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


Create a Cut/Fill Map

  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 Use box to Timestep and select the dataset you want to compare to.
    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 with the cut/fill map selected.


How to Use the Cut/Fill Tool 

Cut and Fill Using the Timeline (Example Workflow)

It is typical to perform a Cut/Fill calculation between two drone surveys acquired from two separate dates, which can be done using the Timeline. 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 called Design in the Timeline and load the design CAD file in the Layers panel.
  2. Select the design surface and click on the Modify Terrain button available in the TOOLS tab to create the design model as a terrain.
  3. Switch to the most current timestep and create/select a boundary for the Cut/Fill calculation.
  4. You can then measure how much dirt should be moved to match the design, using the steps of How to Use the Cut/Fill Tool shown in this article, except now you're comparing the drone dataset Timestep to the design.


Cut and Fill Map Color Options

Min Cut/Fill and Stretch To options: Change the min Cut/Fill and Stretch map values for a more specific visual analysis.


Colors: 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 from the ribbon menu.


Where to Use the Cut/Fill Tool

Scenarios you can create a cut and fill analysis:


Large sites or sites with significant changes, or other in-the-field challenges can all be done with drone data using the Virtual Surveyor app.


Tips and Tricks

  • You can "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. 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.