New Features in AutoChart 2010.00.03 Part 2

In my last post I covered the changes we've made in AutoChart version 2010.00.03 to Custom Formats, this time I'm going to finish my round up of 2010.00.03 by discussing the new Create Panels - Multiple Routes command and the related modifications to Create Charts to allow chart creation from multiple Panel Sets.

These changes are really laying the groundwork for future development to allow more automated charting production of a multiple route project (for instance, charting the cable arrays of a windfarm survey area). In time we intend to add options to automatically add route specific data to charts created from multiple route entities - automating the automation if you like!

The first steps towards this eventual development come in the 2010.00.03 version of AutoChart. The Create Panels menu has been separated out into two variants - the previous (original) version is now called Create Panels - Single Route and works in the same manner as before. This has now been joined by a new Create Panels - Multiple Routes command that allows the user to select one or more AutoChart route entities to create panels along. Both versions of the command work in the same way, except that Multiple Routes version disables the Panel Identifier text box in the dialog as this information is automatically taken from the AutoChart Route ID attached to the route entity. (Note that only polylines that have been imported or assigned as an AutoChart route can be used in Create Panels - Multiple Routes).

To complement the new Create Panels - Multiple Routes command, Create Charts has also been modified to allow the creation of chart drawings from multiple Panel Sets in a single operation. Previously, if the specified Panel Drawing contained multiple Panel IDs then you could only create charts from one panel set at a time. Now multiple panel sets can be chosen in the dialog:

The Panel Set name will automatically be used in the Chart Prefix Name if charts are created from multiple Panel Sets. If only a single Panel Set is used then this option can be turned on if required or the Chart Prefix name can be typed in explicitly.

Note that the Chart Direction is restricted to a common Kp direction for all of the selected Panel Sets. If differing directions are required (i.e. some charts need to have ascending Kps whilst others need descending Kps) then Create Charts should be run in two batches according to the required Chart Direction with the selected Panels. Also, the selected Panel entities should all be of the same type (i.e. all alignment panels) - it is not possible to mix alignment type panels with North-up type panels in the same Chart creation routine.

In time these modifications should evolve along with other AutoChart commands to vastly improve productivity when charting a project that involves multiple routes all requiring a similar final chart format.