Measure Volume and 3D Terrain
In this guide, you'll learn how to measure the volume and 3D terrain of a site.
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In this guide, you'll learn how to measure the volume and 3D terrain of a site.
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Your Moasure device is designed to measure elevation by default, and all measurements are captured in 3D. Starting from app version 2.0, the Moasure app introduces volume and surface area calculations, enhancing your capabilities.
If you prefer watching instead of reading, you can watch this tutorial video:
To measure volume accurately, follow these steps:
Measure the Perimeter.
Return to the starting point without ending the measurement.
Change the Path Type to Points.
Measure points within the perimeter. The more points you capture, the better the surface fitting accuracy. Capture additional points in areas with elevation fluctuations or undulations.
Once satisfied with the points captured, return to the original start point (this improves accuracy).
Finally, end the measurement.
To view the measurement results, follow these steps:
To see a surface mesh of the measured site, tap on the Surface Icon. Below the surface mesh, you'll find the Surface Area and Volume.
To view a contour map, tap on the Contour Icon. Contour maps are used to represent the topography or elevation of a particular area. They typically display lines called contour lines that connect points of equal elevation. These lines help to visualise the shape of the land to identify changes in elevation. The spacing between contour lines indicates the steepness of the slope. The closer the contour lines are, the steeper the slope and vice versa. The contour intervals are automatically set by the Moasure app. Both 2D and 3D views are available – simply tap to change between these.
Learn more about the available views and how to use them in our Views Guide.
For advanced calculations, such as cut / fill values or adding material to a site, you can use the Cut / Fill and Add Depth Tools.
The choice of tool depends on the specific project:
The Add Depth tool is specifically designed for calculating the volume of a material (such as mulch, soil, or gravel) based on a given surface area and desired depth of coverage. By multiplying these values, it calculates the total volume required.
The Cut / Fill tool, on the other hand, is used for determining the amount of material to be excavated (cut) or added (fill) during earthwork or construction projects to achieve desired levels and / or to level a site.
Use the Add Depth tool when you need to calculate the volume for uneven, undulating and / or sloping ground or calculate volume of a specific material (like mulch, soil, or gravel) required to cover a given surface area at a desired depth. This is useful for gardeners or landscapers planning mulching material application. It's also useful for hardscapers preparing foundations or base layers for pavements or patios. Let’s say a landscaper wants to know how much mulch to add to cover a garden site at a depth of 6 inches (~15 cm) or a hardscaper wants to create a 6-inch (~15 cm) deep aggregate base layer for paving or concrete. They can calculate the volume of material required by taking the surface area and multiplying it by 6 inches (~15 cm). The Add Depth Tool makes this easy by pre-calculating the surface area and providing tools (such as a slider) to specify a depth, resulting in a volume calculation.
Use the Cut / Fill tool when you're involved in earthwork or construction projects that require leveling the terrain. This tool helps determine the amount of material to be excavated or added to achieve the desired results. Let's say a landscaper is working on a project to create a terraced garden on a sloping site. They may use cut and fill techniques to achieve this. In the case of the cut operation, the landscaper may excavate the higher areas of the slope to create a level platform for the garden terraces. Let's say they remove 100 cubic yards of soil during this process. Next, for the fill operation, they might bring in additional soil or fill material to raise the lower areas of the slope, filling in the spaces between the terraces. Let's say they add 100 cubic yards of fill material. In this scenario, the cut and fill values would be equal, resulting in a net volume of 0. This means that the amount of soil removed (cut) is balanced by the amount of soil added (fill). It helps create a level surface for the terraced garden while maintaining overall volume equilibrium.
In app version 3.0 or newer, volume measurements can be split with multi-layer surface fitting, so the perimeter can be captured in one layer and elevation points in another, or multiple layers of elevation points can be measured. This flexibility with layers is particularly useful for large terrain sites with significant undulations.
Redo Specific Layers: if an error occurs in one layer, only that layer needs to be redone rather than the entire measurement.
Improved Resolution: users can add more elevation points in another layer to increase measurement resolution.
Increased Flexibility: the perimeter can be measured in one layer while elevation points are captured separately.
Alignment Precision Required: layers must be measured accurately to ensure proper alignment and reliable volume calculations.
Higher Risk of Layer Errors: incorrectly-measured layers could result in misalignment, requiring careful technique and validation.
To accurately map undulations in terrain:
Use the points path to record as many elevation points as necessary to improve surface detail.
The more points recorded, the smaller the fitted surface triangles, resulting in higher resolution and more realistic contour mapping.
Consider layering elevation points for large sites to enhance accuracy and allow for adjustments over time.
When analysing volume measurement results, it is essential to understand how the perimeter and lowest point plane influence calculations:
Perimeter plane measures the total volume enclosed between the 3D surface, and a surface intersecting only the perimeter points of the 3D surface. This is ideal for measuring stockpile volumes and other materials that sit on relatively flat ground.
Lowest Point plane measures the total volume enclosed in a space, created by projecting the 3D surface vertically onto a horizontal plane with an elevation equal to the lowest point of the 3D surface. This is ideal for measuring pools, ponds and excavation volumes.
By leveraging multi-layer surface fitting, you can significantly enhance the flexibility and accuracy of volume measurements, particularly for large, complex terrain mapping projects.
