Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
FiGuRE 6.7
Curve labels added to the Jordan Court
alignment. To improve readability, the labels have been dragged
away from the alignment and into clear areas.
Why Be a Bear about Bearings?
If this is the first time you've seen bearings, you may not know what is going on
here. A
bearing
is a way of expressing the direction of a line. In this exercise, the
bearing of the eastern tangent of Madison Lane is S67
°
27'02.54"W. That means
if you face south and then turn yourself toward the west about 67
°
, you'll be
facing roughly in the direction that this line is pointing. Because there are 90
°
between south and west, you'll actually be facing more west than south.
When the bearing is reversed, it's like you've done an about-face and you're now
facing 67
°
east of north. This doesn't change the appearance of the line, and it
might seem picky to distinguish between SW and NE in this case. But when you
think about it, the stationing of this road is increasing in a certain direction (west
in the case of Madison Lane), which establishes the direction of the alignment.
For consistency, it's a good idea for the direction of your bearing labels to agree
with the direction of your alignment.
using tag labels and tables
Sometimes, it's better to put all the geometric data for an alignment in a table
rather than labeling it right on the alignment itself. This can clear up a cluttered
drawing and provide space for other types of annotations. You can accomplish
this in Civil 3D by using tag labels and tables.
