MX ROADS SOFTWARE TUTORIAL

Getting Started
To learn the tools, features and options available in MXROAD and MXROAD Suite, click one of the following.

MX Stand-alone - learn about the interaction between MXROAD and the underling CAD environment. Also
learn the essential CAD tools to control your view of the model.

Road design - an exercise to take you through designing a road, including; creating an alignment and
carriageways, applying superelevation, widening the road, designing a junction, adding shoulders, verges and
footways, and adding pavement layers.

Drainage Design - learn how to; set up a scheme, design a network, add gullies and subcatchments, apply
hydraulic and design checks, create reports and drawings, and finally export information to create quantities.

Final Drawings - learn how to create production drawings including; page set up, composite page layout, and
annotation.

Quantities - learn how to define and extract information from your model to export to the Quantities Manager
and create a Bill of Quantities.

You should also read the MX basics information contained in the Getting Started help.
There are several AVIs in mfw\??_help\AVI to demonstrate some simple functions.

When you start MX, a Tip of the Day appears by default with helpful tips and information. You can switch
these on/off in MX > View > Preferences.

MXROAD Help Contents

To obtain help on the tools and functions available in each of the menus click the link:

Admin - General administration tools such as editing text, fonts and licensing options.

Project - How to create and use MX projects.

File - File management such as import and export of different file types.

View - Displaying information and changing the viewing preferences.

Tools - Edit MX styles and feature sets.

Design - Create alignments, associated strings and earthworks, drainage.

Analysis - Analyse and check design, areas and volumes created by MX surfaces.

Modify - Edit and copy strings and models.

Display - Display model information on the screen using style sets or the tool kit.

Draw - Create and modify a working or final drawing.

Visualise - View model data using standard eye and target techniques.

Report - General information about the models and model content in the model file.

Quantities - Detailed information about the quantity and type of objects designed and included in a working
display.

Add-Ins - Add applications to the MX menu.

Introduction
Welcome to the MXRENEW on-line suite of tutorials. To start using any of the tutorials, click on one of the
buttons below:

Tutorial 1 - Designing the New Road

Tutorial 2 - Optimising the Design

Tutorial 3 - Designing Verges and Earthworks

Tutorial 4 - Pavement Layer Design

For each section of a tutorial, you can click one of the buttons in the header to go to the previous section, the
next section, or the beginning of the tutorial.
Once the tutorials are complete it is recommended that you begin the Final Drawings tutorial to understand how
to create final drawings.

In all environments, the tutorials assume that you have the MX menu bar displayed.
Throughout this tutorial please substitute all instances of ?? in folder names by the two letters used in
your MX installation. For example FR for French.

Starting MX
This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with the basic operation of MX. If you are not, you should go
through the MX tutorials first.

Start MX, and from the startup panel or the File menu, unzip the project file MXRENEW Tutorial [Link]
located in the ...\mfw\??_tut folder, and extract it to C:\MXRENEW Tutorial 1. Click Apply.

Click Yes to confirm that the new folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 1 is to be created.

If you are already using MX, select File -> Close Project to close your current project first.
 To turn the start-up panel on if it is not being displayed, use the setting in View -> Preferences, which is
available once you are in MX.

In the CAD environments, this tutorial also assumes that you have the MX menu displayed.

Select Open Project followed by More to open the project called [Link] at the above location,
when selected click Ok.

Depending upon your version of MX, a panel may appear which tells you that the tutorial project was
created with an earlier version. Click Yes to update the project and Yes again to update the project settings.

MX is started, and opens with a blank display.

From the File menu, select Import -> ASCII File. An Open panel is displayed.

From the Files of type pull-down, select GENIO Format (*.txt).

Select the file [Link] from the C:\MXRENEW Tutorial folder, and click Open.

A model of the ground is imported into MX. This model must now have a style and feature set associated with
it, so that MX knows what types of strings it contains and how to display them.
 Ensure that the setting Create Standard Point Symbols as Points on the View -> Configuration -> MX to
MicroStation panel is cleared. This ensures that yellow marker crosses used by this tutorial are displayed as
crosses rather than active points.

Select Tools -> Model Defaults. The Model Defaults panel is displayed.

The model GROUND is shown. Click Edit.

On the Edit Model Style Set and Feature Set panel, ensure that the Lock Style and Feature Set box is
checked, then click the Browse button (shown with three dots on it) to the right of the Style Set Name box.

Select the file Tutorial [Link] from the list. Click Open. Both the style set and the feature set are
selected.

Click OK, and then click OK again to dismiss the Model Defaults panel.

From the Display pull-down, select Plan with Style Set. Ensure that the model GROUND is displayed in the
Model Name box. Click OK.

The display should now look as shown.

Analysing the ground model
Now that the ground model has been displayed, it can be analysed to check for any spurious data. There are a
number of options that can be used to do this, including level and slope bands, contours, and flat spots.

From the Analysis menu, select Surface Analysis.

The Model to Analyse panel is displayed. The model GROUND is already selected, so click Next.

MXRENEW triangulates the model, and then displays the Surface Analysis panel, which shows all of the
available options.

Click Contours.

The Contours panel is displayed. Note that the contour interval and colours can be set, along with several other
options. The default settings are fine in this case.

Click Next.

The contours are displayed on the screen, ready for inspection.

On the Surface Analysis Review panel, uncheck the Delete Analysis from the Display option and click Next.
 From the Surface Analysis panel, select Flow Arrows.

On the Flow Arrows panel, increase the length to 0.3 by clicking the spinner or typing the new number.

Click the Browse button next to the colour box, and click on the yellow colour (number 6). Click OK.

On the Flow Arrows panel, click Next. The flow arrows are displayed.

The view can be inspected in closer detail, using the options available on the view control bar, to ensure that it
does not contain any rogue points. In this case, the contours give an idea of the levels in the model, and the flow
arrows indicate the direction of the ground slopes. The model is suitable for the design.

On the Surface Analysis Review panel, click Finish.

On the Rename Temporary Model panel, click the button to delete the model TMP CONTOURS. Do the

same for the model TMP TRIANGLES.

Designing the horizontal alignment

Now that you have analysed the ground model, and are satisfied that it is correct, you are ready to design the
new carriageway. You are going to increase the radius of the right hand bend to improve safety and also add a
lay-by.

From the Design menu, select Quick Alignment -> Horizontal Design.

On the Model Selection panel, type the model name DESIGN.

Click in the Alignment String Name box. A message box tells you that the model DESIGN does not exist,
and asks if you want to create it. Click Yes.

In the Alignment String Name box, type MC00. Click Next.

In MX in AutoCAD or MX in MicroStation, throughout Quick Alignment you can switch between

AutoCAD or MicroStation commands and MX options. If you do use a command, select the MX logo button
towards the top of the window to return to Quick Alignment. Note that the MX prompt is displayed in the
command window when you do this.

The Quick Alignment toolbar is displayed, with the Add IP button selected. which allows you to
create the horizontal design using the Intersection Point (IP) method. Using this method, you specify points
where straight elements intersect, and curves are inserted between these straight elements. MXRENEW also lets
you design an alignment using Element and Spline methods (the use of the element method is covered in the
MX tutorials).

On the toolbar, with the Add IP icon already pressed, click the Snap icon to switch snap on.

When snap is on, when you add an IP, the point snaps to the position you click. If the pick aperture of the
cursor is over a string, then the IP snaps to the nearest string point, as indicated by a yellow arrow.

Specify three IPs by clicking anywhere on the crosses marked 1, 2, and 3 in yellow on the ground model. If
there is more than one string in the cursor pick aperture, a concurrent string panel is displayed. Select string
PZM1.

Note how the alignment is built as the points are picked, including a default curve radius. This needs to be
modified.

Click the Edit Curve icon on the toolbar. The Edit Curve Details panel is displayed which lets you
change the radius and transition lengths for a curve.

Click on the curve shown on the display in cyan, near to point number 2 on the ground model. The curves
details are displayed in the panel. Type a new Leading Transition Length of 50, and repeat for the Trailing
Transition Length. Change the Radius to 720 metres.
 Click OK to accept the values.

This completes the design of the horizontal alignment. Click the OK icon on the toolbar.

On the Chainage Details panel, you are given the chance to amend the alignment start chainage, and the
chainage interval. The defaults are fine, so click OK.

MX builds the master alignment string, which is displayed with chainage markers at 100m intervals .

Designing the vertical alignment

Having completed the horizontal alignment, you now need to design the vertical profile.

From the Design menu, select Quick Alignment -> Vertical Profile.

On the Design Model panel, select the string MC00 from the model DESIGN. Click Next.

On the Existing Profile Model panel, select the model GROUND, and click Next.
The Vertical Design toolbar is displayed. This toolbar lets you specify the vertical IPs, amend them, and
also edit the designed curves.

Click the Add IP icon , and specify three IPs, as shown .

Note that a Cut / Fill balance is displayed on the toolbar.

Click the Lock Start/End IP icon , and select First and Last X-Z from the list of options. The first and
last IPs snap to the start and end of the profile.

Click Close.

Click the Move IP icon and adjust the curve's IP so that the designed profile is close to, but above the
ground profile.

Note that you move IPs in several ways using the icons on the toolbar. You can choose whether the edit is to be
completely free, or if it is to be confined to one direction (either grade, X, or Z). This is a very easy way to
adjust a vertical design and assess its interaction with the ground profile. Note that each edit can be removed by
clicking Undo. It is also possible to set an IPs position exactly.
 Click the Edit IP Details icon , and select the curve near IP number 2 on the drawing.

Change the chainage to 712.000 and the level to 305 by typing in the boxes.

Click the Use VC Length button and change the vertical curve (VC) length to 500m. Click OK to apply the
changes and close the panel.

This completes the design of the vertical profile, just click OK to accept it.

MX applies levels to the master string, which can be verified by using the status tool tip .

Designing the carriageway

You now need to add the carriageway edges to the master alignment string to form the basis of the design.

From the Design menu, select Road Design -> Carriageways.

On the Reference Details panel, select the reference string MC00. Click Next.
A message box may be displayed, telling you that the design model must use the feature set [Link].
This is because the option is using the String Naming Convention.

Click OK.

The Road Profile panel is displayed, showing a number of different templates covering the design of
single and multi-lane carriageways, and on/off ramps.

Click the down arrow to the right of the Description box, and select Tutorial Single Two Lane 7.3m (S2)
from the list. Click Next.

On the Road Design: Start and End panel, you can specify a chainage range over which the template will be
applied. You want to use it over the whole length of the carriageway, so click Next.

The two road edge strings are designed, and displayed on the screen, which completes the carriageway design.

On the Create Another Length panel, click Finish to exit this option.

Designing superelevation
Now that you have designed the carriageway, you need to apply superelevation around the right hand bend.
 From the Design menu, select Road Design -> Rule Based Superelevation.

On the Superelevation Wizard: Start panel, select the reference string MC00. Click Next.

On the Superelevation Wizard: Rules panel, click the Browse button, and select the rules file Tutorial Rural
[Link]. Select a design speed of 85kph. Click Next.

On the Superelevation Wizard: Parameters panel, select the pivot method in the top left corner. This method
will apply the superelevation about the reference string (MC00), and the left and right road edges will have
levels applied at different start points, so that the rate of change of superelevation is the same for both of them.
Note the only Superelevation Application Type available for this pivot method is Linear, to avoid potential
drainage problems.

Click Next.

The Superelevation Wizard: Single Carriageway panel displays the names of the two road edge strings. This is
one example of the benefit of the String Naming Convention - in most cases the strings that you want to use are
offered by default.

Click Next.

The superelevation is now designed. After a few moments, the Check Design panel is displayed. In this case
you should have two conflicts.
 Click Review Conflicts. Superelevation has been calculated over the transitions, which has resulted in a rate
of change that may be too long to satisfy drainage criteria, i.e. the rate of change is too slow, and could result in
standing water. The calculated length is shown as 22.076 metres, but the vertical design is such that flat spots
are unlikely.

To check the amount of superelevation to be applied, close this panel and then click Edit. The Edit Values
panel is displayed.

Click the first line in the table, denoted as a section type Normal Crown In.

A preview of the superelevation is displayed. At this point, the road is going into a right hand curve, and the
preview reflects this. The table also shows that superelevation of 3.55%, (0.0355 dec%) will be applied.

Click Finish.

The superelevation is now applied to the design model strings.

Widening the carriageway

Widening is often done in a renewal scheme, to ease tight radii and help improve visibility. The technique can
also be used to create lay-bys, as in this case.

From the Design menu, select Road Design -> Road Widening.

On the Start Wizard panel, select the model DESIGN followed by string MC00 as the reference string, and
string CE00 (the left hand carriageway string) as the string to widen. Click Next.

On the Widening: Details panel, for Distance Calculation check the button By Chainage. Click Next.

On the Widening: By Chainage panel, type or select the chainages 600, 640, 660 and 700 metres for the In
Start, In End, Out Start and Out End chainages respectively. Click Next.

On the Widening: Crossfalls panel, click Next.

On the Widening: End Wizard panel, click Finish to accept the widening.

The display now shows the widening applied to the left road edge to create the lay-by. The method of operation

is the same for creating widening of all types, including the addition of an extra lane.
Creating an MXRENEW scheme
MXRENEW gives you the option to try several different designs on the same base data, because each design can be stored as a separate scheme. For
instance, you may want to try a design with no reconstruction but with varying overlay depth to meet strength
criteria, and compare it to a design where weaker areas of road are reconstructed but with a reduction of the
average overlay depth.

Start MX or MXRENEW, and from the startup panel or the File menu, unzip the project file MXRENEW
Tutorial [Link] located in the ...\mfw\??_tut folder, and extract it to the folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 2. Click
Apply.

Click Yes to confirm that the new folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 2 is to be created.

If you are already using MX, select File -> Close Project to close your current project first.

Click the New Project button.

Type tutorial in the Project Name box.

Type c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 2 in the Location box.

Set the Default Project Settings to Tutorial.

Untick String Naming Convention.

Click OK to create the project.

A panel is displayed saying that a model file [Link] already exists in the project folder.

Click No to retain the existing model file.

MX is started, and opens with a plan view displaying the survey and the new design.

From the Design menu, select Road Redesign and Rehabilitation.

The Scheme Control panel is displayed.

Note that the Create New Scheme button is already selected, because there are no existing MXRENEW
schemes in this folder.

Type the scheme name Tutorial.

Barrier Keying (No Pavement Intrusion) is selected by default. This default keying method can be
changed - see MXRENEW: Pavement Layer Design: Pavement Layer Design: Additional Options for
information on how to do this.
 Use Windows Explorer to find the folder C:\MXRENEW Tutorial. Note that it now has a new folder beneath
it, called MXRENEW. This has been created automatically, and is used to store all of the files that MXRENEW
uses as you work. There is no need for you to view or edit any of the files in this folder, so it is best left alone.

You can use a maximum of fifteen alphanumeric characters for a scheme name.

The Function Control panel is now displayed.

This panel is an important part of MXRENEW, as it gives access to all of the Design Optimisation and
Pavement Layer Design options. MXRENEW returns you here after any of the options on it have been used.

There is only one option available to you at the moment, Define Surfaces Wizard, because this option must be

completed first.

Defining the surfaces

Click Define Surfaces Wizard.

The Design and Base Reference Details panel is displayed. Use the pull-down to select the design
alignment string MC00 from the model DESIGN.
 Note that the designed edge strings can also be selected, which allows MXRENEW to manage designs
with more than two channels, for example where lane lines have been modelled.

Click the Base Alignment tab. Note that it has been filled in with the same details as the Design Surface tab.
The Start and End tab has default values which are set to the reference string's chainage limits. Click Next.

The start and end chainages can be adjusted if required, so that you can use MXRENEW on part of your
alignment, either at tie-ins or for staged construction.

A base alignment can be used as a reference string for the design. For example, this may be a traverse from
which the existing surface has been surveyed. The string must already exist as a six dimensional master string
for this option to be used. See the on-line help for more information about this technique, which is often used in
the design of roads which have a central reservation.

On the Existing Surface and Pavement Edge Strings panel, select the model GROUND as the existing
surface model name.

Select the model GROUND again as the model containing the edge strings, and select the left and right edge
of pavement strings CC01 and CC02 respectively.
These two strings must be at least as long as the reference string in the design model, as MXRENEW cuts cross
sections through them from the reference string. Sometimes, the ground model may have the existing road
edges surveyed using several strings; in this case you should create one string along each edge using the Modify
options before using MXRENEW.

A triangulation model can be used as the existing surface model, and will model the surface more
accurately if, for example, rutting and deformations in the road have been surveyed.

The Offsets tab can be used to change the widths used for creating cross sections if necessary. Generally, the
default of 100 is fine. Click Next.

A panel is displayed showing progress as MXRENEW cuts sections through the existing ground model.

After a few moments the Existing Pavement Relative to Alignment panel appears and displays the first
existing ground cross section, with the width between the two existing pavement edges in white, and the
position of the reference string shown as a vertical dashed cyan line.

The panel gives you the chance to inspect the cross sections, and see how the existing pavement relates to the
design alignment. You can either click Run and vary the speed using the slider bar, or click Pause/Step to view
the sections one at a time.

Click Run to view all the sections in turn.

Click Finish to dismiss the panel.

 These sections are stored in their own model for later use. The model is called <scheme name> MXR
SECTIONS - in this case TUTORIAL MXR SECTIONS.

MXRENEW carries out several checks as the various strings are selected and the cross sections cut.
These include checks to ensure that the existing left and right edges are actually to the left and right of each
other, and that they are at least as long as the alignment string.

Setting parameters for the design

The Function Control panel is displayed again. Now that you have defined the surfaces, several more options
have become available. As you move the cursor over the active buttons, a brief description of what the option
does appears as a tool tip. You can also use the What's This Help button (?) to obtain a more detailed
description.

From the Function Control panel, click Overlay Depths.

The Overlay Depths panel is displayed, which gives you the ability to enter a nominal depth. If your
scheme requires a constant overlay of say, 50 mm, you can use the line created here as the new reference line,
and adopt its levels for your design. Alternatively, the road to be improved may require different overlay values
at various points along it, depending on the strength of the existing road. In this case, you can specify the depths
you need at the required chainages, and use them as a guide for designing your profile.

MXRENEW does not make any assessment of the existing road strength - this would typically come
from a deflectograph survey, and be subject to engineering judgement.

Specify a chainage of 0, and an overlay depth of 0.1. Click the Add button, and these values are added to the
list.

Type a second chainage of 300, and an overlay depth of 0.3. Click the Add button again.

Finally, type a third chainage of 450, and an overlay depth of 0.05.

Overlay depths are specified in metres (or feet if you are working in imperial units).

Highlight the second value in the list, at chainage 300. Note that the chainage and overlay depths are
displayed at the top of the panel. Change the depth to 0.25 in the Overlay Depth field, and click Update. The
new values are put back into the list.

Click OK.
 The overlay values are not simply applied to the existing road centre line (you have not even told
MXRENEW what string this is). They are in fact calculated to ensure that the depth given is the minimum
overlay right across each section. If this was not done, an overlay of 0.05 metres at the centre line may only
result in an overlay of 0.02 metres at a carriageway edge (depending on the existing road crossfall). This could
mean that the existing surface would have to be scarified to permit a sufficient depth to be laid to ensure that the
new layer did not break up.

From the Function Control panel, click Crossfall Tolerances.

The Crossfall Tolerances panel is used to define maximum crossfall variations that MXRENEW may use
to optimise the proposed design, and reduce the volume of material required to build it. The variation can be
adjusted along the proposed design, and can also be used to ensure that the design crossfall matches the existing
crossfall at both ends of the scheme.

For example, if the designed crossfall was -2.5% (1 in 40), and a crossfall tolerance of 1% (1 in 100) was used,
MXRENEW would try every crossfall between -1.5% and -3.5% (1 in 67 and 1 in 28.5) and adopt the value that
best matched the existing crossfall.

In this case, you will use a large tolerance at the start and end of the scheme to tie the proposed crossfalls into
the existing road.

Using a chainage of 0, change the tolerance in any of the four segments to 1. Note that the other three
segments change, because the Apply to all Values box is checked. Note also that the preview shows which of
the four segments you are currently editing, which is useful in situations where you are not adjusting them all.
Click Add.

Type a chainage of 30, then change the tolerance to 0. Click Add.

Click the right mouse button in the Chainage box, and select Last Chainage. The value returned is 1095.427.
Change this value to 1060, then change the tolerance to 1. Click Add.

Click OK.

If you uncheck the Apply to all Values box, you can edit each segment individually. For example, this
lets you tell MXRENEW that it can increase the crossfall, but not decrease it, by leaving the left and right

positive segments at 0.

Parametric fitting

From the Function Control panel, click Parametric Fitting.

The Parametric Fitting panel is displayed.

The Parametric Fitting panel comprises two panes, a menu area and a control area at the foot of the window.

Click View > Options...

The Options panel is displayed. The Display and Annotation tabs are both set to default. This is fine.

Click the Design tab.

The top of the tab has default settings. This is fine.
In the Full Parametric Design Options, select Design Speed then click Design Parameters.

The Design Speeds and K Values panel is displayed. This panel uses K values to define minimum
vertical curves, which provide an instantaneous measurement of stopping sight distance as you work on the
design.

This check works on the design reference string, so is therefore not a true measure of sight distance. It is,
however, a good indication of the suitability of your design.

The default design speed (minimum required speed) is 80 kph. This is fine, so click OK.

You can also specify the model to be updated after parametric fitting is complete. By default, a new
model is created, but it can be useful to update a particular model of your choice. An example of this is where
you are designing an overlay on a motorway, and you need to redesign the levels on an exit slip road. This
would be designed in two separate schemes in MXRENEW, but you can place the results of both schemes in
one composite model, by selecting Specify Model to Update and picking an existing model or entering a new
model name.

You do not need to change any of the settings for this tutorial, so click OK.

Set the views to be Profile and Cross Section.

An edit made in one of these areas affects the other two, hence the name 'parametric fitting'. The panel displays
a lot of information, and lets you carry out any amendment required to achieve the optimum design. Familiarity
with its operation is therefore very important, and a few minutes spent understanding how the information is
presented, and how it can be changed, is essential.

Move the cursor over the profile. As you do, note how the cross section and plan windows change to show
the details relevant to the current cursor position, which is shown by a vertical green line. Beneath the profile
more information is available, showing the profiles which are displayed and their levels.

A green dashed line showing the existing surface is displayed on the profile, along with a cyan solid line
showing the current profile (which is coincident with the red intial profile at the moment), and a yellow dashed
line (the 'fitted' profile) showing the overlay depths you entered earlier. You can now see how the overlay
depths compare to the existing ground. Note that the overlay depth is also shown in the bottom left corner of the
cross section window, and changes from 0.1 to 0.25 to 0.05 metres as you move the cursor along the profile. As
you do this, watch the left half of the carriageway widen and narrow between chainages 600 and 700 metres,
over the length of the lay-by.
 With the cursor on the profile, click with the right mouse button. This locks the profile in the current
position. The Chainage Selector shows you the current chainage. Use the arrow buttons to increase and decrease
the chainage. Note that if you keep the left mouse button down on an arrow button the cursor keeps moving
along the profile, which avoids repeated clicking.

The difference between the fitted and existing profiles may not always be the same as the overlay depth
you specified. This is because the fitted profile level has been calculated from the 'worst case' on each cross
section, to ensure that the overlay depth can be achieved right across each section, ie, the overlay depth at the
design reference string may not be the same as the value you specified. The existing profile however, is
calculated by sectioning through the ground model using the design reference string, so it represents a level
directly above or below the proposed centre line.

Use the Chainage Selector to move to chainage 100. Below the profile, the existing level is given as 288.350
(written in green) and the fitted level is 288.493 (written in yellow). The specified overlay depth here is 0.1, as
shown in the cross section window. By inspecting the cross section, you can see that the critical point for the
overlay depth is to the left of the proposed reference string, at the existing road centre line, therefore the
difference between the fitted and existing profiles is not 0.1 metres. In this case, it is 0.228 metres.

Use a vertical exaggeration of, say, 10:1 to emphasise this difference.

The cross section window displays both the design and existing ground sections, in cyan and green respectively,
with the existing road shown in white. The level difference at the centre line and carriageway edges and the
overlay depth are also displayed, so you can easily see how they vary. There are also several coloured dots
shown. The green dot shows the position of the existing profile, while the yellow dot shows the fitted profile.
The colours used in the cross section window are the same as those used on the long section.

Click the right mouse button in the long section window to unlock it, and move the cursor over the profile.
Note that the cross section window shows that the difference is over two metres in places. This needs to be
reduced to achieve a more economical design.

From the Parametric Fitting menu bar, select Design -> Fitted Profile.

A chainage selector is displayed, showing the default start and end chainages of 0 and 1095.427. Click OK.

MXRENEW has now applied the fitted profile levels to the proposed centre line. You can see that the cyan line
on the long section reflects the overlay depths you entered earlier, and is now coincident with the dashed yellow
fitted profile. A red line is now visible on the long section, showing the position of the original profile. The
Undo menu item has now become active, indicating that you can return to the previous profile if you wish.

Note also that the cross section has changed slightly - the red dot is no longer coincident with the proposed
centre line, because the centre line is no longer at the original levels. The difference value on the cross section
has also changed, and is now 0.142 at chainage 100. The level of the proposed centre line, displayed at the

bottom of the cross section, has also been updated.

Designing a new profile
The proposed centre line now has the levels of the fitted profile. This has created two steps in the profile -
where the overlay depth increases from 0.1 to 0.25 metres, at chainage 300, and where it decreases from 0.25 to
0.05 metres, at chainage 450. These need to be smoothed out.

You can use the View Controls to see this more clearly.

Click the Design a Profile icon.

From the Parametric Fitting menu, select Design -> Design a Profile -> IP.

MXRENEW displays a vertical profile, so that you can design a new profile using the Intersection Point
method.

The original vertical design for the alignment is shown. As you need to design a new profile, click the Delete

Profile icon .

Move the mouse while watching the Point XZ display on the toolbar, and identify the area between
chainages 250 and 800m. Zoom in on this area.
 Click the Snap Surface Selector icon , and select the fitted (optimised) profile from the list. Click
Close.

Ensure that the Add IP icon is selected.

Click the Snap to Surface icon .

Add three IPs at chainages 260, 640, and 790 metres. Use the Point XZ display to get within one metre of
these chainages if possible. Note that the IPs are automatically placed on the fitted profile.

Click the Snap to Surface icon again, to turn it off. This lets you manually modify the position of any of the
IPs.

Click the Edit IP Details icon , select the curve at the second IP (shown in cyan) and change the
chainage to 677 and the level to 301.000.

Check the radio button to Use V.C. Length, and set the vertical curve (VC) length to 150 metres. Click
Apply to accept the edits, followed by Close.
 Click the OK icon to finish designing the profile.

A message box is displayed warning you that the first and last IPs are not locked to the ends of the horizontal
alignment. Click Yes to Proceed.

A message box is displayed asking For Final Drawings is the vertical scale correct? Click Yes to proceed.

MXRENEW updates the current profile with the designed profile levels. The Design a Profile option can be
used repeatedly to improve your vertical design. If you want to work on a different area of the profile,
remember to delete the previous profile first, or the new IPs will be added to it.

Any change to the design profile can be removed by selecting Undo, which returns the profile to its
previous levels.

Move the cursor to chainage 310, and look at the cross section.

The difference value at the centre line is now on a red background, as opposed to the normal green background.
This is because the difference has dropped below the overlay depth at this chainage, which is set at 0.25m. In
this case, you have designed a profile that covers this chainage, so the fact that the original overlay depth has
not been achieved is acceptable.

Lock the long section using the right mouse button.

 Click the Section icon at the top of the cross section view and select Editor.

Click the Crossfalls icon at the lower left of the Editor view.

Use the mouse to scroll up to the top of the parameter table. Note how the first 20 metres have a value in the
Optimised Crossfall columns. This is because MXRENEW automatically optimises the crossfalls from the
values given in the Crossfall Tolerances panel, when the Parametric Fitting option is chosen. The crossfalls at
the end of the scheme have also been optimised.

Click the Template Editor icon , below the parameters table. The template is also built automatically
on entry to Parametric Fitting, and shows every change in lane width and crossfall. The crossfall values change
as superelevation is applied to the right hand bend. These values can be edited, to help refine the design further.

Scroll to the top of the template, and click with the right mouse button in the top left box, at chainage 0.
From the menu that is displayed, choose Insert Row. A new row is inserted below chainage 0.

Double-click in the chainage column, and type a value of 20, then press Return.

Type in the other values in the row, using the same values as for chainage 0. Remember to press Return after
each one.
The template is updated to reflect the values you have entered.

The ability to edit values in the template means that you can change any value, to better suit the design in
progress. Another option available is to match the designed lane widths to the existing road.

Click in the left side width box at chainage 0, and drag the cursor down onto the left side width box at
chainage 20. The width at chainage 0 is now ready to be edited, and the width at chainage 20 has a blue
background, showing that it will also be updated with the new value.

Click Match , both widths are now updated, and now show an asterisk (*). Repeat this process on the

right lane widths. The updated template should now be as shown.

Click the Refit button . MXRENEW rebuilds the strings, applies the crossfall tolerances, and displays
the new details on the screen.

Click the Editor icon at the top of the cross section view and select Cross Section.

Unlock the profile, and move the cursor to its start. If you now look at the cross section, you can see that the
proposed left and right road edges now match the existing road between chainages 0 and 20, but at chainage 30
the proposed edges revert to their originally defined width.
You can also edit the design centre line level at any cross section, which is useful for smoothing out tie-ins, and
also for removing small undulations. The cross section window shows the current profile level at the bottom
centre, and there are two spinners next to it. The smaller spinner changes the level in one-millimetre increments,
and the larger spinner changes the level in one-centimetre increments. You can also type a new value in this
field.

Type a value of 0.2 in the Pavement Depth field. A magenta line appears on the cross section, 200mm below
the proposed road. This is a very useful tool for checking the proposed design, as you can use any depth you
like to assess how the design relates to the existing road.

Having finished optimising the design, click Finish. A message box asks you to confirm that you want to
create a MXRENEW design model. Click Yes. After a moment, a second message box tells you that this model
has been created. It is given the name of the scheme, followed by MXR DESIGN, in this case TUTORIAL
MXR DESIGN. The new model is displayed.
Analysing the proposed design
Now that the proposed road surface has been designed, the Isopach Analysis option becomes active. This option
is used to compare the proposed and existing road surfaces, to get an idea of overall material quantities, and to
do some investigation into the quality of the design.

From the Function Control panel, click Isopach Analysis.

The Isopachyte triangulation is created between the existing ground and the road design model. A progress bar
is displayed before the Isopach Analysis panel activates.

The panel has four depth bands with upper and lower limits which you define. The bands are set up by default
with the first three layers as fill analysis and the fourth as cut.

The panel is populated with default values. For this tutorial the default values are fine.

Click Apply.

MXRENEW interrogates the isopachyte triangulation of the existing and proposed road surfaces, and displays
the differences between them. The four level differences are hatched, and a colour-coded key shows the level
band depth parameters.

Zoom in towards the top right of the display, around chainage 250 to 300. The red hatching here indicates
that scarification is required. This is where the proposed left carriageway edge string dips below the existing
road.
The Sensitivity Analysis option allows a 'What if?' analysis to be done, and shows the effect of raising or
lowering the designed road surface.

Check Sensitivity to make this option current, and type in a depth of 0.05 metres. Click Apply. The display
shows what would happen if the proposed road is raised by 50mm.

Zoom in towards the top right of the display again, around chainage 250 to 300. Note that the red hatching
shown by the isopach analysis in this area has now gone, which shows that raising the design by 50 millimetres
in this area would remove the need for scarification.

The Contours option allows you to create Isopach Contours at a normal interval defined at the bottom of the
Isopach Analysis panel. The contours will be grouped and coloured according to the depth bands. These can be
adjusted if required.

Click Contours to make this option current. Select a Normal Interval of 0.010 from the pull down and then
click Apply.

The display shows the Isopach Contours.

The Probe Analysis option allows a depth to be set, and hatches the areas where the overlay depth is greater
than this value. It is very useful in helping to find areas of the design, which require an excessive amount of
material to construct them, or where existing kerbs might have to be re-laid.
 Click the Probe Analysis radio button to make this option current, click in the Probe Analysis window and
type a value of 0.3 metres then click Applythe

The display shows an area in the middle of the scheme where this depth is exceeded.

Click Cancel to dismiss the panel.

Click Yes to confirm you want to go back to the original working display (dpw).

The design of the new profile is now complete. The next stage is to add kerbs and verges and then design the
earthworks, which is covered in Tutorial 3.

From the Function Control panel, click Finish.

Designing the kerbs and verges

Start MX or MXRENEW, and from the startup panel or the File menu, unzip the project file MXRENEW
Tutorial [Link] located in the ...\mfw\??_tut folder, and extract it to the folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 3. Click
Apply.

Click Yes to confirm that the new folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 3 is to be created.
 If you are already using MX, select File -> Close Project to close your current project first.

Click the New Project button.

Type tutorial in the Project Name box.

Type c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 3 in the Location box.

Set the Default Project Settings to Tutorial.

Untick String Naming Convention.

Click OK to create the project.

A panel is displayed saying that a model file [Link] already exists in the project folder.

Click No to retain the existing model file.

MX is started, and opens with a working display showing the completed design profile. More than one model is
on display, you will find it easier to hide specific models, for clarity, leaving only the MXRENEW scheme on
display.

From the MX menu, select View -> Show/Hide Graphics -> Hide/Delete from Graphics.

Ensure Hide Graphics and Model are selected, then select the model DESIGN and click Apply.
 Select the model GROUND and click OK.

From the Design menu, select Road Redesign and Rehabilitation. On the Scheme Control panel select the
existing scheme Tutorial and click Next. Alternatively, you can click MXRENEW on the Applications Toolbar
to get to the Scheme Control panel.

Select Verge Design from the Function Control panel.

On the Road Design: Reference Details panel, select the TUTORIAL MXR DESIGN model, and the
alignment string MC00. Click Next.

On the Road Design: Road Profile panel, click the down arrow and select the profile Tutorial Kerbs and
Raised Verge.

Ensure that the template will be applied to Both sides.

Click Edit to display the Road Design: Design Details panel, which allows you to modify the
template. Click the String Names tab, and click in the edit area on each element of the template. Note how the
white and black dots show the position of each of the features that will be created, and their names are shown at
the bottom of the panel.
 From the Details tab, change the width of the third element (ie, the element on the right) to 2.0 metres and
the crossfall of the third element to 0.05 (1 in 20).

Click Next. You are now asked if you want to save the changes; click Save as, and save the template with a
description of MXRENEW Kerb and Verge.

Select and copy this description to save typing the name again for the filename. Click Next.

The standard MX Save As panel is displayed for saving files in the public, project or private styles folder.

Open the project styles folder and paste the filename text in the field at the foot of the panel. Add the file
extension .qds and click Save.

The Road Design: Edge Strings panel is displayed. The two yellow carriageway edge strings (CE00 and
CE0I) should be shown on the panel. If not, select them. Click Next.

The Road Design: Start and End panel is displayed - the default chainages are OK, so click Next.

Click Finish on the Road Design: Create Another Length panel.

The kerbs and verges are created and displayed.

Designing the earthworks

Select Design > Road Redesign and Rehabilitation. On the Scheme Control panel select Tutorial, and Next.
Alternatively, you can click MXRENEW on the Applications Toolbar to get to the Scheme Control panel.

From Function Control select Earthworks Wizard. The Earthworks Model Details dialog is displayed.

Select string MC00 for the reference string, and EV00 and EV0I for the level datum strings to left and right.
These are the two strings from which the earthworks will be created.

Lastly, select the ground model GROUND to complete the panel.

Click Next to display the Assign Earthwork Style and Strategy panel. Click in the Cut to the Left diagram, so
that it is highlighted in red.

Click Edit.

From the Simple Slope panel, use the spinner to change the slope to 1 in 2.000, then click Next.
 In the Save Earthworks Style panel, select the project styles folder, type the name MXRENEW Slope, then
click Save.

Back in the Assign Earthwork Style and Strategy panel, drag and drop the MXRENEW slope preview
into each of the other three quadrants, as shown.

Click Next, followed by Finish on the End Earthworks panel.

The earthworks are created and displayed with tadpole annotation to indicate whether the slopes are in cut or
fill.

Click Finish to close the Function Control panel.

From the MX menu, select View -> Show/Hide Graphics -> Show Hidden Graphics.

Select the model GROUND and click OK.

The displays shows the MXRENEW scheme including the earthworks, along with the ground detail.

This completes the road design and this tutorial.

Creating a style set
Pavement Layer Design is a wizard used to create pavement layers for the proposed road. The Wizard has
several options that let you specify different pavement styles along the scheme, or across the carriageway, and
how those styles should interact with the existing road.

Start MX or MXRENEW, and from the startup panel or the File menu, unzip the project file MXRENEW
Tutorial [Link] located in the ...\mfw\??_tut folder, and extract it to the folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 4. Click
Apply.

Click Yes to confirm that the new folder c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 4 is to be created.

If you are already using MX, select File -> Close Project to close your current project first.

Click the New Project button.

Type tutorial in the Project Name box.

Type c:\MXRENEW Tutorial 4 in the Location box.

Set the Default Project Settings to Tutorial.

 Untick String Naming Convention.

Click OK to create the project.

A panel is displayed saying that a model file [Link] already exists in the project folder.

Click No to retain the existing model file.

MX is started, and opens with a working display showing the earthworks with tadpole annotation to indicate
whether the slopes are in cut or fill.

From the Design menu, select Overlay Design (Tabular method). Alternatively, select View > Toolbars >
Applications, to display the Applications toolbar, then select MXRENEW > Overlay Design (Tabular method)
icon, to display the Scheme Control panel.

From the Scheme Control panel, ensure that the existing scheme Tutorial is selected, then click Next.

From the Function Control panel, click Pavement Layer Design.

MXRENEW then cuts proposed and existing cross sections.

Unless a previous pavement layer design exists, the Style Set Preview panel is displayed blank. You need to
create a pavement layer style set to apply to the design.
 Click the Create New Style Set icon.

In the Create/Edit Style Set panel, click Add New Layer.

In the Layer 1 row, click in Depth and enter a depth of 40mm (0.040).

Repeat the above for the remaining layers, specifying values of 60mm (0.060) for layer 2, 200mm (0.200)
for layer 3, 150mm (0.150) for layer 4, and 600mm (0.600) for layer 5.

By default, all these layers will extend to their full depth, with no regard for the existing road surface. However,
to get the correct quantities produced, MXRENEW needs to consider the existing surface and adjust the
pavement layers accordingly.

Highlight the second of the five layers you have just entered (number 02), click in the Fit Layer column and
select Yes. All of the layers below this one will now be fitted as well, and this is shown in the list of layers.

Type the description MXRENEW Tutorial.

Select Save As to save the style and enter the filename MXRENEW Tutorial followed by Save.

Click Close to dismiss Create/Edit Style Set.

In the Style Set Preview panel, the style MXRENEW Tutorial is shown in the Project Pavement Style
Sets list box. You can copy it to the public styles directory if you like (and if you have permissions set up), by
clicking the left arrow button. This means that it will be available for selection in other tabular MXRENEW
schemes.

Design settings

Click Close from Style Set Preview.

The Design Settings panel is displayed.

This panel lets you apply pavement styles to the designed road. The pavement style you have just created,
MXRENEW [Link], is listed as the current style. You can apply different styles along the road, and even
have gaps where there is no style applied.

Specify an area description of Area 1.

Leave the start chainage and end chainages at their default values.

Select CE00 as the left limit string. This is shown on the display as a red dot.
 Select CE0I as the right limit string. This is shown on the display as a green dot.

Instead of using the pull-downs to select these two strings, you can pick them on the cross section.

Click Add on the Design Settings panel.

The pavement layer design style is displayed on the first cross section. The bar at the bottom left of the panel is
now hatched throughout its length, and you can click anywhere along it to show the appropriate cross section.
The current area is shown as a beige hatch, and if more than one area is defined, colour coding is used to
distinguish between them.

A chainage selector bar is located beneath the cross section window. You can use the arrow keys to step through
the sections, or select the chainage you want from the pull-down.

Use the arrow keys or the pull-down to move to chainage 310.

Look at the way in which the pavement layers have been applied. Note how the first layer cuts into the existing
road by the proposed left carriageway edge string. This is because you told MXRENEW not to fit this layer.
Therefore, some scarification will be necessary in order to place this layer at its full depth.

To magnify the cross section on display, use the view control option Zoom In.
 Again, use the arrow keys or the pull-down to move to chainage 390.

Note how the first layer has been applied across the existing road. Note also how the second and third layers are
not placed across the existing road. This is an example of barrier keying. This keying method means that none
of the fitted layers will intrude into the existing road - the difference will be made up of regulating material to
the first layer.

Click Options.

Click the radio button for Fill Keying (No Pavement Scarification). This means that MXRENEW will try to
fit in the full depth of pavement layers two to five (the ones which you specified as fitted when you created the
pavement style). If the full depth cannot be achieved, the layer will be stopped, and the area will be filled with
regulating material. Layer 1 will be placed at its full depth, regardless of the existing road, because it is not
fitted.

Click OK.

On the Design Settings panel, reselect the section at chainage 390.

Look at how layers 2 and 3 have been applied with this keying method. This time, layer 2 extends
across the existing road, but layer 3 extends until a point is reached near the centre line where the full depth
(200 mm) cannot be achieved. MXRENEW has stopped the layer at this point, and the rectangular shaped area
to the left of it will be quantified as regulating to layer 2.

In this case, the fill keying method gives the required result.

Specifying a reconstruction area

Reconstruction areas are used to specify lengths of the scheme where the existing road is to be excavated and
rebuilt. When MXRENEW applies pavement layers, the existing road over these lengths is ignored, and the
layers extend to their full depth.

On the Design Settings panel, click Reconstruction from the pulldown that displays Preparatory Works..

A Reconstruction tab is added to the panel.

In the Start Chainage field select from the display or type a chainage of 900.

In the End Chainage field select from the display or type a chainage of 1000.

Click Add to place the values in the list.

 Click Apply.

Display the cross section at chainage 900. Note that the pavement layers have ignored the existing road
completely. This is because you specified a reconstruction area from chainage 900 to 1000.

Select Finish to create the pavement layer cross section strings in the model.

Click Close when the processing is complete.

Working drawings
Once the pavement layers have been generated, working cross section and long section drawings can be
produced.

From the Function Control panel, click Cross Section.

The Cross Sections: Working Drawings panel is displayed.

 On the Section Details tab, tick Annotate Datum and Annotate Section Location.

On the Scales and Range tab, tick the Lock box and change the left and right offset to 10.

On the MXRENEW tab, inspect the settings to see what is available.

Change the pavement layer colour to red by clicking Specify Colour and selecting a colour from the colour
palette.

Select Apply to produce the drawings.

The cross sections are drawn with the design model in yellow, pavement layers in red, and the existing ground

in green.

Note that the sub-base line is generated automatically by MXRENEW, and follows the bottom of the lowest
pavement layer, the proposed verges and earthworks. By default, this line is displayed in magenta.

Once you have finished inspecting the drawing, click Cancel to go back to the original working display.
 You can create profile drawings in a similar way. The Profile option produces a profile drawing, on
which you can choose whether to show the proposed left and right edges, and the existing surface.

MXRENEW: Tutorial 4 - Pavement Layer Design: Reporting the design

Reporting the design

From the Function Control panel, click General Reports.

The General Reports panel is displayed. This panel gives you the option to produce a number of reports,
which are grouped as Pavement, and Bulk Earthworks. The Bulk Earthworks contains reports options for
General, Compaction Layers and Preparatory Works information.
The General Reports panel has all of the available report options selected by default, for the current design.
However you can cancel the default selection by clicking Deselect All and pick the required report type, by
checking the applicable box.

Click Apply to produce the reports, for the selected options, to familiarise yourself with the information they
produce.

The reports are created and open, as a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel (*.xls) format and customised to show the
information required.

Select Cancel, to close the General Reports and return to the Function Control panel.

Click Additional Reports.

The Additional Reports panel is displayed, from where you can create the following reports:

Surface Differences - reports the offset and level difference from the design surface to the existing ground, and
from the existing ground to the design surface. The differences are only given for those strings which are within
the existing road.

Planing Depths - reports any planing required. This is derived by comparing the lowest non-fitted layer to the
existing road surface, and where it is lower, by calculating the depth.
Speed Check - lets you select a string and a design speed based on the criteria defined in Design Speed Settings.
The speed value is reported for every point, and instantaneous speeds of less than this value are flagged.

Construction Flat File - this report contains a huge amount of information, and takes a few moments to produce.
It includes the X, Y, and Z coordinates of all the points on the design surface, and all of the pavement layers. It
also notes the position of reconstruction areas.

Slope Checks - lets you specify a longitudinal and lateral gradient (which might typically be 1.0 and 2.5
respectively). All gradients are reported, and values less than those specified are flagged.

Once these reports have been produced, they are available for display again from the View Existing
Reports pull-down.

Create or select any of the reports to familiarise yourself with the information they contain.

The Additional Report is created and opened in your default text editor.

All of the Additional Reports are held in standard text files, so that you can edit them, or insert them into
Microsoft Word or an Excel spreadsheet to produce setting out reports for use on site.

Click Cancel to close the Additional Reports panel.

Click Finish on the Function Control panel.

You have now completed the MXRENEW tutorials.