Import Boring Logs Command

RPS Command Library (Info Only) RPS Modeling Toolbox
1

D_ImportBoringLogs_600ppi   Import Boring Logs

Command Licensing and Default Menu Location

  • The Import Boring Logs command is part of the RPS Modeling Toolbox
  • The command is located on the Modeling macros menu ribbon
  • The command is located in the Takeoff menu group

Command Description

Imports boring log data from a CSV file to create site (Takeoff) or corridor boring logs in order to rapidly build strata layers for earthworks quantity purposes.

*The command has been updated to suppress the selection of Reference Surfaces introduced in TBC v5.60 which are an invalid workflow process data source for boring logs.


Command Prerequisites

Before you can import boring logs into a project you will need to complete the following steps

  • Use the Materials and Site Improvement Manager to create the materials that you are defining in the boring logs that you intend to import. These materials should be created in the Earthen category of materials.
  • Create an Existing Ground / Original Ground Surface Model that covers all of the locations defined by the boring logs - note that each boring log should have an existing ground elevation that matches the surface that you are creating here. The boring log coordinate and elevation will be added to the existing ground surface if there is not already a surface node of the same elevation already in existence.
  • If you will be using the boring logs for corridor modeling purposes, then you will need to create an empty surface model for each of the strata that you will be defining in the boring logs, and then use the Define Corridor Strata command to define the strata that will be created from the boring logs using the boring logs option.
  • If you will be using the boring logs for site takeoff purposes then you will need to use the Define Strata command to define the strata surface names and select the materials that lie between the strata surfaces. The strata definition here should match the strata sequence defined for each boring log in the csv file.

Command Training Video

The following video shows how to utilize the Import Boring Logs command for Takeoff purposes


Update Information

Command Shortcut

If you are utilizing the RPS Menu Ribbon: CTRL+F9 will open the command.

Command Interface Description

The Import Boring Logs command dialog looks as follows

image
image356×870 11.2 KB

Site Takeoff or Corridor Boring Logs
Not Currently Implemented
Select either the Site Takeoff or Corridor Model radio button to define which type of boring logs are being created from the data to be imported. The definition of the boring log is the same, however the end use of the data is handled quite differently.

Surface:
Select the original ground surface model from the list of surfaces. This is the reference point for the top of each boring log from which depths and thicknesses will be applied.

Note Reference Surfaces will not be displayed in this list because they are an invalid surface type for this command.

Defined strata list:
This will display the strata list that has been defined in either the Site Takeoff - Define Strata command or the Corridors - Define Corridor Strata command. It shows the strata surface Interface on the left and the material that falls below the strata interface on the right. Note that each strata interface is both the bottom of one material and top of the next material.

Note all boreholes require the same list of strata even if a strata layer is absent from a boring log. Where a strata layer is missing from a boring log, you will enter the depth or elevation value the same as the prior strata interface, the thickness value will be 0 and in each case the missing strata layer will be pinched out at the boring log location.

Boring logs defined by:
The boring logs can be defined using depth values from the defined original ground surface, by material layer thickness values or by elevation values. Select the method that you used to create the CSV file. Note that once you have referenced the CSV file to the command, you can still change the definition method if you selected incorrectly - the graphics will update to reflect the selected method.

Boring logs file name:
Use the file browser to locate and select the boring log .csv file that you wish to import. See the file format definition lower in the help page for more information. As soon as you have referenced the file, the 3D view of TBC will be updated to give you a preview of the boring log data that it has read from the file. The boring logs are displayed as cylinders, the cylinders are color coded to represent the material layers. The color coding for the materials is defined by the materials that you defined in the MSI Manager (Materials and Site Improvement Manager).

The radius and transparency of the boring log cylinders is defined in RPS Settings - you can click the orange R in the header bar of the command to open the settings dialog. Note that the boring log cylinders are only displayed when the Import Boring Logs dialog is open, as soon as another command becomes active the boring logs will be switched off - they are not permanent objects in the database.

image
image356×870 14.2 KB

Note - The boring log cylinders are showing you the results of the referenced file, not the boring logs that have been created in the project already.

The boring logs are not committed to the project database until you click Apply or OK. This means that while the command is open and before you hit apply, the borehole data in the project database is not updated and so the strata surfaces will also not be updated until Apply is clicked to commit the changes.

Refresh data button:
You can keep the spreadsheet of boring log data open and make changes to it (change values or add more boreholes). Once you have saved the CSV file you can click the Refresh data button to update the boring log display in the 3D view.

Overwrite existing boring logs checkbox:
If you have previously imported boring logs and the file to be imported in this process contains boring log numbers that have been created previously, checking this check box will allow the imported file to overwrite the boring logs already defined in the project.

If you leave the checkbox unchecked, then the boring log data in the project will be unchanged by the file import process. On completion of the import, you will be given a summary of the boring log data created by the import process.

Layer for new boring logs:
Select a layer on which to place the boring log objects that will be created by the import process.

Boring Log CSV File Format

The CSV file format for the boring log data is as follows

  • Boring Log Number in Cell A
  • Boring Log Northing / Easting in Cell B
  • Boring Log Easting / Northing in Cell C
  • Boring Log Elevation at Existing Ground in Cell D

    • Note - the command honors the coordinate order settings defined in the Project Settings of TBC

    The following information depends on how you are entering the strata information i.e. whether you are entering the strata information using Elevation, Depth or Thickness values. If we take a simple borehole sequence of Existing - Topsoil - Soil - Clay - Rock then the values will be entered as follows

    Elevation Values

  • Elevation Value of Top of Soil
  • Elevation Value of Top of Rock

    • Depth Values

  • Depth of Topsoil Value
  • Depth of Soil Value

    • Thickness Values

  • Thickness of Topsoil Value
  • Thickness of Soil Value

    • Note that if a strata is missing from the boring log, it should be entered with a value that makes its elevation or depth the same as the prior layer above it, or with a 0 thickness, so that it is pinched out at the boring log location.

Header Commands

In the header bar of the command you will find command icons that link you to other commands that you may need access to while using this command. In this command the following commands are linked

  • Help - this document access
  • RPS Settings
  • Takeoff Lines
  • Smart Edit
  • Adjust Linestring Elevation
  • Create Surface
  • Add/Remove Surface Members
  • Create Surface Edge Breakline
  • Add/Remove Surface Boundaries
  • MSI Library
  • Define Strata
  • Define Corridor Strata
  • Create Boring Log
  • Rebuild Surface

Apply:
When you click Apply, the .CSV file will be imported and the boreholes will be created. The strata surfaces for Takeoff will be created automatically from the imported boring log data. The command will remain open, allowing you to make changes to the boring log .CSV file and to re-import as necessary.

OK:
When you click OK, the .CSV file will be imported and the boreholes will be created. The strata surfaces for Takeoff will be created automatically from the imported boring log data. The command will close on completion.

Cancel:
Closes the command without importing further data.

Example Data FIles

The following files can be used to learn or demonstrate the command in use.

TBC Project File: Test Data Model.vce (247.9 KB)
Boreholes - Depth Based: Boreholes - Depth.csv (804 Bytes)
Boreholes - Elevation Based: Boreholes - Elevations.csv (1.1 KB)
Boreholes - Thickness Based:Boreholes - Thickness.csv (825 Bytes)

Use Case Videos

The following videos show the use of the Import Boring Logs command in a work process context

Feedback and Enhancement Requests

If you would like to provide feedback on the use of the Import Boring Logs command or to request enhancements or improvements to the command please click Reply below.

3 Likes