The Isolate Surface routine in 3D-MC allows the user to isolate a small area of the active TIN surface and ignore triangulation outside the selected region.
Useful applications for Isolate Surface include:
- Extending grade outside the defined TIN surface
- Overriding a defined slope in the TIN surface for variable depth shoulders on highways and roading projects
- Projecting a new slope off a TIN surface
- To access the Isolate Surface command, tap and hold on the screen to display the pop-up menu
- Now, select Isolate Surface... from the menu.
*NOTE* The Isolate Surface command is based off where the user taps and holds on the screen, not the current machine position.
The Isolate Surface Region dialog box contains three variables that the user needs to define:
- Maximum grade transition: The maximum difference in grade allowed. For this example, any slope that exceeds 2% of the isolated slope (5.5%) will be overridden.
- Extend grade at edge by: How far the grade of the isolated region will be extended. For this example, the surface will be extended a maximum of 25'.
- Limit isolated area to within: Surface will only be isolated within this given radius from the point selected on screen. For this example, the isolated area is constrained to 200' from the chosed point.
There are also two selectable color preferences that can be set:
- Surface color: Color of the surface being isolated. Slopes in this area will be the same as the original TIN surface.
- Extension color: Color of the extended surface being generated. Slopes in this area are overriding the original TIN surface.
The screen will now show the isolated surface and extended surface in the colors defined in the Surface color (i.e. green) and Extension color (i.e. purple) settings.
The purple areas are now ignoring the 3D TIN surface and is projecting the slope where the user touched on the screen (5.5%).
