The best fit tools we have found in ORD will not create a single linear element and instead creates a complex line or usually with arcs. Specifically for recreating existing Right-of-Way lines, we often have a large number of points, but need only a single element as the resulting line. A setup where we could add and remove points from the best fit calculations to dial in the section line would be nice.
| Civil Product Used | OpenSite Designer, OpenRoads Designer, OpenRail Designer |
This is addressed in publicly released 10.12.01.59.
I would like to request all the functionality of both bfitcalc.ma and bfitall.ma from Power Geopak.
In addition to this, in earlier versions of GEOPAK (I don't remember when it was removed), the ability existed to specify how much left or right a point "should" be from the resultant best fit line. For example, we commonly survey property corners that are, on paper, 30' right of left of the right-of-way centerline. You could tell the best-fit tool that the points should be a certain offset LT or RT and the tool would solve a single best fit line using the specified offsets. That capability disappeared from GEOPAK sometime ago. The recent versions were only able to fit a line to points that were assumed to be on or near a best-fit line. Therfore you could only best-fit one right-of-way line at a time. I would like to see this incorporated into any new ORD best-fit tool.
I've been after this since 2014 when the new best fit tool appeared in SS3. I was also told the tools were in OpenRail, but haven't seen them. Maybe if this gets enough attention, Bentley will deliver the toolset in OpenRoads.
It is my understanding that this tool exists in OpenRail, which our company does not own since we do not do rail projects. Our current workflow is to import the ROW points into PowerGeopak SS10, create the best fit line, then import it to ORD - not exactly the most efficient workflow. I might add that this is the only reason we keep PowerGeopak around.