Terrain/Contour and Driveway issues on sloping site.


Steve77
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi There,

I am a current chief architect user and have a question in regards to the contour tool and driveway tool.

I have a plan that has a sloping site that I am trying to accurately portray in 3d for both client and the Local Council.
From the road front the site slopes left to right and from the back to front.
(I have attached Images shown what I currently have)

My question is there something that I am missing I have also tried in elevation converting/extracting a polyline solid but it doesn't quite work.

I have attached a link to the 3d viewer but can add a plan if need be.
 
https://3d-viewer.chiefarchitect.com/go?share=503392208525732
 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of the issues you are seeing are typically caused by terrain data that is overlapping or too close causing a conflict for chief's method of terrain generation.  Usually it can handle real world data that is properly recorded and inputted.  Also the flatten pad setting can cause issues with data that is too close to the building.

 

That being said you likely need to post the plan file for someone to be able to help unless you think you have patience to carefully make small adjustments and observe the results if you are making an improvement or making things worse.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Might want to upload the plan while CA is closed and any pics of the Property you have , as we can't tell anything from the 3D though the terrain looks high judging by Doors and or not sloped correctly.  ( not that I am a Terrain Expert :) )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Chopsaw said:

Most of the issues you are seeing are typically caused by terrain data that is overlapping or too close causing a conflict for chief's method of terrain generation.  Usually it can handle real world data that is properly recorded and inputted.  Also the flatten pad setting can cause issues with data that is too close to the building.

 

That being said you likely need to post the plan file for someone to be able to help unless you think you have patience to carefully make small adjustments and observe the results if you are making an improvement or making things worse.

 

Chopsaw answered your question plus make sure "Flatten Pad" is left unchecked in the Terrain Specification Dialog.

 

DJP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/1/2019 at 1:25 AM, DavidJPotter said:

plus make sure "Flatten Pad" is left unchecked in the Terrain Specification Dialog.

 

Why do you recommend that David?  flatten pad is very commonly the exactly right thing to do.  The biggest things to understand with terrains are these...

 

1.  Use the proper tools.  Define your terrain with the elevation data tools (points, lines, splines, regions, and terrain breaks).  Only use the modifier tools after the underlying terrain has been properly defined. 

2.  Give Chief enough information to work with (it needs at least 2 pieces of elevation data and perhaps much more depending on the desired contours).

3.  Avoid giving Chief too much information.  It just starts to get confusing, difficult to keep track of, and slows down the terrain generation.

4.  And most importantly (and as was already stated above), don't give Chief conflicting data.  Do not overlap elevation lines, don't leave any lines or points inside an elevation region, and don't place conflicting data right next to each other--give it a little space.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Member Statistics

    33793
    Total Members
    9156
    Most Online
    Badmaky
    Newest Member
    Badmaky
    Joined
  • Similar Content

    • By AdkKen
      Looking to see if anyone can give me some insight into the setting in the terrain that will help me remove these white areas.  Can't seem to find it.


    • By Tlcurtis2a
      I've drawn the floorplan for the 7700 SF clubhouse of a development we are building. I need someone to actually do the finishes for the 3D and renderings.  I also need someone to finish the terrain work and exterior areas including portico with circular driveway and parking areas, pickleball courts, pool, outdoor seating and firepits.  Thank you! Please let me know if you are interested in taking this project and need price for your work.
    • By ADallas
      I ran into some weird problems a week ago, and with help from experts here, I figured out my problem: Importing DWG elevation data is hit or miss--if it wasn't set up for a logical terrain perimeter, or some elements of the terrain elevation layer are 0, it will totally mess up the Terrain Build in Chief.
       
      Import survey data to a neutral layer (that is, don't map to elevation data), or just import a PDF file for tracing. Experts warn against using elevation points, and the tutorial videos make elevation lines seem like the obvious choice for creating fairly simple slopes. In my case, I modeled an entire neighborhood by tracing ~40 contour lines. Chief warned that building terrain with 2000+ interpolation points in non-Linear mode might take too long, but it finished in a few minutes.
       
      Avoid these pitfalls:
       
      Make sure the elevation splines start and end outside the Terrain Perimeter Don't let contour lines cross (thanks, @glennw!) Make sure that each elevation spline is continuous--I kept missing by a few pixels when I zoomed in, meaning that most of the spline was at the elevation I set and part of it was at 0. Move the ends near each other and Chief makes it just one spline. Double-check each spline's elevation--if just one is 0, your terrain will be messed up. Good news, though--fix it, re-build, and you're good  
      My smaller tests were successful, so I went for the whole 11-acre neighborhood--27 lots. My Terrain Perimeter is 892' x 550'.
       
      Note: I didn't have to trace anywhere near the number of contour lines you see. I traced a plan with a 5' interval, and Chief interpolated to a 2' interval. Actually, I skipped some contours that added no value, but of course, Chief didn't.
       
      Thanks to @glennw, @Renerabbitt, @Kbird1, @Chopsaw and--from a 15-month-old post-- @DavidJPotter


    • By ADallas
      Clearly, I'm not thinking about this correctly.
      On a new plan, create a default terrain perimeter. I drew 8 elevation splines, careful to start and end them outside the terrain perimeter. I opened each spline in turn and set the elevation to 92', 94', 96'...up to 106' in the upper right. Zooming in, the splines are labeled, showing that the lines are around 100'. Each spline started at the default elevation 0', but I manually set other values. There are no other objects on the plan that could suggest anything but 92' to 106'. I checked--Terrain Perimeters don't have an elevation.   
       
      So, imagine my surprise when I built the terrain and got this:
          
      This can only be caused by my utter misunderstanding of how elevation splines are meant to translate to contour lines. Help!
       
      Alastair Dallas
      I'm running Chief X13, Build 23.3.0.81x64 on a Dell running Windows 10.
    • By TrimbachDesign
      Good afternoon Chief users,
       
      All of our projects to date have been pretty straightforward terrain-wise, and despite spending way more time on this than I can to admit, and watching all of the tutorials I am still scratching my head. 
       
      A little background:
      The site for this home has a lot terrain character, swales, hills, etc. Due to this, we brought our survey crew out to GPS map the site. I followed the Chief tutorial to bring in the terrain data generated (very slick process). During the design of this home a goal was to minimize grading and to preserve the unique characteristics of the site. I decided to stick the uphill side of the home into the hillside with a taller retaining stem wall to "split" the grade over the width of the home. 
       
      Struggles:
      To get the site grading to mimic what we envisioned, I used elevation areas, some with "interior is flat" checked, a lot of trial and error during this process. One terrain modification I did was creating a flat area around the front of the home for the entry, and parking. Coming off this elevation area is where I am struggling. I have tried using multiple elevation regions and elevations lines to force the terrain to build at a gentle slope off of this pad. From my calcs we could easily adjust the driveway grade to have an appropriate slope. The problem area (directly off the flat parking area) is about 12 feet of rise over 80 feet of run (15% slope). I just want this area to be filled to allow for an even 15% slope. I have bumped up line weights, colored them red, and removed unnecessary information from the screenshot attached below for clarity. 
       
      Do any of you terrain wizards have any advice for me? I am happy to attach the plan file if desired. 
       
      Thank you all,
      Austin