I am still having trouble with the project elevation

[LP Design]

Great video Jeff, thanks.

Red or green?
-LP

[jeffh]

I like red. Especially at Sadie's. I was there just last month.

[CAtDiva]

Great video Jeff, thanks.

Red or green?
-LP

I like red. Especially at Sadie's. I was there just last month.

Mmmm, green . . .

PS - thanks for the elevation tip, Jeff. I've been watching this thread the past few days as I've been trying to solve the same dilemma: how do I get 100'-0" for my main floor, but site elevations at real altitude (6500'+ above sea level). I'm planning to link my site, but I suspect this works either way. Now just to keep from losing the video 'til I've memorized it.

[patricks]

Holy smokes, it works! Wow, I think we may just abandon the linked site/building files on most of our projects now because of this, because this is really the only reason I pushed for using them. I know my boss hates it, though. That is slick!

But, what if you start the building before you get survey information? How would/should shared coordinates come into play when using this method?

[jeffh]

But, what if you start the building before you get survey information? How would/should shared coordinates come into play when using this method?

In that case you can still get the toposurface contour labels to real "sea level" elevations by moving the survey point down the correct distance to make the contours read correctly. In this case you are a bit shafted in the ability to modify/place the contours at "true" elevations. Those points are always calculated based on the project base point. That is why the other trick works. You are moving the level datums away from the project base point. In theroy you COULD do the same trick after the model was created but you might run into some weird constraint things that would make things get wonky. If you can't set it up at the beginning then it is probably better to create the toposurface and then move it into place, or create the toposurface using relative points to the project base point.

[patricks]

Just as a test I started two new projects, did one how we normally might do it using Relocate Project, and the other using the method you described above. After awhile I was able to get the first project to match the second project with regards to Project and Shared elevations, and making the topography edit points show sea level elevations. The trick to the whole thing is unclipping that Project Base Point and moving it up or down. If you move it up or down without unclipping it, it screws everything up. At one point I ended up with my contour labels showing values exactly twice what they should be, i.e. 257 contour showed 514 and so on.

[mostafa90]

yep you r right Patricks but, when you have a very big project and you want to correct this, you simply group the whole model and start moving up or down, it says, Can't move these elements at the same time. One of them is restricted to moving in one direction while the other is restricted to moving in a conflicting direction. even if u unchecked the constraint option in move command.