Trimble Business Center

I have muddled around with a few different iterations of trench models for machine drivers and have found a particular model that most of my drivers find useful.

I really just want to share how I do this and see if anyone has any suggestions or improvements to my method.

I know there are some very experienced heads on here and any help would be appreciated as I am almost entirely self taught on this.

This is a pretty basic trench model and I'll upload a house model with steps in when I get a chance, but it gives a good general idea of how I form the models.

I'd just like to sort of start up a forum on how we all work and hopefully we can all learn a few things from each other.

Matthew

I looked at this with a US based customer a couple of weeks ago and showed them how they could use the Apply Site Improvements to areas to box out their footings on a large Amazon Data Center project they were working on. You still need to create the Areas at Finished Grade that you want for your Trench Box Outs, but then you simply create a Material Called in your case e.g. Footing Trench Ex and then a Site Improvement called e.g. Footing Trench Ex 1.0m or whatever the depths are (create different Site Improvements for the different depths of footing).

Then build up your Finished Grade Model using Linestrings. For the Trench Edges at Finished Grade do what you are doing now to create the Offset Lines for the Footing Lips - and you will need to add them to a Finished Grade Surface Model. For all the Linestrings set them all to Sharp and Texture Boundary. The lines do not actually all have to be joined unless you want selectable linework for the operators that is continuous - they just have to either Touch or Cross over each other to form a "closed area".

Now you can use the apply Site Improvements to the areas where you want your footing trenches excavated out - and when completed you run the Create Subgrade Surface for "Bottom of Engineered Materials" or the Bottom of the Footing Type Site Improvements that you have applied (but then you have to create multiple surfaces rather than just one subgrade at the bottom of engineered materials"

This will box out all of your footings - without having to do all the offset lines at 1mm offset etc.

I will share the link to the video I recorded for the other customer on this

Click Here For Link

Alan

I did have a look at this method, and while I think it would work well for any buildings built on a flat plane, I don't think it will work particularly well for stepped footings built of a sloped surface, or more to the point I cannot see how this would be more efficient at building up the stepped footings, as there is no 'standard depth' for the house footings that we produce, I would end up needing different subgrade depths for almost every footing.

I will publish a video of my method with the stepped house footing today, as I have a few to do and hopefully this will give you a better idea of what I'm trying to say here, as I realise it doesn't come across particularly well in text.

So this is my method for producing trench models for my foundations.

Sorry about the heavy beathing, I have a bit of a cold.

Matthew,

One way that I have done step footings for buildings has been with the corridor module. I will put a quick video together later today and post it.

Could you send me the starting point data the foundation drawing that you are referring to and the final result model of one of these pads that you are doing so I can work through the process myself - the video is great as an overview, once I start doing one on my own, I may be able to give you some pointers or maybe can help to define some kind of automation tool to make this faster going forwards.

Appreciate you taking the time here Matt - awesome work by the way considering you are self taught

Alan

I have uploaded a couple of extra files to the google drive link you sent me, I have to create a fair amount of the data I use myself as the information I get from the housebuilders is pretty threadbare.

Also if you have a look in the .vce file I uploaded there are a load of house and garage templates off site north easterly, I use these for my centre of trench templates.

One thing I am contemplating is breaking and creating my 2mm step positions in the actual template to reduce time spent per plot.

I actually really enjoyed the challenge.

Nothing better for me than having something palmed at you, getting no information, and being told "See what you can do."