Curve setting out is the surveying practice of establishing a smooth transition curve on the ground between two intersecting straight alignments (tangents), governed by circular-curve geometry relating radius, intersection angle, and chord/arc length. The theory defines curve types (horizontal, vertical, simple circular, compound, reverse, transition) by how curvature and radius change between tangents, and formalizes curve elements (tangent point, vertex, tangent distance, external distance, long chord, mid-ordinate, length of curve, degree of curve, chainage) from which a curve can be computed and physically staked out. It belongs to the domain of surveying/geomatics, specifically horizontal alignment design and setting-out methods, and connects to the parent discipline's broader setting-out and control-point theory established for linear works (roads, railways, pipelines, canals).
Curve setting out is the surveying practice of establishing a smooth transition curve on the ground between two intersecting straight alignments (tangents), governed by circular-curve geometry relati…