Ezigrade (version 2)

Auto Drain

 
The AutoDrain routine has been added in to really simplify the on the go design of simple "Surface Drains" or "Tile Drains".
 
The idea being that the user picks up a series of points that define the alignment of where you require the drain to run from your favourite grading platform. eg FL2, farmscan etc. Once linear data is there then click on the ribbon menu item. An alignment is produced together with points left and right of the alignment. You then create a profile either manually or using the best fit algorithm. Define a section and drain is done. Re-import back into your system and create the finished surface. The fact that Ezigrade now runs efficiently on windows tablets makes the whole process painless.
 
In this example we have picked up the following points and have imported them into Ezigrade. The points can come from a number of different sources such as:
 
  • FL2 multiplane.txt file and imported into Ezigrade
  • Farmscan path file and imported into Ezigrade
  • other proprietry systems as supported by Ezigrade
  • from LandXML file
  • from dwg/dxf file via CDS
 
 
 
Now click on Drain -> Auto Drain menu item. It asks for two parameters to help create a natural surface. The distance between points along the alignment and the width of the corridor to create. This assumes that the sections along the alignment are relatively flat. If they are not then I suggest that you pick up points along both the left and right edges of the corridor and define the alignment manually. In this example we are using distance of 20 meters between points and total width of 30 meters, 15 meters left and right.
 
 
 
Click OK. We have the following which shows the alignment etc.
 
 
We now wish to design a profile. Click on the "Profile" ribbon menu item. You will notice that the best fit profile docking window is automatically shown on the left. At this stage you can either use the "Best Fit" algorithm or manually enter the design. Or even use Best Fit and then manually change!
 
In this example we are going to use the "Best Fit". We want the drain to always be at least 50mm deep, a preferred depth of 50mm and grades to lie between -.03% and -3%. We have also specified a smooth distance of 100 meters. Click run and check results. Change any values as appropriate and run until you are happy with the result.
 
 
 
 
We now need to define how sections are displayed. Click on Sections. You need to close down the profile view first. We are creating a box drain with 5% batter grades.
 
 
 
Click OK and recalculate the drain.
 
 
We now need to merge the design. Click on "Merge Drain" ribbon menu item, and turn off the drain display via icon. We have the following design surface:
 
 
 
We can now export the appropriate machine file to our machine of choice and enact our design.
 
 
 
 
 
TODO: Change the footer's content in Project Settings : HTML (CHM) Export : Setup HTML Template and Layout