Software for Cross-section

I have been using Autocad LD 2004 for creating terrain and countour. There is section that would create cross-section tables from the DTM but the output is not too refined. Most of my cx are from field data with the distance/elevation recordings. I want to create cx plots from these data. Creating cx plots from Autocad LD would mean that I will need to create a DTM, breaklines, alignment from the survey data first before creating cx plots.

I have been doing it manually but now I need to do it in the hundreds and it is beginning to be a toll.

So what is your question and why are you floating? Is making an alignment really that difficult compared to calculating hundreds of cross sections "manually"?

Invest in Liscad the survey packages that can be purchased in modules . Modules including DTM and cross sectioning.

BTW you can download demo for two weeks ....

RADU.
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I find it hard to imagine that any software would be dissimilar in the function of creating cross sections. Cross sections are a basic visualization task that we all do for design or analysis. I also do not think that this thread should turn into a commercial about which software will create cross sections better than any other software. You cannot create cross sections in any software without some kind of alignment. Simply drawing a line in the direction you want the cross sections to be processed would be the minimum. How is that difficult?

I use quite a number of software packages and they are not all equal in the ability to create cross sections.
There are some programs which allow creation of cross sections without an alignment.  I won't go into which ones unless asked.
For ACAD LDD, it does require a surface and a horizontal alignment. 
I have found it is sometimes easier to create profiles of the sections wanted.  The result is the same, but can save some steps.

I am floating because my job is as an off-shore bathymetric surveyor. I do weekly check survey of the bottom of dredging projects. I step on land on the weekends and I have wobbly feet by then. By the time I get used to stable land I have to go back again on the barge !

Our company has another road alignment project and I do the processing of cx lines from my barge office. The problem that I have with LDD is that the cx will be coming from the DTM and the cross-sections from the DTM does not always appear to be the same as the actual cx data. You have to create a lot of breaklines for cl, er, wall, gutter, etc. to get the cx to appear as close to the original cx raw data.

Good morning Ben,

Now I know why you are floating. Sounds like interesting work and you get sea legs as a benefit.

Unfortunately breaklines are an essential part of the DTM (Digital Terrain Model). I don't see how to model a discontinuity any other way. 

In order to speed up the breakline process I usually collect the breakline information in the survey. I begin a "figure" in the survey collector and string the feature, such as, stream bank, gutter, curb, walls, etc. Then the data is downloaded as a polyline in CAD and ready to define as a breakline.

Paul


P.S.  If breaklines were not collected with the field data you can still edit the field book file to add them. Then reimport the fieldbook file. That should give you the polyline data to define as a breakline.