Introduction
In the Tunnel Profile view, you can add displacement points—often referred to as “VD” (Vertical Displacement) or “LD” (Lateral Displacement)—to visually track movement within a tunnel. By dragging arrow markers on the schematic, you can place these points accurately along the tunnel profile and configure their associated properties.
The purpose / expected results of this function: it's usually used when generating a report for certain instruments in the same cross-section. All available VD/LD values associated with the corresponding instruments will be displayed in the tunnel sketch, providing a brief overview of the structural movement.
To access this page: Click on the top left corner to open the side bar, click on ‘Settings’ - 'Project Info' to access the page. In the displaying table, select an existing deformation profile, and click 'Mark Points' to open up the LD/VD Point configuration page.
NOTE: Please refer to Manual - Tunnel Sketch for instructions to create / manage the deformation profiles, if the desired deformation profile isn't available in this page.
1. Interface Overview
Upon opening the profile, you’ll see:
A tunnel schematic or image in the top area, often showing a curved tunnel cross-section.
Markers or arrows representing instruments or displacement points (e.g., “VD Wal1,” “LD Wal2,” etc.).
A Profile Points table below, listing each point’s details (Name, Stationing, Instrument Type, etc.).
Profile Settings (usually to the right or at the bottom) for additional configuration (e.g., colors, alarm thresholds).
2. Profile Points Table - Add and Adjust VD/LD Points
This section provides instructions on creating and positioning VD/LD Points on the tunnel sketch image.
1) Add VD/LD Points
Click '+Point': In the Profile Points table, click '+Point' button to create a new row.
Move your cursor on the tunnel sketch image and click once to place a point on the sketch image.
Enter Point Details:
Name substring starts: This indicates the starting index position from where the substring should begin in the Instrument "Name" field.
Name Last Index: This denotes the position at which the substring extraction should end in the "Name" field. Simply leave it empty to include all the characters from the substring starts till the ends.
Name Substring Length: The number of characters to be included in the substring from the start position.
Name Match Id: A unique identifier or pattern used to match specific entries in the "Name" field.
Instrument Name: The name or identifier of a specific instrument or tool.
Instrument Type: Select an appropriate type if “VD” or “LD” is an option. Otherwise, choose a generic type and rename it as needed.
Point Marker Style: You could choose the point marker type to be circle / Esagon / pentagon / square / star / Triangle.
Hide Point Name: Tick to hide the point name in the tunnel sketch; otherwise the instrument name for this point will be displayed in the tunnel sketch image.
Save or Confirm
After filling out the necessary fields, click Save.
A new marker (arrow icon) will appear on the tunnel image corresponding to the newly added point.
Example of creating a profile points:
You're trying to create the tunnel sketch for those instruments in the same tunnel cross-sections. Those instruments are named in groups, such as: STN-N100-M1; STN-N100-M2; STN-N100-M3. After configurations, the expected results should be:
Click '+Point' button and click on the hollow circle where the instruments are installed to create and position the points.
A new row will display in the profile points table to be filled out.
Name substring start: 10. It means the name substring will read the instrument name from the 10th character, which starts from 'M' in this case.
Name last index: leave it in blank. It means the system will read all the characters from the 10th character 'M' till the end.
Name substring length: 2. Enter this character length so system will match all the instrument names that matches this substring length. So all the instruments have extra 2 characters after the first 9 character will be matched.
Name Match Id: M1. It means the system will find all the instruments that contains: 9 characters at the front + M1. Please note, the content entered in this field must match the name substring length.
Instrument Name: Enter the name if only a certain instrument to be matched and read for this tunnel sketch.
Instrument Type: Select XYZ. It means only instruments match the above settings and also belongs to XYZ can be matched and read for this tunnel sketch.
Point Marker Style: choose circle to display the point as circle shape in tunnel sketch.
Hide Point Name: cross it to show the point name in the tunnel sketch image.
Under the above settings, only a few instruments can match with the point in this tunnel sketch: in XYZ instrument style; the instrument name is "xxxxxxxxxM1".
Click on 'Save' button to create this point.
2) Re-Positioning the VD/LD Points on the Tunnel Image
This section provides instructions when the point in the tunnel sketch need a re-position.
Select the New Point
In the Profile Points table, click the row for your newly added “VD” or “LD” point to highlight it.
The corresponding marker on the tunnel image should also highlight or become active.
Drag the Marker
Click and drag the arrow icon on the tunnel schematic to the desired location.
Place it exactly where you want to measure or represent displacement (e.g., at the crown, sidewall, or invert).
Save Your Changes
Once you have positioned the marker, click Save to store the new location.
3) Profile Points Table - Editing or Removing Points
Editing
Tick to select the existing point in the table, update any fields (Name, Stationing, etc.), and re-drag the marker as needed.
Save to confirm changes.
Removing
Tick to select the point in the table.
Click Delete (or the trash icon).
Confirm the deletion in any popup dialog.
The marker will be removed from the tunnel schematic.
4) Add / Move Label to the LD/VD Points
After creating profile points in the tunnel sketch, it is optional to display the instrument substring name as a label next to each LD/VD point for better reading experience. Please note, this function will only be visible if the 'Hide Point Name' function is disabled in the profile points table.
To add a label to a profile point:
In the profile points table, click to highlight the row of one point.
Click on '+Label' button to create a label for this point.
Move the cursor to the tunnel sketch image and click on the position where you want to place the label. The match ID 'M1' (for example) will be displayed as label.
Click on 'Save' to save the label setting.
To re-position an existing label:
Click on the label on the tunnel sketch image
Click and hold to drag it to the desired place
Click on 'Save' to save the label setting.
3. Profile Settings - Add Displacement Direction Arrow to the Point
After creating the profile points, this section provides instructions on adding movement directions by arrows to each profile points, in order to indicate the movement directions straightforward.
1) Add Displacement Direction Arrow to the point
Click to select an existing point from the profile points table
In the profile settings section, click on '+Positive' to create an arrow indicating deformation with a positive value if needed; and/or also click on '+Negative' to create an arrow indicating deformation with a negative value if needed. Both negative and positive arrows for the same data column will share the same profile settings.
On the tunnel sketch image, click to select the created positive arrow and negative arrow if available, and drag them to the correct direction separately, corresponding to your selected data column.
A new row of setting will display in the profile settings, fill the fields:
Is Conv. Line: Determines if the data displayed is a conversion line.
Data Column: Refers to the specific column in the dataset. Click to select from the drop-down list for available data column. The selections can possibly be LD(lateral displacement), VD(vertical displacement), settlement, etc.
Point Data Name: Input a name or label to be shown along with the value.
Value Font Size: Specifies the font size used for displaying data values.
Value Font Color: Chooses the color for the font in which the values appear.
Font Alarm Color On: Indicates if alarm color should be used for the font when an alarm condition is met.
Hide Data Value: Option to hide the data value in the display.
Hide Data Shape: Option to hide the shape or symbol representing the data.
Click on 'Save' to save all the settings.
Repeat the above steps if more arrows need to be created for different data columns.
Example of creating profile arrows for XYZ prism instruments:
For XYZ Prisms, you want to display both LD and VD displacement direction arrows for M1 profile point on the tunnel sketch image:
Click to select the M1 row in the profile points table
Move the mouse to profile settings section and click on '+Positive' and 'Negative' buttons to create arrows for this M1 point on the tunnel sketch.
In the profile settings section, click on the data column drop-down list and select 'LateralDisplacement(mm)' to be the data source.
Hang over the cursor to the arrow, and it will show 'negative' or 'positive' labels for distinguishing.
Click and hold to drag the arrow to the correct positions.
Fill in other fields as necessary in the profile settings.
Click on 'Save' to save the settings.
Repeat the above steps, click on '+Positive' and 'Negative' buttons, and click to select 'VerticalDisplacement(mm)' from the data column drop-down list. Click and drag the arrows to correct directions. Click 'Save' to save all the settings.
NOTE: The '+Positive' and 'Negative' arrows aren't necessary to be set up, depends on the project and instruments needs.
2) Re-position an existing direction arrow
If a direction arrow is placed in a wrong place and need re-position:
Click to highlight the direction arrow that needs to be fixed on the tunnel sketch image
Drag the direction arrow directly to the correct position
All fields in the profile settings section will become editable and highlighted. Make any necessary changes to the current settings.
Click on 'Save' to save all the settings.
3) Edit / Delete an existing set of direction arrows
If an existing data set of direction arrows need to be edited / deleted:
Tick to select the existing data set of direction arrows that you want to edit / delete
Click on 'Edit Grid' to enter the edit mode and make necessary changes and click on 'Save' to save all the changes. Or click on 'Delete' to delete this existing set of direction arrows for this data column.
4) Add / Re-position a Data Label next to the Direction Arrow
This section introduces instructions on creating data label next to the direction arrow. The data value (e.g. settlement value) can be displayed in this label on tunnel sketch.
Tick to select an existing profile direction arrow in the profile settings.
Click on 'Label' to create a label for this data column.
Move the cursor on the tunnel sketch image and click on the place where you want to place the label.
Click and drag the label to the desired place for re-positioning.
Click on 'Save' to save the label setting.
4. Tips & Best Practices
Use Clear Naming
Differentiate between “VD” and “LD” points in the Name field for quick identification (e.g., “VD_1 Crown,” “LD_3 Right Wall”).
Maintain Consistent Stationing
Ensure any stationing values match your site’s reference system to avoid confusion.
Check Alarms and Thresholds
If your system supports alarm limits for displacement, set them accordingly so that “VD” or “LD” points can trigger alerts if thresholds are exceeded.
Regularly Validate Positions
If field measurements indicate changes in the tunnel geometry, update the marker positions to match real-world conditions.
Document Changes
Use notes fields or comments to record why a point was moved or deleted, providing an audit trail for future reference.
5. Troubleshooting
Marker Not Appearing
Ensure you clicked Save after creating the new point.
Check if the Hide Points or Hide Columns option is enabled.
Marker Won’t Move
Confirm that the point is selected in the table and that you have the correct user permissions to edit positions.
Some systems lock the layout once it’s finalized; verify if editing mode is active.
Stationing/Coordinates Not Updating
If your system doesn’t auto-calculate stationing, manually enter the correct values in the table.
Verify that the coordinate system used for the profile matches your site’s standard.