Inserting Surfaces

In this topic, you'll learn how to insert a surface into a drawing. You'll learn that there are several way to do this, depending on what the surface represents and how it will be used. For more information, see Surfaces.

Deciding What To Include in a Surface

When you insert a surface, you need to ask the question, “What do I want to include in this surface?”

Each surface can include all the topo points in the survey, all the topo points in a particular traverse, or a selected group of topo points. In addition, each surface can define its own convex border, or you can assign an existing traverse as its border. You can also edit the border, changing its shape to more accurately model the surface.

Note: Border points are included in the surface without being designated as Topo points. See Surface Borders.

Identifying Topo Points

Before you insert a surface, you will need to identify the topo points in the survey and designate them as topo points. Only points that have an ‘O’ in the status column of the Points Manager are eligible for including in a contour. For more information, see Editing Topo Points.

All Topo Points in the Survey

Choose the Insert | Surface command. TPC displays the Surfaces Manager dialog.
From the Surfaces Manager dialog, choose Start a New Surface. TPC creates a new surface for you and displays the Surface Settings dialog with the Surface tab active.
Give the new surface a name and description. In the Source group, choose All Topo Points in Survey.
Select the Surface Settings you want and choose OK. TPC will draw the surface.

You just told TPC to create a surface from all the topo points and to assume a convex border around them. Its like stretching a rubber band around all the topo points and using that to define the extents of the surface. This is a quick and easy way to include a surface with minimal constraints.

For simple surfaces like a lot topo or stockpile volume, this works fine. For more complex surfaces, you will want to use one of the other options mentioned below.

Using a Traverse and the Source

In Drawing View, right click any point symbol or point label drawn by the traverse that contains the points you want in the surface and choose Surface Tools | Insert Surface form Traverse.
TPC displays the Surface Settings dialog activates the Surface tab. Notice that Topo Points in Traverse has been pre-selected as the Source and the traverse name has been copied into the surface name.
Select the Surface Settings you want and choose OK. TPC will draw the surface.

When TPC creates a surface from a traverse like this, it uses only the topo points in the selected traverse. Your survey might include other topo points that lie within the border of this surface, but if they are not in the source traverse, they will NOT be included in this surface.

Typically, you create surfaces from traverses to compare phases of an excavation project. You can topo the project as many times as you want, just create a separate traverse for each phase (i.e. Topo – Phase 1, Topo – Phase 2, Topo – Phase 3). Now you can have separate surfaces for each phase, showing the progress of the project.

Using Selected Points

Select the points you want to include in a suface, then right click any of the selected points and choose Surface Tools | Insert Surface from Selected Objects. See Selecting Objects.
TPC creates a new traverse, adds the selected points to it then creates a new surface for that traverse and displays the Surface tab of the Surface Setings.
In the Surface tab, enter a surface name. Notice that Source is already set to Topo Points in Traverse.
TPC displays the Contour dialog, showing the Topo Points in Traverse as the Source.
Select the Surface Settings you want and choose OK. TPC will draw the surface.

When creating a surface using this method, TPC automatically updates the traverse name with the surface name. Both the new surface and the new traverse start with the default surface name. If you change the surface name in the Surface tab both the surface name and the traverse name are updated. This only happens the first time you edit the Surface Settings. AFter that the surface no longer updates the traverse name.

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