Volume of Stockpile between contours

Hi, I'm using Autocad Civil 3D 2009

I have a 2d dwg drawing of a large soil stockpile created by a surveyor with 5 m contour polylines. How can I calculate the volume of the stockpile based on the 2d contour lines? Does it need to be converted to a 3d solid and if so how, or can I calculate it in 2d?

Thank you,

John

Average end area method using the contours you have.

I just noticed you're using Civil 3D. Create a surface from the contours.

Try Help > AutoCAD Civil 3D Tutorials > Surfaces Tutorial.

Unfortunately some of the countours (i.e. the crest) are actually as joining line segments of varying elevations instead of all as proper contours of one elevation so I can't get an accurate area. Regardless, I would still like to know how it can be done using features in civil 3d.

Unfortunately some of the countours (i.e. the crest) are actually as joining line segments of varying elevations instead of all as proper contours of one elevation so I can't get an accurate area. Regardless, I would still like to know how it can be done using features in civil 3d.

Create a surface using "Drawing Objects" and selected your elevated PLines.

alanjt/Ipseifert, how do I create a surface using drawing objects and even after that how do i get a volume? I've noticed reading other tutorials online that there must be an add-on or something to get menus like points, surfaces, parcels, etc. in order to do this kind of thing I'm guessing. How do I get that? I have AutoCAD Civil 3d 2009 full version.

If you're using Civil 3D you should have access to the aforementioned menus. Try setting your Workspace to 'Civil 3D Complete'.

I only have AutoCAD Classic, 2D drafting and Annotation, and 3D modeling.

Help - About Product says:

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009

Service Pack 2

Standalone locked

C.111.0 (UNICODE)

Commercial

Suggestions to get Civil 3D complete?

Type MenuLoad and make sure the civil.cui is loaded.

OK the menu loaded, but every single command I try there displays the error message of unknown command. Thoughts?

I should also note that the menus load but there is still no workspace option of 'Civil 3D Complete'

I would repair the install.

Sounds like you opened 'Civil 3D as AutoCAD 2009' instead of 'AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009'.

Go to Windows Start > All Programs > Autodesk > AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 and pick 'AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009' to start the program and see if that helps.

Well now, isn't that just interesting lol. Like having a brand new program I didn't know about! Now to figure out how to get my volume..

Thanks for helping btw, much appreciated.

Just working through the surface tutorial.. I don't see a prospector's tab though? Or maybe I don't know what it looks like.

It's on the Toolspace palette. If the palette isn't displayed go to General pulldown and select Toolspace.

If you search for Civil 3D on Youtube, you'll find a lot of video tutorials.

Now that your underway a couple of things to be aware of when calculating stockpile volumes is often the base surface is not flat, it can be an old stockpile or over excavated old stock pile.

Either way you need to make a surface which you may call say base it should reflect true shape (i had one with a hopper in ground) then you just create a new surface to reflect the stockpile only. Its then an easy job to just compare the two surfaces.

The volume option is in Surfaces Utilities Volumes just enter two surfaces etc

Hi Bigal, thank you for your reply.

Taking a trivial example, say my original contour (above surface) ground is a trapezoid with bottom el. 0m and top 5m. and my stockpile is a trapezoid on top of that with bottom el. 5m and top 10m. My steps I've incorrectly followed somewhere are:

1. Name original contour layer 'contour'

2. Name stockpile contour layer 'stockpile'

3. Create TIN surface using 'contour' layer giving it the name 'contour'. Same for 'stockpile' layer.

4. In prospector-surfaces-'contour'-definition-Contours-right click-Add-select 'contour' layer (0m and 5m el. polyline squares). Repeat for 'stockpile' (5m and 10m polyline squares).

5. Rightclick on 'contour' surface name-edit surface style-display-show points and triangles for plan and model. Repeat for 'stockpile'.

6. Create surface-TIN volume surface.

Now there are a few things to do here that I'm not clear on. You have to select surface layer. Then in Information it wants the surface name. In volume surfaces it wants base surface and compare surface and cut/fill factor (1.000). Then after that there is surface-utilities-volume-create new volume entries.

Can you correct me on what I'm doing wrong, and especially what specifically needs to be done in step 6. Also, how can simply a volume of a stockpile be calculated lying on a flat base. Do I have to create a single polyline contour with elevation i.e. 0 in addition to my stockpile or can I just use my stockpile.

Thank you for any assistance!!

Unfortunately some of the countours (i.e. the crest) are actually as joining line segments of varying elevations instead of all as proper contours of one elevation so I can't get an accurate area.

It sounds like you might have actual breaklines. Do you have the points, too? If so, it is far better to use the points and breaklines to create the surface than the contours. Of all the possible ways of creating surfaces, creating one from contours introduces the most error.

Taking a trivial example...

If I'm following you correctly, the surface you're calling "Contour" is your original ground, and "Stockpile" is the top of the stockpile?

If so, then you should be able to simply create a TIN Volume surface, using "Contour" as your base surface and "Stockpile" as your comparison surface.

The Surface Utilities -> Volumes tool is like a "calculator". It can calculate a volume between two surfaces, but all it does is display the result. You will not see that result again after you dismiss it, unless you redo the calculation from scratch.

By contrast, a volume surface will remain in the drawing, and will still be there the next time you open the drawing.

Re you question about the single polyline base at say elev 0 yes you can do that it could be lines also, not sure for Civil3d but our other software requires min 5 points.

I am pretty sure you can not have only one surface you must have two for volumes. In saying that our other software will let you work with a known level and 1 surface. A simple way to keep comapring stockpiles that are constantly changing.