How to create a Cut and Fill map (advanced)

In construction, landscaping, and civil engineering, cut and fill visualisations are essential for displaying earthwork quantities and terrain modifications. In Pythagoras this cut and fill can be shown with more precision, using Colorized map. This advanced way will also enable you to accurately calculate the actual volumes.

STEP 1: Create a 'Cut and Fill' terrain model

We want to visualize the difference between 2 terrain models. To create this 'Cut and Fill' model, you will need to perform a difference operation on a terrain model of the existing terrain and a terrain model of the designed terrain.

1. DTM > Combine 2 Terrain Models...
2. In the window

• Name: Cut and Fill
• DTM 1: Designed, final, proposed, survey pass 2
• DTM 2: Existing, survey pass 1
• Operation: Difference
• Click on 'OK'

STEP 2: Create a Cut and Fill Colorised map

Typically, the convention for visualising cut (earth that needs to be removed) and fill (earth that needs to be added) uses color coding:

- Cut: Areas where material is being excavated (-) are often shown in red.

 - Fill: Areas where material is being added (+) are typically shown in blue.

1. Open the window DTM Properties.
   Click on the Name in the DTM Dropdown in Active Settings. Or via menu View > Display Options (CTRL + I), tab DTM, select the DTM and click on 'Properties'. 
2. Check the option Show Colorized Map and click on the button 'Attributes'. The window Color Map opens.
3. Name your Color Map.
4. Add and define the values manually and choose a colour to display.
   • Negative values in Red for Cut areas
   • Positive values in Blue for Fill areas
5. Click 'OK'
6. Optionally you can check Show DTM Legend if you want.
7. Click 'OK'.
8. Click 'Close'

STEP 3 Annotating the height difference

Adding annotations for the spot elevations. Which for a cut area, where the volume is negative will be labeled with a negative height and all the spot elevations with a fill area (where the volume is positive) will be labeled with a positive height difference.

1. Calculation > Grid. In the window: 
   • Grid points: Check Points in DTM and select the 'Cut and Fill' terrain model
   • Define the interval for the grid
   • Define a Layer
   • Click on 'OK' 
2. Select all the grid points
3. Click on the Annotation tool Height

Result

You can give a more detailed way of showing Cut and Fill a try...