Triangulation File Utilities
This command allows you to modify TIN surfaces in a variety of
different ways, then allows for 3d viewing and shading of the
modified surface and finally for saving the file with a choice of
output formats. The focus of the routine is to elevate or lower the
TIN or selected areas within the TIN, merge TINs with other
surfaces, or use data from other TIN files to apply to the current
TIN. Operations can be performed on the entire TIN or just on user
selected Inclusion and/or Exclusion areas. The routine will
automatically rework the TIN network for conformation to a selected
boundary, say a building outline. In the case of said building, a
value of 10 could be subtracted from the building outline. This
will drop all of the triangulation within the outline by 10', thus
creating a model of the excavated area for the building. The
modified TIN can then be saved to a new file, which could be used
to compute an excavation volume with Volumes by Triangulation. This
routine does not allow for manual reconfiguration of the TIN
network. This is performed under Surface Tools, also in the Contour
pulldown menu. This routine also includes conversions to and from
TIN files, DXF files and 3D Face entities.
Begin with the dialog shown here. First select a TIN model. You
may choose between an .flt or .tin file, a DXF file (that includes
3DFACE entities), or 3DFACE entities in the current drawing.
Specify the subject area by choosing inclusion or exclusion
perimeters, then press the next button.
Load TIN File: Allows you to specify a triangulation
(.flt or .tin) file to load.
Load DXF File: Allows you to specify a DXF file to load.
Only loads 3DFACE entities from the selected DXF file.
Select 3D Faces: Allows you to select 3DFACE entities
from the current drawing. This also includes rectangular 3d faces
from a plotted grid.
Pick Bounding Polylines: Allows you to select any
inclusion/exclusion perimeter(s). When this button is selected, the
user is taken back to the drawing and prompted to select the
perimeters. Press Enter when the selections are finished to return
back to the dialog.
Fast TIN Intersect: When checked, this command will
perform a simple and fast check for overlapping triangles, so is
the preferred choice in most cases. However, if problems with
the TIN are suspected, this option should be unchecked, so that a
complete and thorough check and repair of the TIN is
performed.
Fill-in-holes: When checked, any missing triangulation or
gap in the surface will be automatically filled in with additional
triangles. This option has to be set before loading the TIN file to
take effect.
Region Mode: This option
deals with nested or overlapping boundaries. When checked,
AutoCAD hatch pattern logic is applied, in which all nested
boundaries are used in an alternating fashion, so that an Inclusion
Boundary within an Exclusion Boundary is still recognized. If
this option is not checked, everything within an Exclusion Boundary
is ignored.
Next: Press this button to proceed to the next dialog
after all selections have been made .
The next dialog allows you to perform mathematical operation(s)
on the loaded TIN. Each operation is described below. Keep in mind
that generally these operations are to be performed on an area
inside your inclusion perimeter (but excluding anything inside your
exclusion perimeters). If you do not specify any perimeters, the
desired operation/s will be performed on the entire TIN.
Add Value: Prompts for a
value to Add to the subject area of the TIN.
Subtract Value: Prompts for
a value to Subtract from the subject area of the TIN.
Multiply Value: Prompts for
a value to Multiply to the subject area of the TIN.
Divide Value: Prompts for a
value to Divide to the subject area of the TIN.
Add TIN: Raises the subject area of the current TIN by
the elevation value from a second user selected TIN file. This
function is most applicable to applying a strata thickness
TIN.
Subtract TIN: Lowers the subject area of the current TIN
by the elevation value from a second user selected TIN file.
Min TIN: This does a comparison between the current TIN
and a second user selected TIN file, and applies the lower value of
the two TINs to the subject area.
Max TIN: This does a comparison between the current TIN
and a second user selected TIN file, and applies the higher value
of the two TINs to the subject area.
Merge TIN: Merges the current subject TIN into a second
user-specified TIN file. There are three methods:
Current TIN inside/Second TIN
outside boundary: This method is only available when
Bounding Polylines are selected in the first Triangulation File
Utilities dialog. The current TIN will be used inside the boundary
polylines and the second TIN is used everywhere else. The current
TIN file should be the smaller of the two surfaces since the
subject file will be joined or merged into the second file. For
example, to merge a pad design into existing ground with this
method, choose the pad design as the current TIN, pick the pad
perimeter as the bounding polyline and use existing ground as the
second TIN.
Second TIN inside/Current TIN
outside boundary: This method uses the second TIN inside the
boundary and the current TIN everywhere else. The outline of the
second TIN is used as the boundary if no bounding polylines where
selected in the initial dialog. For example, to merge a pad design
into existing ground with this method, choose the existing ground
as the current TIN and choose the pad design as the second TIN.
Wipe, combine and repair Current
TIN where overlaps Second TIN: This method removes triangles
from the current TIN for areas that overlap the second TIN. Then
the second TIN is added into the current TIN surface and the gap
between the current and second TINs is triangulated to stitch them
together. This method is useful when the two TINs don't have
matching have elevations on their common boundary. Then this method
will create a transition zone between the TINs.
Enhance Flats: This routine
eliminates flat triangles by adding a data point inside the
triangle at a different elevation to subdivide the triangle. The
elevation of this point is calculated based on the slopes of the
neighboring triangles.
Translate: Moves the TIN points by the specified delta x, y
and z.
Rotate: Rotates the TIN points by the specified rotation
angle around a base point.
Scale: Scales the TIN points by the specified scale factor
from a base point. The scale can be applied to just the x,y of the
TIN points or the z too. The scale can be used to convert a TIN
between feet and meters.
Offset: Performs a
perpendicular offset (from the face/s) to the TIN surface by the
specified amount. The routine offsets each
point in the tin vertically by looking at the slopes that connect
to the point. For points at slope transition points such as at the
bottom of a ditch, these corner points are effected by both slopes
which means the program can't hold either exactly. To hold both
slopes exactly would require changing the x/y position of the tin
points which this routine doesn't do to avoid more complications.
So if the offset surface needs to exactly hold the slopes, then use
another method like drawing cross sections for the surface,
offsetting these sections, creating 3d polylines from the sections
and modeling the 3d polylines.
Simplify: Causes edges within the Tin mesh to be collapsed
to reduce the number of triangles, edges, and points within the
mesh while having a minimal impact on the overall shape of the
mesh. There are two methods. Elevation Difference looks at the
effect of removing a point from the Tin. The point is removed if
the elevation difference between the original point and the updated
Tin is less than the tolerance. The Edge Cost method looks at the
effect of removing an edge from the Tin.
Tolerance: This setting is used by the Simplify command
described below. Specify the maximum average distance that any
point can be moved outside of the plane of any triangle that
connects to that point. Values might range from .01 to .1 for most
purposes.
Passes: For elevation
difference, this is the number of times the program will check
through all the points.
Hold Breaklines: Further
analyzes the TIN by focusing on the edges, calculating the angular
difference between adjacent triangular faces. If the angular
difference between edges is greater than the specified Breakline Angle, it is considered to be
a breakline, and it is preserved. If it's angular difference
is determined to be below the Breakline Angle, it becomes a candidate
for removal. In that case, the Breakline Weight factor is applied to
the corresponding vertex, adjusting it's original value. If
the resulting value is still below the Tolerance, it is then removed.
The number of vertices removed is inversely proportional to the
Breakline Weight factor, so the greater the
Breakline Weight factor, the fewer vertices that
are removed, the lower the Breakline Weight factor, the more vertices that
are removed.
Set Color: Assigns a selected color to the TIN triangles.
The color is used when viewing the TIN file in the 3D viewer
commands. To set the color within an inclusion perimeter, use the
Pick Boundary Polylines function in the first dialog.
TIN Statistics: Generates a report of the TIN statistics,
including number of points, edges, and triangles, and minimum and
maximum Z value.
Subdivide: Subdivides triangles to make them more
equilateral.
Set New Elev: Sets all TIN faces in the subject area to
the elevation specified.
Set NULLs to Elev: Sets all NULL values in the subject
area to the elevation specified.
Set Elev to NULL: Sets all of the elevation values in the
subject area to NULL.
Set Elev by Surface: Sets all TIN faces within the
subject area to the elevations from a second surface file within
the same area. You will be prompted to select a second TIN file or
grid file. Only areas common to both surfaces will be applied to
the subject TIN.
Output Options: The following three options determine
what part or parts of the TIN modifications that will be saved to
the new TIN file. If the entire TIN is to be saved, all three
options should be toggled on.
- Insides: If this is the only option checked, only
changes made to the TIN within the inclusion perimeter will be
saved. TIN entities outside of the perimeter will not be saved to
the named file.
- Border: When the routine re-works the TIN to fit around
a perimeter, a small horizontal offset is automatically applied to
prevent the formation of vertical faces. The Border function will
save changes made to TIN in this offset area.
- Outsides: If this is the only option checked, TIN
entities inside of the inclusion perimeter will not be saved to the
named file. Everything outside of the perimeter will be
saved.
Save As TIN: Saves the current TIN as an .flt or .tin
file.
Save As DXF: Saves the current TIN as a .dxf file. This
format can be used by many other CAD programs.
Draw As 3DFaces: Draws the current TIN as 3D Faces in the
current viewport. The Layer window is used to specify the layer
that the faces will be created in.
Converts the left
mouse button to a zoom function. Hold the button down and move the
mouse up or down to zoom in and out.
![](08-0HE29.bmp)
Converts the left
mouse button to a rotate function. Hold the button down to rotate
the view in any X, Y or Z direction. When the XY appears in the
window, the rotation will occur relative to the XY axis. When the
mouse is moved toward the outer perimeter of the window, the XY
will change to a Z. Holding the button down while the Z is visible
will rotate the drawing on the Z axis.
![](08-0HE30.bmp)
Converts the left
mouse button to a pan function. Hold down on the button while
moving the mouse to pan. Holding down the mouse wheel will also
serve as a pan function in any of the above modes.
![](08-0HE31.bmp)
Toggles shading
on and off.
![](08-0HE32.bmp)
Restores the
graphics to plan view.
![](08-0HE33.bmp)
Reverses the
effects of all operations performed on the TIN and reverts it back
to its original status.
![](08-0HE34.bmp)
This icon exits
the routine. If the TIN has been modified, you will be prompted to
save.
Pulldown Menu Location: Surface
Keyboard Command: TINUTIL
Prerequisite: 3D Faces, a TIN file or a DXF file.