Combining Triangle Nets

In many projects, surface data comes from multiple sources, for example:

• surveyed points and lines
• laser-scanned point clouds
• projected surfaces
• previous terrain models
• geological or structural models

SurfaceMaker makes it possible to combine multiple triangle nets into one unified model. When merging, it is important to define priority between the data sources, so that the most reliable or most detailed data is used where available, while other data fills in areas with missing coverage.

This is typically used when:

• surveyed data should override scanned data in critical areas
• a projected model is to be compared with a surveyed model
• several partial models are to be assembled into one complete surface
• a lowest excavation or blasting level is to be established from several bounding surfaces

Lowest excavation level calculated from models for multiple levels in the pit

When combining models, attention should be paid to:

• differing accuracy between data sources
• differing point or model resolution
• overlap and conflict areas
• consequences for volume and area calculations