Trimble Business Center

Sometimes I am working on a project that requires multiple FG/SG surfaces. For instance, if there are multiple phases to the project (So Phase 1 elevations will differ from Phase 2 elevations). Currently, I have to use a work around of either:

a) Creating multiple project files for the multiple surfaces and then importing them into the original project file if I want to compare

b) For the 2nd or 3rd FG surface I have to do the SG offsets manually by either offsetting the points or FG surface, having to separate the data for the varying makeups across the site.

This is a bit of a pain, and it would be nice if it were possible to simply create multiple FG/SG takeoff categories/surfaces within the original project file.

Thanks,

Elaine

Elaine

This is a request that I have seen a few times recently - good requests and they are in the system for sure.

This is a limit of the Takeoff Process only - you can create as many surfaces as you want in one project and you can if you are just applying subgrade adjustments use the apply site improvements command to apply Site Improvements to a surface and then you can use Create Subgrade Surfaces to create the surfaces that you want (base of Subgrade or any layer defined in the Site Improvements applied.

The only limitation to this is that you cannot then run the Takeoff Report on these surfaces and have to use Surface to Surface Volumes to compute what you need - with or without boundary areas (AOIs) to subdivide the quantities. While this may not be exactly what you are looking for, you may find that it helps. I will sometimes build a corridor across a site (straight line alignment) and add the surfaces generated by the above processes to that corridor (For Existing, Finished and as many Subgrade or Overex surfaces as I need, and then run a Corridor Earthwork Report (End Section Areas) to generate my quantities for such a need. I can also apply as many AOIs to my Corridor Model as needed to get the breakout that I want. This then creates an unlimited number of options.

We have also written a TML that will be posted soon that does Grid Based Volumes between two surfaces with many AOIs to allow extremely quick volumes to be computed between surfaces - I am also oping that we could extend that to create a "Batch Process" where it would compute a number of pairs of surfaces and report the results of all pairs into a spreadsheet with some user formatting to allow the results of pairs like Existing - Topsoil Strip = Topsoil Stripping for the report and so that you could also use the result of one pair in another computation also. This would allow you to build up many scenarios in a project and run the reports to meet each scenario. Grid models can be defined with small grid sizes like 0.5' if you are chasing the highest accuracy etc.

Hope that this may help - if you want to discuss any of these let me know - I would be happy to show you how (contact me at alan_sharp@trimble.com

Alan