Within the Map Tools ribbon (accessed using Mapping>Open Map), there are various “Section Production” tools which allow you to create and modify Section Lines, as well as generate Quick Sections.

Once a Quick Section is generated, the Section Tools ribbon becomes available, which provides additional tools and settings for controlling the Quick Section, such as the Template, Paper Size, and Horizontal/Vertical Scales that you want to use 

Note that when you have configured your Section Lines to your liking, it is possible to save these settings to the Section Lines Group in order to easily re-generate Quick Sections later.

Section Lines

Section Lines are the baselines (alignments) along which the Quick Section is generated. Most of the “Section Production” tools described below pertain to creating and managing Section Lines.

Section Lines can be drawn on the Map or alternatively can be created directly in the Section Lines Group.

Section Production

Quick Section

The Quick Section button is used to generate a Quick Section. You must first have a Section Line drawn and selected (or individual Locations selected - see below) for the Quick Section button to be active.

Draw

The Draw button is used to create a new Section Line. Single-click on the map to add points along the Section Line. Double-click to end the Section Line.

Remove

You can permanently delete a Section Line using the Remove button. This will remove it from the Map and delete it from the Section Lines Group.

Save

Section Lines can be saved within a Project so they can be reused later.

When a Section Line is Saved, it is saved to the Section Line Group using the specified Name, Coordinates, and other properties. If a new Name is used, a new record is added to the Section Line Group. If an existing Name is used, the properties for the existing Section Line are updated.

Buffer

The Buffer is the offset distance from the Section Line (in meters or feet) within which Locations will be included on the Quick Section.

For example, here the Buffer is set to 4 m. BH3 is not included in the shaded Buffer zone and does not appear on the Quick Section:

Here the Buffer is increased to 10 m. BH3 is now included within the shaded Buffer zone and appears on the Quick Section:

Chainage (Stationing)

Chainage is the initial Chainage value for the Section Line. Chainage is an alternative term for “Stationing” and refers to the distance along the Section Line (in meters or feet). The Chainage count will start with whatever value is entered for the initial Chainage.

For example, here the initial Chainage value is left blank and therefore is treated as 0. The Chainage is shown for each Location accordingly:

Here the initial Chainage is set to 1000. The same Quick Section is generated, but this time note that the Chainage values are 1000 m higher since the Chainage count started at 1000:

Name

Section Lines can be given a Name, which is used to store the Section Line when it is Saved.

Coordinates

This button can be used to view and edit the Coordinates for the Section Line. Coordinates are automatically generated when the Section Line is drawn.

The Coordinates are stored in well-known text (WKT) format. Coordinates are currently stored using LineString geometry objects. The LineString format is essentially a series of comma-separated x y coordinates.

LINESTRING(441233.8 4435218.9,
441322.1 4435233.8,
441397.8 4435264.1)

Coordinates are stored in the Project's Coordinate System. If you change the Coordinate System for a Project, the Section Line Coordinates are not automatically re-projected to the new Coordinate System. You will need to update existing Section Line Coordinates accordingly.

The Coordinates dialog is editable. If you have an existing alignment, you can paste the known coordinates in WKT LineString format into the dialog to create the Section Line. (In other words, draw a dummy Section Line and replace the LineString with the actual coordinates you want to use. Or alternatively, you can create a new Section Line in the Section Lines Group, where you can also edit the Coordinates directly.)

Reverse

When the Quick Section is generated, it will be drawn with the starting point of the Section Line to the left and the end point to the right. The Reverse property will switch this.

For example, here the Reverse property is not used, and BH1 is on the left end of the Section.

Here the Reverse property is used, BH1 is now on the right, and the arrow indicating the direction of the Section Line on the map has also reversed:

Color Selector

Each Section Line can be assigned a color to help distinguish multiple sections on the Map and within Site Plan reports.

Section Lines in the Map Legend Explorer

When Saved, Section lines will appear as a layer within the Map Legend explorer. Section Lines appear under Information Layers>Sections.

Selecting a Section Line in the Map Legend explorer will make it appear on the map.

Selecting an Existing Section Line on the Map

You can select an existing Section Line by first turning it on in the Map Legend Explorer (see above).

Then you can then use the Map Tools>Selection buttons, which will let you select a Section Line to generate the Quick Section or adjust the Section Line properties:

Alternatively, you can generate Quick Sections and modify Section Line properties from the Section Lines Group.

Generating a Quick Section without a Section Line

Instead of using a Section Line, you can generate a Quick Section by selecting individual Locations on the Map.

Use the Map Tools>Select button to select the Locations. The Quick Section button will become active and can be used to generate a Section through the selected Locations.

It’s generally recommended to use a Section Line instead of selecting individual Locations because certain features will only work when using a Section Line.