Roundabout Design Using Civil 3D 2015 and Autodesk's Vehicle Tracking 2015
Roundabout Design Using Civil 3D 2015 and Autodesk's Vehicle Tracking 2015
Doug Medley
CADDESK Consulting Resources, LLC
About Roundabouts
The Civil 3D roundabout features include several commands that let you create and edit 2D roundabouts.
Use the Create Roundabout command to create a roundabout in your roadway model.
You can create a roundabout from alignments that intersect, or from alignments that do not
intersect. If your alignments intersect, you may need to add approach roads after the alignment has
been created. If you start with alignments that do not intersect, the approach roads are added
automatically.
Typically, you will have two or more alignments drawn, representing approach roads. However, you
may begin with just one alignment, if you desire just one approach road connected to the
roundabout.
If you create a roundabout from intersecting alignments, you may need to add additional approach
roads after you create the roundabout. For example, this illustration shows two alignments that
intersect.
Click Home tab, Create Design panel, Intersections drop-down Create Roundabout
You are prompted to select a roundabout center point.
Click on the location where you want to insert the roundabout center point.
After selecting the center point location, you are prompted to select an approach road.
Select the first approach road by clicking on an alignment in the drawing.
Note: When an alignment is selected, the alignment temporarily displays as a dashed line. If the alignment does not change to a dashed line, is
not selected.
You are prompted to select the next, and successive, approach roads.
When you are finished selecting approach roads, press Enter.
The Create Roundabout - Circulatory Road dialog box is displayed.
Select desired options on the Create Roundabout - Circulatory Road dialog box, and then click Next to proceed to the next roundabout dialog
box.
On the Create Roundabout - Approach Roads dialog box, select the desired options, and then click Next.
On the Create Roundabout - Islands dialog box, select the desired options, and then click Next.
On the Create Roundabout - Markings and Signs dialog box, select the desired options, and then click Finish.
Note: Informational messages may be displayed to inform you of certain conditions.
The roundabout is created in the drawing.
Before you can create a roundabout, you must create at least one alignment to represent an approach road.
This is the alignment to which an approach will be dynamically connected. If you change or move this base approach alignment, the
roundabout approach is dynamically updated.
The Create Roundabout - Approach Roads dialog box provides parameters that let you define the approach road geometry. It creates
three alignments that define the approach road. This table lists the default naming convention that is used to name the approach road
alignments. You can change the “Approach_” prefix to something that better suits your project’s needs. However, you cannot edit the
“_EW_EDGE_LEFT” suffix during creation.
Note: In the above example, “EW” in the alignment name identifies the alignment as the
“East-West” alignment. This two-letter naming convention is based on the alignment
direction, and not on the roundabout approach road direction. For example, NW is used
for an alignment that runs from the north to the west, and so on.
These approach road alignments (1 = Approach_EW_EDGE_LEFT, 2 = Approach_EW, and 3
= Approach_EW_EDGE_RIGHT) are shown in the following illustration.
The island, construction triangle, and pavement markings on the approach road are
constructed as polylines.
You can add one or more approach roads, depending on your base geometry.
Click Home tab, Create Design panel, Intersections drop-down, Add Approach
You are prompted to select a location along the circular area of the roundabout.
Select a location along the circular area of the roundabout, and then press Enter.
You are prompted to select the alignment for the approach road. When you are finished selecting alignments, press Enter. The Create
Roundabout - Approach Roads dialog box is displayed.
Specify the desired parameters on the Create Roundabout - Approach Roads dialog box, and then click next to proceed to the Islands
dialog box.
If desired, you can edit the default choices on the Islands and Markings and Signs dialog box.
Click Finish on the Markings and Signs dialog box to add the approach road.
You can add an extra lane for right turning or left turning vehicles, as a bypass lane, to allow vehicles
to avoid traveling through the central area of the roundabout.
A slip lane is constructed with two alignments - one each for the left and right side boundary of that
lane. Road markings constructed as polylines are placed on top of the alignments. If you grip edit and
move the polyline road markings, as shown in this illustration, you expose the slip lane alignments.
The first arrow (1) identifies the road marking solid line (polyline). The second arrow (2) identifies the
slip lane alignment for the left edge of the slip lane.
The following table lists the default naming convention that is used to name the slip lane alignments.
You can change the prefix “SlipLane_” to something that better suits your project’s needs. However,
you cannot edit the “_EDGE_LEFT” or “_EDGE_RIGHT” suffix.
Use the Add Turn Slip Lane command to add a slip lane to a roundabout.
After executing the command, you are prompted to select the entry and exit
roads in the roundabout. Next, the Draw Slip Lane dialog box is displayed where
you can specify a variety of parameters for the slip lane.
Click Home tab, Create Design panel, Intersection drop-down, Add Turn Slip
Lane.
You are prompted to select the entry approach lane.
In the roundabout, select the approach road that will be used as the start (entry)
of the slip lane.
You must select a location along one of the existing roundabout approach road
alignment extents. For example, this illustration shows the valid area of a
roundabout for selecting an approach road.
A roundabout drawing standards file controls the default parameters and values that are applied when a roundabout is created.
For imperial drawings, the default roundabout drawing standards .xml file is located in:
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D <version>\enu\Data\Corridor Design Standards\Imperial
For metric drawings, the file is located in:
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D <version>\enu\Data\Corridor Design Standards\Metric
This .xml file contains values for roundabout parameters that are customized for specific geographical or organizational requirements.
For example, the roundabout design standard .xml file can contain one or more design standards, or roundabout types, such as US
standard, Florida standard, UK, France, and so on.
If desired, you can create your roundabout design standard .xml files to suit your own specific regional or project needs.
A roundabout design standard .xml file also contains presets, which are sets of predefined values for certain roundabout parameters.
.
You can create presets to save time when creating or editing roundabouts.
On roundabout dialog boxes, you can save the geometry parameter settings as a preset. To do this, use the Predefined Parameters To
Import choice on the dialog box.
When you use this feature, you can specify and save certain roundabout parameter values on the dialog boxes and store in the currently
selected roundabout drawing standards .xml file as a preset.
You can give these presets a unique name to suit the needs of your project.
Only certain parameters are saved in the preset .xml file (primarily the geometry defining parameters). The following table lists the
parameters that can be saved as a preset using the Predefined Parameters To Import choice on the dialog box.
Note: All roundabout presets are stored in the currently selected roundabout drawing standards .xml file, located by default in
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D <version>\enu\Data\Corridor Design Standards\Imperial or Metric. The Preset name identifies a
particular set of presets that are defined in that file. This provides a way to quickly create your own custom XML file to define these
settings.
To Edit Roundabouts
You can click anywhere on the roundabout to edit it. Depending on which roundabout component you click on, the corresponding
roundabout dialog box is displayed. Make changes to the dialog boxes to edit the roundabout.
To Edit Roundabouts
To Edit Roundabouts
To Edit Roundabouts
To Edit Roundabouts
You can move a roundabout by selecting the center point of the roundabout, and dragging it.
If you move the base alignment that a roundabout approach road was created from, the roundabout components remain dynamic to
the base alignment, and move with the base alignment.
If you need to change the center point location of a roundabout, you can do it by deleting the roundabout, recreating the roundabout,
and selecting a new roundabout center point location.
Where you click on the roundabout determines which roundabout components are deleted.
When you delete a roundabout, or roundabout components, the pre-existing base alignments used to create the roundabout, are not
deleted.
Select the roundabout component in the drawing. What is deleted depends upon which roundabout component you click on.
You can use commands to quickly access roundabout functionality. The following table lists the roundabout commands and briefly
describes their functionality.
Autodesk® Vehicle Tracking Junctions can model roundabouts according to defined standards. Junctions can model normal and
compact roundabouts.
Autodesk® Vehicle Tracking creates roundabouts that blend with existing or planned roads. The point on each incoming road, or arm,
at which the roundabout model starts is called the blend point. So, if you have four roads leading into your roundabout you will have
four blend points.
Once placed, every aspect of your roundabout model, including the location of the blend points, can edited using either grips or using
the properties dialog.
The default geometry of your roundabout is determined by the junction standard that you select.
The junction standard defines limits for each geometric value. Values may also be unlimited. As you adjust your roundabout model,
Autodesk® Vehicle Tracking checks the geometry against these limits and displays an immediate warning if a value goes outside the
specified range. These warnings are also used by the Design Check tool and here you are able to enter a justification for the
transgression.
The appearance of the roundabout, line colors, styles, thicknesses, etc. is controlled by styles. A single style comprises the attributes
of all the elements of the roundabout model such as kerbs, pedestrian crossings and so on.
In order to define a roundabout you will first need to identify the alignments of the arms (the incoming roads). If they don’t already
exist, draw accurate centerlines of each arm extending to at least to the point where the new roundabout will join any existing road
(the blend point). Now…
1. Click the New Roundabout button on the Junctions toolbar or select New Roundabout from the Junctions drop down menu. If
you don’t have a default standard set, the Junction Standard Explorer will appear.
2. Click on the + to expand the tree view and display the required standard file and group. When you find the required standard,
highlight it and click Proceed.
3. Depending upon the way your copy of Junctions is configured, the Scale Settings dialog may appear at this point. If so, check that
you are using the correct scale and units and that the driving convention is correct and then click OK. The Junction Properties dialog
will appear.
4. If you wish, at this point, you can enter a Name for the roundabout as well as Notes and/or a Description. You can do this later if
you prefer.
5. You can also choose a Draw Style from the drop down list. This controls how the roundabout appears.
6. You may select an Existing Surface and a Final Surface on which you may project the roundabout.
8. Move the roundabout to the required location and left click to confirm. You may use snap modes to get a precise location.
9. The roundabout will be drawn in its final location and you will now be prompted to select the first of the arms. Select the arm
roughly where you expect it to blend with any existing road. The New Arm dialog will appear.
10. Enter a Name, Description and/or Notes if you wish and click OK. The arm will appear with the blend point at the point you
picked. However, the arm cannot be drawn if you pick too close to the roundabout so in this situation the arm will be extended by a
suitable amount. You may subsequently move the blend point closer to the roundabout once you have finished placing the
roundabout.
Tip
If you are running in Civil 3D, we strongly recommend that you name the roundabout now so that the alignments are automatically
created with the correct names. Autodesk® Vehicle Tracking does not rename alignments if you change the roundabout name after
creation.
11. Repeat this process picking each arm and right click to terminate the New Roundabout command.
Editing a junction
Junctions can be edited graphically or manually using the Junction Properties dialog. This allows you to change values precisely.
Editing a junction
Editing a junction
Junction Properties
dialog
Doug Medley
CADDESK Consulting Resources, LLC
[email protected]