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Table Of Contents
Chapter 1 Using the Grading Commands
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To calculate volume data for a grading object
1 From the Grading menu, choose Slope Grading
ä
Calculate Volume.
The following prompt is displayed:
Select a graded object:
2 Click on a grading object in your drawing.
The cut and fill volumes are displayed above the command prompt at the
bottom of the AutoCAD window.
Grading Object Usage Tips
The grading object represents a major leap in 3D terrain modeling and
automated site design. When used in conjunction with the existing daylight
and point/contour layout commands, it is the most powerful 3D terrain
modeling tool set available today. The grading object calculates numerous
grading conditions automatically, and provides real-time feedback and analysis.
The grading object automates virtually all slope calculations where the starting
elevation and slope are known, but the resultant daylight (match with existing
ground or elevation) is not known. In almost all cases, the grading object will
solve these unknowns and provide treatment for exterior and interior corners.
However, there are situations where slope projection lines or daylight lines may
cross, and situations where a design solution is impossible to calculate.
For the purpose of compatibility and editing, the base entities of an
exploded grading object are 100% compatible with the Terrain Model
Explorer and the layout and grading commands within AutoCAD Land
Development Desktop and Autodesk Civil Design. The resultant entities
from an exploded grading object are 3D polylines and 3D lines. In
conditions where the grading object cant retrieve a design solution, you can
explode it and manipulate the 3D entities by using the tools available in the
Grading menu or AutoCAD editing commands.
General Grading Tips
Unsolved Slope Grading Conditions
Remember that the object cannot solve for all conditions: Although the
grading object can solve most grading conditions, there will be situations that
require manual editing to produce the desired results. In these cases you can
explode the grading object and edit the resultant entities by using the
Daylighting commands or simple AutoCAD commands, and then use the
entities as surface information in the Terrain Model Explorer.
Know when the grading object is trying to solve impossible grading
conditions: The object will not grade to itself, so when two slope lines cross, it
is typically because the target at that slope is either too high or too low to solve.
For areas and conditions such as this, you can specify a different target for the
object (for instance, you can specify an absolute or relative elevation or a
horizontal offset value as the target). If there are areas where no grading is
desired, you can define void regions. To define a void region, use a relative