3D Soil Profile Modelling

Hi,

I'm currently working on how to create a 3D soil profile model and I'm having a bit of difficulty as I want to plot the different layers of soils as surfaces. I am trying to import the points into the AutoCAD dwg file but I cannot seem to create the surface. I'm suing AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012. I'm not sure of how to use the point group from the points created and use this to create a surface. Any insight would be much appreciated.

Well, Meggy... if you lost your Civil3D's user manual, and the F1 help key doesn't run, you can easily create a surface by added points:

Also, you'll note from Emigrato's image that you can simply add a point group to the surface's definition.

I posted elsewhere about this you must make sure you only add the points for 1 surface type at a time to an individual surface you can not do all points in one go.

Boreholes ?

Ok I made some progress. I have progressed with 2 surfaces by adding point files, which have the x,y,z coordinates in a *txt file. I am adding 1 point file per surface, to create each surface at a time. However, my question today is, does anyone know how I can hatch the surfaces or style them after I've finished plotting them? I'm not too happy with the style I have, TIN surface, as it is very geometrical. If you happen to think of anything that could be of help to me, pls do let me know.

Thanks!

Right-click on the surface in the Prospector or on the surface itself. You will get an option to edit the surface style. You can use the Display tab to turn on or off the various features of the surface and change their properties. The other tabs let you define the features, such as contour interval. You can define multiple styles for multiple uses, just change the style in the surface properties.

That's vastly oversimplifying, but this is a hideously complicated, and not very intuitive, piece of software.

Like Cyberangel you can shade each surface say in a different colour but you will only really see it from the sides.

You may be able to slice your surfaces in some way keeping them as a visual 3d not sure how. maybe convert to 3dfaces ?

Our Civilcad software supports up to 8 surfaces in a long or cross section I have not found out how to do this in CIV3d any ideas anyone.

I'm creating 2 surfaces for each soil type, one to represent the bottom of the soil type, and one to represent the top of the soil type. I am trying to figure out how to hatch the layer between these surfaces to represent that particular soil type. So far, no luck.

Between each two bore holes you have basicly 4 points you could set the ucs to match bot L - Bot R & top L then pline the 4 points and hatch repeat for all out side points very messy but could be done.

Some one may have a program that would allow you to take the 3 points of a triangle and Extrude down converting to a solid flat bottom with inclined top then union all of them together using two solids you could subtract a bottom ending up with a true 3d solid strata shape repeat for all stratas

Found this in Archives have not tried it but sounds like what you want http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?1408-m2s-Mesh-to-Solid

That could work, but my problem is that each of the soil layers end at different depths so I can't plot one layer (e.g SILT, which has a surface created at different depths, ending at a common depth along all the borehole points).

What you need to do is to find a program that will create a "solid" based on the 3 points of a TIN going to say 0 then its a case of Subtract solid 1 solid 2 and you will end up with a 3 solid representing the strata material.

Any one out there 3d 3 points as a wedge then add triangle extrude down to 0 level then union together all triangles and wedges.