Functional Overview
Updated October 17, 2017
This article applies to:
- Terrain 3D
- Terrain Forestry
- RoadEng Civil
- RoadEng Forestry
Softree software solutions are sold as modular products. Depending on the product you have purchased, it could include up to three modules:
- Survey/Map
- Terrain
- Location
Figure 1: Relationship Between the Modules
Each of the modules can be started from the Windows Start menu, a desktop shortcut or from the Setup tab within either of the other modules.
Module Descriptions
Survey/Map Module
This module is used primarily to type paper survey notes into the computer. Azimuths, distances and slopes are entered and reduced to coordinates. Facilities exist to add perpendicular side shots to a traverse so that a group of terrain, suitable for a road design, can be easily captured with basic survey instruments.
Survey/Map also contains tools for adjusting traverses with respect to each other or to known coordinates.
Terrain Module
The Terrain Module provides basic CAD facilities for assembling and manipulating 2D and 3D points and features. Information can be imported from external sources like survey files, CAD files and image files. Three dimensional coordinates can be incorporated into a digital terrain model (DTM).
DTMs can be used for:
- Contour generation
- Section and profile display
- Volume calculations
- Pad, pit and site design (grading)
- 3D viewing
- Original ground for road design (Location module)
The Terrain module is also a capable mapping tool with control of line types, colors, symbols, hatching and labelling styles.
The Terrain Module (the focus of this tutorial manual) provides 5 main windows: Profile, Plan, 3D, Multi-Plot, and Cable; and 3 panel types: Feature Properties, and Points. The number and type of windows available depends on the Function Groups you have enabled. The figure below shows a typical window arrangement:
Figure 2: Various Windows Displayed in Terrain