topic Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh in Collaboration with other software

Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Scott Bulmer — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 18:10:10 GMT

Greetings, I need to calculate the excavated volume of soil from a mesh as it relates to a swimming pool. The pool is on a sloping mesh as seen in the attached image. For a grading calculation, is there a way to accurately calculate the volume of where the mesh intersects the pool? For the purpose of this discussion the pool can be one large slab. Thanks for any suggestions. Scott

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Dave Seabury — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 20:33:31 GMT

Scott

Create a schedule for the mesh and calculate "Net Volume", you will have to run the schedule with and with out the seo of the pool. The difference in the volume calc's is the excavated volume.

David

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Barry Kelly — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 01:03:43 GMT

Dave wrote:
Create a schedule for the mesh and calculate "Net Volume", you will have to run the schedule with and with out the seo of the pool. The difference in the volume calc's is the excavated volume.

Just create a duplicate of the mesh without the SEO so you can calculate both at the same time and you don't affect the existing mesh SEO.

It is a bit of a pain the a 'Net Volume' works for a mesh, but there is no such thing as 'Gross Volume' for a mesh (or 'Conditional Volume' either).

Barry.

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Scott Bulmer — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 16:21:29 GMT

It worked~! Thank you both for your suggestions, As recommended I used duplicate meshes with and without the SEO calculated in a mesh schedule. That is a very handy grading calc technique. Scott

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Stress Co_ — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 20:30:48 GMT

Understood that issue is solved...
But there is yet another option
(if you are on an ARCHIPLUS subscription).
Download the "Terrian Tool".

Full discloser... I've never tried it.

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Scott Bulmer — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 15:05:15 GMT

Thanks Marc. Also, I just learned that the opening tool in AC23 when placed into meshes can yield the volume of the hole or excavation volume. Very useful. See the attached screenshot. Scott

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

rjwilden — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 17:43:48 GMT

Im not certain this is measuring the volume of the excavation, When I do this, it measures the volume of the opening tool, maybe there is another selection option in the schedule.

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 14:53:35 GMT

i am using Zones in 3d to draw the excavation area and then i use SEO (subtract by upwards extrusion) with the original terrain.
This is working for us so far because we can schedule the excavations easily also the zone comes with a stamp so a lot of info is displayed there.

One question though.
Can i measure the volume of a zone after a SEO?

(please say yes)

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 07:16:16 GMT

Thank you both for your suggestions !

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Ahmed_K — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 08:52:34 GMT

here is my workflow, to automate the process
you have to duplicate the original terrain , change it's material and ID like shown

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 09:51:56 GMT

@bouhmidage
I use this workflow too. But I think it is too much duplications and SEO's for a simple task.
This is why I propose a SEO: Link/Unlink Operators and Operation. I think this workflow should be achievable at once in the SEO Dialog Box. The thing is that as it is, SEO operations are used just for pure modeling purpose. It has much more potential, as it could be used in the Project/Construction workflow, where its Operations could resemble actual construction operations.

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Tim Ball — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 15:26:56 GMT

I have done this a few times and use a slab

Create the slab to the correct depth and plan area you want
Angle the slab edges to batter the excavation. There are not many soil conditions where you can have vertical sides to a large excavation safely
Intersect the top of the slab to the mesh using SEO
Cut the mesh with the slab using SEO
Convert the resulting slab shape to a morph to fix the shape
Read the mesh morph
Classify and label the morph so you can share the data correctly

Re: Grading Calculation - volume of excavation from a mesh

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 16:11:59 GMT

Tim wrote:
Intersect the top of the slab to the mesh using SEO
Cut the mesh with the slab using SEO
Convert the resulting slab shape to a morph to fix the shape
Read the mesh morph
Classify and label the morph so you can share the data correctly

That is my point. So much work for a simple task. And with this process I will have to create one Mesh for the Existent Terrain, another for the Proposed Terrain. And in case I change the Proposed Terrain I will have to redo the process of defining the excavation volume. If we could turn On and Off these SEO operations according to the documentation need, I could have just one Terrain Mesh in which I add or subtract geometries according to its visibility. Then a AddedVolume and SubtractedVolume (Similar to NetVolume and GrossVolume) on a schedule would give me the live data grading calculation.
Does this makes sense?