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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

RoadCalc Output

Geometric Design of Highways

 RoadCalc Output

 1. Adjusting the scale:

       a. In the EAGLEPOINT dialogue box, go to Tools --> Plot Scales... 
b. Change the horizontal scale to 1:5000 and the vertical scale to 1:200.  (Horizontal scale 1 cm = 50 cm and vertical scale 1 cm = 2 m)  This scale is enough for a 36” x 48” paper size.  If using other paper size (24” x 36” or 11” x 17”) the scale has to change accordingly.
c. In ROADCALC, open your profile drawing.  If it asks if you would like to synchronize graphics or data, update graphics.  The vertical scale will change, so the drawing will look much different.  That is ok.  Save it on AUTO-CAD.
2. Specifying the Project Extents on Your Plan View:

       a. In the ROADCALC dialogue box, go to Output --> Catchlines…
b. Click OK.  This will place lines along each side of your centerline that most likely will not have the same width between them from the beginning to the end of your route.  In other words, your project extents will get narrower in some places and wider in others.
3. Cross Section Plots:

       a. In the ROADCALC dialogue box, go to Output --> Cross Section Sheets...
b. Click on the Format Library button. Choose RoadCalc Metric Defaults and click on the Load Format button.  Click on Yes and close the window.
 In the Format drop down menu, you will have many options. These are all parameters that you will be able to change according to your liking. Only a few of them will be mentioned here. You are welcome to try changing other values on your own. Sometimes you can get a really nice product by using a little trial and error.
* Sheet settings:  Here you can change the settings for the cross-section printout.  The default values are acceptable, except the horizontal and vertical grid spacing.  Change these to the following:

       Heavy Grid:  Horizontal – 10m, Vertical – 20m

       Fine Grid:  Horizontal – 2.5m, Vertical – 5m

       Sheet Prototype: C:\Program Files\Eagle Point Software\EGPT\Support\DWG\Rcxplt.dwg

       Click OK. 

* CAD Settings:  Here, you can change the line widths, text sizes, and colors that will be on the plan and profile sheet.  Just keep in mind that these will be printed in color.  Therefore, yellow does not show very well, white shows as black, and black shows as white, etc.

* Slope Annotation:  Don’t bother with this – you should annotate slopes on the finished AutoCAD drawing.

* Text settings:  Here, you tell RoadCalc what text to place on the drawing.  Leave it as it is for now, and remove any text that you don’t want after the sheets are finished.

    d. After you are finished changing these values, click on the Stations to Plot button. 
e. Choose one station that is in full cut, one that is in full fill, one that has both cut and fill, and one that is superelevated.  Turn the rest off by clicking on Mark Off button.  Click OK. 

       f. Click on the Create Cross Section Sheets icon and OK on the following window.
RoadCalc will now show you one sheet of cross-sections. You can do some clean-up on the text placement, dimensioning, adding the concrete barrier (you have all dimensions for the barrier in your notes – be sure that when you draw the barrier that you are aware of the drawing’s scaling factor) and whatever else that you would like to change. Your finished cross-section should resemble the one below. After you feel that they are satisfactory, save the AutoCAD file.
4. Mass Diagram Plot:
From the RoadCalc dialogue box, go to Output --> Mass Diagram sheets.  You will create the Plan and Profile just like you did the Cross Section plot (hint: do step 3b).

* Sheet settings: The default sheet length is 800mm.  You will change this to fit your diagram sheet.  For example, if your horizontal alignment is 5000m long, and the scale is 1:5000, then you will need your sheet to be a little over 1m long – say 1.1m, or 1.2m.  Change the sheet height to a value lower than 910 mm (36 inches) to allow for a frame.

* Prototype drawing path: C:\Program Files\Eagle Point Software\EGPT\Support\DWG\Rcmass.dwg
* Volume Settings: This allows you to specify the settings used to calculate the mass volumes. Settings that can be set are horizontal curve correction, free haul distance and ending percent compaction. The different original/actual materials may be toggled on to be included in the mass volumes. Since the mass volumes are affected, the mass diagram is affected as well.
5. Plan and Profile Plots:
a. From the RoadCalc dialogue box, go to Output --> Plan and Profile Sheets. You will create the diagram just like you did the Cross Section plot (hint:  do step 3b). You will want to check the CAD settings and carefully examine them to make sure that everything is the way that you would like it to be in your CAD plot.  Once some of these settings are set, it is very tedious to change them later.
b. In the Format drop down menu:
* Sheet settings:  Here you can change the settings for the plan and profile view of the printout. 
1. The default sheet length is 800mm.  You will change this to fit your horizontal alignment.  For example, if your horizontal alignment is 5000m long, and the scale is 1:5000, then you will need your sheet to be a little over 1m long – say 1.1m, or 1.2m. The sheet height should be somewhat smaller than 910 mm (36 inches). 

2. After you have changed the sheet length to 1200mm (or whatever your length should be), you need to change the Sheet Upper Right X Coordinate to the same value. 

3. Change the Plan Upper Right X Coordinate to (sheet length minus 20mm). 

4. Prototype drawing: C:\Program Files\Eagle Point Software\EGPT\Support\DWG\Rcplap.dwg

5. Click on the Profile tab at the top of the dialogue box.

6. Change Grid Area Length to (sheet length minus 40mm). 

7. Change the Upper Right X Coordinate to (sheet length minus 20mm). 

8. Click on OK to close the dialogue box. 
You can use the following example as a first trial, adjust at your convenience.
* CAD Settings:  Here, you can change the line widths, text sizes, and colors that will be on the plan and profile sheet. Change any Nonzero text sizes to 2.0. Beware of the layer colors. Change grids to the lightest grey for the heavy grid, and the next to lightest grey for the fine grid. (This is purposely backwards, as the plotter will plot the opposite)

* Station/Elevation Intervals: Change the values in the window to those shown below and hit OK.

* Custom Symbols: Make sure that the path for all the symbols start with C:\Program Files\... like this:

       NORTH ARROW --> C:\Program Files\Eagle Point Software\Egpt\Images\narrow\nora1.dwg
* There are settings for the annotation of the horizontal and vertical alignments (specifically in the menu items ‘Horizontal Station Labels,’ ‘Circular Curve Labels,’ ‘Spiral Curve Labels,’ ‘Vertical Station/Elevation Labels,’ ‘Vertical Curve Labels’). You can pick what design parameters you would like to have labeled on your horizontal and vertical alignment. Be careful, because if you pick everything, your drawing may be overcrowded. There are some parameters that are not necessary. It is up to you to decide which ones.

After making the format changes, click on the New Plan and Profile Sheets icon.
Check if your horizontal alignment fits on one sheet. There should be only one row added to the window, as such:
If not, delete all sheets, change the length of sheet, as described above, and create a new sheet. Repeat this step until you have one sheet.  Wait for AutoCAD to prepare the drawing.
If you are not happy with the placement of the drawing onto the plan and profile sheet, you may move the drawing items.  For example, if you have a large horizontal curve that is not shown on the plan view, the entire plan view window may be shifted. To do this, on the RoadCalc dialogue box go to Output  --> Adjust Plan and Profile Sheets.  You will be able to adjust your plan and profile sheet.
You may change drawing items on the plan view by going to the original horizon.  Once you have changed all the settings to your liking, click on the New Plan and Profile Sheets icon.  Click OK.  This will create the plan and profile sheet.  Make any and all changes that you would like, and save.  You are now ready to plot.
You can create a graphical scale on your drawings to avoid problems with the scale of your drawing.  In that way the scale will reflect any scaling you need to perform to plot the drawing.
The viewport will change once you are ready to plot and select the correct plotter and page size!

6. Printing AutoCAD files to the plotter

       a. In AutoCAD of to File-->Plot.

       b. Click on the “Plot device” tab and select the printer, CIVL3154PLT on Madrid.

                c. Click on the “Plot Settings” tab.

                d. Select the paper size (ARCH D-24 x 36 portraits).  Select landscape “Drawing Orientation”.
       e. Choose the “Plot Area” by clicking the Window < button.

       f. Select “Scaled to fit” for “Plot Scale”.

       g. Select Center the Plot.

h. Click on the “Partial Preview” button.  Make sure the drawing fits on the paper, the shaded area should be smaller than white area.
                 i.  Click OK twice.
 Your Plan and Profile sheet, Cross-Section sheet and Mass Diagram sheet should resemble the following drawings:
(Your Cross-Section will be of a 4-lane divided highway, not 2-lane undivided as in the example)

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