InRoads - Transfer Civil Geometry and Create a Profile Drawing

This information is being documented for the specific purpose of simplifying the process of creating profiles as an interim step in the transitional process to work with OpenRoads Designer. The NHDOT CAD/D staff is not proficient in all aspects of native InRoads and is only documenting specific procedures as needed.
InRoads has been set up to work within the SS4 Workspace and utilize the project's MX file locations. Using InRoads as the native product to create and transfer horizontal and vertical alignments simplifies the process from MX. InRoads has no problems with US Survey Feet and alignments can have longer names than the four characters allowed with MX. InRoads uses the same dgnlib's for most features but has different Horizontal Geometry definitions for auto annotation and use of InRoads tools for easier profile generation.

Inroads Explorer

Hit on the InRoads icon to open InRoads. Select the Project, User, Interface and drawing (12345-Geometry), click Open. Open the Default model, and use Level display to display the existing detail. If Project Defaults have not been set up for this project, follow the instructions in InRoads Default Settings.

InRoads utilizes InRoads Explorer for its native functionality. If the Explorer is not visible, Right-Click and hold in the Default view and select Explorer Show/Hide to un-hide the Explorer panel.

Along the top are many drop-down menus containing the native InRoads tools. These will be used to draw and annotate profiles. First, some settings/files will need to be created and selected. Three tabs on the bottom left Surfaces, Geometry and Preferences are used to define some active settings and files to be used.

InRoads Explorer

The Surfaces tab in the lower left corner of the InRoads Explorer is used to define the existing surface for the profile. Use Element Selector to Select the existing terrain model from the attached 12345-terrain.dgn, hover on it and select Export Terrain Model > InRoads DTM. Verify the file path and name the .dtm or accept the default name TX00.dtm. Click Save. To set this dtm as the default surface, Right-Click on Surfaces on the left side of the InRoads Explorer box and then select Open. Select the .dtm and hit OK, then Cancel. The Triangles::TX00 surface has been added and has a red outline indicating it is the default surface.

Caption Text

Next, select the Geometry tab. The Geometry tab is used to open or create Geometry projects (files). Create a new geometry Project. Right-Click on Geometry Projects in the box and select New. Type in a name and Description, Apply, and Close. The project will be created and set as the active project. If a project already exists, use the Open command, select the saved alg file, Open, then Cancel. The active project can be saved as an .alg file when exiting InRoads, the .alg file is where your alignments will be saved.

In order for alignments and profiles to be created/displayed correctly the preference file must be set. Review/set the preference file by selecting the Preferences tab and hover on the preference file listed. If it is incorrect, Right-Click on the listed preference in the box and select Open. Browse to the project's mx\imperial_styles or the openroads/data folder and select nhdot-ali-preferences.xin. If it does not exist you can copy it from the ss4_workspace\standards\data\feature_definitions\ folder and then select it.

Transfer Civil Geometry to InRoads .alg

Now that the project is set up the alignment transfer is easy. Prior to transfer verify that it is set to an InRoads Feature definition and check the Horizontal and Vertical feature names. Names can use a 4 character mx string label but do not need to, they can contain the road such as NH Route 302. All named profiles will transfer so name them so you know what they are. Next set the Default view active, select the alignment to transfer, and use the General Geometry Task > Export to Native, and Accept (Left-Click on the Screen) to send the selected alignment into the active Geometry Project.

If the alignment already exists in a project it should be deleted prior to transferring it again. The default project can be used but it is always recreated in each new session.

Draw the Profile

Create a drawing for the profile. This should be a 2D single model dgn using the MicroStation seed file. File > New >..... verify/set the seed file (nhseedf2-ussf.dgn), and name the new file 12345-pro-RoadName.dgn.

To create the Base profile from InRoads Explorer select Evaluation > Profile > Create Profile. From the Create Profile box select Preferences > NHDOT-5:1 > Load > Close. Check the box next to the projects surface name TRIANGLES::TX00 and then select it in the Surfaces: box. Click Properties... and change the Profiles Symbology to existing ground. Apply. Close the Properties box.

Create Profile dialog box

Back on the Create Profile panel, the profile's Set Name can be changed if you have multiple profiles to draw. Select the Source entry under Create Profile on the left side of this panel to verify the correct profile is selected. The Details folder allows you to enter the Title Text. Hit Apply, and identify a location on the screen that you want the lower left hand corner of the profile to be plotted. It is recommended to place the origin of the profile at 0/0 which can be done with the key-in XY=0,0. The Profile will be plotted at the indicated location.

Use Evaluation > Profile > Annotate Profile. Say Yes to the message and then select Preferences > NHDOT-Elevations > Load > Close. In the top left hand corner, change the Profile Set: to the Set you are trying to annotate. Verify the Vertical alignment and surface to be annotated, select Apply, then Close.

Use Evaluation>Profile>Annotate Profile. Say yes to the message and then select Preferences > NHDOT-Elevations > Load > Close. In the top left hand corner Change the Profile Set: to the Set you are trying to annotate! Verify the Vertical alignment and surface to be annotated, select Apply, then Close.

Annotate Profile Dialog

Next, annotate the proposed profile by using Geometry > View Geometry > Vertical Annotation. Click on the Preferences... button of the panel that appears. Select NHDOT-50 > Load > Close. Verify the values shown especially the Profile Set to annotate. Hit Apply, then close.

Proposed Profile Annotation

Save Settings and Save the dgn before closing.

The profile can be opened in MicroStation and edited/enhanced with the MicroStation tasks. If named with "12345-pro" in the name the correct task list should automatically be displayed when the drawing is opened with MicroStation.

When you exit Inroads will ask if you want to save any geometry (.alg) projects.