Zone Constraints, Objectives, and Visualization (Video)
Learn about using different violation views when adjusting slope constraints and objective weights.
This video demonstrates:
- The Zone Object Properties dialog.
- Troubleshooting common zone issues.
- Feasibility assessment with the Convergence Plots dialog.
- Using Violation View feedback.
Transcript
In Grading Optimization, it is important to understand the concept of zones and how they are used to efficiently grade your site.
The Optimization Options dialog provides global settings for grading. Global Constraints typically correspond to firm project requirements or regulations.Maximum Slope constrains surface triangles to a given slope value. It is important to note here that Minimum Drainage Slope correlates with drain line and low point objects.
Objective Weights are not firm requirement constraints, however. They represent Balancing cut and fill, minimizing earthwork, and general terrain smoothing.
In Violation View, you can confirm the slope constraints for the zone.
The Convergence Plot is used to see the progression of optimization. Because full optimization can take time to process, it is useful to identify issues before optimization completes. The Proximity Measure may fluctuate with each iteration, but it should trend downward as it did early in this optimization example. Ultimately, it is trying to reach zero. If the Proximity Measure remains at a fixed value, this indicates an issue in which the desired constraints and objectives are not feasible.
Using the Violation View in the Visualization Toolbar, you can identify problematic surface triangles and see how they are failing to optimize.
In this example, the Maximum Slope Constraint is violated because the triangles are along the surface bordering the zone, which is fixed.
Understanding these features and visualization techniques will greatly improve your proficiency in Grading Optimization.