The Cut/Fill tool allows you to quickly perform both large and small-scale volumetric measurements of your earthwork's datasets. Cut/Fill maps help you monitor earthworks changes and quantify those changes on a site over time, or against a planned design. Multiple outputs can be produced when utilizing this tool:

  • Cut/Fill visual map - Visually know where changes happened
  • Cut/Fill values as total units - Quantify your data with exact measurements


The resulting Cut/Fill map is available in the Layers panel. You can find the Cut/Fill tool in the Volumes group of the TOOLS  tab when a boundary is selected.



Overview


How to Use the Cut/Fill Tool

  1. Begin on the Timestep you want to create a cut/fill map.
  2. Create a Boundary around the area and select it.
  3. In the TOOLS tab, navigate to the Volumes group and set the Reference Type to Timestep.
    1. 3D Surface, Flat minimum, or Flat can also be used when monitoring a site with minimal terrain variation.
  4. Click on the Cut/Fill button to initiate the calculation.
  5. A progress bar in the bottom left displays and the Cut/Fill map is created in the Viewport.
  6. Quantities are available in the Selection box.


Where to Use the Cut/Fill Tool

Earthworks, mining, and construction monitoring can be challenging on large sites, sites with significant changes, or for other in-the-field challenges. Drone data combined with proper software has opened the ability to monitor your sites efficiently.


The Cut/Fill tool allows you to create a Cut/Fill maps that visualize your site and where changes have taken place. 


Quantified numeric information is also displayed in the Selection box when the cut/fill map is selected.


It is typical to perform a Cut/Fill calculation between two drone surveys acquired from two separate dates. In these cases, you are assessing the work that has been accomplished during each specific period of time.


If you want to determine the remaining earthwork or compare it to a design, you need to import the design surface into Virtual Surveyor.

  1. Create a new Timestep and drop the design CAD file in the Project View.
  2. Make sure to select the design surface and click on the Modify Terrain button available in the TOOLS tab.
  3. Switch to the current timestep and select the Design timestep as a reference before beginning the Cut/Fill calculation.
  4. You can then measure the dirt to be moved using the same process as the quick steps, except you're comparing it to the design surface.


The Cut areas appear in warm colors (yellow to red) and fill areas appear in cool colors (cyan to blue). A binary color scheme of blue (fill) and red (cut) can also be set by selecting the Cut/Fill item and changing the Colors in.


Tips and Tricks

  • You can easily "clean" your timesteps to remove construction equipment using the Replace Terrain and Remove Object tools.
    • These tools remove objects from the terrain, so that the objects are not included on the map or volume calculations.
  • Highlight significant earthwork areas and enhance the color appearance by fine-tuning the Cut/Fill map settings available in the TOOLS tab.
  • You can go deeper into the Cut/Fill analysis by breaking down the Cut/Fill map into separate areas and focusing on smaller sections. 
    • This allows you to deliver more detailed quantity reports. You can use the Extract Cut/Fill Area tool to achieve this.
  • Use Cut/Fill annotations to create a spot map showing sections of Cut/Fill. You can see an example of an annotated spot map in our Earthworks Monitoring article, along with how to create one.
  • The Cut,Fill, and Z elevations will show at your mouse location when hovering over the Cut/Fill map.