VectorExpertSurvey the ground, draw the pavement once with its camber and shoulders, and place it along the route by gradient. CivilSurvey Expert gives the cut and fill for the earthwork and the quantity of every pavement layer at each chainage, then prints the sections and the volume abstract. CAD is built in, so no AutoCAD is needed.
Typical section
The typical road section
Draw the pavement once in the Template Designer with Line, Set Center and Mirror, or import a .dwg. Each course below is its own layer with its own quantity.
Schematic, not to scale.
- Natural surface (NSL)
- The ground, from the level book at every chainage. An existing road can be surveyed as a layer of its own.
- Earth top
- The embankment or cutting up to formation level, with side slopes to the ground.
- Sub-base
- The granular course between the earth top and the surface.
- Bitumen
- The surface course, with its camber and shoulders.
The job, start to finish
A road job in six stages
The same six stages as every CivilSurvey Expert project. Each links to the full details and a live demo.
- 01
Book the levels
Type or import the level book for every chainage along the road. R.L.s are worked out by the height-of-instrument method and checked arithmetically.
- 02
Generate the sections
Place the pavement template on every chainage from the design sheet: give the level and the gradient, and the level at each chainage follows. Side slopes run out to the ground and the toe points are found for you.
- 03
Adjust by hand
Raise a reach, ease a slope or move points in the built-in CAD where the alignment needs it. Areas update as you work.
- 04
Adjust to a target
When a section has to carry a given cut or fill area, Dynamic Area Adjustment moves the layer in small steps until the area is reached.
- 05
Reverse field book
Back-calculate a level book, B.S., I.S. and F.S., that matches the final levels, with change points added at staff limits.
- 06
Deliver
Print every section with its datum band and area table, the long section, and the volume abstract for the earthwork and each pavement layer.
What you hand over
From one project file
| Output | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Cross-section sheets | Every chainage on A0 to A5 or Letter, with the datum band and the area table for each layer. |
| Long section | The centre-line level of the ground and of every pavement layer along the route. |
| Volume abstract | Cut and fill for the earthwork and the quantity of each course by average end area, written to Excel. |
| Level book | A field book that matches the final levels, ready to check against. |
| DWG drawings | Any section exported to DWG when a consultant asks for it. |
Common questions about roads
Can I get sub-base and bitumen quantities separately?
Yes. A section holds the ground plus up to four layers, and each layer has its own area against the layer it is measured from, so every course gets its own quantity.
Can I widen or overlay an existing road?
Yes. Survey the existing road surface as its own field-book layer next to the ground, then place the new pavement template; each layer gets its own cut and fill against the layer you measure it from.
How do I draw the camber and the shoulders?
In the Template Designer: draw one half with Line, set the centre and Mirror it. Save it as a template and place it on any chainage.
How is the road gradient applied?
On the design sheet. Give the centre level and the gradient in percent, choose the template, and Apply places it at every chainage with the level worked out from the gradient.
Do I need AutoCAD to draw or print road sections?
No. Sections are drawn and printed in CivilSurvey Expert's built-in CAD. Export DWG only when someone else needs the drawings.
Is there a road sample to learn on?
Yes. A highway pavement design sample comes with the trial, next to the sample canal.