Project Items are the building blocks of the Virtual Surveyor software and represent the types of data that are used and created in the software. 


Project Items are listed and grouped by layers in the Project View where they can be selected. Most Project Items are displayed in the Viewport (except location) from where they can also be selected (except Terrain Modifier and Terrain Offset).


Every item has a descriptor and optionally a number that can be updated in the Structure group of the Home tab.


The list below gives an overview of the different Project Items that are available with Virtual Surveyor.


Icon
Project itemDescription
Point iconPointA geometry that has a location in geographic space, but that has no extent. A point is represented through a symbol, color, and size. You draw points to describe the topography at bare-earth or to capture specific features like a manhole.
Multi-point iconMulti-pointA set of Points. Multi-point items are typically created through a grid operation like Q-Points or Low-pass points. Multi-point items allow to easily manage very large sets of points as a single item.
Polyline icon PolylineA geometry that consists of line segments that connect a series of geographic coordinates. A polyline is displayed with a color and a width. You draw breaklines to capture sudden changes in slopes like banks in quarries, road embankments, etc.
Boundary iconBoundaryA geometry that is a closed polyline. A boundary is displayed with a color and a width and doesn't have a fill. A boundary confines a work area and is used as input in many operations like gridding, triangulation, stockpile calculation, cut/fill analysis, terrain export, etc.
Surface iconSurfaceA set of triangles that are used to describe a topography. Surfaces are displayed as triangles or contour lines and can contain voids. Surfaces are used as input for a terrain modification, or as a deliverable for your customer.
ProfileA line geometry that follows the Elevation Terrain exactly. A profile appears in the 2D Profile View as a graph with elevations plotted along the line geometry. A Profile Item also appears in the Viewport where it is draped on the terrain.
Stockpile iconStockpileRepresents a certain quantity of material and can be presented as a volume, tonnage, and/or a monetary value. It has a single color that is linked to a material type. Stockpile items can be exported as a stockpile report in PDF format or as a text file.
Cut-and-fill iconCut/FillDisplays the elevation differences between two elevation models (terrain and/or surface) through a color representation and/or spot heights. This item also displays the volume difference between the 2 elevation models split into a cut and a fill quantity.
Image terrain iconImage TerrainTypically the orthomosaic from your drone photogrammetry. Image Terrains can also be a topographic map (thematic colors) or cadastral map (black/white colors). Image Terrains are draped over the Elevation Terrain.
Elevation terrain iconElevation TerrainThe DSM (or DTM) from your drone photogrammetry. Also, point cloud files from LiDAR drones are converted to Elevation Terrains. The Elevation Terrain is shown as a hillshade or augmented with the imaged terrain or other terrain lenses.
Water iconWaterA plane at a certain elevation that is used to represent water. Water items can be clipped or intersected with the terrain. Water items are used to remove noise over water bodies and to calculate the fill volume for basins.
Terrain modifier iconModify TerrainA Terrain Modifier is created via an input surface, or one of the cleaning tools and dynamically modifies and changes the Elevation Terrain. You typically use a Terrain Modifier to remove machines and conveyors before calculating a volume difference between two terrains. 
Terrain offset iconOffset Within (Terrain offset)A Terrain Offset is created from an input boundary and changes the elevation with a certain value. The Terrain Offset is typically used when you have ellipsoidal elevation while you need mean sea level or a local elevation datum.
Location iconPositionA viewing position from which you observe your drone data. You typically find yourself at a certain geographic position, viewing the terrain at a certain angle with respect to the horizon and north.
Measurement icon MeasurementCaptures the specific characteristics of a certain part of your topography. A measurement tool is used to show the height of banks or structures or the steepness of slopes.