Content Comparison

The “Road by sections” window (shown here) includes many sections: the alignment, the cross-section dimensions, the stations, the active template and exporting tools.

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The top section of the interface is dedicated to the alignment selection; there is a dropdown list of all available alignments in the current Vision database. If there aren’t any alignments present in the database, the user will not be able to use the function. After selecting a valid alignment, the start and end values will automatically be set to the beginning and end of the alignment. These values may be modified to truncate the alignment used.

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Underneath the alignment selection is the “Dimensions of the sections” area, where the user specifies the dimensions for the cross-section view which will be extracted along the alignment center. It’s possible to change the dimensions of the cross-section without impacting results; the dimensions are not linked to the sections or the template. The field “Dimensions of the sections” may be clicked and will be minimized afterwards. The different fields are explained here:

• Offset left, right: Distance on each side of the alignment to define the width of the section.

• Height, height down: Distance from the alignment to define the height of the section.

• Interval: Distance between each section along the alignment.

• Thickness: Thickness of the section. This value is normally kept relatively small. 
  

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Two other options are shown here:

• Draw in cloud: When this option is checked the template will not be redrawn every time a change is made to the section. This option is used to reduce processing time when redrawing sections.

• Apply template: The “Apply template” check box is used to automatically apply the current template on the right grid to any empty station (a station which does not contain any points) when the station is edited. This option replaces the “Apply to section” button in the template section.

Below the “Dimensions” section in the “Road by sections” interface are two grids; one is a list of the stations while the other is the template definition. 

The left grid represents each station with different elements: each station’s distance along the alignment, how many points are picked in it and a button to edit the cross-section. Many stations can be selected at once to be deleted. Other options are also available:

"Road by Sections" interface provides a structured workflow for semi-automatic road vectorization by applying a template along an alignment at specified intervals. This tool ensures efficient and accurate road modeling while minimizing manual interventions.

1. Interface Overview

✔ The interface is divided into key sections:

• Alignment selection (dropdown list of available alignments).

• Cross-section dimensions (defines section width, height, and interval).

• Station management (controls section placement and editing).

• Template grid (stores and applies predefined templates).

• Exporting tools (saves, loads, and exports the vectorized data).

2. Alignment Selection & Dimensions

✔ Select an alignment → Dropdown list of all alignments in the Vision database.
✔ Set the alignment range → Start and end values default to the full alignment, but can be adjusted.
✔ Cross-section dimensions → Defines the view area for extracted sections:

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Parameter	Description
Offset (Left/Right)	Width of the section on both sides of the alignment.
Height / Height Down	Vertical range of the section from the alignment.
Interval	Distance between sections along the alignment.
Thickness	Defines the depth of the section (typically kept small).

✔ Processing optimization options:

• "Draw in cloud" → Prevents unnecessary redrawing to reduce processing time.

• "Apply template" → Automatically applies the current template to empty stations.

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3. Station Management

The left grid in the interface lists all stations along the alignment.

✔ Each station displays:

• Distance along the alignment.

• Number of picked points.

• A button to edit the cross-section view.

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✔ Additional options for station management:

Button/Option	Function
Create all sections	Generates stations along the alignment using the interval value. If a template is set, it applies the template automatically.
Set perpendicular view	Aligns the cross-section view perpendicular to the alignment axis.

“

Pick new section

” button: The user must pick a point

Allows users to manually place a new station in the point cloud

and the tool will create a station at that point, along the selected alignment, regardless of the offset

.

“

Edit points

” check box: When this option is activated,

Enables moving vectorized points

in

within a section (

picked points in the secondary window) can be displaced by using “Next” button: Switches the secondary view to the next station. CTRL+2 is also available as a shortcut

CTRL+Click).

“Previous” button: Switches the secondary view to the previous station. CTRL+1 is also available as a shortcut.

Previous / Next buttons	Navigates between sections (shortcuts: CTRL+1 and CTRL+2).
Text box (between

“Previous” and “Next”: This text box presents the station value of the current selection. If this value is changed to a value which isn’t present in the station list, a new station will be created, just as the “Pick new section” function would.

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The right grid displays the current template. It shows the most recently modified template; not necessarily the template of the selected station. The current station will be updated only if the “Recreate template” or “Edit station” (while “Apply template” is checked) functions are used.  

The PCode for every point of the template may be determined by inscribing them in the text box or by selecting them in the dropdown list. Points in the template list may be edited or deleted and attributes may be set. 

“Open” icon: Replaces the current template with a previously saved one

“Save” icon: Saves the current template

“Insert before/after” icons: Inserts an empty point or a copied part of a template into the current template.

“Copy” button: Opens a previously saved template, allowing the user to select points to be copied into the current template. The points must be selected in the list and the “Copy to clipboard” button is clicked. The user may then insert copied points with the “Insert before/after” icons.

“Pick points” check box: When this option is activated, points will be created in the template when picked in the secondary view.

“Sort by offset” check box: This option sorts the template points by their offset value, which is measured by the distance from the alignment. This lets the user pick points randomly and have them sorted automatically. On the other hand, overhangs and tunnels can’t be vectorized this way; to do so, the option must be unchecked

Next/Previous)

Allows direct input of station values to create or modify sections.

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4. Template Management

The right grid stores the active template (not necessarily from the selected station).

✔ Key features of the template grid:

• Allows modification, insertion, or deletion of template points.

• Points can be assigned PCodes via text input or dropdown selection.

✔ Template editing options:

Button	Function
Open	Loads a previously saved template.
Save	Saves the current template for reuse.
Insert before/after	Adds a new or copied point in the template.
Copy	Allows copying points from an existing template.
Pick points	Enables selecting points from the secondary view.
Sort by offset	Automatically sorts points by offset (useful for linear elements).
Apply to section	Applies the current template to the selected station.
Recreate template	Loads the selected section’s template into the grid.

Sort by offset activated                                                   Sort by offset not activated

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• “Apply to section” button: Sets the current template to the selected station on the left grid. Note that the “Apply template” check box fills the selected station the same way if no points were already present in the selected station.

• “Recreate template” button: Clicking here displays the template of the selected section in the template grid.
  

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5. Exporting & Saving Results

The bottom section provides options for saving, exporting, and drawing vectorized sections.

✔ Drawing and Surface Management:

Option	Function
Draw sections	Displays generated sections in the main viewer.
Erase sections	Removes displayed sections from the main viewer.
Create surface	Generates a surface in the Explorer (Objects tab).
Erase surface	Deletes the surface from the Explorer and main view.

✔ File Management and Export Options:

Option	Function
Save	Exports results as CSV or TXT for reuse.
Load	Imports a CSV or JSON file (.rsec & .json) to modify stations and templates.
Export	Saves the surface as DXF, SHP, GeoJSON, KML, or MapInfo.
Close	Exits the "Road by Sections" tool.

6. Best Practices for Efficient Road Vectorization

✔ Ensure alignment is precise before generating sections.
✔ Use templates for consistency and speed.
✔ Manually adjust critical sections (e.g., intersections, road widenings).
✔ Preview results before final export to ensure accuracy.

🚀 Automate Road Vectorization with Precision in VisionLidar!

By leveraging "Road by Sections", you can efficiently model, visualize, and export road networks with high accuracy and minimal effort. Perfect for surveying, transportation planning, and civil engineering projects! 🌍🚧🏗️

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