I could be missing a command but there is no way to connect points by a pattern. The connect points command is very useful but the points have to be a specific numerically increasing pattern for this to work correctly, which is not always practical. This starts to fall a part when shots are taken from left to right (or vice versa) and then the field user advances station and repeats. Cases where this happens, trenches, multiple conduit in a trench, etc.
It would be nice if there was a command that would connect every even integer, odd, or a defined pattern.
Some of this falls back on field training but also with construction, they are not surveyors that are in the mapping mindset.
Also noted that this will not solve all of these issue but I think it would be a supplemental tool to at least help speed up this process.
If you have a line you can use as an alignment then you can connect by code or by station and offset if you use the macro called linestring by station
Normally even if you survey sections you use feature codes and feature codes can be used to create lines along the linear features which I think is what you are doing here - agree that if you have no codes only Point Nos then we need something to use for stringing the points together - we have codes, numerical sequence, station and offset
A pattern will get broken for sure - ie more points on a section or forward and then reverse sequence on adjacent sections etc.
I assume your points had no coding?
Alan
I agree that just because there is a way to do a pattern, doesn’t mean it won’t get broken but it may create a better way to teach and work better with common practice of installing. At least that is my hope.
No coding unfortunately that I could distinguish right from left.
Polygon selection helps but gets tricky when dealing with objects in the same trench that are close. Plus you would have to repeat this painful process multiple times.
What about a linestring selection command that would allow you to put in offsets, change start and stop station? This is already in the RPS CropCrossing tool. The user would only have to define one edge and then they could isolate the remaining “runs” using a range and then use the connect points command, because in therefore these should increase(or decrease depending on position) in value which the command would then follow.
This would dramatically help giving some flexibility and control of selection at the same time. I also have seen use for something like this in a plethora of other cases like pdf cleanup.
Just in the quick demo, this conceptually would work pretty while.
Isn’t that what linestring by station does already?
I tried using that but I got some weird results. I believe this is because the the points in the trench are too close to each in the left and right position.
What I am purposing is a selection tool that you could then run connect by points or linestring by station on.
I also agree on this. When I run into this issue i highlight my left side > give those points a specific name and do the same for the right and a center if there are points at center. I will then highlight all the points and use the connect command.
We have made a point list for the field guys to use. If there is the same item on the left and right side, there are to use different codes. If the controller can do this, how can this be done in TBC?
If you can code the points then the Feature Code Processor can connect the points based on code and sequence order or the Linestring by station command can do this - but a pattern is not supported today at least.
Alan
