Understanding Path Types

A path is a series of ordered points which store coordinates and from which the Design Assistant generates the work locations of a design. The path type determines how the points you place in the GIS window will be interpreted as work locations by the Design Assistant.

Bentley OpenUtilities Designer supports the following path types:

Normal (Split and Non-Split)
Start/End (Split and Non-Split)
Mid-Span Tap (Split and Non-Split)
Nearest Feature (Split and Non-Split)
Points Only (Split and Non-Split)
Path by Trace

Normal (Split) is the only path type that can be used in Offline and Template designs. The GIS format can accommodate all the path types.

Path Behaviors

There are two main differences in the behavior of Split and Non-Split path types:

A Split path type does not recognize the distinction between Splitting and Non-Splitting features and therefore does not support superspans (see Splitting and Non-Splitting Features). You must select a Non-Split path type if you intend to assign a Non-Splitting feature to a span-type work location or span feature along the path. In other words, if you assign a Splitting feature to a Non-Split path, the Non-Split path will behave as its Split counterpart.
A Split path type will break an existing span at the attachment point whereas a Non-Split type will keep the existing span intact-unless you then assign a Splitting feature to the span. (Note: "existing" means "already included in the current design" and not necessarily "in service.")

When a path is split, connectivity is preserved but geometry and attribute data are restructured in several ways:

A new work location is created at the split.
The original geometry of a split span feature is rerouted to terminate at the new work location. All original vertices are preserved.
A new record is created for the new span feature resulting from the split. All attribute values are identical to those of the original span feature.
Values for calculated and actual lengths of the two new span features reflect their new GIS lengths.

If you inadvertently split a span feature or work location by assigning a Splitting feature to a Non-Split path, you can reconnect (merge) the split elements by using the Undo command. Deleting the feature with the Cut command will not undo the split.

The Normal (Split) Path Setting

creates a point-type work location at every point along the path (P1, P2, P3, etc.; this numbering sequence will depend on how many work locations have already been created for the design);
creates a separate span-type work location between each point (S1, S2, S3, etc.; this numbering sequence will depend on how many work locations have already been created for the design); and
splits an existing span feature or span-type work location at the attachment point (P1).

This path is the only type available for designs created in the Offline and Template formats.

The Normal (Non-Split) Path Setting

creates a point-type work location at every point along the path;
creates a superspan-a single span-type work location made up of spans between the points (S1);
allows the superspan to split if a Splitting feature is assigned to S1 or to a span feature at S1; and
does not split an existing span at the attachment point (P1).

The Normal (Non-Split) setting is not available for Offline and Template designs.

Start/End Path (Split and Non-Split)

The Start/End path type is intended for sketching underground routes that curve around obstacles or follow bends in roadways, rivers, and other land objects. This path type can also be used to incorporate existing features in a design (see Start/End Path Behavior with Existing Features).

The Start/End (Split) path setting

creates a point-type work location at the first and last points of the path (P1 and Pn);
creates a single span-type work location (S1) between the start and end points;
disregards points between the start and end points; and
splits any existing span feature or span-type work location at the attachment point (P1).

The Start/End (Non-Split) path setting differs in that it

does not split an existing span at the attachment point; and
allows the superspan to split if a Splitting feature is assigned to S1 or to a span feature at S1.

The Start/End path setting is not available for Offline and Template designs.

Mid-Span Tap Path (Split and Non-Split)

The Mid-Span Tap path type is used for tapping directly into a line without the need for a structure at the attachment point.

The Mid-Span Tap (Split) path setting

creates a point-type work location at each point;
creates separate span-type work locations between points; and
splits an existing span at the attachment point.

The Mid-Span Tap (Non-Split) path setting differs in that it

creates a superspan-a single span-type work location made up of spans between the points (S1);
allows the superspan to split if a Splitting feature is assigned to S1 or to a span feature at S1; and
does not split an existing span.

This setting is not available for Offline and Template designs.

Nearest Feature Path (Split and Non-Split)

The Nearest Feature path type is intended for laying out gas or electric service and other hub-and-spoke designs.

The Nearest Feature (Split) path setting

creates a work location at every point;
creates a span between each point and the nearest tappable feature that is currently selected in the GIS window; and
splits an existing span at the attachment point.

The Nearest Feature (Non-Split) path setting differs in that it

does not split the existing span.

This setting is not available for Offline and Template designs.

Points Only Path (Split and Non-Split)

The Points Only path type has several intended uses: incorporating existing point-type features into a design for the purpose of upgrading or replacing them; placing unconnected point-type features; and placing intermediate point-type features (e.g., fittings, underground transformers, etc.).

The Points Only (Split) path setting

creates an isolated point-type work location at each point of the path.

Additional behaviors of this path type depend on placement context.

If the points are placed in empty GIS space, the work locations are created without any spans between the points.
If the points lie on an existing span, the span will be split, along with all the span-type features on the underlying span.

The Points Only (Non-Split) path setting differs in that it

does not split existing span features and span-type work locations underlying the new points; and
will allow a Splitting feature assigned to a point-type work location to split the underlying span-type work location and features.

The Points Only path setting is not available for Offline and Template designs.

Path by Trace

The Path by Trace path retrieves GIS features from a GIS trace operation based on specified trace criteria and conditions. This path type is intended for the following design tasks:

Designs partitioned from a master design (incremental construction of a large project)
Conductor phrase rolls
Voltage conversions
Bulk feature replacement (e.g., poles)

The part of the network that is traced and the features that are incorporated into the design are determined by trace criteria that are either pre-configured or selected by the user. For more information, see Constructing Paths and Work Locations from a GIS Trace.

Path Requirements

When constructing paths for a GIS design, you must observe a few requirements as you place points on the GIS map. Placement requirements and path behaviors depend on the current Path Type setting in the Design Assistant (see Choosing a Path Type).

With most path types, constructing a new network segment that connects with the existing network will require an existing "tappable" feature that will feed the new circuit (see Tappable Features). However, the Design Assistant will let you override tapping requirements if you disable the Tapping Validation tool (see Tapping Validation).

Path requirements and behaviors are summarized in the following table.

Path Type	Requirements and Behaviors
Normal	Place the first (or last) point on the existing feature that will feed the new circuit. This feature must be tappable-usually a conductor or a pipe. Place the second point on an existing structure that will physically support the new circuit. Or place the point at the location where a new structure will be installed. Place remaining points of the path. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at each point; a separate span-type work location is created between each point. An existing span feature or span-type work location is split at the attachment point. Result for Non-Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at each point; a single span-type work location is created, made up of the span segments between each point. An existing span feature or span-type work location is not split at the attachment point.
Start/End	Place the first point on the existing feature that will feed the new circuit. This feature must be tappable- usually a conductor or a gas main. Place the second point on an existing structure that will physically support the new circuit. Or place the point at the location where a new structure will be installed. Place the remaining points to indicate the contours of the path. Note: This path type exhibits special behavior when it is used to incorporate existing features in a design. See Start/End Path Behavior with Existing Features. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at the second and final points; a single span-type work location is created between these two points (the intervening points give the path its shape). An existing span feature or span-type work location is split at the attachment point. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as Split type except an existing span feature or span-type work location is not split at the attachment point.
Mid-Span Tap	Place the first point on the existing structure closest to the attachment point. Place the second point on the existing feature that will feed the new circuit. This feature must be tappable- usually a conductor or a gas main. Place the third point and any remaining points to indicate the contours of the path. (At least three points are required for a Mid-Span Tap path.) Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at the second and third points and at any subsequent point; a span-type work location is created between points. An existing span feature or span-type work location is split at the attachment point. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as Split type except an existing span feature or span-type work location is not split at the attachment point.
Nearest Feature	In the GIS window, select one or more existing features that will serve as the attachment feature for the new branch or select the area containing these features. The features must be tappable. Place a series of points to indicate service locations. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at each point; span-type work locations are created between the points and the nearest selected tappable feature. An existing span feature or span-type work location is not split at the attachment point. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as Split type except an existing span feature or span-type work location is not split at the attachment point.
Points Only	Place one or more isolated points in empty space. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at each point; no span-type work locations are created between points. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as Split type. Place one or more points on structures that are not part of the current design. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a point-type work location at each point. In the Design Workspace, the work location incorporates the underlying structure. If the structure has attached facilities, they are also incorporated in the design. If any existing facility is already part of another design, a warning icon is displayed. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as for Split path. Place one or more points on structures that are already part of the current design. Result for Split Path: A new path is created that contains the existing point-type work locations and any attached facilities. No new work locations are created. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as for Split path. Place a point on a span feature that is not part of the current design. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a new point-type work location at the point. The new work location does not incorporate any existing features. The span feature is split into two span-type work locations and designated as Sn and Sn (n = next available number in span sequence). Result for Non-Split Path: Same as for Split path except the span feature is not split, and a tap device is created on the work location that points to the span feature. The tap point is upstream of the new work location. Place a point on a span feature that is already part of the current design. Result for Split Path: A new path is created with a new point-type work location at the point. The new work location does not contain any existing facilities. The existing span is split in two; one span keeps the current span designation (S2, S3, etc.), and the other span is designated as Sn (n = the next available number in the span sequence). The new span-type work location includes the new updated span features, and the existing span-type work location is updated to reflect the split operation. Result for Non-Split Path: Same as for Split path except the span feature is not split, and a tap device is created on the work location that points to the span feature. The tap point is upstream of the new work location.
Path by Trace	Place a point on the feature where the trace is to start. A valid start feature is either a feature in the related flow network or a structure associated with a feature in the related flow network. Place points on the features where the trace is to stop (this requirement will depend on how stop conditions have been configured for network traces). Result: A work point is created for each node in the trace unless a work point already exists in the design at that same location.