How to use custom surface comparison


Some stockpiles are tricky to measure accurately — think uneven ground, bins, benches, or overlapping piles. In those cases, the automatic base that Smart Volume generates won't cut it. You need to manually control where the base of your measurement sits, including the ability to set a custom elevation offset.

Custom Surface Comparison gives you that control. You can move and adjust individual points along the measurement boundary to make the base match the actual ground conditions beneath your stockpile.

How to customize the base of a stockpile measurement 

  1. From the measurement toolbar, select Polygon.
  2. Select from the options in the dropdown menu. In this case, select Stockpile.
Measurement Polygon Tool.svg
  1. Outline your stockpile, or use the Magic Polygon tool to draw a polygon boundary automatically.
Draw Polygon.png
  1. Select the surface comparison you want to make. In this case, choose Custom Surface for the From or To Surface in the dropdown menus
Surface Comparison Custom Surface.png

Change measurement units

Select the most appropriate measurement unit for distance, area, volume, and density from the dropdown menu. This makes it easy to switch between imperial and metric units as needed and generate reports in your preferred format.

Change Measurement Units Polygon.svg

How to edit the custom base

Move a single point

Click the point you want to edit. You can drag it to a new location, or manually edit the northing, easting, elevation, and offset of the point.

Surface Comparison Edit Single Point.png
Edit Polygon Point.png
Edit Point Location Using Northing and Easting.png

Move multiple points

Hold the shift key and click and drag a box around the points you want to edit.

Surface Comparison Custom Base Edit Multiple.png

Shift the entire polygon

You can also move the entire polygon by clicking the icon in the center of the polygon and dragging it to the new location.

Surface Comparison Custom Base Edit Entire Shape.png

Click SAVE to recalculate the volume.


Still need a hand?

These articles are written to get you where you need to go, but if you can't find what you're looking for, our support team is here to help. Reach out anytime via the question mark in the bottom left of your portal.

Explore what's coming next

MapLabs is our early access program where you can try what’s coming next and share feedback with our team. Learn how to join.

Related to

Was this article helpful?

0 out of 0 found this helpful

Have more questions? Submit a request