Cropping Complex Meshes

[Josh Verran]

We work with large/complex sites frequently.

I would like to know an efficient/workable method to crop the meshes to the legal boundaries.

If it were a rectangle, then I'd just trim/split.

As the sites can be complex in geometry the above method doesn't work or requires numerous individual trims using temp guide edges.

Below is an example, of a mesh I am talking about.

In the example, I have used a morph to illustrate the region contained within the legal boundaries.

[Steve Jepson]

Obviously, you already know how to create a morph with an exact surface matching the Mesh inside the boundary.  

So there must be boundary lines that you could Unify.  With a single boundary Spline you will have a way to make a hole in a duplicate Mesh.   With that new Mesh mesh with the hole in it, you can Subtract the part of the original Mesh you don't want using SEO.  

If you don't need it to function anymore as a Mesh, you can convert it into a Morph so you do not have any extra (but unseen) geometry.   But I assume you do need that geometry inside the boundary to be a Mesh or you would just use the Morph you made.  Is that right?  

Why was the original Mesh not generated using only the surveyor's data from inside the boundary?   

When I get huge areas of survey/topo data sets from the Surveyor, it's up to me to convert the area of it that I need into a Mesh or Morph, depending on what I need to use it for.   I model the volumes to be excavated, the volumes that need to be added, volumes of each layer of any new roads, and backfill.... so that the entire Excavation Plan, Stormwater Plans, Landscaping/Planting Plans, Site Utilities Model, etc...  can all be quantified with Interactive Schedules.  It seems that there is no limit to the amount of information Building Departments are requiring these days for even just Pre-Construction Meetings.