Creating custom cross-sections

Tool(s): Entering cross-sections in the bridge and civil engineering modeler

1. Click Add Any Construction on the cross-section toolbar or Edit menu.
2. You can create or add the area. The area can also cut out an existing area.
3. Enter the parameters you want to use to convert the freehand sketch to a polygonal cross-section. The entries you make apply to the edges, changing the number of edges in the cross-section.
   • Angle: use this to specify the permissible angles for the edges of the cross-section. The program calculates the angles as multiples of the value entered.
     For example, if you enter 45 and the unit of angle is deg, the resulting angles will be 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270° and 315°.
   • Min. length: use this to define the minimum length of the individual edges. The value entered applies to the larger side of the circumscribed rectangle.
     For example, if you enter 10 and the size of the circumscribed rectangle is 120x70, the minimum length of each edge will be 120*0.1=12.

     Click OK to confirm the dialog box and create a freehand sketch of the cross-section in the graphics area. Make sure that the start and end of the freehand line intersect; otherwise, the program cannot create a cross-section.

     Based on the parameters set, the program converts the freehand sketch to a cross-section and calculates the coordinates of the polygon points.

4. Edit the cross-section created or quit definition to assign the cross-section to the current station point.
   

Note: You can also delete a cross-section while entering it.

Deleting cross-section while entering it

If you have deleted a region of a cross-section by entering another cross-section, you can restore the original state by adding the same cross-section. You can use the shortcut menu; the point clicked is automatically used as the reference point.

If you want to discard an entire cross-section, you can add a new cross-section which covers the original cross-section in its entirety or you can remove a rectangular cross-section which covers the existing cross-section in its entirety by selecting the Delete option.

Deleting cross-section after having entered it

To delete an entire cross-section, you can use Delete All Corner Points. However, partial cross-sections you have added later are not deleted. These can be removed using Delete Addition to Cross-Section.