The reinforced-soil (RE or MSE) retaining walls on a bridge approach have to be drawn block by block. We built AutoCAD tools for a geotechnical engineering firm that turn the designer's Excel sheet into a complete elevation set, for walls at underpasses and flyovers.
These tools draw the approach walls, with the road levels above them, not the bridge deck or piers. Built for one geotechnical engineering firm. Client drawings stay private, so every picture here is our own drawing with sample data.
Sections20
with three height variants each
Elevations2
left and right, from one alignment
Courses3
between each pad step
PDF1
for all the A3 sheets
Inputs
One Excel sheet
One sheet holds the levels and reinforcement, so wall data isn't typed into CAD. One template covers one side of the road, and the other carries left and right values.
Chainage, road and service road level per station
20 sections, three height variants each
Elevation, length and primary strength per layer
Two templates: one side or both
2 more
One secondary strength and length
Dialog sets offsets, block size, drainage and joints
1Levels and geogrid tables in one sheet
2Twenty sections, three heights each
Alignment
Both sides of the road
On a curve, the left and right walls differ in length. The tool measures each side from the plan, writes the results to Excel and produces one elevation drawing per side.
Picks centreline, left line and right line
Dimensions centreline to side and between stations
Writes distances and side chainages to Excel
Saves separate left and right drawings
3 more
Green station lines to the closest side points
Each side chained along its own line
Left elevation mirrored, labels keep true chainage
1Each side measured from the plan
2Measurements written back to the sheet
3One drawing per side
Levels
Road and level lines
The road level sets the coping, crash barrier and block top. The service road level sets the one-metre line and the drain pipes.
Road line, with coping, barrier and block top
Service road line, with a 1 m line below
Twin drain pipe lines above the service road
Pipe symbol at each station crossing
1 more
End tags for road, coping, service road and pad
1Every line from the levels
2Four lines from one road level
3Lower lines from the service road level
Blocks
Blocks and levelling pad
Fills the wall face with courses of block, then steps the levelling pad to follow the service road. The block size comes from the dialog.
Block size from the dialog, 456 × 203 mm by default
Running bond, half-block shift, ends cut to fit
Top course stays whole, stepping with the road
Pad follows the 1 m line, every three courses
3 more
Steps snap to a block edge
Pad 100 mm thick, with a 45-degree underside
Hatched 1 × 1 m wedge at the wall's end
1Running-bond blocks on a stepped pad
2Whole courses, cut at the ends
3The pad rises three courses at a time
4A hatched wedge at the wall's end
Reinforcement
Geogrid layers and schedules
Places the designer's reinforcement on the wall course by course. Each stretch gets the section that matches its height, with a written schedule below.
Layers placed by elevation
Primary and secondary branches at each layer
Schedule groups layers by strength and length
Cut marks where sections change
2 more
Section picked when top layer matches stack height
Courses numbered from the bottom
1Height picks the section
2Numbered courses, branches and the schedule
3Marked where the section changes
Annotation
Leaders, tags and joints
Labels the elevation, then moves leaders and geogrid marks until they sit clear.
Five named leaders on every sheet
Leaders try positions until they sit clear
Coping and road level tags at each station
Optional joints at a set interval, on block edges
2 more
Geogrid marks shift clear in half-block steps
Stretch lines at top-course steps, with heights
1Five leaders, placed clear
2Levels at every station
3Joints and wall heights
Outputs
A3 sheets and tables
Cuts the long elevation into numbered A3 sheets and puts the summary tables on the first. All the layouts export to one PDF.
Viewports step along the wall, with match lines
Sheets numbered, with an A3 PDF page setup
Section table: chainages, heights and lengths
All sheets to one PDF
2 more
Title block chosen from a library
Wall area, block counts and length table
1A3 sheets with match lines and tables
2Long walls cut into sheets
3Summary tables on the first sheet
What the engineer gets
A complete drawing set.
An elevation in model space
Numbered A3 layouts
Section and block-count tables
One PDF of all the sheets
For both sides: an annotated plan
For both sides: separate left and right drawings
What the engineer provides
The design stays yours.
A filled Excel template
For both sides: a plan with centreline and side lines
Dialog values and a title block choice
Wall number and title block details
The wall design itself
Platforms and languages
Built on the CAD you already use.
AutoCAD
AutoLISP
C# .NET
Excel
Also for buildings
Column, footing, beam and slab drawings for RCC buildings, from Excel schedules.
No. Layer positions, lengths and strengths come from the designer's Excel sheet. It draws them, with no stability or code checks.
Does it draw the bridge?
No. It draws the wall on the approach, with the road levels above it. It doesn't draw the deck, piers or abutments.
Can it handle a curve?
Yes. It measures each side line from the plan, so the left and right walls get their own chainages and drawings.
What if a stretch's height matches no section?
That stretch gets no geogrid marks, and its schedule keeps a placeholder, so the gap is easy to see.
Can we use another block size?
Yes. Length and height are dialog inputs, and the bond, pad steps and numbering follow them.
What needs to be installed?
Full AutoCAD and Microsoft Excel.
Can we get a tool like this?
Yes. This one was built for one geotechnical engineering firm, so yours would follow your own wall system, title blocks and templates. We start from your own drawings.
Will you keep our drawings private?
Yes. We keep client drawings and project details private, and we're happy to sign an NDA before you share drawings.
Command:RT_START_PROJECT
Have wall elevations to automate?
Send us a sample drawing and your Excel format. We'll reply with an approach and a fixed quote.
