Virtual Surveyor includes Stockpile tool that allows you to easily measure quantities from drone surveys. The Stockpile button appears in the TOOLS tab when a Boundary or Surface is selected.

The final outputs are stockpile items. Quantities and values display in the Selection box when a Stockpile is selected.

Overview

• Stockpile Use Type
• Creating a Stockpile from a Surface 
• Creating a Stockpile from a Boundary 
• Uses for Stockpile Volume Calculations
• View and Annotate Stockpile Information
• Undefined Material
• Tips and Tricks

Stockpile Use Type

You can select the Use type when using the Stockpile tool with a Boundary. You can choose among four surface types:

• 3D Surface: Surface extrapolated from the boundary vertices.
• Flat: User defined flat surface. 
  • The elevation value needs to be set by the user in the Elevation box.
• Flat Minimum: A flat surface set at the lower vertex elevation of the boundary. 
• Timestep: Additional terrain models of the same area—captured at different times—that are available in the project on separate dates. 
  • Each dataset by date/purpose needs to be set by the user in the Compare to box. 
  • This option is only available when the project contains multiple Timesteps on the Timeline.

Creating a Stockpile from a Surface 

1. Select a surface.
2. Go to the Volumes group in the TOOLS tab.
3. The 'Use' type is unavailable because the stockpile is being created from a surface. 
4. Optional - select a stockpile Material.
5. Click on the Stockpile button to calculate the volume.
6. A Stockpile is created, and the quantities are available in the Selection box.

Creating a Stockpile from a Boundary 

1. Select a boundary.
2. Go to TOOLS tab.
3. In the Volumes group, select the Use type of the stockpile.
4. Optional - Select the stockpile Material.
5. Click the Stockpile button to calculate the volume.
6. A Stockpile is created from the boundary, and the quantities are available in the Selection box.

Uses for Stockpile Volume Calculations

• Quantity survey - Stockpile Volume Calculation. 
  • As describe in the article, the tool is useful to assess stockpile quantities. 
  • Even in complex scenarios, like when the piles are dumped within walls.
    

View and Annotate Stockpile Information

View stockpile information: When you select a stockpile you can view its related properties, along with any assigned material, in the Selection Box.

1. Select a stockpile.
2. Look at the Selection Box for the stockpile information:
   • Layer
   • Descriptor
   • Number
   • Material
   • Active Timestep
   • Compare to
   • Volume
   • Density (if assigned in the Material Editor)
   • Tonnage (if assigned in the Material Editor)
   • Value (if assigned in the Material Editor)
   • 2D Area

The Selection Box includes all the information you entered in the Material Editor Panel for the selected stockpile and allows you to see all the information at a quick glance.

• You can copy the stockpile information by clicking on the clipboard icon at the top right of the Selection Box.

Annotate stockpile information in the Viewport. You can annotate one or multiple stockpiles with the information they have been assigned to get a quick analysis on all the stockpiles at once. Select the stockpiles you want to annotate and go to the Tools tab. From there, you can include any stockpile information you'd like to see directly over the stockpiles.

Undefined Material

Any undefined material can be given a category and colored to your specification using the Material Editor, just remember that it is considered undefined because it does not have an assigned weight or value. The undefined material color for the example project in the illustration below is set to white. 

Tips and Tricks

• When you calculate a stockpile, the volume calculation is done between the current terrain and the selected/compared to surface. 
  • A "current terrain" means the elevation terrain and the active terrain modifiers (e.g., a removed conveyor or truck) that are applied on top of the terrain.
  • All available data points are used in the calculation.
• The Stockpile output is a Stockpile item. 
  • You can control its visualization settings through the TOOLS for Stockpile tab. 
• You can also select multiple surfaces/boundaries, and their volumes are calculated separately for each selected item.
• You can export the stockpiles as a PDF report or a CAD file.