ProfLT Tutorials

CADWARE Engineering
www.topolt.com
 ProfLT

Table of Contents:

1. Program Description ................................................................................................... 3

2. Program Installation.................................................................................................... 5
2.1. Installing ProfLT........................................................................................................ 5
2.2. Loading ProfLT on the CAD platform ....................................................................... 9
2.3. Program Registration ............................................................................................. 11
2.4. Program Help ......................................................................................................... 12

3. Program Configuration ................................................................................................. 12

3.1. Changing the language of the program ................................................................. 13
3.2. Program Configuration .......................................................................................... 14
3.2.1. General Section ............................................................................................... 15
3.2.2. Longitudinal Profiles Section .......................................................................... 17
3.2.3. Cross Profiles Section ...................................................................................... 21
3.2.4. Pages Section .................................................................................................. 24
3.2.5. Export Data Section ........................................................................................ 25
3.2.6. Files Section .................................................................................................... 26
3.2.7. Units Section ................................................................................................... 27
3.3. Edit Layers .............................................................................................................. 29
3.4. Purge Drawing ........................................................................................................ 30

4. Building longitudinal and cross profiles using the roads template .............................. 31
5. Longitudinal and cross profiles through the 3D road model ........................................ 40
6. Calculating the designed elevation ............................................................................... 48
7. Drawing longitudinal profiles for high voltage lines ..................................................... 51
8. Cross profiles ................................................................................................................. 54

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1. Program Description

ProfLT is a program running on AutoCAD or IntelliCAD platform and which offers

functionalities for configuring, creating and drawing surface profiles and cross sections.

ProfLT allows you to insert points from a coordinate file and, based on these points or
on the digital terrain model, the program generates longitudinal surfaces and cross
sections. The configuration options allow to modify the predefined profile templates
and to create new templates which you can customize depending on specific work
requirements.

ProfLT features:

surface profiles generation using 2D polylines with points, 3D polylines or 3D

model;
automatic generation of surface profiles and cross sections using point codes;
points drawing from a coordinates file;
automatic joining of lateral points with respect to the longitudinal axis according
to the configured code list;
profile editing functions such as joining and disconnecting, orientation and
kilometers recalculation, reversing profile direction;
predefined templates for various profile types (roads, high voltage lines, sewage
and water);
saving a custom template for a longitudinal profile or cross section;
the configuration options cover a wide range of situations with respect to the
way profiles are generated and drawn, the information than can be included and
arranged, the format used for layouts;
previewing the profiles before drawing;
quick drawing of surface profiles and cross sections;
arranging and drawing the profiles on page according to the selected printer;
calculating designed profile (heights of platform) and drawing designed profile
texts;
exporting the profiles in Micropiste or SdrMap files;
the program can be used in Romanian or English language.

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Work environment:

ProfLT can run on the following CAD platforms:

• AutoCAD – R14, 2000i, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019;
• AutoCAD 64-bit: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• AutoCAD LT – 2000i, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 with Toolbox
LT made by GlobalCad;
• BricsCAD Pro and Platinum: V10.3.8, V11.2.3, V12.1.15, V13, V14, V15, V16,
V17.2, V18.2, V19.1
• ZWCAD+ Pro: 2012, 2014, 2015
• ZWCAD Pro 2019 SP1
• CADian –2008 with update Omega_15, 2011
• CMS IntelliCAD – V6.3, V6.4, V6.5, V6.6;
• ProgeCAD – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011;
• ZwCAD – 2007 with update P0808, 2008 with update 08022, 2010
(Vernum=2010.05.31(14725)), 2011, 2012;

Operating systems supported by ProfLT are: Windows 98 / Me / NT / 2000 / XP / Vista /

7/ 8 / 10.

For proper functioning of the program it is recommended to first configure the program,
select the plan scale, define the table columns, choose the codes interpretation file, edit
the layers file and choose the file containing linetypes.

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2. Program Installation

2.1. Installing ProfLT

Before installing ProfLT you need to install a supported CAD application.

To install the program insert the CD or double-click the executable downloaded from
www.topolt.com. The language selection window is displayed.

Picture 1

After selecting the installation language a window asking you to close all running
programs is displayed. Click Next.

Picture 2

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Next you are presented the License and Warranty Agreement. Read them and select I accept
the agreement to continue with the installation or select I do not accept the agreement and
the installation will stop. If you choose Yes click Next.

Picture 3

Next you enter the user name and the company name and click Next.

Picture 4

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Choose the installation directory or accept the default one and click Next.

Picture 5

Choose the name of the program shortcut in the Start menu or accept the default. Click
Next.

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Picture 6

Review the installation settings and if they are correct click Install.

Picture 7

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After the installation is completed click Finish. If you leave the option to view the Read Me
file then the ReadMe file opens which contains a short description of the program features,
the improvements made in the last versions and the system requirements. To complete the
installation process click Finish.

Picture 8

2.2. Loading ProfLT on the CAD platform

ProfLT can be easily loaded on the CAD platform by using the Load Application from the
Tools menu or by typing appload on the command line.

Picture 9

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In the Load/Unload Applications window select the folder where ProfLT was installed, select
the file ProfLT.lsp and click Load. At the bottom of the window you should receive the
message ProfLT.lsp successfully loaded. Click Close.

Picture 10

The next window offers the possiblity to open the folder containing example files to help you
better understand the functionalities.

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Picture 11

2.3. Program Registration

ProfLT can run for 30 days in demo version. During this period you can freely test the
program. At the end of the 30 days period the program will ask for the registration code.

In order to register the program you must go in the ProfLT menu, select Software
registration, and enter the user name, company name and license code received after
purchasing the license.

Picture 12

After completing the information press the Register button.

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2.4. Program Help

In case you need help understanding ProfLT functions you can consult the Help menu or
hover the mouse cursor over a command and press F1 on the keyboard. The Help file
will open explaining you in detail all program commands.

Picture 13

3. Program Configuration

The first step that every user has to make when they start a new project is to Configure
ProfLT.

In the Configure menu there are several options to configure the program:

Change language (Changing the language of the program)

Program options
Edit layers
Purge drawing

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Picture 14

3.1. Changing the language of the program

Change language command is used to change the language of the commands and Help
file in ProfLT.
ProfLT can run in Romanian or English language.
Changing the language is made by selecting the .lng file corresponding to the language
you want to set and pressing Open. This option can also be accessed from the command
line with the Chlng command.

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Picture 15

3.2. Program Configuration

Here you cand configure the way you work with the program for the current drawing.
The configuration data is saved in the current dwg file and if you open a new drawing
then the configuration is maintained from the last open of the program.

ProfLT uses a series of predefined templates such as: roads, high voltage lines, sewage
and water. These templates contain the parameters configuration for each element.
Users can define their own template starting from an existing one. This template can be
saved (click Save to… button) and used in future projects.
If you save a template then you can load it with Load from… button.

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Picture 16

3.2.1. General Section

In General section you can change the following settings:

Plan Scale – change the scale for drawn elements. If you change the scale after
you have drawn some objects then these objects will be automatically
regenerated according to the new scale.

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Picture 17

Points identification
To draw the points we use blocks with attributes. The selected block must have
three text attributes defining, in order, the point number, elevation and code.
This block is saved in a .dwg file.
Regarding the Tolerance for Identical Points, this setting is useful in the
following situation:
1. If the distance between two points is smaller than the tolerance then the
points are considered identical and the second point is ignored;
2. When searching for the point assigned to a polyline vertex the program looks
for points situated at a distance smaller than the tolerance. In case more
points are found, the point which is closest will be considered;
3. For two profile points, if the horizontal distance and the elevation distance
(Z) are smaller than the tolerance, then one of the points will be eliminated
(without eliminating the distance between them). The point will be kept if a
section passes through this point, if the point is an object or if the point has a
number defined.

The Automation area contains a list of codes necessary to obtain surface profiles
and cross sections. To automatically join the points defining the longitudinal
profile you must set the Axis Point Code for Longitudinal Profile Identification.
Also you can define the List of Point Codes to Omit on Automatic Cross Profile

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Search (these points will be omitted when drawing cross profiles; example: light
pole, gas line, sewage man hole). List of Point Codes Used in Multiple Point Join
Operations on MJoinPts Command defines the point codes to be joined with 2D
or 3D polylines with MJoinPts command, and the layers used. In this list you can
add codes for lateral lines such as: road shoulder, gutter, earthwork, etc.

Draw Profile

1. Explode profile when inserting in drawing option is useful to explode the

blocks for longitudinal profiles when drawing them in order to insert
designed heights of platform in the longitudinal profile.
2. Order selected profiles when drawing is used to order the longitudinal
profiles by profile number, connected cross profiles by kilometer position,
and disconnected cross sections by their number.

From Preview window you can select the background color for all preview
windows for longitudinal profiles and cross sections.

3.2.2. Longitudinal Profiles Section

This section contains necessary options for setting up and drawing longitudinal profiles.
Before changing the settings for profile it is necessary to load the appropriate profile
template (roads, high voltage lines, sewage or water).

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Picture 18

Longitudinal profile scale allows entering values for lengths scale and elevation
scale to use when drawing longitudinal profiles.
In Table Header area you select the font used to write the texts, the language to
use (Romanian and/or English), profile name, header width, text color for profile
name and number.

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Picture 19

In Table Data you can configure the data in the profile table:

1. Select the font used in the table;

2. Set the number of decimals used for elevations and distances;
3. In case the text do not fit in the table cell you can select Fit text to row
option. If the scale factor decreases below 0.5 then text scaling is not
applied.
4. By checking Use lines and distances only in section points or in object
points you can draw in table only the vertical lines corresponding to
section points or objects. The lines and data from other points are
eliminated from the table.
5. By checking Compute kilometers/miles on 3D distances option, the
distance will be calculated by summing up inclined distances, and you can
choose to take the origin of distance from the profile kilometer values. In
case you do not select the 3D calculation option you can choose to take
the origin from the profile kilometer mark.
6. Minimum declivity difference between two profile segments is the
minimum value for which it is considered that two successive segments
have the same slope. This value is valid only if the table contains the
existent declivities and is useful to signal small slope variations.

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7. Declivity block contains the block used to mark the declivity change. If no
block is selected then the declivity will not be marked.
8. Draw point codes above reference line option is useful to identify the
points used to draw the profile.

In Objects area you can make settings for objects inserted in the longitudinal
profile:

1. Object color to use for profile objects.

2. Objects name in language 1 and language 2 shows name object name
that will appear in the table header under Distances Between “Objects”
and Cumulated Distances Between “Objects”. The text Objects will be
replaced with the text of your choice.
3. Points Code Used for Object Identification option sets the identification
code for points representing objects. Points identified with this code
must overlap with points in the profile and have an elevation higher than
the terrain elevation. Object height is equal to the elevation difference (Z)
between the two points. The object number will be read from the point
code.

In Longitudinal Profiles Arrangement Options area you can set the arrangement
of the profiles in page and set the height and width:

1. From Number of columns choose the number of columns to split the

page into. If the value 1 is used then the whole page will be used.
2. Number of rows is the number of rows to split the page into. If the value
0 is used then the program will not use rows to split the page.
3. Vertical profile distance is the amount of space between vertical profiles
when drawing on page or on quick draw. When arranging in page, half of
the distance is used to leave an empty space between the profile and the
top and bottom edge of the page.
4. Horizontal profile distance represents the space left between horizontal
profiles on quick drawing of a longitudinal profile split in segments. When
arranging in page, half of the distance is used to leave an empty space
between the profile and the left and right edge of the page and between
the vertical line defining a column and the profile.
5. From Profile Alignment choose how to align the profile: left, right or
center. In the case of central alignment, to calculate the middle point the
program does not consider the table header width.
6. Fit profile to specified height is the maximum height of the graphical
representation of the profile. This option is useful in order to reduce
height of the profile and for printing.
7. Split profile to specified length is the length of the segments the profile
will be split into. The obtained profile segments will be numbered by

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adding the suffix „/number”, where „number” is the current profile

segment number. The specified length includes the table header.

Picture 20

3.2.3. Cross Profiles Section

This section contains settings necessary to set up and draw cross sections. In the same
way as with the longitudinal profiles, it is necessary to load a profile template before
changing settings. Click Load from… and select the appropriate template.

Starting with the existing template, each user can define their own template and save it
with Save to… button.

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Picture 21

Cross profiles scale: you can set the length scale and elevation scale used to draw
cross profiles.
In Table Header area you select the font used to write texts in the table header,
the language, the profile name, header width, text color for profile name and
number and the option to draw the distance next to the profile number (this
option is valid only for cross profiles connected to a longitudinal profile).
In Table Data area you set the data from the table header:

1. Select the font used for text in the table.

2. Set the number of decimals used for elevations and distances.
3. In case the text do not fit in the table cell you can select Fit text to row
option. If the scale factor decreases below 0.5 then text scaling is not
applied.
4. The option Partial distances on the left side of the axis are negative
represents the partial distances calculated for points situated on the left
side of the connection point (the axis defined by the longitudinal profile)
and will be written in the table with negative values (this option is valid
only for cross profiles connected to a longitudinal profile).
5. The option Cumulated distance is applied from connection point (axis) –
the origin of the cumulated distance can be moved from the first profile
point to the connection point (axis defined by the longitudinal profile). In

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this case the program will calculate cumulated distances on the left and on
the right starting from origin. If this option is used then you can choose to
have the cumulated distances on the left to be written with a negative
value in the table.
6. Draw point codes above reference line option is useful to identify the
points used to draw the profile.

In Cross Profiles Arrangement Options area you can set the arrangement of the
profiles in page and set the height and width:

1. From Number of columns choose the number of columns to split the page
into. If the value 1 is used then the whole page will be used.
2. Number of rows is the number of rows to split the page into. If the value 0
is used then the program will not use rows to split the page.
3. Vertical profile distance is the amount of space between vertical profiles
when drawing on page or on quick draw. When arranging in page, half of
the distance is used to leave an empty space between the profile and the
top and bottom edge of the page.
4. Horizontal profile distance – when arranging in page, half of this value is
used to leave an empty space between the profile and the left and right
edge of the page and between the vertical line defining a column and the
profile.
5. From Profile Alignment choose how to align the profile: left, right or
center. The option center is available only for connected cross profiles. In
the case of central alignment, to calculate the middle point the program
does not consider the table header width.
6. Create fixed length profiles allows entering a value for cross profile
length. In the specified value is included the table header width. If the
profile length is smaller than the specified value then the profile edges are
extended, and if the length is bigger, then the profile is cut.
7. Cut profile if length is bigger than option allows cutting a profile if its
length is bigger than a specified value (which includes the table header
width). In case of unconnected profiles the cut is made equally for both
sides and in case of connected profiles, you first position the connection
point on the center of the profile and then make the cut on both sides.

Type of Used Lines allows selecting the line type for section in plan, profile and
marking the profile connection point.

1. Line type for section in plan sets the line type used to represent cross
sections in plan. This line type is used in the cross profile label block to
mark the section line.
2. Line type and color for profile section line sets the line type and color
used to represent the section lines in the cross profile.

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3. Line type and color for profile connection point sets the line type and
color used to represent the line from the connection point for a cross
profile connected to a longitudinal profile. These parameters are useful
to identify the axis point from the cross profile.

Plan labels section allows setting the font and height for cross profile labels.

1. Font selects the font used to write the cross profile labels.
2. Text height sets the text height for cross profile labels.
3. Text width sets the width scale factor for texts used for labels.
4. Draw distance attributes (kilometers/miles) allows drawing the distance
attribute (kilometers/miles) next to the cross profile number for cross
profiles connected to a longitudinal profile.

Select rows for cross profiles allows selecting the fields to be included in the
cross profile table. For each field you can set: row height, header text height and
width, text height and width factor for table data. Values are in mm for metric
system or inches for English system. When selecting the cells are marked with
black for calculated values and with blue for areas the user will have to
complete.

3.2.4. Pages Section

This option refers to defining the pages for longitudinal and cross profiles. Options are
identical for both types of profiles.

First step is Selecting the printer.

Select page and frame margins allows selecting the size, orientation and printing
area according to the selected printer.
Adjust printable area, correlate CAD is used to leave a space around the
maximum printable area. This value is usually 0.7 inch and must be changed if
there is a difference between the printable area defined by ProfLT and the one
set by the CAD application.
Frame width allows you to set the width of the polyline used to draw the frame.
Cassette insertion point selects the insertion point position for the title block.
The position can be defined in the corners or middle points of the frame.
Cassette block name for longitudinal profiles allows you to select the dwg file
containing the block to be used for title block. If no file is selected then the
layouts will not contain a title block.
Attribute name for page number sets the name of the attribute defined inside
the title bock for page number.

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Length of cassette on X (East) from insertion point sets the size and direction on
OX (East) axis of the title block. The direction is given by the (+) or (-) signs. This
value is used to determine the space occupied by the title block in page.
Height of cassette on Y (North) from insertion point sets the size and direction
on OY (North) axis of the title block. The direction is given by the (+) or (-) signs.
This value is used to determine the space occupied by the title block in page.

Picture 22

3.2.5. Export Data Section

This section contains settings for data export in SDRMAP file.

Axis point code and it’s correspondent in SRDMAP sets the correspondent code
for axis point for export.
Road left margin point code and it’s correspondent in SDRMAP sets the
correspondent code for points defining the left road margin for export.
Road right margin point code and it’s correspondent in SDRMAP sets the
correspondent code for points defining the right road margin for export.

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Picture 23

3.2.6. Files Section

In this section you find the files used by the program, and the order in which the
coordinates will be written and displayed.

Used files

1. Profile table rows file name allows you to select the file where you define
the rows for the longitudinal and cross profile tables. This file is editable.
2. Codes interpretation file allows selecting the file where the point codes are
defined. This file is editable.
3. Layers file allows selecting the file where layers used by the program are
defined. When launching the program the layers defined in this file are
created in the drawing. This file is editable.
4. AutoCAD lines file allows selecting the file with line types used by the
program. When launching the program this file is loaded.

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Coordinates order from file allows you to select the coordinates order when
reading or writing coordinates to/from a file: NEZ (North, East, Z) or ENZ (East,
North, Z).
CSV Files – you can set the separating character for CSV files.

Picture 24

3.2.7. Units Section

This section has setting for measurement units (metric or English), number of decimals
for coordinates, elevations, distances and reference elevations.

In Measurement units area you can choose the measurement units system to
use, metric or English. When changing this setting all distance values are
transformed from one system to the other.

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Picture 25

Coordinates

1. Number of decimals for coordinates option is used when drawing and

writing points to external file.
2. Number of decimals for elevation option is used when drawing and writing
points to external file.

Reference elevation calculation allows setting the number of decimals used to

calculate the profile reference elevation. The reference elevation is calculated as
relative value to the minimum Z of the profile points. For example, if the decimal
number is 0 then the reference elevation will be the integer part of minimum Z
(integer part for meter), if the decimal number is 1 then the reference elevation
will be minimum Z with 1 decimal (integer part for decimeter), if the decimal
number is 2 then the reference elevation will be minimum Z with 2 decimals
(integer part for centimeter).

Distance units

1. Measurement units sets the unit name for distances. The text is used for
profile markings and labels.

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2. Number of decimals sets the number of decimals for profile markings and
labels.
3. Number of digits sets the total number of characters used to write distances.
This value represents the number of characters assigned to the
measurement unit in the profile text and labels.

Mark off units (kilometers/miles)

1. Measurement unit name sets the texts with the measurement unit for
kilometers or miles. The text is used in profile markings and labels and in
longitudinal profile.
2. Transformation factor to MU sets the number of units (m or feet) which
correspond to one Km (one mile).
3. Use subdivisions for kilometers (miles) writes subdivisions in the kilometer
box from longitudinal profile.
4. Subdivision unit name sets the text with the subdivision measurement unit.
The text is used in the kilometer box from the longitudinal profile.
5. Transformation factor to MU sets the number of units (m or feet) which
correspond to one subdivision.

3.3. Edit Layers

The layers file is an ASCII text file with .lay extension which can be modified from the
menu Configuration » Edit Layers or by typing peditlay in the command line.

Picture 26

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In this file are saved the layers assigned to the program. The layers are created
automatically when the program loads.
To add a new layer click the button. In Allocation column you specify which
domain to assign the layer to, you enter the layer name, color, on/off and plot options.

3.4. Purge Drawing

The command can be accessed in Configure menu or by typing pur in the command line
to clean the drawing of all the unused blocks, layers, linetypes, text styles, etc.

Picture 27

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4. Building longitudinal and cross profiles using the roads

template

In this exercise you will follow the steps needed to build longitudinal and cross profiles
along a road.

1. To complete this exercise, open 1_Road_with_points.dwg from Examples folder in

ProfLT installation path (by default it is C:\Program Files\ProfLT\Example) or you can
download the examples from http://www.topolt.com.
2. First step is to configure ProfLT from Configuration » Options:
In General section set the plan scale to 1 : 1 000.
If you select the 3D Plan option then all polylines created with commands
dedicated for profiles will be used to create the 3D terrain model and used as
break lines.
Write the axis point code to identify the longitudinal profile. For this example
the code is AX.
Write the list of codes used to join multiple points with mjoinpts command or
from Automations » Multiple Join Points. Enter the following codes in the
table: MD, AC, RS and RJ.

Picture 28

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In the Longitudinal Profiles section click Load from… button and select the
Roads Template. The Length scale is 1 : 1 000, and the elevation scale is 1 : 100.
In Table Header area select Language 1 for Table Header Language.

Picture 29

In Cross Profiles section load the Roads Template with Load from… button.
The length scale is 1 : 100, and the elevation scale is 1 : 100. Under Table
Header Language select Language 1.
Click OK to close the Options window.

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Picture 30

3. Insert the points from the file 1_Road_Point.coo. To insert this file go to Points »
Draw… or type drawpts in the command line.

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Picture 31

Select the option Name and Code to display the points with name and code.

4. Building the longitudinal profile is made with the function Automations »

Longitudinal by Points or by typing autopl in the command line. This command
automatically creates the longitudinal profile by identifying the points by code. The
code used is AX which we defined in the Options window.

Points code for longitudinal profile identification <AX>: press Enter to confirm
the code AX.
Select start point: the start point is the first point on the left, with number
1031.
Select next point for start direction: to set the polyline direction select the next
point on the right, with number 1044 (marked with a red X).
Maximum distance between points <100.0>m: this value is used to search for
points, press Enter to confirm the default value.
Search angle value <50.0>g: the angle to search points in drawing. Press Enter
to confirm the default value.
Longitudinal profile number <1>: enter the profile number PL1.

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Km start <0>: enter the start value (in kilometers) for the new road segment,
press Enter to confirm the default value.
M start <0.000>: start value (in meters), press Enter to confirm the default
value.
Profile is projected on axis end points [Yes/No] < No >: select No.
Draw object found in profiles [Yes/No]? <No>: select No.

Picture 32

5. Drawing of cross profiles is done from Automations » Cross Profiles by Points or by

typing autopt in the command line. This command allows to automatically create
cross profiles by searching for points lateral to the axis.

Select longitudinal profile: click the longitudinal profile previously created (the
red polyline)
Start number for cross profile numbering <1>: press Enter to use the default
value, 1.
Left distance from axis <35.00>m: in each vertex of the polyline, the bisector of
the angle between the two adjacent sides is calculated. The distance in
measured on the left and right from the axis, along the bisector. Press Enter to
accept the default value.
Right distance from axis <35.00>m: the same distance measured on the right,
press Enter to accept the default value.
Distance from line to search points <3.00>m: distance measured from this
segment, forward and backward on the longitudinal profile direction, where the
program will search for points.

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Picture 33

One of the benefits of using this command is that the points in the coordinates file do
not have to be ordered on the direction of the cross profile, the sorting of the points is
done automatically. Because of this, the measurement of the points from a cross profile
does not have to follow a specific order.

6. Multiple joining of points according to the list entered in Configuration » Options »

General » List of point codes used in multiple point join operation on MjoinPts
command. Go to Automations » Multiple Join Points or type mjonpts in the
command line. Points on the left and right of the axis are joined.

Select longitudinal profile: click the longitudinal profile (the red polyline). The
points with the same code are joined on each side of the longitudinal profile.

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Picture 34

7. To preview the longitudinal and connected cross profiles you can use Preview
Profiles » Preview Longitudinal.

Select object: click the longitudinal profile (the red polyline). The Profile Preview
window is displayed and on the left side you can find the longitudinal profile and
the connected cross profiles.

Picture 35

When selecting a cross section from the list the window on the right zooms to the
selected profile.

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Picture 36

8. Previewing cross profiles can be done for connected or unconnected profiles. To

access the command go to Preview Profiles » Preview Cross.

Select object: select the cross profiles you want to view (click the green line). The
preview window is displayed on the bottom of the screen.

Picture 37

9. Drawing of longitudinal profiles and arranging them in page is done with Draw
Profiles » Draw Longitudinal. The insertion point for the pages must be chosen in

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the upper-left corner and the page will be drawn to the right and down from the
insertion point.

Select objects: click the longitudinal profile (the red polyline).

Pick insertion point for pages: click a point in an empty space of the drawing to
insert the page.
The Preview Profiles in Page window is displayed: to arrange the profiles in page
click Arrange button. In Profile arrangement options window select the option
to Split longitudinal profile in parts with length = 479 mm. The page size is set
from Configuration » Options » Pages » Select page and frame margins.
Customizing the title block with the company data is done from Configuration »
Options » Pages » Cassette block name for longitudinal profiles.

Picture 38

Click the Draw button and the pages are generated in the drawing.

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Picture 39

5. Longitudinal and cross profiles through the 3D road model

In this exercise you will learn to draw longitudinal and cross profiles through the 3D
model of a road.

1. To complete this exercise open 2_Road_with_3DModel.dwg from Examples folder in

ProfLT installation path (by default it is C:\Program Files\ProfLT\Example).
2. The 3D model of the terrain was made with TopoLT application using 3D Model »
Build 3D model command.
3. First step is to configure ProfLT from Configuration » Options:
In General section select the plan scale 1 : 1 000.
Write the axis point code to identify the longitudinal profile. For this example
the code is AX.
In Longitudinal profile section click Load from… button and select Roads
Template. The Length scale is 1 : 1 000, and the elevation scale is 1 : 100. In
Table Header area select Language 1 for Table Header Language.

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Picture 40

In Longitudinal profiles arrangement options area select the option Fit profile
to specified height and type 200 in the box on the right. Select Split profile to
specified length and type 479 in the box on the right. These options are useful
for arranging the profiles and fitting the in page for printing.

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Picture 41

In Cross Profiles section load the Roads Template from Load from… button.
The Length scale is 1 : 1 000, and the elevation scale is 1 : 100. In Table Header
area select Language 1 for Table Header Language..

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Picture 42

4. To select the 3D model to use when creating longitudinal and cross profile use
Profiles on 3D Model » Select 3D Model command.
5. To generate the longitudinal profile use Profile pe Model 3D » Create longitudinal
through 3D model command or type mmakepl in the command line. In this case the
entities that will be projected on the 3D model are: lines, 2D or 3D polylines.

Select polyline that defines longitudinal profile: click the red polyline.
Longitudinal profile number: enter the profile number, in this case the number
is 1.
KM start <0>: sets the start point for the road segment in kilometers. Press
Enter to confirm the default value.
M start <0.000>: press Enter to confirm the default value.
Profile is projected on axis end points [Yes/No]? <No>: the profile is not
projected on the axis between the end points, Select No.
Draw object found in profiles [Yes/No]? <No>: Select No.

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Picture 43

6. Drawing of the cross profiles through the 3D model is made with Profiles on 3D
Model » Connected Cross Profiles or type mptonpl in the command line. This
command allows the automatic creation of cross profiles through the 3D model
connected to the longitudinal profile.

Select longitudinal profile: select the longitudinal profile previously created (the
red polyline).
Generation mode [InVertex/Measure/Divide/SegmentsDivide] <InVertex>:
choose InVertex, in this case the cross profiles will e generated in every polyline
vertex along the longitudinal profile. Section lines will be oriented from left to
right on the direction on the longitudinal profile polyline.
Start number for cross profile numbering <1>: press Enter to use the default
value, 1.
Left distance from axis <35.00>m: in each vertex of the polyline, the bisector of
the angle between the two adjacent sides is calculated. The distance in
measured on the left and right from the axis, along the bisector. Press Enter to
accept the default value.
Right distance from axis <35.00>m: the same distance measured on the right,
press Enter to accept the default value.

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Picture 44

7. To draw the longitudinal profiles go to Draw Profiles » Quick Draw. We use this
command to draw profiles with 200x479 size for printing.

Select object: click the longitudinal profile (red polyline).

Pick insertion point for profiles: click a point in the empty space above the
profile..

Picture 45

The profiles are drawn according to the setting made in the Options window.

8. For automatic printing of the pages containing longitudinal profiles you can use
TopoLT application. Draw a rectangle with the same size as configured in the
Options window, (479x200) starting from the top-left corner (if you do not respect
this rule them the viewports in layout will be rotated). Copy the rectangles to frame
each segment of the profile.

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Picture 46

9. In TopoLT menu, go to Plan Layout » Make Views with Plans Layouts or type
formplns in the command line.

Type Views names: in this example enter the name Profile.

First number for numbering Views: 1
Select objects: select all rectangles in order and press Enter.

10. After creating the views switch to Layout (Paperspace) and draw the title block and
two viewports for plane and profile, with the same size as the rectangles used to
create the views.

11. In Layout (Paperspace) go to Plan Layout » Load plan layout number.

Select Viewport allocated for <PLAN>: select the viewport for plane.
Select Viewport allocated for <PROFIL>: select the viewport for profile.
Select block with attribute <NO PLAN>: select the title block with attributes.
Plan layout number that will be loaded: enter the plan number to load.

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Picture 47

12. To load another plan go to repeat the Load plan layout number command and enter
another plan number.
13. Use Save As command to save the file with a different name. You will use this file for
the next example in this tutorial.

Picture 48

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6. Calculating the designed elevation

In this example you learn how to calculate the height of platform (designed
elevation) and how to draw the text in longitudinal profile table.

1. To complete this exercise use the drawing from the previous example.
2. You should have already the longitudinal profiles drawn. To calculate the height
of platform you must first draw the designed line in the profile. Use a polyline to
draw the desired line.

Picture 49

3. Explode the longitudinal profile using Explode command. We use this method
because the profile is initially drawn as a block, and during the calculation of the
height of platform we need the reference line and vertical lines. After exploding
we obtain lines, polylines and texts.

4. Calculation of height of platform is made from Utilities » Calculate Height of

Platform.

Is longitudinal profile [Yes/No]? <Yes>: Select Yes. Depending on the answer

to this question the ratio between the length and elevation scales is
determined.
Profile reference elevation [Zref] <0.00>: for the first profile the reference
elevation is 86 (relative to this value are calculated the heights of platform).
In the image below the reference elevation is circled.

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Picture 50

Select section polyline (red line): click the designed polyline you have drawn
earlier. The elevations are calculated from this polyline by adding the
difference in elevation between the reference line and the designed polyline to
the reference elevation.
Select reference line: usually this line is the top line of the table marked with
the reference elevation symbol.
Select vertical lines to calculate heights of platform: select the vertical lines for
which you want to calculate the height of platform. The elevation differences
are obtained from the intersections between these lines with the reference
line and designed polyline. The calculation is made only for the selected
vertical lines.

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Picture 51

The texts for the designed elevations are drawn on the reference line, and you
have the option to place the texts on the Heights of Platform row of the table.
The texts are drawn using the current parameters for: font, text height, scale
factor, layer and color.
In the picture below you can notice the difference between the terrain and the
designed elevations.

Picture 52

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7. Drawing longitudinal profiles for high voltage lines

In this exercise you will make the necessary steps to draw longitudinal profiles for high
voltage lines.

1. To complete this exercise open 3_PowerLine.dwg from Examples folder in ProfLT

installation path (by default it is C:\Program Files\ProfLT\Example).
2. First step is to configure ProfLT from Configuration » Options:
In General section set the plan scale to 1 : 1 000.
In Longitudinal Profiles section, click Load from… button and select High
voltage lines template. The Length Scale is 1 : 1 000, and the Elevation Scale is
1 : 100. In Table Header area select Language 1 for Table Header Language.
In Objects area do not change the code used for objects identification (STL).

Picture 53

3. Insert the points from the file 3_PowerLine.coo. Go to Points » Draw or type
drawpts in the command line. Select the option Name and code for texts.

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Picture 54

4. Drawing of the longitudinal profile is made from Profiles » Create Longitudinal or

by typing makepl in the command line. This command allows creating a
longitudinal profile by selecting a 2D polyline with points in all vertexes, a 3D
polyline or a line from where longitudinal profile points will be searched for.

Select polyline that defines longitudinal profile: click the blue polyline.
Longitudinal profile number: enter the profile number PL1.
Km start < 0 >: press Enter to confirm the default value.
M start < 0.000 >: press Enter to confirm the default value.
Profile is projected on axis end points [Yes/No] < No >: select Yes. When you
choose the longitudinal profile to be projected on the axis between end
points then the profile will be a linear section defined by the polyline end
points. In our case the polyline points are projected on the section line.
Draw object founded in profiles [Yes/No] < No >: select Yes. This option must
be used only when objects are defined in the profile. The objects are
identified by the code entered in the configuration window, Configuration »
Options » Longitudinal Profiles » Objects.

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5. Repeat this command for the second line (the green line). Go to Profiles » Create
Longitudinal or type makepl in the command line.

Select polyline that defines longitudinal profile: click the green line.
Distance from line to search points <3.00>m: enter 3.
Longitudinal profile number: enter the profile number PL2.
Km start < 5 >: the program reads the kilometer value from the end of the
previous profile. This value becomes the start for the new profile. Press
Enter.
M start < 167.307 >: the program reads the meter value from the end of the
previous profile. Press Enter to confirm this value.
Profile is projected on axis end points [Yes/No] < No >: Select Yes.
Draw object founded in profiles [Yes/No] < No >: Select Yes.

Picture 55

6. To draw the profiles you can use Draw profiles » Quick Draw or Draw Longitudinal
to draw and arrange the profiles in page.
To quick draw the profiles for the electrical lines, select the two profiles and then
click a point in an empty space to place the profiles.

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Picture 56

8. Cross profiles

In this exercise you will learn to draw cross profiles starting from points measured in the
field and inserted in the drawing.

1. To complete this exercise open 4_Points_from_Line.dwg Examples folder in ProfLT

installation path (by default it is C:\Program Files\ProfLT\Example).
2. First step is to configure ProfLT from Configuration » Options:
In General section set the plan scale to 1 : 1 000.
In Cross Profiles set the length scale to 1 : 100, and the elevation scale to 1 :
100. In Table Header select Language 1 for Table Header Language.

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Picture 57

3. Insert the points from the file 4_Points_from_Line.coo. To insert this file go to
Points » Draw… or type drawpts in the command line. Select the option Name and
code for texts and click OK.

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Picture 58

Picture 59

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4. Draw another line for the points on the right side. It is not necessary to manually
join the points because by applying the Create Cross you select the line and the
points are joined automatically considering the list of codes to be omitted.

Picture 60

5. Drawing the cross profile is made from Profiles » Create Cross or by typing makept
in the command line.

Select polyline or line that defines cross profile: select one of the lines.
Distance from line to search points <3.00>m: press Enter to confirm the default
value. Points found within this distance will be projected on the section line.
Cross profile number <1>: enter the profile number, PT1.
Profile is connected to a longitudinal profile [Yes/No]? <Yes>: select No.

Apply the same command for the other line.

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Picture 61

6. To draw the profiles go to Draw Profiles » Draw Cross or type drawpt in the
command line. This command generates profiles and arranges them in page. De
page setup is made from Configuration » Options » Pages » Cross profile page.

Select cross profiles for drawing: select the two profiles previously generated.
Pick insertion point for pages: click a point in an empty space to insert the page
with the two profiles. The Preview Profiles in Page window is displayed. Click
Arrange button and select the option Cut cross profiles to specified length 365
mm.

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Picture 62

Click Draw button, the page with the profiles is placed at the insertion point.

Picture 63

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