Interface Overview

This page describes the main elements of the TunnelCAD window and where to find the tools you need.

Title bar

The title bar shows the application name followed by the current project file name. If the project has unsaved changes, an asterisk (*) is appended to the name. When no project is open the title bar shows only “TunnelCAD”.

Ribbon toolbar

The ribbon toolbar sits below the menu bar and provides quick access to the most frequently used operations. It is organized into tabs, each containing grouped buttons.

Sections tab

The default ribbon tab, divided into four panes:

Navigation

Prev / Next – step through cross-sections one at a time.

Section

Add – add a new section (single station or range). Delete – delete the current section. Del Range – delete multiple sections by station range.

Template

Assign – open the template editor to define and assign design profiles. Copy – copy template definitions between tunnels in the same project.

Section Edit

Sort – sort measured points within section lines. Filter Elev – delete points above or below an elevation threshold. Filter DR – delete points by deviation ratio. Closed – batch toggle open/closed override on section lines. Close to Lvl – extend line ends to a target elevation. Close Invert – add invert closure points near the tunnel axis.

Home tab

Always visible. Holds project-level and help commands:

Project

New / Open / Save / Save As / Close.

Settings

Settings – opens the Application Settings dialog.

Help

Help – opens TunnelCAD_Manual.pdf from the executable directory (same as the Help menu entry, and F1). License – opens the License Manager dialog where users can activate/deactivate a serial, edit the Server URL that points to the activation server, or use Clear License to remove the license file from this PC without a server round-trip (with confirmation). About – shows the About dialog with the version, build date, copyright and licensed modules.

Point Cloud tab

Contains a single pane:

Import

Load – import a point cloud file. Clear – remove the loaded point cloud from memory.

Analytics tab

Visible when the Analytics view is active. Contains:

Parameters

Mode (Measured vs Template / Measured vs Measured), Measured and Reference combo boxes. These stay synchronised with the active tunnel (see Active-tunnel synchronisation).

Station Range

From and To text boxes accepting chainage values. Filled on activation with the tunnel’s chainage range.

Analysis

Analyze – run the analytics pipeline. Settings – open the Analytics Configuration dialog.

Export

XLSX – workbook with per-section metrics and grading criteria. PDF – per-section PDF. DXF – annotated section drawings.

Reports

Grade – Grade quality PDF report. Clearance – Clearance PDF report (with the new clearance heatmap page and critical-only filter that now applies to the details table too). Tolerance – Tolerance PDF report with methodology pages, tolerance heatmap and USL/LSL corridor sketches.

Workspace area

The central area of the window is occupied by the project workspace. Each open project appears as a tab in a page control, allowing you to work with multiple projects simultaneously. Within each project tab, the workspace is divided into three canvas tabs along the bottom edge:

Sections

Displays the current cross-section in local coordinates (offset vs. elevation relative to the alignment axis). Measured lines are overlaid on template lines so you can visually assess deviations.

Alignment

Shows the tunnel alignment in world coordinates (Easting/Northing). Useful for viewing the overall geometry and section locations along the route.

Point Cloud

Renders imported point cloud data using OpenGL. Requires a graphics card with OpenGL support.

Note

The Sections canvas is where most day-to-day monitoring work happens. Use Prev/Next on the ribbon or the section details grid to navigate between stations.

Project tree

The left side of the workspace contains the project tree, which gives a hierarchical view of the tunnel project structure:

Project Name
  +-- Tunnel 1
  |     +-- Line Definitions
  |     +-- Template Lines
  |     +-- Templates
  |     +-- Sections
  |     +-- Volumes
  +-- Tunnel 2
        +-- ...
Line Definitions

Named measured-data line types (e.g., “Excavation”, “Final Lining”, “Shotcrete”).

Template Lines

Named design-profile line types used in templates.

Templates

Design profiles that define the theoretical tunnel shape at a given station.

Sections

The list of measured cross-sections along the alignment.

Volumes

Volume definitions that pair measured and template lines for overbreak/underbreak calculations.

Clicking an item in the tree navigates to that element and updates the canvas and detail panels.

Right-side panel

The right side of the window contains a panel with two tabs, separated from the workspace by a draggable splitter:

Properties

An object inspector that shows the properties of the currently selected entity on the canvas. You can edit values directly in this grid.

Section Details

A read-only grid showing key data for the current cross-section, including station chainage, section name, bearing, assigned template, axis elevation, gradient, and lateral offsets.

Tip

You can toggle the right panel on or off via View > Properties. Drag the splitter to resize it.

Command line panel

A resizable panel at the bottom of the window (below the canvas area) provides a command line interface. Toggle it via View > Command Line.

The command line displays feedback messages from operations (import results, computation summaries, errors) and accepts typed commands.

Status bar

The status bar at the very bottom of the window has two sections:

  • Coordinate display (left) – shows the current cursor position in canvas coordinates as you move the mouse.

  • Status text (right) – shows “Ready” or contextual messages during operations.