Anyone who has built surface models in Trimble Business Center knows that one of it’s best features is the Surface Flags that show up when you have height busts in the model caused by a number of possible causes.
The surface model flags indicate points in the surface where there are two or more elevations at the same exact location, typically where two or more lines cross or meet at a location and have a different elevation at the crossing point. TBC always uses the lower of the two points in the model, and puts a yellow “golf flag” at the higher of the two locations to indicate the location of something that needs to be taken care of.
Common reasons for surface flags include the following
- Two or more lines that meet or cross at a common location that have different elevations at the crossing or touch point e.g. Sidewalk lines that meet curb lines or driveway lines that meet curb lines or sidewalk lines that meet building lines.
- Two lines that run parallel along the top and toe of a retaining wall, a subgrade adjustment, or a basement excavation that are at the same location but at different elevations.
- Two or more nodes on a cross section line that runs up the face of a retaining wall or vertical structure - these are typically found in cross section workflows where cross sections have been flipped from imported CAD or imported PDF sheets for a highways project e.g. on large excavations or on MSE walls etc.
- Two survey lines that were measured at different point locations along the top and toe of a near vertical face or wall, where the surveyors intent was for two near parallel lines, horizontally separated to create the surface of the face of the vertical structure, where one line accidentally crosses over the other line, creating flags at the crossing points that have different elevations.
These are the 4 main problems that are addressed with Surface Model Flag Fixer, which provides a simple workflow to fox the issues encountered. One key benefit is that the tool will display to you, the elevations at the crossing locations as Line 1, Line 2, Highest, Lowest and Mean elevations, allowing you to select the elevation from the options, or to enter your own user defined value once you have had a chance to evaluate the options.
Video shows you how