In this exercise, you will check the profile design for criteria violations, and then learn how to correct violations.
When a profile sub-entity violates a criteria or design check, a warning symbol is displayed on the sub-entity in the drawing window, Profile Entities vista, and Profile Layout Parameters dialog box. When the cursor is hovered over a warning symbol, a tooltip displays information about the violation. If a design criteria has been violated, the tooltip displays the criteria that has been violated, as well as the minimum value that is required to meet the criteria. If a design check has been violated, the tooltip displays the name of the design check that has been violated.
This exercise continues from Exercise 2: Drawing a Profile that Refers to Design Criteria.
Check the profile design for criteria violations
The warning symbols do not automatically scale when you zoom in. Enter REGEN on the command line to resize the warning symbols.
The tooltips are a convenient way to review design criteria violations in the drawing window. Two violations are displayed in the tooltip:
If a sub-entity violates multiple criteria or design checks, only a single symbol is displayed on the sub-entity. To clear a symbol from a sub-entity, all the violations must be cleared.
In the Profile Entities vista, in rows 2 and 4, notice that a warning symbol appears in the No. column, as well as several other columns. Warning symbols appear next to each value that violates the design criteria that are specified in the design criteria file.
Notice that the tooltip displays the design criteria and design checks that have been violated. Notice that while the two curves violate the minimum length specified by the design checks, a warning symbol does not appear in either Length cell. Design checks are custom, mathematical formulas that return either a true or false value. They do not provide feedback other than whether the applicable entities meet or violate the conditions in the design check.
The Profile Layout Parameters window is displayed, containing no data.
The design data for the curve entity is displayed in a three-column table in the Profile Layout Parameters window, where data is easy to review and edit.
Notice that in the Profile Layout Parameters window, in the Design Criteria panel, a symbol is displayed next to the design criteria property that has been violated. In the Layout Parameters panel, the Value column displays the actual parameters of each sub-entity. The Constraints column displays the design criteria values that the sub-entities must meet. A symbol is displayed next to the K Value row because the value violates the design criteria. As is true in the drawing window and Profile Entities Vista, the design check that has been violated is displayed, but individual parameters that violate the check are not marked.
Correct the design criteria violations
Notice that the warning symbol is cleared from the Design Checks panel, as well as from row 4 in the Profile Entities vista. The new curve length value meets the value specified by the design check. Increasing the curve length also affected the K value, which increased to meet the minimum value for Headlight Sight Distance.
The warning symbol is cleared from the Design Checks panel, but not from the K Value row on the Profile Entities vista.
The curve still does not meet the minimum K value for passing sight distance, so the warning symbols are displayed. To clear a warning symbol, the entity must meet all values specified in both the design criteria file and the applicable design checks.
To continue to the next tutorial, go to Displaying and Modifying Profile Views.