A US land surveying firm last month claimed to have developed a new way of calculating the volume of complex structures to deliver more accurate results. The method developed by Delaware firm Geo-Plus uses a 3D triangulation method as apposed to the more traditional 2D method.
According to a Geo-Plus spokeswoman, “2D triangulation models have been used in civil projects to calculate the volume of overhang, tunnel or other complex construction shapes. However, the result produced was always flawed. In fact, civil engineering software that calculates volume uses an algorithm which, for a X, Y surface, can take different Z coordinates. In such a planimetry case, the algorithm connects the adjacent X, Y points while the values of Z points are not in the same plane.
“TIN modeling associates X, Y, Z coordinates that are not adjacent. To achieve their goal, civil engineering professionals have no choice but to use more than three software.”
The Geo-plus solution, called tetrahedralization, uses a four-faced pyramid, also known as tetrahedron, to model the envelope of a structure accurately. The spokeswoman added “With a proper set of survey points and using the data from connectivity strings, Geo-Plus VisionCivil 2010 can build the various surfaces of a solid. Then, the software assembles these surfaces, ultimately creating a solid composed of several tetrahedra. With the help of this 3D calculation using tetrahedralization, Geo-Plus VisionCivil 2010 can calculate the volume and draw the shape of just about
