ACTIVE CHAIN CONTROL

• It may be used similar to 3 port viewer, as far as managing the 3 views (plan/profile/cross section) simultaneously.
• It may be used similar to DP Sta. Offset (in all 3 views).
• It may be used "dynamically" to obtain station/offset or station/elevation information from the 3 views.
• It may be used to place MicroStation elements (such as cells) at user defined increments and/or offsets.
• It must be used in order to use the new Component Based Vertical Alignment Tool.

• A Chain list box, where the user can select the active chain from of a list of all the chains stored in the GPK file.
• An ID icon, (Identify Curvilinear Reference) where the user can select the chain from a COGO "visualized" chain.

 
Note:  This currently cannot identify a chain using a graphical element drawn with D&C Manager.... only a visualized chain.

Place Profile Cell, (shown below).

Use these fields to create a new profile cell, (if necessary) instructing the software where to anchor the Reference Station and Elevation of the cell as well as the distortion Scale values and Top & Bottom elevation range for the data within the cell.

Note:  When designing, always use the No Gap setting.

By default, the Profile Cell is placed on level 63 and the text node format is determined by the MicroStation Text settings.

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Profile Cell Control, (shown below).

This option allows the user to manipulate profile cells that are drawn in, or referenced to, the current opened MicroStation file.  When Profile Cell Control is selected from the option toggle (shown below) the Profile Cell Control dialog opens.  A combo box is available for selecting a chain from the GPK file.  Once a chain is selected, all of the associated profile cells are shown within the dialog.  The easiest way to designate the active profile cell is to simply double click on it.

In addition, there are 3 icons located at the far right on the dialog... from top to bottom they are:

• Place Profile Cell
• Activate Profile Cell
• Delete Profile Cell

Note:  Under the heading "MicroStation File" (shown above) there are 2 profile cells shown.

• In the first line of the dialog above, the "A" tells the user that this profile is located within the current opened MicroStation file.  Rather than display the name of the opened file, the dialog simply displays, "Active Design". The large dot that precedes this cell (illustrated above) simply means that this is the active profile cell.



• "3   active_profile.dgn" the "3" tells the user that this profile is drawn in reference file number 3 and also gives the name of the reference file as active_profile.dgn.  The large dot that precedes this cell (illustrated above) simply means that this is the active profile cell.

• Plan view, (where the view is automatically fitted to display the active chain in it's entirety.
• Profile view, (where the view is automatically fitted to display the active Profile and it's cell in it's entirety.
• Cross Section view, (where the user may eventually navigate through the sections).


Once a view is set to Cross Section, and the view icon is "right clicked" again... an additional option, (Cross Section Navigate) is available.

When the Cross Section Navigate option is "left clicked" it opens a stream lined version of the cross section navigator (shown below) that simply allows easy navigation between sections when using the Active Chain Control tools.  The functionality of the "VCR" buttons on the XS Navigate tool are very similar to the Cross Section Navigator.
 

View 1 is set to Cross Section view
View 2 is set to Plan view
View 3 is set to Profile view

• The   <   and   >   buttons... Since the Active Chain has been set, clicking on these buttons simply sets the S: field to the beginning or ending station of the active chain.

• S: ... Stands for "Station".  This field is used to manually enter a station along the active chain.  As mentioned previously, by using the <   and   >   buttons, this field can be populated automatically with either the beginning or ending station of the chain.  The optional left toggle locks the entered value.

• Ext: ... Stands for "Extension".  This field is used to enter an extension to the beginning or ending of the chain.  A negative value means the extension is before the beginning of the chain.

• O: ... Stands for "Offset".  This field is used to manually enter an offset for the station.  The optional left toggle locks the entered value.

• Z: ... Stands for "Elevation"This field is used to manually enter an elevation for the station.  The optional left toggle locks the entered value.

• DS: ... Stands for "Delta Station".  As far as I can tell... one use for these "Delta fields"  is to sort of measure between data points on a specific view.  Move the cursor in a view and DP the view.  Notice that all appropriate "Delta fields" get reset to Zero.  Now data point another place in the view.  The appropriate "Delta fields" will be populated with station/offset/elevation differences between the 2 data points.  It also works dynamically when you don't data point the second time.  I will give a practical example of how to use this below.  The optional left toggle locks the entered value.
• DO: ... Stands for "Delta Offset".  (See DS: above.)
• DZ: ... Stands for "Delta Elevation".  (See DS: above.)

• Permanent Lock ... The manual says, "When this toggle is checked, coordinates locks remain active, even after a data point is issued".  One use for it is explained below.

• Apply ... Once again, the manual says, "Press this toggle to send a data point to the input queue".  An application for this would be similar to DP Sta. Offset, where you could enter a station and offset (Plan View) or station and elevation (Profile View) or station elevation and offset (Cross Section view).  The user could then select (for example) place line or place cell and the element would be placed.

Delta Station:

Let's say the user wants to place a cell at an offset of -10 meters and at 100 meter increments beginning at 11+000.

• Set and lock the Station field to 11+000.  Set and lock the Offset field to -10.  Click on Apply.  This places the first cell.
• With the Offset still locked at -10, unlock the Station field, set and lock the Delta Station to 100.  Also lock the Permanent Lock toggle.
• With the active cell still selected, click on Apply again and again............it will incrementally adjust the station by the Delta Station value.

Let's say the user wants to place a cell at station 12+000 and at offsets of -5, -10, -15 etc.............

• Set and lock the Station field to 12+000.  Set and lock the Offset field to -5.  Click on Apply.  This places the first cell.
• With the Station still locked at 12+000, unlock the Offset, set and lock in the Delta Offset (not Offset) to -5.
• With the active cell still selected, click on Apply again and again.......... it will increment the offset.

The Delta Elevation works the same way, only in Profile and Cross Section views.

NOTE:  The above examples were using "Place Cell".  Any MicroStation tool that requires a DP will be able to work with this tool.

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