reduce level dig

[mjsengineeringltd656794]

Hi there every one its my first post i have a small problem that i need help with i need to find out how much spoil i need to take off site i have a dwg drawing of a new road layout with proposed levels on it and i also have a topo dwg with existing levels on it i also know the reduce levels to reduce it to ive got autocad civil is it posible i can use autocad to find the volume to be taken off site or areas that need filling thanks:cry:

[sinc]

That's a bit of a loaded question... The short answer is "Yes", but there's lots of details...

When you say you have a "drawing containing levels", what exactly do you mean? Do you have a DWG with Civil 3D Surfaces for your EG and FG already built in it? If so, you can do a comparison between your FG and EG Surfaces to find the difference. A ballpark estimate could be the simple volume difference between these two Surfaces.

If you have data created in another program, it can be more involved. You'll need to turn that data into Civil 3D entities in order to use it. That process can vary, depending on what you get "from others".

But once you have Surfaces, a simple comparison doesn't take into account expansion/compaction factors (if you care about them). However, there's a spot to enter them, so if you know good values for expansion/compaction, you can incorporate those into your Volume calculations, and get something closer to the "true" value.

There are also more complex features... For example, the Mass Haul functionality lets you identify how much cut/fill is generated at each point along a roadway. This can be used to not only balance your Site, but also to identify key locations for any required stockpiles.

Of course, all of this requires knowledge in how to use Civil 3D... Are you familiar yet with how to create Surfaces and do Volume Comparisons in C3D? If not, your first stop might be the Tutorials that come with the program. Official training can get you on your way much faster and more economically, if you can swing it. Otherwise, you may need to slog through the C3D learning curve on your own. Luckily, there's now quite a bit out there on the web, too, that can be turned up through searches.