There are broadly two different approaches to defining retaining walls: The first is using break-lines within a 'Feature Surface', and the second involves combining different elements together like the 'Platform' and 'Path' together. If adjusting to subgrade using the 'Reduce Method' (i.e a 'Feature Surface' with a number of 'Reduce' elements) then break-lines within the 'Feature Surface' would be used. However, when employing the 'Offset Method' you could still use break-lines within a 'Feature Surface', and there is also an option of building up the retaining wall with various elevation elements.
Break-Lines
With the break-line method, you would first input the elevations on both sides of the wall. These would likely be points but could also be with contours that stop just shy of the wall. Then, you would input two break-lines: one at the top of the wall and one at the bottom. The gap between the break-lines would indicate the width of the wall slope when viewed on a plan. For instance, a near vertical wall would have break-lines very close, whereas as are gentle slope would be much wider.
Combining Elements
Another approach with retaining walls is to define them by combining different elements. For instance, the wall itself can be represented by a 'Path' (using absolute elevations) or a 'Berm' (using relative elevations). The backfill can then be defined with a 'Platform' element if the area is flat or a 'Slope' or 'Feature Surface' if not. With a backfill element, such as a 'Platform' it might be advantageous to set the mode to ‘Fill' only so the element only fills to the ground and wall level rather than cutting from it.
Side Batter to Define Retaining Walls
Using Kubla Cubed elements such as the Feature Surface, Platform, or Triangle Surface, you can define the element and then edit the side batter to generate a wall. For example, the image below shows a terraced landscape using the three elements mentioned previously. Watch our video on retaining walls to see how this is done.
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The Kubla Cubed | Defining Retaining Walls video explores methods for creating dramatic topographical changes with Kubla Cubed's tools. |