A corridor model builds on and uses various AutoCAD Civil 3D objects and data, including subassemblies, assemblies, alignments, surfaces, and profiles.
A corridor object is created from a baseline (alignment) by placing 2D sections (assemblies) at incremental locations, and by creating matching slopes that reach a surface model at each incremental location:
Elements of a corridor design
You can create corridors with multiple baselines, which enables you to create more complex designs, such as intersections.
Corridors are created from and based on existing AutoCAD Civil 3D objects, which include:
- Alignments (horizontal). Used by a corridor as its centerline. For information, see Alignments.
- Profiles (vertical alignments). Used to define surface elevations along a horizontal alignment. For information, see Working with Profiles.
- Surfaces. Used to derive alignments and profiles, and for corridor grading. For information, see Surfaces.
- Subassemblies. A fundamental component of a corridor model. Subassemblies define the geometry of a corridor section (assembly). For example, a typical roadway may be composed of paved lanes (on either side of the centerline), a paved shoulder, a gutter and curb, and a roadside grading. These parts are defined independently as subassemblies. You can stack any type of subassembly to make up a typical assembly and apply the same assembly for a station range along an alignment. For more information, see Understanding Subassemblies.
- Assemblies. Represent a typical section of a corridor. Assemblies comprise one or more subassemblies connected together. For more information, see Understanding Assemblies.
After you have created a corridor, you can extract data from it, including surfaces, feature lines (as polylines, alignments, profiles, and grading feature lines), and volume (quantity takeoff) data. For information, see Exporting Corridor Data and Analyzing Sectional Volumes.
Corridors have their own display style and also inherit styles from their components. Before creating corridors, you should be familiar with creating and managing styles and command settings.
Topics in this section
- The Corridor Object
Corridors persist in an AutoCAD drawing as objects with the name AeccCorridor.
- Corridor Styles and Display
How corridor elements are displayed is controlled both by a specific corridor style and the styles and labels associated with the objects used to create the corridor.
- Corridors Collection (Prospector Tab)
Use the Corridors collection in the Prospector tree to access the corridors in a drawing or a project. As corridor objects are created, they are displayed in the Corridors collection.
- Corridor Collection (Settings Tab)
Use the Corridor collection in the Settings tree to manage corridor settings, styles, and command settings.