appear under the surface.

Vertical alignment

A vertical alignment is needed to precisely define a linear object in the vertical sense. The horizontal path defined by the horizontal alignment corresponds with a vertical profile of the TIN Surface. By defining Points of Vertical Intersection (PVI) on these vertical profiles of the target surfaces, the new 2D curve defines the vertical alignment.

3D alignment

A 3D Alignment is a 3D polygonal curve defined by the horizontal and vertical alignment.

Procedure: Creating an Alignment

1. Open the drawing file that contains a TIN Surface.

2. Launch the Alignment command in the command line

   Or select Alignment in the Model tab from the Quad.

   You are prompted: Create [Horizontal/Vertical/3D/create from Civil 3d alignment] <Horizontal>: (press enter or type “H” for horizontal alignment)

3. You are prompted: Select TIN surface or [pick Pi point]: (select the TIN Surface in the drawing)

4. You are prompted: Pick horizontal alignment PI point [Undo]: (pick the horizontal alignment PI points on your surface. Press enter when done.)
   Your horizontal alignment (1) and 3D alignments (2) are now generated.

   

Note: Three alignments are shown. The horizontal alignment on plane 0,0, light blue 3D alignment shows the projection of horizontal alignment on TIN Surface and the purple 3D alignment shows the design alignment that is automatically generated.

Procedure: Creating a Horizontal Alignment without 3D alignments

1. Open an empty drawing and launch the Alignment command in the command line

   Or select Alignment in the Model tab from the Quad.

   You are prompted: Create [Horizontal/Vertical/3D/create from Civil 3d alignment] <Horizontal>: (press enter or type “H” for horizontal alignment)

2. You are prompted: Select TIN surface or [pick Pi point]: (type “P” to select pick Pi point)

3. You are prompted: Pick horizontal alignment PI point [Undo]: (pick the horizontal alignment PI points on your surface. Press enter when done.)
   Your horizontal alignment is now generated.
   

Procedure: Creating a Vertical Alignment

1. Open the drawing file that contains a TIN Surface, Horizontal Alignment and Vertical Alignment View.
   

2. Launch the Alignment command in the command line

   Or select Alignment in the Model tab from the Quad.

   You are prompted: Create [Horizontal/Vertical/3D/create from Civil 3d alignment] <Horizontal>: (press enter or type “V” for vertical alignment)

3. You are prompted: Select vertical alignment View: (select vertical alignment view in the drawing)
   

   
4. You are prompted: Pick vertical alignment PVI point [Undo/Automatic 3d alignment]: (pick the vertical alignment PVI points. Press enter when done. If you want to go one step back, use Undo. Automatic 3d alignment option generate design vertical alignment automatically).
   Your design vertical alignment is now generated.
   

Procedure: Creating an Alignment from Civil 3D drawing

1. Open the drawing file from Civil 3D that contains a Civil 3D Alignment.
   

2. Launch the Alignment command in the command line

   Or select Alignment in the Model tab from the Quad.

   You are prompted: Create [Horizontal/Vertical/3D/create from Civil 3d alignment] <Horizontal>: (type “C” for create from Civil 3d alignment)

3. You are prompted: Select Civil 3D alignments or profiles: (select the alignment in the drawing and press enter.)
   Civil 3D alignment is converted to BricsCAD Alignment.
   
   

About AlignmentEdit

After creating an alignment, you can continue a horizontal or vertical alignment, add or delete PV/PVI points or change the TIN Surface using the command AlignmentEdit. The 3D alignment will be updated automatically.

For more information about this command, visit the Command Reference article AlignmentEdit.

Procedure: Continuing a horizontal alignment with AlignmentEdit

1. Draw a horizontal alignment following the steps from the procedure: Creating an alignment.
2. Type AlignmentEdit in the command bar.
   You are prompted: Select horizontal or vertical alignment
3. Select the horizontal alignment you want to edit.
   You are prompted: Pick a point to continue alignment or [Add Pi/Remove Pi/change Tin surface]
   

4. Select points on your surface to continue your existing alignment.
   
   

5. Press enter when finished. You have now continued your horizontal alignment. The 3D alignment will be updated automatically.
   
   

Procedure: Adding PI to an existing horizontal alignment

1. Type AlignmentEdit in the command bar.
   You are prompted: Select horizontal or vertical alignment
   
2. Select the horizontal alignment you want to edit.
   You are prompted: Pick a point to continue alignment or [Add Pi/Remove Pi/change Tin surface]
3. Type in AP to Add PI points.
4. You are prompted: Pick point to add new PI
   

Procedure: Removing PI to an existing horizontal alignment

1. Type AlignmentEdit in the command bar.
   You are prompted: Select horizontal or vertical alignment
   
2. Select the horizontal alignment you want to edit.
   You are prompted: Pick a point to continue alignment or [Add Pi/Remove Pi/change Tin surface]
3. Type in RP to Remove PI points.
4. You are prompted: Pick point near PI to remove
   

Procedure: Adding additional TIN Surface to Vertical alignment view

1. Open the drawing file that contains a TIN Surface, Alignments, Vertical Alignment View and grading.
   
2. Launch the AlignmentEdit command in the command line
   You are prompted: Select horizontal or vertical alignment: (select vertical alignment from the vertical alignment view)
   
3. You are prompted: Pick point to continue vertical alignment or [Add Pvi/Remove Pvi/ change Tin surface]: (type “T” to select change tin surface).
4. You are prompted: Select TIN surface to add: (select grading)
   
   

   In the vertical alignment view, you can see an additional light blue line representing the grading object.
   

About Vertical Alignment View

The horizontal alignment creates a vertical section of the target surface. This 2D curve can be displayed in a separate viewport inside your model space using the command Alignmentview.

For more information about this command, visit the Command Reference article Alignmentview.

Procedure: Creating a Vertical Alignment View

1. Open the drawing file that contains a TIN Surface, Horizontal Alignment and 3D Alignments.
   

2. Launch the AlignmentView command in the command line

   Or select Vertical Alignment View command from the Civil panel of the ribbon.

   You are prompted: Select horizontal or 3d alignment: (select horizontal or 3d alignment in the drawing)

3. You are prompted: Pick origin point for vertical alignment view: (pick a point as origin for the vertical alignment view)
   Your vertical alignment view is now generated.
   

Note: Two vertical alignments are shown. Light blue represents terrain line from the TIN Surface and another is design vertical alignment. The design vertical alignment has straight gradients and vertical curves and is created automatically based on the accuracy factor. You can change the accuracy factor from 1 to 100. When you choose 1 the accuracy will be the lowest.