3D cut/fill analysis¶

The Cut/Fill Volume widget provides a preliminary grading-volume measurement over a polygon drawn in the 3D scene. It uses the ArcGIS elevation surface and an optional target elevation to estimate material above and below the reference plane.

Before using cut/fill¶

Select or draw the site AOI.
Save the AOI as a project.
Complete the Buildable Area run.
Switch the map to 3D.
Zoom to the part of the site being evaluated.

The widget can calculate a temporary measurement before the project is saved, but SiteIQ requires a saved AOI and completed buildable run before the result can be preserved in Report and Portfolio.

Switch from 2D to 3D.
Select the C/F tool in the 3D toolbar.
Drag the floating Cut/Fill Volume panel if it obstructs the area you need to draw.

Calculate volume¶

Optionally enter a Target elevation (ft).
Select Draw area.
Draw a polygon over the grading area in the 3D scene.
Complete the polygon and wait for the volume result.
Review Cut, Fill, Net, and Total.

Use Re-draw to replace the measurement polygon. Use Clear to remove the current polygon, target setting, and calculated values from the widget.

Target elevation¶

Target elevation is optional and is entered in feet. When supplied, it defines the intended reference elevation used for the cut/fill comparison.

The ArcGIS analysis supports target elevations within the range displayed by SiteIQ. If the value is outside that supported range, SiteIQ shows an error and does not apply it.

Do not enter a grading elevation unless its vertical datum and units are compatible with the elevation surface used by the deployment.

Outputs¶

Output	Meaning
Cut	Estimated volume of material above the target/reference surface that would be removed
Fill	Estimated volume below the target/reference surface that would be added
Net	Balance between fill and cut; the current SiteIQ fallback convention is fill minus cut
Total	Total volume reported by the ArcGIS volume-measurement result

The current widget requests elevation in feet and volume in cubic feet. SiteIQ preserves the unit returned by the ArcGIS analysis and displays a corresponding short unit label, such as ft3.

Save the result¶

Select Save result after a valid polygon and volume result exist.

SiteIQ saves:

Save timestamp
Optional target elevation
Cut value and unit
Fill value and unit
Net value and unit
Total value and unit

The result is added to the latest completed buildable run for the active saved project. A successful save confirms that the cut/fill result will appear in both Report and Portfolio.

Saving a new valid result replaces the saved cut/fill values associated with that run. Clearing the temporary widget does not by itself erase a result that was already saved to the run.

Report and portfolio behavior¶

The Site Report displays the saved Cut, Fill, Net, Total, calculation timestamp, and target elevation when available. If the user calculated a volume but did not save it, the report correctly states that no saved cut/fill result exists.

The Portfolio table displays the saved net cut/fill value for each site's latest usable run. Portfolio comparison does not recalculate grading volume.

Access and availability¶

Cut/fill is available only in the 3D scene. In the current SiteIQ release, it is not separately controlled by the Terrain Analysis feature lock; however, it still depends on successful 3D scene initialization, an accessible elevation surface, browser WebGL support, and ArcGIS volume-measurement support.

Common errors¶

Draw a cut/fill area first: no measurement polygon exists.
No cut/fill values yet: the polygon exists but the volume result has not been produced.
Save AOI and run Buildable Area before saving cut/fill: the measurement cannot be attached to a saved completed run.
Selected area is too large: zoom in and draw a smaller polygon.
Polygon is too small: draw a slightly larger polygon.
Polygon perimeter is too large: simplify or reduce the analysis area.
Unsupported coordinate system or surface transparency: adjust the scene or source configuration before retrying.

Limitations¶

Cut/fill is a conceptual screening measurement based on the available elevation surface. Accuracy is affected by terrain resolution, surface currency, vertical datum, polygon placement, target elevation, vegetation and structures represented by the source, and the absence of a detailed proposed grading design.

It does not replace a topographic survey, geotechnical investigation, civil grading plan, earthwork model, shrink/swell analysis, haul plan, or contractor quantity estimate.