Copyright: © 1997 - 2002 Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved.
Citation: © 1997 - 2002 Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved.


The Trimble DTMLink™ software of the Trimble Geomatics Office™ software is a powerful system for generating a contour surface model. With this software you can create new contour surfaces and edit your previously created contour surfaces. You can also import contour surfaces generated from other contouring packages.

The software has the capacity for including boundaries and breaklines in the contour surface model, and allows for advanced triangle editing features to give more control over the model formation.

A gridded or triangulated Digital Terrain Model is created from the contour surface model for export to a data collector or a data file.

The model you create can be used by the RoadLink™ software for earthworks calculations.

The DTMLink software lets you create volume reports.

Typical applications for the volume calculations are:

  stockpile calculations

  volumes of layers of materials, such as coal seams

  volumes of voids such as lakes behind proposed dams

The DTMLink software uses the method of computing the volumes of individual triangular prisms. These are defined by the triangular planes forming the contour surface model by using the base areas and average heights of prisms.

The DTMLink software lets you create comparison surfaces. A comparison surface is a contour surface model of the difference between the two surfaces. You can use this surface in conjunction with the volumes calculation type ‘Above an elevation’ to calculate the cut and fill volumes between the two surfaces.


Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

1. Trimble DTMLink software

2. Menu Commands

3. Tips

4. Error messages

5. All topics

We assume you know the fundamentals of using Microsoft Windows. Consult your Microsoft Windows documentation if you are in doubt about how to use Windows software.


All Topics

In the All Topics section of the Contents, all topics in this Help system are listed alphabetically.


Open Surface
File / Open Surface

	Click the Open Surface tool on the Standard toolbar
Use this command to open a surface.

Surfaces available in

Select a name from the list of names shown in the lower frame of the Select Surface dialog and enter this name into the field below the Surfaces available in field. If the name is not listed, click Folder.

NOTE: The Surfaces available in field is read-only.

Folder

Click Folder to open the Browse for Folder dialog. The dialog lets you select the folder in which the files are contained.

The default folder is C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\RoadLink – DTMLink …, where xx is the Project name.

TIP: When using the Browse for Folder dialog, always browse for the surface file at the lowest level directory.


Save Surface
File / Save Surface

	Use the Save Surface tool on the Standard toolbar

Use this command to save changes made to the current surface.


Close Surface
File / Close Surface

Use this command to close a file in the DTMLink™ software.


Import
File / Import

	Use the Import tool on the Standard toolbar

Use this command to import the following file types into the project:

  Trimble TIN Digital Terrain Model file (*.ttm)

  Trimble Gridded Digital Terrain Model file (*.dtx)

  Surface (TIN) from TerraModel Project file (*.pro)

  Surface (TIN) from an AutoCAD DXF file

  Surface from LandXML file (*.xml)

  Paydirt/SiteWork Grid file (*.grd)

  Civilcad ASCII 5 file

  12D surface file

  InRoads surface file

  MX GENIO TIN file

  REB surface file

  GEOPAK Grid Spots


Trimble TIN Digital Terrain Model file (*.ttm)

Use this command to import a Trimble TIN Digital Terrain Model file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select Trimble TIN Digital Terrain Model file (*.ttm) file and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

The Files of type field shows only the Trimble TIN Digital Terrain Model (*.ttm) type. You cannot change the type of file from this field.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Trimble Gridded Digital Terrain Model file (*.dtx)

Use this command to import a Trimble Gridded Digital Terrain Model file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select Trimble Gridded Digital Terrain Model file (*.dtx) file.

 	TIP: Click the Configuration button to remove points that define the grid, and that fall within a specified tolerance.

3.	Click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

4.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

The Files of type field shows only the Trimble Gridded Digital Terrain Model (*.dtx) type. You cannot change the type of file from this field.

5.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

6.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Import Gridded DTM Configuration

Use this option to remove points that define the grid, and that fall within a specified tolerance. Select Decimate Grid and, in the Grid to TIN decimation tolerance field, specify the tolerance value.


Surface (TIN) from TerraModel Project File (*.pro)

Use this command to import a Surface (TIN) from TerraModel Project file into DTMLink.

NOTE: To successfully convert to a Surface (TIN) file, the TerraModel Project file must have a network of triangles in a layer.

To import the file:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select Surface (TIN) from TerraModel Project file (*.pro) and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open.

If the file has only one layer, the surface will import. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.

If the TerraModel Project file has more than one layer, the Choose Surface Layer dialog appears.

6.	Select the layer or layers to import. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Choose Surface Layer Dialog

Use this dialog to select the layer to convert for import.

From the Layers list, select the layer to convert to a surface file. You can select multiple layers to import but only one surface can be displayed at a time.


Surface (TIN) from an AutoCAD DXF File

Use this command to import a Surface (TIN) from an AutoCAD DXF file into DTMLink.

NOTE: To successfully convert to a Surface (TIN) file, the AutoCAD DXF file must consist of a network of triangles of 3D Faces, or 3D Polylines.

To import the file:

1.	Select File / Import

The Import dialog appears.

2.	If the DXF file was originally generated using units other than those specified in the project, click Configuration to configure the DXF file.

The Import DXF Configuration Options dialog appears. Use this dialog to assign units to the DXF file being imported or converted. You must specify the same units that the DXF file was originally created in.

3.	Select the appropriate units for the DXF file.

4.	Click OK in the Import DXF Configuration Options dialog.

5.	Click OK in the Import dialog.

The Open dialog appears.

6.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

The Files of type field shows only the ASCII AutoCAD DXF file (*.dxf) type. You cannot change the type of file from this field.

7.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the file name.

  Click the required file.

8.	Click Open.

If the file has only one layer, the surface will import. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.

If the DXF file has more than one layer, the Choose Surface Layer dialog appears.

9.	Select the layer or layers to import. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Import DXF Configuration Options Dialog

Use this dialog to set the units for importing a Surface (TIN) from an AutoCAD DXF file.

DXF file units

Use this field to assign units to the DXF file that you are importing. For example, if the DTMLink project uses International Feet as its coordinates but a *.dxf file was generated with Meters, then you must specify Meters in this group when importing that *.dxf file.

To change the units, select from the drop-down list:

  Meters (m)

  International Feet (ft)

  US Survey Feet (FT)

NOTE: When importing a Surface (TIN) from an AutoCAD DXF file, the Compress Polylines field is unavailable.


Surface from LandXML File (*.xml)

Use this command to import a surface from a LandXML file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select Surface from LandXML file (*.xml) and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Paydirt/SiteWork Grid File (*.grd)

Use this command to import a SiteWork Grid file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select Paydirt/SiteWork Grid file (*.grd).

TIP: Click the Configuration button to remove points that define the grid, and that fall within a specified tolerance.

2.	In the Import dialog, click OK.

The Import SiteWork Grid File dialog appears.

3.	Click Browse to search for the folder containing the file that you want to import.

4.	In the Files Field, navigate to the required SiteWork Grid file.

5.	Click OK to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Import SiteWork Grid File Dialog

Use this dialog to import a SiteWork Grid file into the DTMLink Software.

Location

This field shows the location of the SiteWork Grid file.

Browse

Click this button to search for the folder containing the SiteWork Grid file.

Files

Use this field to select the SiteWork Grid File.

OK

Click this button to import the SiteWork Grid File.

Cancel

Click this button to cancel the import operation and return to the Import dialog.


Civilcad ASCII 5 File

Use this command to import a Civilcad ASCII 5 file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select Civilcad ASCII 5 file (*.AS5).

TIP: Click the Configuration button to remove points that define the grid, and that fall within a specified tolerance.

3.	Click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

4.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

5.	Click Open.

The Choose Surface Layer dialog appears.

6.	Select the layer containing the grid information.

7.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


12D Surface File

Use this command to import a 12D surface file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select 12D surface file and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Surface from InRoads File (*.tin)

Use this command to import a surface from an InRoads file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select InRoads surface file and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


MX GENIO TIN File

Use this command to import an MX GENIO TIN file (*.txt) into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select MX GENIO TIN file and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


GEOPAK Grid Spots

Use this command to import a Gridded Digital Terrain Model (*.dtx) from a GEOPAK file into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select GEOPAK Grid Spots.

TIP: Click the Configuration button to remove points that define the grid, and that fall within a specified tolerance.

3.	Click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

4.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

The Files of type field shows only the All Files (*.*) type. You cannot change the type of file from this field because a GEOPAK file can carry any extension.

5.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

6.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


REB Surface File

Use this command to import a REB surface file (*.reb) into DTMLink:

1.	Select File / Import.

The Import dialog appears.

2.	From the list in the Surface tab, select REB surface file and click OK.

The Open dialog appears.

3.	In the Look in field, choose the folder that contains the file you want to import. DTMLink prompts you to use the folder from which you last imported a file.

4.	Do one of the following:

  Enter the filename.

  Click the required file.

5.	Click Open to import the surface. If a surface of the same name already exists in the project, the Import Surface dialog appears. You must rename the surface being imported.


Import Surface

Use the Import Surface dialog to name the new surface. This dialog appears only if a surface of the same name already exists in the project.

New surface name

The filename is the default name for the surface. Use this field to give the surface a unique name.


Export
File / Export

	Use the Export tool on the Standard toolbar

Use this command to export (or send) a file to a Survey Controller or TDS device or to create a file.

NOTE: Export formats that output ASCII files always output numeric data in standardized form, that is, no thousand separators, and dots for decimal points.

The Export dialog lists available export formats. The tabs in the dialog show the types of export formats.

System tab

Use this tab to select from the list of available formats.

Use this export format …	to create …
TIN DTM to Trimble Survey Controller	a compatible, triangulated DTM file of the selected points for export directly to Trimble Survey Controller.
TIN DTM to Trimble Survey Controller file (*.ttm)	a triangulated DTM file of the selected points.
Gridded DTM to Trimble Survey Controller	a compatible, gridded DTM file of the selected points for export directly to Trimble Survey Controller.
Gridded DTM to Trimble Survey Controller file (*.dtx)	a gridded DTM file of the selected points. The gridded DTM values output to an ASCII file are always in meters format.
TIN DTM to Trimble 5600 TDS	a compatible, triangulated DTM file of the selected points for export directly to a Trimble 5600 TDS instrument.
TIN DTM to Trimble 5600 TDS file (*.dtm)	a triangulated DTM file of the selected points as a Trimble 5600 TDS file (*.dtm) that can be read by a Trimble 5600 TDS instrument running TDS Survey Pro CE.
TIN DTM to TDS Survey Pro CE	a compatible, triangulated DTM file of the selected points for export directly to a TDS Survey Pro CE controller.
TIN DTM to TDS Survey Pro CE file (*.dtm)	a triangulated DTM file of the selected points that can be read by a TDS Survey Pro CE controller.
3D faces AutoCAD DXF file	an ASCII DXF file of 3D faces that can be read into third-party software. A 3D face entity is written out for each triangle in the contour model.
Contours to AutoCAD DXF File	an ASCII DXF file of the contours that can be read into third-party software. Click Configure to specify the output options.
 See also


Gridded DTM for Trimble Survey Controller

Use these types to create a regular set of gridded data with the elevations of the points interpolated from the contour model.

NOTE: The Gridded Digital Terrain Model (DTM) allows a regular North-South/East-West grid of points to be interpolated from the current contour model.

Use the File / Export command to create a gridded DTM for export to the Trimble Survey Controller™ software version 6.5 or later.

Select the Gridded DTM to Trimble Survey Controller or Gridded DTM to Trimble Survey Controller file export options.

Click OK, and a rectangular grid appears in the graphics window. This rectangular grid shows the smallest rectangle that completely bounds the surface. Dragging the rectangular grid boundaries lets you define the area you want.

TIP: Use the Left, Top, Right, and Bottom fields in the group box of the Grid Rectangle dialog to fine tune the size of the rectangle.

The fields in the Grid Rectangle dialog are:

Left

Use field fill-in or enter values for the east of the left side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the left edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Top

Use field fill-in or enter values for the north of the top side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the top edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Right

Use field fill-in or enter values for the east of the right side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the right edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Bottom

Use field fill-in or enter values for the north of the bottom side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the bottom edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Grid Size

Use the fields on the Grid Size tab to specify the number of columns and rows that make up the grid.

Columns	Enter the number of columns for the Grid Rectangle.
Rows	Enter the number of rows for the Grid Rectangle.
These fields both default to ten (10). This means that it is possible to have the grid formed on a rectangular basis.

NOTE: When you change the number of Columns, Rows, or both on the Grid Sizes tab, the Height and Width fields on the Step Size tab are automatically recalculated by the DTMLink™ software. The updated fields show the new width and height for each Step size.

Step Size

Use the fields on the Step Size tab to specify the width and height of each column and row that makes up the grid.

Width	Enter the value for the width of a column.
Height	Enter the value for the height of a row.
NOTE: Any change to the Width, Height, or both Width and Height values on the Step Size tab result in a recalculation of the Grid Size fields.

OK

Click OK to export the gridded DTM. The file provides a list of the coordinates and interpolated elevations at each grid point. If you selected the Gridded DTM to Trimble Survey Controller export option, you can select the device to save the file to.

NOTE: Grid Points within the boundary rectangle but outside the contour surface do not have an interpolated elevation and are reported as a blank line in the file.


Triangulated DTM for Trimble Survey Controller

Use this type to create triangulated data based on points that define the triangles of the contour model:

To create a triangulated DTM for export to the Trimble Survey Controller software version 7.5 or later:

1.	Select File / Export.

2.	In the Export dialog, select one of the following:

  TIN DTM to Trimble Survey Controller

  TIN DTM to Trimble Survey Controller file

3.	Click OK.

In the graphics window, a grid shows the smallest rectangle that completely bounds the surface. Drag the grid boundaries to define the area you want.

TIP: Use the Left, Top, Right, and Bottom fields in the group box of the TIN Extents dialog to fine tune the size of the rectangle.

Left

Use field fill-in or enter values for the left (west) side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the left edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Top

Use field fill-in or enter values for the top (north) side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the top edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Right

Use field fill-in or enter values for the right (east) side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the right edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

Bottom

Use field fill-in or enter values for the bottom (south) side of the box measured in meters, International feet, or US Survey feet. This field shows the extent of dragging on the bottom edge of the rectangle in the graphics window.

OK

Click OK to export the triangulated DTM. The file provides a list of the coordinates and elevations for each triangle. If you selected the TIN DTM to Trimble Survey Controller export option, you can select the device to save the file to.


Triangulated DTM for Trimble 5600 TDS

Use this type to create triangulated data based on points that define the triangles of the contour model.

To create a triangulated DTM for export to a Trimble 5600 TDS:

1.	Select File / Export.

2.	In the Export dialog, select one of the following:

  TIN DTM to Trimble 5600 TDS

  TIN DTM to Trimble 5600 TDS file

3.	Click the Configure button to specify the units of the exported file. Use this option to export the TIN DTM in units other than that of the DTMLink project.

4.	Click OK to export the triangulated DTM.


Triangulated DTM for TDS Survey Pro CE

Use this type to create triangulated data based on the points that define the triangles of the contour model.

To create a triangulated DTM for export to TDS Survey Pro CE:

1.	Select File / Export.

2.	In the Export dialog, select one of the following:

  TIN DTM to TDS Survey Pro CE

  TIN DTM to TDS Survey Pro CE file

3.	Click the Configure button to specify the units of the exported file. Use this option when you want to export the TIN DTM in units other than that of the DTMLink project.

4.	Click OK to export the triangulated DTM.


Export TDS TIN DTM Options

Use this option to export the TIN DTM in units other than that of the DTMLink project. Select the appropriate unit from the File units list.


Rename Surface
File / Rename Surface

Use this command to rename the current surface file.

The Rename Surface dialog appears. Enter the new name for the current surface in the field.

Click OK to rename the current surface.


Copy Surface
File / Copy Surface

Use this command to copy the current surface file.

The Copy Surface dialog appears.

Enter a unique name for the new surface.

OK

Click OK to copy the surface.


Delete Surface
File / Delete Surface

Use this command to delete a surface.

Folder

Click Folder to open the Browse for Folder dialog. The dialog lets you navigate to the surface file to open.

Surfaces are stored in the C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\RoadLink - DTMLink …, where xx is the Project name.

TIP: Use the Microsoft Windows Recycle Bin to recover files.


Exit
File / Exit

Use this command to close the current surface and exit the DTMLink™ software.


File Menu

Use the File menu to manage the surfaces. It has the following commands:

Open Surface

Save Surface

Close Surface

Import

Export

Rename Surface

Copy Surface

Delete Surface

Exit


3D faces AutoCAD DXF File

DTMLink creates an ASCII DXF file of 3D faces. The coordinates and elevation at each triangle vertex is written to the file in DXF format.

To export a DXF 3D face file:

1.	Use the command File / Export.

2.	Select the 3D faces AutoCAD DXF export option.

3.	Click OK.

The Export 3D faces to DXF file dialog appears.

4.	Enter a file name in the File name field.

5.	Click Save.

The file is stored by default in the C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\RoadLink – DTMLink …, where xx is the project name.


Contours to AutoCAD DXF File

Use this option to create an ASCII DXF file of the contours.

To export a DXF contour file:

1.	Select File / Export.

The Export dialog appears.

2.	Select this export format to create an ASCII DXF file of the contours. This file can be read and the contours displayed in Trimble Geomatics Office™ software and applicable third-party software.

3.	Click Configure to specify the output options.

The DXF Contour Options dialog appears.

4.	Select one of the following:

  The Straight lines option to export the contours as straight lines

  The Line segments option to export the contours as line segments approximating curves

5.	Specify the maximum line segment length.

6.	Click OK to confirm the output option.

The Export dialog appears.

7.	Click OK.

The Export Contours to DXF File dialog appears.

8.	Enter a file name.

9.	Click Save to export the file.

The file is stored by default in the C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\RoadLink – DTMLink …, where xx is the project name.


DXF Contour Options

Use this dialog to specify the DXF contour output options.

You can select to export the contour lines as straight lines or line segments to approximate curves.

If you select line segments approximating curves, you can specify the length of the line segment. The shorter the line segment, the better the curve approximation will be but the DXF file will consist of more points.


Open Dialog

This is the standard Open dialog:

1.	Browse for the required folder.

2.	Select the type of file.

3.	Select the file.


Undo
Edit / Undo

	Click the Undo tool on the Standard toolbar

Use this command or tool to undo the last modification made to the surface. The text of the menu command shows what that modification is.


Edit Menu

Use the Edit menu to undo the last modification made to the surface.

It has the following command:

Undo


Help Topics
Help / Help Topics

Within the DTMLink™ software commands are grouped in menus.

The menus commands are:

File

Edit

View

Design

Tools

Window

Help


About
Help / About

The About command in the Help menu displays program and copyright information on the DTMLink™ software.

NOTE: It is not permissible to copy this program except for archival and backup purposes.

You will need this information if you have faults that require technical support.


Tip of the Day
Help / Tip of the Day

The Tip of the Day system provides small, helpful tips that assist you in operating your system. Selecting this option displays the next tip of the day. A check box on the Tip of the Day dialog lets you choose whether a tip appears each time you start the system.


Help Menu

The Help menu provides information about the DTMLink™ software. It has the following commands:

Help topics

Tip of the Day

About


Using the Toolbars

Toolbars provide quick, one-step access to frequently used menu commands. A short description of each toolbar button appears on the status bar as you hold the mouse over the button.

For example, "Includes a point in the surface model" appears on the message pane of the status bar when you move over the Include Point toolbar button on the Surface toolbar.

You can hide, move, or resize any of the toolbars and arrange them to suit your working preference.

Toolbars snap to either side of the main window, to the top of the workspace below the menus, or to the bottom of the workspace below the status bar. Alternatively, you can move any toolbar to anywhere on the screen and orient it vertically or horizontally.

To restore the default settings, click Reset in View / Toolbars. (Each toolbar snaps back to the default settings if you double click on the title bar of the toolbar.)

ToolTips

When you place the cursor over a tool button, a small window called a ToolTip pops up to tell you what that tool does. The brief description appears near the cursor and below the tool.

NOTE: Docking the toolbars hides the title bar.

The three toolbars are:

Standard toolbar

View toolbar

Surface toolbar


Standard Toolbar

The Standard toolbar provides quick access to some of the main menu items.

The following options are available from the Standard toolbar:

Button	Menu command	Description
	File / Open Surface	Opens an existing surface
	File / Save Surface	Saves changes to the current surface
	File / Import	Lets you import a surface from a third-party software package
	File / Export	Lets you export data to a Survey Controller, TDS device or file
	Edit / Undo	Undoes the last action. The menu item indicates the operation that can be undone.
	View / Properties	Shows the Properties window. This window displays information on surface points, breaklines, and boundaries.


View Toolbar

The View toolbar provides navigational tools to assist viewing in the main graphics window.

The following options are available from the View toolbar:

Button	Menu command	Description
	Shortcut Menu	The Select tool lets you select a surface point, breakline, or boundary line, as well as view the selected entity in the Properties window.
	View / Pan	Shifts the center of the zoom area
	View / Zoom In	Magnifies the display by increasing the scale.
	View / Zoom Out	Reduces the display by decreasing the scale.
	View / Zoom Extents	Changes the scale so the window displays all the entities in the current project.
	View / Zoom Previous	Shows a previous screen view.
	View / Layers	Shows or hides different layers.
	View / Floating Window	Opens the floating window that displays a small scale view of the entities in the currently selected view. You can resize and move this window.


Surface Toolbar

The Surface toolbar provides tools to help you use the DTMLink™ software more efficiently.

The following options are available from the Surface toolbar to help edit a surface:

Button	Menu command	Description
	Design / Include Point	Includes a point in the surface model
	Design / Exclude Point	Excludes a point from the surface model
	Design / Add Line	Removes portions of the surface that lie outside a boundary. You can also define a boundary with a breakline with this tool.
	Design / Add Line	Removes an area of the surface that lies within a boundary. You can also define a boundary with a breakline with this tool.
	Design / Add Line	Adds a breakline between two points
	Design / Delete Line	Deletes a breakline or a boundary Press the arrow to the right of the button to select the type of line to delete. The options in the pull down menu are: All Breaklines Include boundaries Exclude boundaries Include boundaries and breaklines Exclude boundaries and breaklines
	Design / Swap Triangles	Swaps two adjacent triangles that form a convex quadrilateral
	Design / Delete Triangle	Excludes a triangle from the surface model

The tool remains active until you select another tool.


Shortcut Menus

Use the right mouse button while in a graphics window to see a shortcut menu. This is a context-sensitive menu with different options available depending on the context that you click the right mouse button.

The main context options available are:

Main Graphics Window

The shortcut menu in the main graphics window is:


Shortcut Keys

To choose any menu command that you access from the menu bar, either use a mouse or use the keyboard.

TIP: For most shortcuts, press Alt then the first letter of the menu name then the first letter of the command. You can also use familiar Microsoft Windows shortcuts for the most common commands, namely, Open, Save, Exit, and Undo.

MENU	KEYBOARD SHORTCUT
File
Open	Ctrl + O
Save	Ctrl + S
Exit	Alt + X
Edit
Undo	Ctrl + Z
View
Zoom Extents	Ctrl + E
Refresh	F5
Properties window	Alt + Enter
Design
Update surface	F4
Shortcut Menu
Selection Mode	F2


Viewing Reports

The DTMLink™ software generates reports (such as volume, and crossing breakline reports).

Reports are stored by default in the C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\Reports\DTMLink\yy where xx is the project name and yy is the name of the surface.

You can view the report later by opening it in Microsoft Windows Explorer from this folder.


Field Fill-in

Use field fill-in from any graphics window (including the floating window) to enter values into fields in dialogs. For example, to enter values in the Exclude Point dialog, click a point on the surface.

In fields that support field fill-in the pointer in the graphics window shows:

NOTE: If the entity you select in the graphics window cannot provide the value wanted by the highlighted field, the field in the dialog remains unaffected.

Press and hold to preview, locate, and check values before copying. The fields display the values and the status bar shows an entity summary as you drag the mouse. Values are only copied when you release the mouse.

Some fields fill in as a group of values. A single click attempts to fill in all grouped fields. For example, Northing and Easting fields usually form a group. To fill in just one field, select it and hold Alt then click.

The cursor activity moves to the next field after field fill-in.

TIPS:

Holding Ctrl while using field fill-in avoids snapping to entities and only coordinates are chosen. This lets you choose coordinates close to an entity.

You can use the View menu commands (for example, Zoom and Pan) to locate entities with the values you require for field fill-in. Once located, you must return focus to the field before copying the value.


Title Bar

The title bar extends along the top of the screen, above the menu bar.


Menu Bar

The menu bar is below the title bar. It contains the following menus:

File

Edit

View

Design

Tools

Window

Help

Choosing a command

To choose a command from a menu, click it with the mouse.

Keyboard shortcut

You can use a mouse to choose any menu command that you access from the menu bar. However, you can also use the keyboard.

If you prefer to use the keyboard, press Alt and the underscored letter that corresponds to the menu you want. Then press the underscored letter that corresponds to the command you want, or use the up and down arrows and press Enter to make the selection.

TIP: You can also use familiar Microsoft Windows shortcuts for the most common commands, namely Open and Save.

 See also


Status Bar

The status bar displays a variety of messages and provides immediate and concise feedback about the current status of the DTMLink™ software.

The status bar shows at the bottom of the DTMLink software main graphics window. See Figure 1.

Figure 1  Status Bar

Messages pane

The message pane of the status bar shows information about the operation of the DTMLink software.

This pane describes actions of menu items as they are highlighted. For example, the message "Opens a surface" shows while the File / Open Surface command is highlighted. The pane also shows messages that describe the actions of toolbar buttons as they are highlighted. For example, the message "Shifts center of zoom area" shows when you place the cursor over the Pan tool on the View toolbar.

Coordinates pane

When the mouse is inside a graphics window, the corresponding coordinates are displayed.

Extents pane

This pane shows the width and height of the graphics window that the mouse is over.

Indicators pane

The Indicators pane is highlighted when a change has been made to the surface and an update is required. Once additional breaklines or boundaries are added to the surface the Update surface indicator appears in this pane (as shown in the figure above) and you need to update the surface.

Window corner

The window corner lets you resize the main graphics window.


Tips

The following topics are available:

Using the Toolbars

Shortcut Menus

Shortcut Keys

Viewing Reports

Field Fill-in

Title Bar

Menu Bar

Status Bar

Standard Toolbar

View Toolbar

Surface Toolbar


Volume Report
Tools / Volume Report

Use this command to create a volume report on the current surface.

Type of report

From the Type of report box, choose the type of volume report on the current surface.

Available Volume calculation types are:

Above an elevation

Use the Above an elevation option for stockpile computations.

NOTE: It is assumed the stockpile is on a horizontal base.

Between two elevations

Use the Between two elevations option for computing volumes of materials in horizontal layers.

Void volume

Use the Void volume option for computing the volume of ‘air’ between two specified elevations. In other words, the void volume is volume between two specified contour elevations, which is not included below the contour surface model.

Upper Elevation

The upper elevation defines the highest elevation to which the volume is to be computed. The default value shown in this field is the highest point in the contour surface. This field is available if the upper elevation is required for the volume calculation.

TIP: Click Highest to help you select the maximum elevation value from the contour surface model.

Base Elevation

The base elevation defines the lowest elevation to which the volume is to be calculated. The default value in this field is the lowest point in the contour surface.

TIP: Click Lowest to help you select the minimum elevation values from the contour surface model.

Shrinkage/Bulking

The Shrinkage/Bulking option determines whether the reported volumes are corrected for either compaction of the materials (shrinkage) or expansion of the materials (bulking). The option toggles between Shrinkage and Bulking.

NOTE: For raw volumes (volume without shrinkage or bulking) enter zero as the value in the Percentage field.

Percentage

Enter the actual shrinkage or bulking factor (expressed as a percentage) in the Percentage field.

For example, with the Shrinkage option selected and the percentage field with a value of ten percent (10%), the DTMLink™ software reports the volume ten percent smaller than the raw volume.

That is, with a raw volume of 600 cubic meters, the shrinkage option selected, and a shrinkage factor of ten percent, the DTMLink software reports the volume as 540 cubic meters.


Above An Elevation

The Above an elevation option computes the volume above a specified elevation to the highest point in the contour surface. The volumes of individual triangular prisms defined by the triangular planes forming the digital terrain model (DTM) are computed.

The method computes

  Volume above a plane (specified base elevation)

  Plan area

  Surface area.

Figure 1 shows the Prismoidal Volume Computation Method.

Figure 1 Prismoidal Volume Computation Method

The volume of the prism (Vp) is calculated from the Prism volume equation:

where:

H1 is the elevation of the first point

H2 is the elevation of the second point

H3 is the elevation of the third point

BE is the elevation of the base level

P is the Plan area.

Plan area is the area of the surface triangle projected on to a plane.

The Plan area (P) is calculated from the Plan area equation:

where:

is the length of the base triangle, calculated from grid coordinates

is the height of the base triangle, calculated from grid coordinates

The volume of each triangular prism is computed individually and then summed to give the total volume within the boundary area of the model. When a specified base elevation cuts through a triangle, the prism volume of the portion of the triangle lying above the base elevation is computed.

 See also


Above an Elevation Volume Calculation Example

A common application for the Above an elevation volume calculation method is for monitoring the regular filling of landfill sites and other such areas. The essential steps are:

Step 1. Define a common boundary for the area of interest. See Figure 1.

Figure 1  Site Filling Application – Overall Area

Step 2. Trim the original contour model covering the complete site using an Include boundary. The contour data must extend to at least this defined Include boundary. See Figure 2.

Figure 2  Portion of Original Surface Model

Step 3. Compute the volume between the defined base elevation and the original contoured surface. See Figure 3.

Figure 3  Volume Below Original Surface

Step 4. Form the second contour surface that uses the points defining the filled area. Trim this new contour model using the original Include boundary definition. Once again the contour data must extend to at least this boundary. See Figure 4.

Figure 4  New Contour Model

Step 5. Compute the volume between the same base elevation as used for the first surface and the new surface. See Figure 5.

Figure 5  Volume Below New Surface

Step 6. Compute the volume below the original surface (see 3 in figure 6) from the volume below the new surface.

Figure 6  The Computed Volume

 See also


Between Two Elevations

The Between two elevations option lets you compute the volume between an upper elevation and a lower elevation. The same volume computation method uses the prismoidal volume computation method as discussed in the Above an elevation method.

The Between two elevations option is used for the computation of the volume of the selected contour model between two specified contour elevations.

Figure 1 shows volume shows the volume between two elevations to be calculated.

Figure 1  Volume Between Two Elevations

Upper Elevation

Figure 1 shows the volume above the upper elevation. This is the elevation above which the volume is not required. The default value in this field is the highest point in the contour surface.

Enter the elevation below which the volume is to be computed in the Upper Elevation field.

Base Elevation

The diagram above shows the volume above the lower elevation. The Base elevation defines the elevation below which the volume is not required. The default value in this field is the lowest point in the contour surface.

Enter the elevation above which the volume is to be computed in the Base Elevation field.


Void Volume

This option is used for the computation of the volume of ‘air’ between two specified elevations. In other words, the void volume is the volume between two specified contour elevations that is not included below the contour model surface.

To use the Void Volume option, specify a base elevation that is below the bottom of the model, and an upper elevation that defines the horizontal surface that you want to fill to. See Figure 8.

Figure 8  Void Volume Computation

The volume above the base elevation is the total volume above that elevation (including the volume above the upper elevation).

The void volume is computed using the following formula:

Void volume = BA x (UE – BE) – (BV – UV)

where:

BA is the plan area above base elevation

UE is the upper elevation

BE is the base elevation

BV is the volume above base elevation

UV is the volume above upper elevation

Upper Elevation

Figure 8 shows that the upper elevation defines the top of the void volume. The default value shown in this field is the highest point in the contour surface.

Base Elevation

Figure 8 shows that the base elevation is below the bottom of the void volume. The default value shown in this field is the lowest point in the contour surface.

 See also


Void Volume Example

The Void volume method could be used typically in the computation of the volume of water behind a proposed dam.

The steps in computing the volume of water are:

Step 1. Form a contour model using the data defining the ground surface behind the proposed dam. Define an Include boundary when forming the contour model, which limits the contour model to the area within which the water behind the dam will be contained. The Include boundary must be defined along the face of the proposed dam. This makes sure that the computed volume is behind the dam.

Step 2. Compute the Void volume, specifying the desired water level as the Upper elevation.

Figure 1 shows an example of the area over which a void volume computation would be done, along with an example cross-section through the dam crest showing the void volume computed.

The results of the void volume computation give the volume of water between the specified base elevation (which must be selected so that it is lower than the deepest point behind the dam), and the upper elevation (water level). This void volume is in effect the volume that will be filled by water lying above the surface but below the specified water level and is therefore the volume required. See Figure 1.

Figure 1 : Example

 See also


Rebuild Surface
Tools / Rebuild Surface

Use this command to reconstruct the surface from the original surface points. Any surface points or triangles deleted from the contour surface model are reinstated. This command uses the boundaries and breaklines that were created after the import of original surface points.

CAUTION: Swapped or deleted triangles are not retained after rebuilding a surface. Excluded points return after the surface is rebuilt.


Compare Surfaces
Tools / Compare Surfaces

The Compare Surfaces option lets you generate a surface to surface comparison of the two selected surfaces. The resultant or comparison surface will provide a contoured surface of the difference in elevations between the major and base surfaces. You can use the comparison surface to calculate the volume between the two surfaces.

 See also

Major Surface

Select the required Major Surface from the drop down list. Use the In folder field to select the appropriate folder as required.

 See also

Base Surface

Select the required Base Surface from the drop down list. Use the In folder field to select the appropriate folder as required.

 See also

New Surface

Enter the comparison surface name. The name must be unique to the current project.

Comparison method

Select the method of comparison. Choose from:

  Simple

  Detailed

 See also


Calculating the Volume Between Two Surfaces

Using the Void volume option it is possible to compute the volumes of cut and fill between two surfaces using a comparison surface. The Base elevation is set to the lowest point in the contour model and the Upper elevation is set to zero. The zero contour lines indicates where there is a change from a cut to fill area. This means that the computed volume above the Upper elevation is the sum of the volumes of all the fill areas. The sum of the volumes of all the cut areas is returned in the Void volume between the Base elevation and the Upper elevation.

If the volume of a particular area of cut or fill is required this may be achieved by defining an include boundary around the area for which the individual volume is needed. The model is then re-formed and the Void volume option is used on this model, with the Base elevation again being set to the lowest point in the model and the Upper elevation being set to zero. If the area involved is a fill area the fill volume will be returned as the volume above the Upper elevation. If the area involved is a cut area the computed cut volume will be the Void volume between the Upper elevation and the Base elevation.

 See also


Major and Base Surfaces

The selection of major surface and base surface defines the direction of elevation differences.

That is, any area on the major surface higher than the corresponding area on the base surface will be shown as an area of positive elevation.

Any area on the major surface lower than the base surface will be shown as an area of negative elevation. Areas that are not common to both surfaces will not appear on the comparison surface.


Comparison Method

Select the method of comparison.

Simple

This is a two way point to surface comparison. All points on both major and base surfaces are projected onto the other surface, and an elevation difference calculated. This elevation difference and coordinate position form the model coordinates for the comparison surface. When contoured, the comparison surface will represent the cut fill relationship between the compared surfaces. See Figure 1.

Figure 1 : Simple Surface Comparison

Detailed

Detailed comparison initially carries out the same process as for simple comparison. Additionally, detailed comparison will form a comparison coordinate at each intersection of a triangle side from one surface, with a triangle side from the other surface, in the horizontal plane. Using this method the maximum amount of information can be taken from the two models. The resulting comparison surface is more detailed as it uses triangle formations (and therefore using breakline information) of the two surfaces. The detailed method will take longer than the simple method. See Figure 2.

Figure 2 : Detailed Surface Comparison

NOTE: All breaklines and boundaries on both the major and base surfaces will be ignored in the processing of the comparison surface. If boundaries are required, they will have to be added after the Compare operation and the comparison surface will then need to be updated. It is not possible to define breaklines on a comparison surface. Using Add line, you are able to include breaklines on a comparison surface update, but the result will be incorrect and meaningless. This is because the comparison surface is modeled on surface points whose elevation are differences between database points and breaklines can only be defined with database points.


Tools Menu

Use the Tools menu to make calculations and work with the data. It has the following commands:

Volume Report

Rebuild Surface

Compare Surfaces


Zoom In
View / Zoom In

	Click the Zoom In tool on the View toolbar
Use this tool to closely examine a section of the graphics window.

With the Zoom In tool selected:

1.	Move the pointer over the graphics window. The magnifying glass pointer appears enclosing a plus sign. Cross-hairs above the magnifying glass pointer mark the hot spot.

2.	Do one of the following:

  Click on a position in the graphics window to zoom in by a factor of two, centered on the hot spot.

  Click and drag the pointer across the graphics window to produce a rectangle containing the area you want to Zoom In on. The smaller the area, the greater the scale change. The contents of the area contained by the rectangle occupy the entire graphics window when the mouse button is released.

NOTES:

Press Esc while the left mouse button is pressed to cancel the current operation of the Zoom In tool.

Hold down Shift while performing the Zoom operation brings up a Floating window of the zoom area.


Zoom Out
View / Zoom Out

	Click the Zoom Out tool on the View toolbar
Use this tool to view a greater area on a graphics window.

With the Zoom Out tool selected:

1.	Move the pointer over the graphics window. The magnifying glass pointer appears enclosing a minus sign. Cross-hairs above the magnifying glass pointer mark the hot spot.

2.	Do one of the following:

  Click on a position in the graphics window. The scale of the graphics window changes and becomes centered on the position of the hot spot.

  Click and drag the pointer across the graphics window to produce a rectangle that contains the area you want then release the mouse button. The scale of the graphics window changes, and the area previously contained in the rectangle is displayed. To abandon the Zoom Out, return to the point from where you began to drag before you release the mouse button.

NOTES:

Press Esc while the left mouse button is pressed to cancel the current operation of the Zoom Out tool.

Click and drag a rectangle on the graphics window. When the Zoom Out operation is performed, the previous view is contained in the rectangle. The smaller the rectangle, the greater the scale change.


Pan
View / Pan

	Click the Pan tool on the View toolbar
Use this tool to shift the contents of the graphics window to display a different area of the screen view. The Pan tool moves the origin of the view.

Once you have selected the Pan tool:

1.	Move the pointer over the graphics window. The hand pointer appears. Cross-hairs above the hand pointer mark the hot spot.

2.	Do one of the following:

  Click on a position in the graphics window. That position becomes the new center of the window.

  Click and drag the hand pointer in the direction and for the distance you want to pan. A line appears to indicate the direction and distance the screen is to move. Release the button. The screen view moves to this new position. To abandon the pan, return the hand pointer back to the point from where you began to drag before you release the mouse button.

NOTE: Press Esc while the left mouse button is pressed to cancel the current operation of the Pan tool.


Pan To
View / Pan To

Use this command to pan and scale to a particular location on the graphics window.

The Pan To dialog opens.

Center of view

This group of fields lets you complete field fill-in actions, such as specifying a name or a location for the center of the view.

Point name	Use this field to enter the point name of the point to be in the center of the view. The Easting and Northing fields will automatically update.
Easting/Northing	Use these fields to enter the center of the view, if you do not know the point name.
Radius to view

The Radius to View field sets the location of the current view.

The center of the screen moves the distance of the radius you specify dependent on the orientation of the graphics window. See Figure 1.

Figure 1 : Orientation on the Screen


Zoom Extents
View / Zoom Extents

	Click the Zoom Extents tool on the View toolbar
Use this command to view all the visible points in the current surface.

When you select the Zoom Extents command, the graphics window automatically adjusts so that all data is visible.


Zoom Previous
View / Zoom Previous

	Click the Zoom Previous tool on the View toolbar
Use this command to go back through each of the previous views.


Floating Window
View / Floating Window

	Click the Floating window tool on the View toolbar.

Use this command to show the floating window. When open, the floating window remains on top.

The floating window provides another view. As with other graphics windows, you can use Field fill-in, Selection, and Zooming from within the floating window.

This means, for example, you can use the floating window as a tool to provide a bird’s-eye view of the graphics window. Both windows can be used for usual operations (such as Field fill-in, Selection, and Zooming).

NOTE: View / Zoom to Extents operates in the graphics window. If you want to perform a Zoom to Extents in the floating window, click the shortcut menu.

To get a magnified view in the floating window, select the Zoom In tool, specify in the graphics window the area to be magnified by holding down the Shift key and dragging with the Zoom In tool.

To get a magnified view in the graphics window, select the Zoom In tool and specify in the floating window the area to view by holding down the Shift key and selecting the point in the graphics window to zoom from. This demonstrates how the floating window can be used as a bird’s-eye view.

NOTE: The floating window tool bar is shown as active when the associated graphics window is active.


Toolbars
View / Toolbars

Use this command to show or hide any of the toolbars.

Each of the toolbars is a series of tools represented by a button. Every tool is available as a menu command.

Toolbars

Select the check box to show or hide each toolbar. A check mark indicates visibility.

Close

Click Close to leave the dialog.

All

Click All to show all the toolbars.

None

Click None to hide all the toolbars.

Reset

Click Reset to restore the toolbars to the default arrangement.

 See also


Layers
View / Layers

	Use the Layer visibility tool on the View toolbar.

Use this command to show or hide the layers in the current view.

When you show or hide a particular layer, the DTMLink™ software shows or hides the entities in it.

NOTE: Showing or hiding a layer in the DTMLink software is similar to switching a layer on or off in AutoCAD. Turning a breakline layer off does not disable it from being used to update the surface. It does not affect the surface model, only the view.

Layers

The Layers list shows the names of all the layers in the surface. A check mark indicates that the layer is visible. Select the check box for a particular layer to turn it on or off.

All

Click All to show all the layers in the list.

None

Click None to hide all the layers in the list.

TIP: When the visibility of all layers is switched off no entities display on screen.

NOTE: The Layers indicator in the Indicators pane is highlighted when a layer is turned off.


Refresh
View / Refresh

Use this command to refresh the screen.

Select this command (or press F5) to redraw the plan view when the graphics window becomes overwritten and difficult to read.


Options
View / Options

Use this command to adjust how contours and triangles appear in the graphics window.

You can:

  show or hide the display of contours and triangles

  change the major and minor contour intervals

  edit the colors of the contours and triangles

  edit the line types of the contours and triangles

  edit the method of drawing the contours

The tabs in the Options dialog show the settings that you can change in the DTMLink™ software.

The tabs are:

Line Options

Advanced


Line Options

Use the Line Options tab in the Options dialog to specify how the triangles and contours are displayed in the graphics window.

Show Contours

Use the Show Contours group to set the line options for contours. Select the Show Contours check box to display the contours in the graphics window. Clear the Show Contours check box to hide the contours.

Interval	Set the interval for the major and minor contours.

TIP: Use a different color to display the Major and Minor Intervals. This lets you quickly visualize changes in elevation.

The units specified in this field are the units set in the Trimble Geomatics Office™ software.

You cannot set a minor interval to a value greater than the major interval. The major interval must be a multiple of the minor interval.

Pos color	Set the display color of contours that are above zero. Select a color from the list.

Use a different color to display the Major and Minor Intervals. This lets you quickly visualize changes in elevation.

Neg color	Set the display color of contours that are below zero. Select a color from the list.

Use a different color to display the Major and Minor Intervals. This lets you quickly visualize changes in elevation.

Line type	Choose a line type from the list.

Show Triangles

Use the Show Triangles group to set the line options for triangles. Select the Show Triangles check box to display the triangles in the graphics window. Clear the Show Triangles check box to hide the triangles.

Color	This field sets the display color of triangles. Select a color from the list. This color shows the edges of the triangles.

Line Type	Choose a line type from the list.

Apply

Click Apply to apply the changes and keep the Options dialog open.

OK

Click OK to apply the changes and leave the dialog.


Advanced Options

Use the Advanced tab in the Options dialog to define the range of contours and how they display in the graphics window.

Draw contours as lines

Select the Draw contours as lines option to display straight lines between each triangle in the model.

Draw contours as curves

Select the Draw contours as curves option to display a more realistic contour between each triangle in the model.

Use the Curve tightness slider to specify how straight the curve is. That is, setting the slider to maximum curve tightness produces a straight line. The default position of the slider generally produces curves that are pleasing to the eye.

TIP: Use the slider to control unusual situations where one contour has crossed another due to curve smoothing.

Show all contours

Select the Show all contours option to display all contours in the model.

Show contours between

Select the Show contours between option to display all contours within the elevation range specified.

Minimum Elevation	Enter in the Minimum Elevation field the minimum elevation of the contours to be shown. The value that appears by default is the lowest point recorded in the model.

TIP: Click Highest to select the maximum elevation value.

Maximum Elevation	Enter in the Maximum Elevation field the maximum elevation of the contours to be shown. The value that appears by default is the highest point recorded in the model.

TIP: Click Lowest to select the minimum elevation value.

Apply

Click Apply to apply the changes and keep the Options dialog open.

OK

Click OK to apply the changes and leave the dialog.


Properties
View / Properties

	Click the Properties tool on the Standard toolbar

Use the Properties window to view the properties of each element.

NOTE: You cannot edit the entities in the Properties window. To edit elements, return to the Trimble Geomatics Office™ software and use the Properties window to edit the entities. Create a new surface using the edited entities.

The Properties window shows the name and appropriate values of the selected entity.

TIP: To resize the Properties window, click and drag on the window frame. To resize the split within the window click and drag on the split bar.


Properties Window

The Properties window lets you view the properties of each element. You cannot edit the properties. It shows the appropriate names and values of the element.

NOTE: You can only select one element at a time.


View Menu

The View menu provides commands for controlling and maintaining the display of the contour surface in graphics windows. The following commands are available:

Zoom In

Zoom Out

Pan

Pan To

Zoom Extents

Zoom Previous

Floating Window

Toolbars

Layers

Refresh

Options

Properties


New Window
Window / New Window

Use this command to open another window for the current surface.

Use this command to open a new window with the same contents as the active window. You can open multiple windows to display different parts or views at the same time. If you change the contents in one window, all other windows reflect those changes. When you open a new window, it becomes the active window and is displayed on top of all other open windows.


Cascade
Window / Cascade

Use this command to resize the open windows and dialogs on the desktop and to arrange them in an overlapping pattern from top left to bottom right.

When you cascade the windows, they are layered and you can see the window title bars for all windows on the desktop.


Tile
Window / Tile

Use this command to move and resize the open windows and dialogs on the desktop and to arrange them to form a tile pattern.


Arrange Icons
Window / Arrange Icons

Use this command to rearrange any icons of minimized windows into a tidy pattern on the screen. It arranges icons at the bottom of the window.


List of Windows
Window / List of Windows

Use the bottom section of this menu to display a list of currently open windows on the desktop. The active window has a check mark.

Click the name of a particular window or dialog to make it active.


Window Menu

The Window menu contains commands for viewing options. It has the following commands:

New Window

Cascade

Tile

Arrange Icons

List of Windows on screen


Crossing Boundaries

When crossing boundaries are detected, the following message appears:

Crossing boundaries detected. Do you want to view the report?

Click Yes to view the report.

The Crossing boundaries report shows the two lines crossing. It describes the crossing lines using a point name, the start of the line Northing and Easting coordinates, and the end of the line Northing and Easting coordinates.

A Crossing boundaries report looks like the following example.

Crossing Boundary Report

Project DTMLink tutorial

Project name	DTMLink tutorial
Surface	Surface1
Units	Meters
Date printed	29/07/99 11:56am
Crossing boundaries detected

                Point        North         East    Elevation

Line from         187     4408.302     2482.427      119.708

       to         179     4430.895     2442.447      119.694   Crosses

Line from         181     4443.678     2465.296      119.722

       to         187     4408.302     2482.427      119.708

The report is stored in your reports folder C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\Reports\DTMLink\yy where xx is the name of the project and yy is the name of the surface.

You can view the report later by opening it in Microsoft Windows Explorer from this folder.


Crossing Breaklines

When crossing breaklines are detected, the following message appears:

Crossing breaklines detected. Do you want to view the report?

Click Yes to view the report.

The Crossing breaklines report shows the two lines crossing. It describes the crossing lines using a point name, the start of the line Northing and Easting coordinates, and the end of the line Northing and Easting coordinates.

A Crossing breaklines report looks like the following example.

Crossing Breakline Report

Project DTMLink Tutorial

Project name	DTMLink Tutorial
Surface	Surface1
Units	Meters
Date printed	28/07/99 3:23pm
Crossing breaklines detected

                Point        North         East    Elevation

Line from          38     4456.360     2461.687      110.358

       to         187     4408.302     2482.427      119.708   Crosses

Line from         182     4447.684     2476.296      120.100

       to         181     4443.678     2465.296      119.722

Line from         190     4411.104     2461.389      118.697

       to         183     4442.452     2486.146      120.193   Crosses

Line from          38     4456.360     2461.687      110.358

       to         187     4408.302     2482.427      119.708

The report is stored in your reports folder C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\Reports\DTMLink\yy where xx is the name of the project and yy is the name of the surface.

You can view the report later by opening it in Microsoft Windows Explorer from this folder.


Adjusted Coordinates

If a breakline passes very close to a surface point, the height of that nearby point is amended to an interpolated height value from the breakline. This happens to avoid unusual contours being forced to the breakline from the nearby point.

If you do not want this point adjusted you can change the Northing and Easting so that the point is slightly off the breakline.

After the DTMLink system adjusts the coordinates, the following message appears:

Coordinate point adjusted, do you want to see the report?

Click Yes to view the report.

The Adjusted Coordinates report shows the coordinate details of the adjusted point and the revised coordinate details.

An Adjusted Coordinates report looks like the following example:

Adjusted Coordinates Report

Project DTMLink tutorial

Project name	DTMLink tutorial
Surface	Surface1
Units	Meters
Date printed	28/07/99 2:37pm
Coordinates Adjusted

Coordinate point adjusted

elevation set to interpolated breakline elevation

                                 Point           North            East       Elevation

Coordinate details:                2453        4573.147        5734.531          23.000

Revised coordinate details:        2453        4573.147        5734.531          53.798

The report is stored in your reports folder C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\Reports\DTMLink\yy where xx is the name of the project and yy is the name of the surface.

You can view the report later by opening it in Microsoft Windows Explorer from this folder.


Duplicate Point

During the creation of the contour surface all points are checked for duplicate Northing and Easting coordinates. If duplicate points are found the DTMLink™ software retains the most recent point and discards the other point(s).

An example of a Duplicate Point report follows:

Duplicate Points Report

Project DTMLink Tutorial

Project name	DTMLink Tutorial
Surface	Surface1
Units	Meters
Date printed	28/07/99 4:02pm
Duplicate points read

                              Point          North           East      Elevation

Point retained:               55138       4452.923       2487.237         55.912

Point discarded:                138       4452.923       2487.237        116.912

Point retained:                1877       4408.302       2482.427         19.708

Point discarded:                187       4408.302       2482.427        119.708

The report is stored in your reports folder C:\Trimble Geomatics Office\Projects\xx\Reports\DTMLink\yy where xx is the name of the project and yy is the name of the surface.

You can view the report later by opening it in Microsoft Windows Explorer from this folder.

NOTE: The DTMLink software does not support vertical faces.


Curve Tolerance

Curves and arcs can define boundaries and breaklines.

To allow triangle computations with breaklines and boundaries that are curves and arcs, the curve or arc is represented as a series of small line segments.

The length of the line segment is controlled by a Curve tolerance. A Curve tolerance is the maximum distance allowed from any point along the series of line segments to the curve or arc, at a perpendicular to the line segment.

The Curve tolerance is set at 0.02 meters.


Error Messages

Adjusted Coordinates

Crossing Breaklines

Crossing Boundaries

Duplicate Point

Invalid Point names

Coordinate does not map to point


Invalid Point name

If an invalid point name is entered in a dialog the error message appears:

X is not a valid point name

Where X is the point name.

You must enter a point name that has been defined as part of the contour surface model. If you require a point that has not been defined initially:

1.	Return to the Trimble Geomatics Office screen.

2.	Select the menu command Tools / DTMLink / Existing surface.

The Existing Surface dialog appears.

3.	Add new points to the surface.

For more information, refer to the online Help within the Trimble Geomatics Office™ software.


Coordinate does not map to point

If coordinates that do not match the coordinates of a current surface point are entered in a dialog, the error message appears:

Coordinate does not map to point.

You must enter coordinates of an existing point in the Northing and Easting field.

If you require the coordinates you have entered:

1.	Return to the Trimble Geomatics Office screen.

2.	Add a new point with the coordinates you require if they do not exist.

3.	Select the menu command Tools / DTMLink / Existing surface.

The Existing Surface dialog appears.

4.	Add new points to the surface.

For more information about the Existing Surface dialog, refer to the online Help within the Trimble Geomatics Office™ software.


Include Point

Use the Include Point tool [image] on the Surface toolbar or the Design / Include Point command to include a point in the Contour Surface Model.

Design / Include Point

Use this command to open the Include Point dialog. The Include Point dialog is only available from the menu command.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Include Point dialog is active.

Use the fields in the Include Point dialog to select the point to include in the surface.

Point to include

Use the Point to include group to enter the point name or the Northing and Easting coordinates of the point to include in the surface.

Point name

Use the Point name field to identify the point to include. If this is a valid surface point name the Northing and Easting fields are filled automatically.

NOTE: If you enter an invalid surface point name an error message appears:

X is not a valid Point name

Where X is the point name.

Northing / Easting

Use these fields to enter the coordinates of the surface point if you do not know the point name.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates for the point in the Point to include group.

NOTE: If you enter coordinates that do not match the coordinates of a valid surface point an error message appears:

Coordinate does not map to point

Apply

Click Apply to update the surface and reset the dialog if you want to enter another point to be included.

If you want to include only one point click OK to automatically update the surface and close the dialog.

Include Point tool

Click the Include Point tool [image] on the Surface toolbar to include a point that does not form part of the surface.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Include Point action is active.

Select the point to include from the graphics window.

The Include Point action updates the surface automatically.

WARNING: If a triangle was previously deleted between the point you are now including, the triangle is reformed.

TIP: Use Edit / Undo to reverse the Include Point action.


Excluding a Point

Use the Exclude Point tool [image] on the Surface toolbar or the Design / Exclude Point command to exclude a point from the contour surface model.

Design / Exclude Point

Use this command to open the Exclude Point dialog. The Exclude Point dialog is only available from the menu command.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Exclude Point dialog is active.

Use the fields in the Exclude Point dialog to select the point to exclude from the surface.

Point to exclude

Use the Point to Exclude group to enter the point name or the Northing and Easting coordinates of the point to exclude from the surface.

Point name

Use the Point name field to identify the point to exclude. If this is a valid surface point name the Northing and Easting fields are filled automatically.

NOTE: If you enter an invalid surface point name an error message appears:

X is not a valid Point name

Where X is the point name.

Northing / Easting

Use these fields to enter the coordinates of the surface point if you do not know the point name.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates for the point in the Point to Exclude group.

NOTE: If you enter coordinates that do not match the coordinates of a valid surface point, an error message appears:

Coordinate does not map to point

Apply

Click Apply to update the surface and reset the dialog if you want to enter another point to be excluded.

If you want to exclude only one point click OK to automatically update the surface and close the dialog.

Exclude Point tool

Click the Exclude Point tool [image] on the Surface toolbar to prevent a point being used in the surface model.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Exclude Point action is active.

Select the point to exclude from the graphics window.

With this option, you do not have to update the surface. The Exclude Point action updates the surface automatically.

NOTE: An error message appears if you select a point that is not part of the surface.

TIP: Use Edit / Undo to reverse the Exclude Point action.

An example where the Exclude Point action is useful would be if a point caused irregular contours because it was inaccurate. You can use this action to ignore the point.


Swapping Triangles

Use the Swap Triangles tool [image] on the Surface toolbar or the Design / Swap Triangles command to swap two triangles in the contour surface model.

Design / Swap Triangles

Use this command to open the Swap Triangles dialog. The Swap Triangles dialog is only available from the menu command.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Swap Triangles dialog is active.

Use the fields in the Swap Triangles dialog to select the triangles to swap in the surface.

First Triangle

Use the First Triangle group to identify the first triangle to swap.

Northing / Easting

Enter any coordinates within the triangle to identify the first triangle to swap.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates.

Second Triangle

Use the Second Triangle group to identify the second triangle to swap.

Northing / Easting

Enter any coordinates within the triangle to identify the second triangle to swap.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates.

Apply

Click Apply to swap the triangles that form quadrilaterals.

Click OK to swap the triangles and close the dialog.

TIP: Use Edit / Undo to reverse the Swap Triangles action.

Swap Triangles tool

Click the Swap Triangles tool [image] on the Surface toolbar to change the surface model by swapping triangles.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Swap Triangles action is active.

Select the first triangle to swap. This triangle appears on-screen in green.

Select the second triangle. If the two selected triangles form a quadrilateral the corners from which the diagonals run are exchanged and two new triangles are formed. See Figure 1 following.

Swapping Triangles

Two adjacent triangles together form a quadrilateral.

See Figure 1.

Figure 1  Triangles

The Swap Triangles tool or the Design / Swap Triangles command only works on convex quadrilaterals. If you select a concave quadrilateral an error message appears.

When you swap triangles, the height gradient between points forms along the sides of the new triangles. The contour line that is produced can be slightly different, and can result in a truer representation.

Sometimes swapping triangles does not improve the contour surface. This happens if the contour surface is irregular, for example.


Deleting a Triangle

Use the Delete Triangle tool  [image] on the Surface toolbar or the Design / Delete Triangle command to delete a triangle in the contour surface model.

Design / Delete Triangle

Use this command to open the Delete Triangle dialog. The Delete Triangle dialog is only available from the menu command.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Delete Triangle dialog is active.

Use the fields in the Delete Triangle dialog to select the triangles to delete in the surface.

Triangle to Delete

Use the Triangle to Delete group to identify the triangle to delete.

Northing / Easting

Enter any coordinates within the triangle to identify the triangle to delete.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates.

Apply

Click Apply to update the surface and reset the dialog if you want to enter another triangle to be excluded.

If you want to exclude only one triangle click OK to automatically update the surface and close the dialog.

TIP: Use Edit / Undo to reinstate deleted triangles.

Delete Triangle tool

Click the Delete Triangle tool [image] on the Surface toolbar to change the surface model by removing triangles.

The cursor changes to [image] when the Delete Triangle action is active.

Select the triangle to delete from the graphics screen.

Triangles that are removed

Any triangle that is removed is not included in the Digital Terrain Model (DTM). This is useful where you want a quick and efficient method of tidying up the external edge of the surface model where contours are formed in long and unrealistically-shaped triangles.

WARNING: Deleted triangles do not reform on a surface update unless a boundary has been added to the model or a boundary edited on the model.

TIP: If the model is rebuilt after triangles have been deleted, and boundary lines have been edited, the deleted triangles will be reformed as part of the model. If deleted triangles are to be maintained after a model update, place boundaries around the respective points before the update.


Add Line

Use the Add Line tools on the Surface toolbar or the Design / Add Line command to add a breakline or boundary to the contour surface model.

Design / Add Line

Use this command to open the Add Line dialog. The Add Line dialog is only available from the menu command.

Use the fields in the Add Line dialog to add a breakline or boundary to the contour surface.

Line type

Use the Line type group to specify the line type you want.

The table sets out the options:

To add…	Select…
a breakline	the Breakline line type check box
a boundary	the Boundary line type check box. You can specify the type of boundary by choosing either the Include option or the Exclude option.
both a breakline line type and a boundary linetype	both check boxes, and specify the type of boundary by choosing the Include option or the Exclude option. That is, you can have a breakline line type with an Exclude boundary, or a breakline line type with an Include boundary.
Start of line

Use the Start of line group to enter the point name or the Northing and Easting coordinates for the start of the line.

Point name

Use the Point Name field to identify the start point for the line. If this is a valid surface point name the Northing and Easting fields are filled automatically.

NOTE: If you enter an invalid surface point name an error message appears:

X is not a valid point name.

Where X is the point name.

Northing / Easting

Use these fields to enter the coordinates of the start point if you do not know the point name.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates for the start of the line.

End of line

Use the End of Line group to enter the point name or the Northing and Easting coordinates for the end of the line.

Point name

Use the Point Name field to identify the end point for the line. If this is a valid surface point name the Northing and Easting fields are filled automatically.

NOTE: If you enter an invalid surface point name an error message appears:

X is not a valid point name.

Where X is the point name.

Northing / Easting

Use these fields to enter the coordinates of the surface point if you do not know the point name.

TIP: Use field fill-in to enter the Northing and Easting coordinates for the end of the line.

NOTE: If you enter coordinates that do not match the coordinates of a valid surface point, the Add Line action is not activated.

Add

Click Add to add the line to the surface. The End Point becomes the Start Point for the next line. Add another end point to continue the line.

TIP: If you are using field fill in to identify the point, double click on the end point and the line is added automatically.

WARNING: Clicking Add does not update the surface. Click Update Surface to apply the lines to the contour surface.

Update Surface

After adding lines, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

To update the surface prior to closing the Add line dialog, click Update surface.

To update the surface after closing the Add line dialog, press F4 or use the Design / Update Surface command.

Shrink Wrap

Click Shrink Wrap to create an Include boundary that encompasses all the points selected for the contour model. This Include boundary usually does not pick up all the detailed boundary definition that you require, but it will give an initial include boundary definition. Use the Add Line and Delete Line facilities to edit this initial definition and create the boundary definition you require.

TIP: Use Edit / Undo to reverse the Add Line action.

Add Line tools

The Add Line tools on the Surface toolbar let you add:

  A breakline

  An exclude boundary

  An include boundary

  An include boundary with a breakline

  An exclude boundary with a breakline


Deleting a Line

Use the Delete Line tool [image] on the Surface toolbar or the Design / Delete Line command to delete a line in the contour surface model.

Design / Delete Line

Use this command to open the Delete Line dialog. The Delete Line dialog is only available from the menu command.

Line Types to Delete

Select the line types to delete from the list.

The types available are:

Line Types	This option makes the action …
All	delete any line you select on your surface that is a breakline or boundary. In some circumstances a line can be a boundary and a breakline. This option is the default.
Breaklines	delete only breaklines that you select
Include boundaries	delete only Include boundaries that you select
Exclude boundaries	delete only Exclude boundaries that you select
Include boundaries and breaklines	delete only Include boundaries and breaklines that you select
Exclude boundaries and breaklines	delete only Exclude boundaries and breaklines that you select.

Start of line

Use the Start of line group to enter the point name or the Northing and Easting coordinates for the start of the line.

Point name

Use the Point Name field to identify the start point for the line. If this is a valid surface point name the Northing and Easting fields are filled automatically.

NOTE: If you enter an invalid surface point name an error message appears:

 X is not a valid point name.

Where X is the point name.

Northing / Easting

Use these fields to enter the coordinates of the start point if you do not know the point name. These fields are read-only so you cannot enter coordinates using the keyboard.

End of line

Use the End of Line group to enter the point name or the Northing and Easting coordinates for the end of the line.

Point name

Use the Point Name field to identify the end point for the line. If this is a valid surface point name the Northing and Easting fields are filled automatically.

NOTE: If you enter an invalid surface point name an error message appears:

X is not a valid point name

Where X is the point name.

Northing / Easting

Use these fields to enter the coordinates of the end point if you do not know the point name. These fields are read-only so you cannot enter coordinates using the keyboard.

TIP: Select the line in the graphics window when the Delete line dialog is active and both the start and end points fields are entered automatically.

Apply

Click Apply to delete the line.

After selecting the line to delete, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

To update the surface before closing the Delete line dialog, click Update Surface.

To update the surface after closing the Delete line dialog, press F4 or use the Design / Update surface command.

Click Close to close the dialog.

TIP: Use Edit / Undo to reverse the Delete Line action.

Delete Breakline / Boundary tool

To delete a breakline or boundary using the Delete Line tool:

1.	Click the Delete Breakline / Boundary tool [image] on the Surface toolbar.

2.	Click the arrow to the right of the tool to access the list of line types.

3.	Select the type of lines you want to delete.

The option you select from the list acts as a filter and when you click on a line in the graphics window, it deletes the line if it is a line of the specific line type. This is useful where there is more than one line between two points and you want to delete only the lines of a specific type.

WARNING: The line type you select remains the default line type until you select another line type or close the DTMLink™ software.

The cursor changes to [image] when the delete line action is active.

4.	Select the boundary or breakline to delete.

After deleting lines, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

5.	To update the surface, press F4, or use the Design / Update surface command.

6.	Deactivate the tool by selecting another tool or press F2.

NOTE: A situation where you can use the Include boundaries line type is:

Where a building lies on the boundary of a surface, and you want to edit the Include boundary without affecting the Exclude boundary, select the Include boundaries line type from the list and delete the appropriate boundary lines in the graphics window.


Updating a Surface

After adding lines, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

Select the Design / Update Surface command or press F4 to update the surface and apply the breaklines and boundary lines which have been added.

Clicking Update Surface in the Add line dialog also updates the surface.


Adding an Include Boundary Using the Add Include Boundary Tool

1.	Select the Add Include Boundary tool [image] from the Surface toolbar.

The cursor changes to [image] when the action is active.

2.	Click the surface point where the boundary begins.

3.	Continue to add sections of the Include boundary by selecting surface points.

A dark blue line appears on-screen between the Include Boundary points.

4.	Return to the first point to close the boundary. If you did not close the boundary the DTMLink™ software attempts to close the boundary when you update the surface.

After adding lines, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

5.	To update the surface, do one of the following:

  Press F4.

  Use the Design / Update surface command.

6.	To finish adding to the boundary, select another tool or press F2.

NOTE: To add an include boundary and a breakline using the Add Line Tool press the arrow to the right of the Exclude Boundary tool and select Include Boundary and Breakline from the pull down list.


Adding an Exclude Boundary Using the Add Exclude Boundary Tool

To add an exclude boundary using the Add Exclude Boundary Tool:

1.	Select the Add Exclude Boundary tool [image] from the Surface toolbar.

2.	Click the surface point where the boundary begins.

The cursor changes to [image] when the action is active.

3.	Continue to add sections of the Exclude boundary by selecting surface points.

A light blue line appears on-screen between the Exclude Boundary points.

4.	Return to the first point to close the boundary. If you did not close the boundary the DTMLink software attempts to close the boundary when you update the surface.

After adding lines, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

5.	To update the surface, do one of the following:

  Press F4.

  Use the Design / Update surface command.

6.	To finish adding to the boundary, select another tool.

NOTE: To add an exclude boundary and a breakline using the Add Line Tool press the arrow to the right of the Exclude Boundary tool and select Exclude Boundary and Breakline from the pull down list.


Boundaries and Breaklines : Technical Details

This topic discusses how a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) is created and outlines some of the effects on the model of processing breaklines and boundaries.

When the surface is created, the DTMLink™ software forms triangles between the surface points. The lines (which are triangle edges) formed between surface points assume a constant grade.

The following topics are discussed:

  Boundaries

  Breaklines

  Effect of Processing Breaklines and Boundaries

Boundaries Overview

There are two types of boundaries: include boundaries and exclude boundaries. An include boundary is a line defining an area of the surface that is included in the model. An exclude boundary is a line defining an area of the surface that is to be excluded from the model. For example, if the sides of a building were defined as an exclude boundary, then contour lines would not be drawn through the building. Exclude boundaries should be defined inside include boundaries, but if an include boundary is created inside an exclude boundary, the exclude boundary overrides the include boundary.

A boundary is a closed figure. If a boundary is not closed an attempt is made to automatically close it when the surface is updated.

Breaklines Overview

Breaklines are a series of lines that are known to have a constant grade. The DTMLink™ software uses the grade of each line to adjust the triangle model. For example, the top of a ridge or the side of a road can be defined as a breakline to stop the DTMLink software making incorrect interpolations across the line. Obviously, breaklines do not cross each other unless they pass through a common point where they cross.

Both boundaries and breaklines are defined as a series of lines connecting points from the database.

Effect of Processing Breaklines and Boundaries

Boundaries and breaklines cause the triangles in the model to be reformed. The following figures demonstrate how the DTMLink software reforms the model by creating break points and forming surface triangles.

NOTE: Throughout this section, boundaries and breaklines are shown between surface points A and B. Triangle vertices are numbered where appropriate.

Example 1: Breakline Crossing One Triangle

Figure 1 represents a simplified and non-typical model of one triangle and one breakline. Break points X and Y are formed at the intersection of the triangle and the breakline.

Figure 1 Breakline Simplified

The heights for points X and Y are interpolated along the breakline between points A and B. These break points then become surface points in the model and three new triangles are formed.

Example 2: Breakline Crossing Multiple Triangles

Figure 2 shows the representation of a triangle model with a breakline defined.

Figure 2 Computation (1)

Triangle reformation sequentially follows the path of the breakline, with a break point being inserted at the intersection of each triangle side with the breakline. These break points are shown. The heights for each break point are interpolated along the breakline between points A and B.

These break points then become part of the surface model and ten new triangles are formed. See Figure 3. The solid dot shows the new triangles that are formed.

Figure 3 Computation (2)

Example 3: Boundary Crossing One Triangle

Figure 4 represents a simplified and non-typical model of one triangle and a boundary. Break points X and Y are formed at the intersection of the triangle and the breakline. Assume the triangle vertex (labelled 1) is inside the boundary and vertices (labelled 2 and 3) fall outside the boundary.

Figure 4 Boundary (1)

The height for point X is interpolated between points 1 and 3. The height for point Y is interpolated between points 1 and 2. The triangle is formed between X, Y, and 1 and points 2 and 3 are discarded from the surface model.

Figure 5 shows a similar situation where a boundary passes through a formed triangle. Again, assume that point 1 lies within the boundary.

The height for point X is interpolated between points 1 and 3. The height for point Y is interpolated between points 1 and 2.

Figure 5 Boundary (2)

Two new triangles are formed and points 2 and 3 are discarded from the surface and new triangles are formed.

Example 4: Combined Boundary and Breakline Crossing One Triangle

A line can have the features of both a boundary and a breakline. See Figure 6.

Figure 6 Boundary and breakline

Break points are created at points X and Y at the intersection of the triangle and breakline.

As the line A B is a breakline and a boundary, the heights of the break points X and Y are interpolated along the breakline between points A and B.

Given that vertex 1 lies within the boundary, the triangle defined by points 1, X, and Y is formed. Points 2 and 3 are discarded from the model.


Delete All Lines
Design / Delete All Lines

Use this command to delete all breaklines or boundaries on the surface.

A warning message appears.

This operation cannot be undone. Click OK to remove all breaklines and boundaries from this surface.

Click OK if you are sure you want to delete all the breaklines and boundaries permanently.

The surface is updated when you click OK.


Adding a Breakline Using the Add Breakline Tool

To add a breakline using the Add Breakline Tool:

1.	Click the Add Breakline tool [image] from the Surface toolbar.

The cursor changes to [image] when the action is active.

2.	Click the surface point where the breakline begins.

3.	Continue to add sections of the breakline by selecting surface points.

A red line is drawn on-screen between the selected surface points.

After adding lines, the Update indicator on the Status bar changes to show that the surface needs updating.

4.	To update the surface, do one of the following:

  Press F4.

  Use the Design / Update surface command.

5.	To finish adding to the breakline, select another tool or press F2.

To add another breakline:

  Click the Add Breakline tool and repeat steps 1 to 5 above.

TIP: Add a breakline and a boundary using the:

  Include Boundary tool

  Exclude Boundary tool

Select boundary and breakline from the pull down menu.


Design Menu

Use the Design menu to edit a surface. It has the following commands:

Include Point

Exclude Point

Swap Triangles

Delete Triangle

Add Line

Update Surface

Delete Line

Delete All Lines


Technical Support

If you have a problem and cannot find the information you need in the product documentation, contact your local dealer.

Alternatively, request technical support using the Trimble website (http://www.trimble.com/support.html/


Trademarks

The Globe & Triangle logo, Trimble, DTMLink, RoadLink, Trimble Geomatics Office, Trimble Survey Controller, TSCe, and TSC1 are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited.

The Sextant logo with Trimble, Geodimeter, and Terramodel are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited, registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


Warranty

Disclaimer of Warranty

Except as indicated in "Limited Warranty" herein, Trimble Hardware, Software, Firmware and documentation is provided "as is" and without express or limited warranty of any kind by either Trimble Navigation Limited or anyone who has been involved in its creation, production, or distribution including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk, as to the quality and performance of the Trimble Hardware, Software, Firmware and documentation, is with you. Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will Trimble Navigation Limited or any person involved in the creation, production, or distribution of the Trimble Software be liable to you on account of any claim for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings, or other special, incidental, consequential, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to any damages assessed against or paid by you to any third party, rising out of the use, liability to use, quality or performance of such Trimble Software and documentation, even if Trimble Navigation Limited or any such person or entity has been advised of the possibility of damages, or for any claim by any other party. Some states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages so, the above limitations may not apply to you.

Software and Firmware Limited Warranty

Trimble Navigation Limited warrants that Software and Firmware products will substantially conform to the published specifications provided it is used with the Trimble products, computer products, and operating system for which it was designed. For a period of ninety (90) days, commencing thirty (30) days after shipment from Trimble, Trimble also warrants that the media on which Software and Firmware are distributed and the documentation are free from defects in materials and workmanship. During the ninety (90) day warranty period, Trimble will replace defective media or documentation, or correct substantial program errors at no charge. If Trimble is unable to replace defective media or documentation, or correct program errors, Trimble will refund the price paid for The Software. These are your sole remedies for any breach in warranty.


World Wide Web site

For an interactive look at Trimble, visit our site on the World Wide Web
(http://www.trimble.com/)


Feedback

Thank you for purchasing this product. We would appreciate feedback you have about it. Send comments and suggestions to:

Trimble Navigation Limited
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P.O. Box 3642
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U.S.A.

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1-800-545-7762
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