Spectra Precision Survey Pro v4.6 Recon and Nomad User Manual - Manual (Page 60)

User’s Manual
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Alignments
Alignments are similar to polylines in that they define specific lines
in the current job and typically describe the centerline of a road. An
alignment can then be used in the Offset Staking, Offset Points,
Offset Lines, and Slope Staking screens. Unlike polylines, alignments
do not need points for the locations where the alignment changes
(called nodes).
Alignments are created by separately defining the horizontal and
vertical details of a line. Although no points are required to define an
alignment, the starting position must be tied to a specific location in
the current job, the POB, which can be defined by an existing point or
known coordinates.
The horizontal and vertical details of an alignment are defined in
sections. The first horizontal and vertical section always begins at the
specified starting location and each new segment is appended to the
previous horizontal or vertical segment.
Once all the horizontal and vertical alignment segments are defined,
Survey Pro merges the information to create a single 3-dimensional
line.
The vertical alignment (VAL) must be equal in length or longer than
the horizontal alignment. The HAL must not be longer than the VAL.