General Options
This tab is used to select points and other options for cost calculation and alignment optimization.
Name (Edit Control)
This field allows to choose the name for the alignment.
Description (Edit Control)
This field allows to attach a comment to the alignment.
Station Range
This field allows to select the range of stations to be considered.
All (Check Box)
If selected, the entire road will be included.
From, To (Edit Boxes)
If All is not selected, enter a station range in the From, To edit boxes.
Sections sampled
This option only applies for alignment optimization. It allows to choose the stations to be included.
You need enough stations to be accurate (similar to volume calculations). But, be aware that the more stations you include the longer the optimization will take - and the increase in time is not linear.
All (Check Box)
If selected, all stations will be included.
+ (Button)
Spacing (Edit Box)
This fields allows to add more stations equally spaced by the entered value.
Vertical Control
This option only applies for alignment optimization. It allows to control the vertical extents (upper and lower bounds) and accuracy of the optimization in the vertical direction.
Min. and Max. offset (Edit Boxes), Vertical Band Center (List)
The offsets are measured relative to the Vertical Band Center. The Vertical Band Center can be the ground or any alignment (L-line) with a valid profile.
If your optimized alignment is bumping into these limits, then it is not really optimal. You should increase the offsets and optimize again.
Advanced (Check Box)
Set to enable the Accuracy slider and edit box (below).
Accuracy (Slider, Edit Box)
This control allows to select the vertical accuracy (between 1 and 5, where 5 is the most accurate).
The higher the vertical accuracy the longer the optimization will take.
Conflict
Conflicts between inputs entered by the user are checked in real-time. The detail of the conflicts can be obtained by pressing the Conflict... button. Not addressing these conflicts will prevent from being able to find an alignment satisfying all the geometric constraints.
