Site model Cut/Fill Depth contours

[Steve Riddle]

Ability to display the depth of Cut and fill in plan view with colored contours as part of the site analysis tools.

[ScottLebsack]

I'm not sure I understand, do you have a graphic representation?

I know an alternative for labeling Cut/Fill depth I would find helpful, is an alternate version of the stake tool that indicated the delta between the surfaces

[ericjhberg]

I'm not sure that this is with contours, but rather as a gradient of more cut, to more fill.  Something similar to the attached rough site plan where deeper reds = more cut and deeper blues = more fill. Ingore the green overlay.

[jpccrodrigues]

15 hours ago, ericjhberg said:

I'm not sure that this is with contours, but rather as a gradient of more cut, to more fill.  Something similar to the attached rough site plan where deeper reds = more cut and deeper blues = more fill. Ingore the green overlay.

Did you do this plan in vectorworks? 

[ericjhberg]

@jpccrodriguesUnfortunately no. I just posted this as an example of what we would love to produce if Vectorworks had the capability.

[Rossford]

I think you could get a contour over cut and fill look by copying your site model, using the contour only setting, and then laying it back over the red/blue cut and fill version.  If that second model messes up the ability to generate the cut/fill quantities, then ungroup it to polygons, smooth, and lay it directly over the cut fill map.  And, I wonder if a third model of a grid of 3D loci could represent that grid of elevations.  

 

Agree, the shaded bits might work better.  I wonder if they could adapt the six category slope analysis model categories to at least get cuts from 0-2, 2-5, etc.?

 

All in all, yes, that site model tool could use some upgrading for big earthwork projects.  I know one LA who exports it to another program to do his cut and fill models, but I would prefer to stay in VW.

 

 

[ericjhberg]

Maybe I missed the point, but the exhibit I shared is a way of visualizing the depths of cut/fill, not specific to contours. This is a functionality I wish VW could perform, but currently cannot.

 

if you’re looking for a way to show both contours and cut/fill, then yes, duplicating the site model or using a site model snapshot is the only way.

Edited August 26, 2021 by ericjhberg

[jpccrodrigues]

1 hour ago, ericjhberg said:

Maybe I missed the point, but the exhibit I shared is a way of visualizing the depths of cut/fill, not specific to contours. This is a functionality I wish VW could perform, but currently cannot.

 

if you’re looking for a way to show both contours and cut/fill, then yes, duplicating the site model or using a site model snapshot is the only way.

 

If it isn't too much to ask, What is the software that you use to do it? :)

 

[ericjhberg]

I actually don’t know. Another consultant/contractor provided it for one of our projects and I didn’t get to ask.

[kyle.kyler]

On 8/16/2021 at 5:05 PM, Steve Riddle said:

Ability to display the depth of Cut and fill in plan view with colored contours as part of the site analysis tools.

 

I have a similar question but don't need contours to be shown.

 

Is there a way that Vectorworks can display the cut and fill shades in Top/Plan view? When I go to Top/Plan (a 2D mode) I am not able to see the shades on the model. When I go to Top view instead, the shades are visible, but this makes downstream issues for exporting.

 

Essentially, when I try to export what should be a simple graphic of two polygons representing cut and fill over the site plan, the output is incredibly grainy and not usable as a sharable graphic. See PDF attached below. I have changed the output settings to be the highest quality/higher DPI but I think it's a more fundamental display issue of 3D elements in a 2D view which is the problem. 

 

When I look at the 2D/3D display options for the site model itself, cut fill is not a listed option for the site model in 2D. It would be great to add that as an option. 

 

Ultimately, we brought the grainy graphic into Adobe Illustrator to image trace but I'd rather keep everything in VW in the future.

Cut and Fill graphic_grainy.pdf

[ScottLebsack]

There is a cut fill display mode under 3D display for the site model. I usually end up taking a Site Model Snapshot when the site model is in this mode and saving it to it's own layer, before returning the 3D contour display. I think the snapshot can show up in plan view, and you will still have your 3D site model for other work. Hope this may help?

 

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by ScottLebsack

[Steve Riddle]

This is how I've been doing Earthworks plans in VW for a few years now using site analysis- 2d cut/fill area overlaid on a second viewport in open gl top view. 

This is the closest I can get to showing the intent with earthworks in VW,  but local planners require Earthwork depth information similar to the examples above.

Some way of subtracting existing from proposed model and rendering depth contours based on the difference.