Topcon Magnet office DTM vs CIVIL 3d Surface

[jessiray8]

I am working on a project that has dirtwork everyday that i need to run cut and fill quantities from daily asbuilts.

Currently we are using Topcon Magnet Office DTM model (triangles), I am wondering if it will be more practical or accurate to use a Civil 3d surface to run these daily updates.

[Cad64]

I have moved your question to the Civil 3D section: http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?57-Civil-3D-amp-LDD

[BIGAL]

I am pretty sure you will find the same answer from either software. As you are using the same triangle model the volumes should be identical. Make sure when you ADD the 3dfaces to a CIV3D surface from Magnet or Civilcad that you tick the box maintain egdes, this will force an identical TIN. Around 30 years Civilcad, Autocad & now CIV3D.

 

For any one reading this, Civilcad or Magnet I have a lisp to convert them to a more friendly version for use within Autocad or CIV3d just PM me.

[Organic]

Either program should suffice.

 

Personally though I would set this up in 12d with a chain, then all you have to do is dump in the triangles from the daily update (onto a predefined layer name) and run the chain. I would set up the chain so that it would triangulate the daily triangles for you into a surface, do volume calcs and reports against the master surface, update the overall master surface, delete the daily triangles from the project if you want or more them to another layer for record etc.

 

E.g. do it once in 12d (the first time) and chain it and then it is trivial to do it from then on and also reduces the potential for user error. I've used this method successfully on a couple of large earthworks projects.

[BIGAL]

The only problem I have found with doing daily volumes of stockpiles is that they change shape continually with some parts of a stockpile now over the -3 days ago surface so its important to make a complete new model each time, making sure the outer boundary is true. Discovered this with a client who was just taking the previous day as correct and the base boundary was not fully enclosed but rather crossing.

 

Organic nice idea, read your other post as well know now who to ask for 12D questions, I know years ago did something similar in Civilcad for a daily task, but as he already has Magnet a pretty expensive solution to jump to another software product.