The Location module allows you to create one or more road Designs from a traverse document created with the Survey/Map module or a terrain created in the Terrain module (see Help for Survey/Map for more information on traverse documents). A traverse document contains the P-Line. The Design contains the L-Line. A terrain may or may not contain a P-Line
When a new design is created (menu File-New) you will be prompted for a traverse name. When the design is saved you must provide a unique file name (ending with extension .DSN). This is the file that you create, save, rename, retrieve and delete with the Location Design module File functions: New, Save, Save As, Open and Delete. Don't forget, however, that the traverse document files are also integral to the design.
Multiple designs for the same traverse or terrain are independent of each other and can be used to evaluate different alignments. However, designs originating from a traverse share the ground topography and the ground type table stored with the traverse. Designs originating from a terrain file have their ground types stored with the design.
NOTE: Multiple designs for the same traverse share the same ground types.
LOCATION will initialize the alignment to contain 1 plan and 1 profile point when a new design is created. It will also create a single default template if this is the first design for a given traverse or terrain file.
Changing Traverse Notes or Terrain Files during Location Design
It is sometimes desirable to modify the traverse document after you have begun a location design; this is accomplished by following the steps below:
2. Run the Survey/Map module or Terrain Module (menu Module-To Survey/Map) and open, edit and save the appropriate traverse or terrain.
3. Switch back to LOCATION (menu Module-To Location Design) and reopen the design file (menu File-Open or select the item 1 in the most recent file list in the File menu).
With the exception of ground types, it is impossible to modify a traverse or terrain from within the LOCATION module and it is impossible to modify a location design from within the Survey/Map module or the Terrain module.
The design depends on the traverse or terrain; if the traverse or terrain are incorrect, the design will be faulty; if you delete the traverse or terrain the design(s) will be deleted too (although you will be warned).
Adding and Removing Traverse Stations or Changing Distances
Most fields in the traverse document can be changed after a design has begun. However changes which affect the stationing, such as distances, may cause the design to become invalid. Inserting and removing stations will invalidate your design from the changed station onwards. If you need to make changes which affect the stationing remove the design points in the Location module before changing the traverse.
