Projecting Linear Objects

When you project an object to a profile view, different things can happen depending on the type of object you have chosen. For linear objects such as 3D polylines, feature lines, and survey figures, the projected version of the object is still linear, but it will appear distorted unless it is parallel to the alignment. This can be a bit tough to envision, but just imagine a light being shone from behind the object in the direction of the alignment. The projection of this object seen within a profile view would be somewhat like the shadow cast by the object. The parts of it that are parallel to the alignment would appear full length, and the parts that are not parallel would appear shortened.

Based on the settings you choose, the elevations that are applied to a projected linear object can vary. For linear objects that are already drawn in 3D, you can choose to use the object elevations as they are. For 2D objects that need to have elevations provided, the elevations can be derived from a surface or profile.

To project a linear object to a profile view, follow these steps:

The Exercise File can be downloaded at the end of the article  

1. Open the drawing named Object Projection.dwg located in the Chapter 08 class data folder.

2. Click one of the grid lines of the Jordan Court profile view, and then click Project Objects To Profile View on the ribbon.
3. Click the blue 3D polyline representing the water pipe that runs parallel to the eastern property line. Press Enter.
4. In the Project Objects To Profile View dialog box, verify that Style is set to Basic and Elevation Option is set to Use Object.
5. Click OK. The projected version of the water line is shown in the profile view (see Figure 8.11). Note the strange bends in the line around station 12+00 (0+360). These are caused by the alignment turning away from the water pipe at this location, which produces some odd projection angles and distorts the projected appearance of the water pipe.

   Figure 8.11  A 3D polyline representing a water pipe has been projected into the Jordan Court profile view

6. Keep the drawing open for the next exercise.

Projecting Objects to Profile Views

• Projecting Linear Objects
• Projecting Blocks and Points

Download Exercise File :

• Object Projection - Metric     --- ( 1016.07 KB )
• Object Projection - Imperial  --- ( 940.09 KB )