What are the rules for plotting cross sections?

[WScottAllenPE]

That's the question. What rules does Civil 2011 use to plot cross sections on sheets? Basically, my template viewport is 300 feet wide. My grid is 120 feet wide. My vertical axis are located outside of the grid on both sides, with no offset and a text height (station only) of 1.25. Axis offsets are 0. My array is by column.

The problem is that I should get two columns side by side mathematically (10' for axis text, 120 ft for grid, 10' for axis text) with room between. But, no matter what value I set the "Space between adjacent section view" to (even a negative number), I can't get two columns to plot on the sheet. They will do so if I set the grid to 110 feet wide, and I get plenty of room to the side big enough to plot at 120 feet.

How does this work?

Scott

[randyspear]

Did you ever figure out what the controlling factor is?
I've always just exported to autocad and plotted from there but with 2012 I figure i should be taking advantage of the create section sheets tool.

[mjfarrell]

My question...
are you plotting those sections in Draft Mode or otherwise?
Did you define the section sheet viewport correctly? (correct scale?)
This portion is not as 'automatic' as the plan and profile sheets are to use.
It usually takes a least a coule of tries for my students to get their sheets the way they want them.

[randyspear]

I found my answer.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-Civil-3D/Section-View-Placement/td-p/3343411

[WScottAllenPE]

I am now on Civil 2012. It is actually worse on 2012, as now I must use a 100 foot wide grid.

Here's my process:

1.) Section Views, Create Multiple Views
2.) Use my Group Plot Style (attached as an image)
3.) Use my cross section template (the sheet size and the viewport size are displayed in the group plot style and correspond to what they should be).
4.) Offset range - Two trials (attached as image) The top is 50' left, 50' right (100' total). The bottom is 55' left, 55' right (110' total)
5.) Then I use Output, Plan Production, Create Section Sheets, which makes the layouts that reflect the template frame, etc.

My problem shows up in step 4, as shown in the image. There should be room for a second column up to 60' left and 60' right (120' total). The only place that I would know where to change this is in the group plot style. But what do I change?



Another question, since you bring up the issue again. If I have one section that is 80 feet in height, how can I tell C3D to not set the adjacent column to the same. Basically, as you can see from the image, in the upper left sheet, I have a big white gap, that should be able to hold two more sections. Over a long project, this has added a lot of extra sheets.


Randy, overall, I think the create section sheets tool is fine and worth it, as this just makes the layouts directly as you will generate after step four. My issues come up before you make the sheets. I live with it because it really is easier than the old way, but I wish it was improved.

[mjfarrell]

You may not be able to control that placement, as our only options currently for the Section CELL size are.

Uniform for Column or Row

OR

Uniform for all

You will find that setting a negative value will slide the colums closer together so you can get that extra column on the page. It will take a little experimentation

[WScottAllenPE]

Randy,

I posted just about the same time you did, so I didn't see your post.

I checked that link. Hallelujah! It worked. I was able to get two columns of 130 feet wide to fit and fill up the space. See attached. Thanks.

For those of you who haven't checked the link: The problem is not in the Group Plot Style. The problem is in the Section View Band Styles. In your style, each component has a title with a Text Box Width. This is determine in your calculation whether or not you have a title. So, for me, it was adding 30 feet to each column (3 inches at 10:1 scale). This made each column too wide. When I changed that width, no problems with the widths now. (see attached image).

[mjfarrell]

A negative offset for the column should also compensate for that text box width setting.

[moralesf]

How do we set the number of rows or columns for the section sheets?
I am running 2011 Civil 3D.

I noticed that the option for Maximum number of columns or rows is missing in the dialog box for editing sheet styles?

The picture attached is from another thread and is what I remember using in previous versions.
felipe

[WScottAllenPE]

Felipe,

You cannot actually specify the number of rows or columns directly. That was one of the things that got me when we upgraded too. I had to change my template from creating section sheets stacked vertically to horizontally.

What C3D does is look at the width of the grid plus axis plus title (even if you do not have one - see comment from 2012-02-23 above) plus distance between sections, and it calculates how many columns of sections it can place on a sheet with the viewport width you defined in your specified cross section template at your specified scale. For height, it does the same thing, until it fills the sheet. Notice that it will always align the bottoms of the sections for a row on any sheet. When a section will be partially off a sheet, it makes a new column or new sheet.

It can be kind of confusing which parameters affect which things, so I would just recommend playing and changing your styles components one at a time and observing what changes until you get what you want. My biggest problem in the whole process was to learn that the title, even when absent, takes up width.

Good luck.