Introduction
Converting Geopak projects to Open Roads Designer will need some amount of thinking. Depending on the project, converting will be simple or difficult. The designer must examine each element and consider the future. Will these elements need modification? Could they remain as static linework with no relationships for the rest of the project’s phases? What are the risks for choosing the most convenient option? Can we afford that in the long run?
See the questions floating down stream. There are many more upstream before the waterfall. What I want to point out is the need to think. Stop and think. There are many procedures in our industry. These procedures allow for casual work flows that need little to no thought. We pass these procedures to the least experienced like the interns or new hires. This is not like that in the slightest.
A Thoughtful Example
Consider a project halfway through the Right-of-Way acquisition phase. It will be a few years before the next phase starts. We all know there are revisions that happen from here on out. This means that there are future needs. Elements like driveways, profiles, cross sections, and drainage features will change. There may even be some sort of survey update.
This project must be in a state where servicing it in the future is possible. Possible both in an affordable way and a technical way. First, it must be possible in an affordable way. The engineering firm cannot lose money for every revision. Taking apart the entire car for an oil change is not a good business model. A mechanic business will close their doors soon after. Thus, this project must convert in a sustainable manner. Good news! Open Roads Designer introduces methods of design iteration that Geopak never had. Revisions will cost less labor. Consider the conversion of old cross sections into a 3D corridor. Changing a corridor is a fraction of the labor. That may be a wise thing to do for the firm’s financials. Second, this project must be possible in a technical way. Geopak projects contain their drainage systems within a GDF file. There is no direct way to convert this into Open Road Designer’s StormCAD software. You cannot service an unconverted drainage system. The classic, and foolish, thought is to provide a graphical edit of some sort. A catch basin scoots over a few feet. A designer does napkin calculations to determine the new slopes and elevations. Some fake linework on the profile serves as the new design. All is well until someone wants a network analysis. The designer cannot analyze the system. Open Roads Designer needs the storm water system stored in StormCAD. Is the firm comfortable with this? Will a client or a DOT will ask to see the performance of the storm water system? Is it risk-free to never check the project’s storm water systems after every revision? The firm must think about this. It is prudent to convert all Geopak drainage into Open Roads Designer. There are two options. The first is to use the Model Builder tool. The second is rebuilding the drainage from scratch.
There is a real need to wake up and think about how you ought to handle your projects as you begin converting them. Next, let’s step into the subject of the GPK.
GPK, Noah’s Ark
The GPK is a lifeboat for all intelligent design. The old approach designing a driveway’s profile never included storing it within the GPK. This means there is no direct way to service the driveway’s profile if there is ever a revision. Importing a GPK is instant and effortless. The GPK can store these and other features:
- Driveway alignments and profiles
- A True Open Roads Designer conversion needs 3D modeled driveways.
- All long term roadway projects need revising. A tract owner may negotiate a change in their driveway’s profile or even location. Converted driveways are easier to change.
- Special ditches – These take a significant amount of effort in design. Storing them as an alignment and profile cuts out on rework.
Knowing What You Want
Moving on from the GPK lifeboat, we arrive at the shores of Open Roads Designer. Before we land and begin our march we must ask: what is the full scope for this project? Say a client wants a full 3D model. Then there are many elements we must add to our old Geopak-now-converted project. We now need 3D driveway aprons, curb ramps, and… oh gracious! we have to model the side drains now?! Let’s stop for a moment. Before we can move into the next step of conversion, we must look at what the client wants from us. It is quite possible to model much more than what’s needed and overrun the project’s budget. It is also possible to model things that will never be visible. No one can see a 3D curb transition on a PDF plan set. Did the client only need a PDF? Was that modeled transition needed? Know what the client expects. Also know that the client has no clue about software capabilities. Open Roads Designer is a newer software with a small amount of experienced folk around. The designer must understand what clients need.
Short Conclusion
In the end, stop and think. Converting projects from Geopak to Open Roads Designer is not a procedure. The firm must examine every project on its own.
