Guide Rails And Retaining Walls

[jcaffee]

I'm trying to get a guide rail on the downslope side of the driveway and a retaining wall on the upslope that parallels the roadbed (slightly inset for the guide rail) .  The driveway roadbed is two stacked roadways.

 

I've tried terrain walls, railings and fences with no luck.  They just fall into some unknown terrain abyss.  Please, can somebody point me to a KB article or video that 'splains me what I'm doing wrong!

 

Files attached.

 

jon

 

 

Contmpry_02_Bkup.zip

[dshall]

That my friend is a very clever use of the road.....  a road under the road........  learn something new everyday......  somebody will probably help you with this......  if not,  I will think about it and maybe help tomorrow in the AM,  must go home now and take the grandson to the pool......  it's over 90 degrees out here today......

[dshall]

Put in your retaining wall, then you must put terrain elevation lines in on each side of wall,

[Kbird1]

retaining walls are only at ground level unless you do as Scott suggests or use a cross section elevation to change the height manually so it might look as though they "disappear" 

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00652/9/Chief-Architect/Walls/Changing-the-Height-of-a-Retaining-Wall.html

 

do fences recognise "roads" ? (you said you used a 2nd one in green)   do other fences recognise the terrain with the follow terrain setting ?

[dshall]

 To get the retaining wall I put elevation lines on up side slope,  for railing wall it is a 48" hi terrain curb.

 

 

[glennw]

I think the best way to do a retaining wall is not to use a Retaining Wall.

Use a Terrain Break to get your change in levels (you don't need a retaining wall to do that) and then use a standard wall to just face the retained bank. 

 

You get this sort of effect:

You can see the bank on the left hand side which is made by just the Terrain Break.

There is a standard wall on the right, drawn in after using the Terrain Break.

The standard wall is much easier to edit than a generated Retaining Wall, which usually ends up a mess with a many, many beaks in the top and bottom that are just too hard to edit.

[dshall]

I think the best way to do a retaining wall is not to use a Retaining Wall.

Use a Terrain Break to get your change in levels (you don't need a retaining wall to do that) and then use a standard wall to just face the retained bank. 

 

You get this sort of effect:

You can see the bank on the left hand side which is made by just the Terrain Break.

There is a standard wall on the right, drawn in after using the Terrain Break.

The standard wall is much easier to edit than a generated Retaining Wall, which usually ends up a mess with a many, many beaks in the top and bottom that are just too hard to edit.

I agree with Glenn.  The method Glenn is talking about is to use a NORMAL WALL and a TERRAIN BREAK in lieu of a RETAINING WALL.  I have done many vids on this method.

 

What Glenn failed to out line is you will find yourself editing both the top and bottom of the REGULAR WALL.  This is not bad,  just maybe a bit tedious for this particular plan.  The advantage is you can control the top and bottom of the wall whereas if it was a RETAINING WALL,  the top of wall will follow the top of grade  (high side),  and the bottom of wall will follow the bottom of grade (low side).

 

I almost exclusively use the TERRAIN BREAK/WALL method.

[lbuttery]

The standard wall is much easier to edit than a generated Retaining Wall, which usually ends up a mess with a many, many beaks in the top and bottom that are just too hard to edit

 

 

Hmmm, sounds like CA needs to revamp this tool ...

 

Glenn/Scott: \

 

thanks for the info on a work-around

 

Lew

[dshall]

The standard wall is much easier to edit than a generated Retaining Wall, which usually ends up a mess with a many, many beaks in the top and bottom that are just too hard to edit

 

 

Hmmm, sounds like CA needs to revamp this tool ...

 

Glenn/Scott: \

 

thanks for the info on a work-around

 

Lew

Not a workaround,  just an option.

[lbuttery]

Scott:

 

back to semantics again

 

if a tool which is designated as a "retaining wall" is not doing the job

then using a "regular wall" is a workaround

 

the average chiefer getting started is going to read the manual

and the retaining wall would be the "obvious" choice

 

using a "regular wall" would not be "obvious"

and in fact is counter-intuitive

 

Lew

[dshall]

Scott:

 

back to semantics again

 

if a tool which is designated as a "retaining wall" is not doing the job

then using a "regular wall" is a workaround

 

the average chiefer getting started is going to read the manual

and the retaining wall would be the "obvious" choice

 

using a "regular wall" would not be "obvious"

and in fact is counter-intuitive

 

Lew

Lew,  I don't care about the average chief user,  I don't care,  I don't care,  I don't care.

 

If the average chief user does not have the time to learn the system,  I don't care.  There are some of us here who are pushing the limits and pushing CA.  CA will never be ahead of us.  

 

BTW,  I am not sure what the   problem is,  the retaining wall works for the average chief user.  But us nit wits in here who live with stuff 24/7 are always looking for better and faster ways of doing things.

 

So funny,  you are worried about the average chief user,  I wonder what the heck the average chief user did 4 years ago when this program was no where near what it is today.

 

I pity the  CA folks.......  well not really......  but I was thinking today about how I am constantly tweaking the system to be more efficient......  and it is easy.....  on the next job I adjust.......  and those knuckleheads at headquarters are probably going through the same thoughts.....   "if only we would of programmed it this way back in 2005".......  but it is not so easy for them to change the system.....  they have to work with what was done back in 2005......  unless  they want to "get under the hood" which is what they  seem to do every  4 or  5 years.

[lbuttery]

Scott:

 

it is an excellent work-around

 

and as Glenn said in another thread

 

it may lead CA to fix the retaining wall so it operates like the workaround

 

then it will an "intuitive" tool again

 

you may not care about the "average user"

but CA should - CA must care

 

cause if they get "frustrated" with tools that don't work

and having to use workarounds that they can only learn thru "trial-and-error"

or the good graces of posters who share them

 

then CA may lose customers due a reputation for being "buggy" and "difficult"

 

Lew

[jcaffee]

I got tired of fussing with walls, fences, and curbs; rocks.  I went with rocks, and just stuffed them in all the nooks and crannies.  Thanks for all the help!

 

jon

[CJSpud]

Jon:

 

That "rocks" ... what a great way to fill in those Chief sink holes.

 

Edit:  Or should I say "user unintentionally created" sink holes .... that is probably more politically correct.  Chief doesn't do a #$%^& thing until we start pushing on keys and mouse buttons.