2.1 Earthwork

Remove a Ramp 

Ramps may be removed by navigating to the Milestone where they should no longer be visible and using a cut or fill operation.

• To remove a positive ramp, use a cut to "dig it out" - sometimes it is easier to duplicate the initial excavation and adjust the sequence so the duplicate appears in the milestone when the ramp should be removed.
• To remove a negative ramp, user a fil to "fill it in" 

Create a Trench

A trench allows you to create linear excavations by defining a path and selecting a cross section profile. This is typically used for utilities or narrow excavation areas. but can also be used for pad footing in a linear array.

💡Note: Watch the video tutorial on creating a trench for a step-by-step walkthrough.

From the Add Operations Side Sheet, choose Trench (5)


 

💡 Note: Trench geometry is defined by a profile swept along a path. The profile and the path can be customized. 

Trench Settings

To define the trench path, sketch a Polyline that is not self-intersecting; angled corners and Arcs are ok. If you are creating a new trench the sketch tool will automatically launch after adding the trench excavation operation. If you wish to edit an existing trench you will need to enter the sketch tool from the trench's settings panel using Edit Sketch (1) 

Trench Profile

Select the Trench Profile - there are 2 types of trench profiles straight walls and sloped walls. To change profiles, click on the icon (2 above) displaying the current trench profile. From the profile picker, select your desired option. The 3D trench will update in real time, allowing you to see the changes instantly.

Straight trench: Straight trenches have only one setting: Trench Width Bottom. The trench will have a consistent width -the width at the bottom is the same as the width at the top.


 

Sloped trench: Sloped trenches have two settings: Trench Width Bottom and Wall Slope Ratio. Use the Trench Width Bottom setting to define the width at the bottom of the trench. The Wall Slope Ratio, sets the rise/run of the walls with respect to the trench depth . e.g. 1:1 result in walls sloped at 45° (from vertical), while 2:1, results in walls sloped at 30° (from vertical). 1:1 ratio is less steep than 2:1 meaning 1:1 results in a trench that is wider at the top than 2:1.

Sloped Trench Bottom

From the Sloped Bottom tab (1), you are able to slope the bottom of the trench along its length by changing the Grade setting (2). By default, the grade is flat (set to 0%), the more you increase the percentage, the steeper the slope.

In the example below we use a grade of 5%. The depth of the trench will increase along its path (indicated by the arrow) at a 5% slope, beginning at the starting point of the trench path (as defined in the trench path sketch). 

Earthwork Timeline

Open the Earthwork Timeline to view all Earthwork Operations grouped by Milestone. Each operation is displayed as a card. Click the 3-dot menu or double click on a card to manage the operation.

You can:

• Show visuals at this step – Displays the operation in the scene for the selected step.
• Rename – Edit the name of the operation.
• Duplicate - Make a copy of the operation, typically to adjust and move to a later Milestone.
• Create fill from cut - To use the shape of a cut to create a fill
• Move to - To move to a different Milestone. 
• Edit Details - Reopen the cut/fill/ramp/trench to edit the operation settings.
• Delete from Site Plan  - Permanently remove the operation from the Scenario.

Earthwork Sequencing (Boolean Logic)

The operations (cut, fill, ramp, trench) are applied in sequence to modify the shape of the original map terrain the same way material has to be moved on/off your construction site in reality. Because operations are applied in sequence, each operation is modifying the map terrain that results from the last operation -they build on each other. This means the order in which operations are arranged in the Earthwork Timeline determines the final shape.

• Cut operations remove material from site.
• Fill operations add material back to the site.
• Ramp adds or removes material to access the bottom of the excavation. 
• Trenches are narrow, linear cuts typically for utilities. 

Examples:

• When Cut 01 is applied before Fill 01, the terrain is first excavated and then partially filled.

• When the order is reversed (Fill 01 before Cut 01), the final terrain shape and total excavated volume change significantly.

This demonstrates that changing the sequence of operations impacts both the visual outcome and the calculated earthwork volumes.

💡 Note: Always review the operation order in the Earthwork Timeline to ensure the desired excavation result.

1. Click Earthwork Takeoff (1) from the Earthwork panel. 

2. The Earthwork Takeoff panel opens with the Overview tab (2), where you can review summary data.
3. Set a Swell Factor (3) – percentage adjustment representing the increase in volume/decrease in density. 
4. Check Project Total Volume (4), including:
   • Compact Volume 
   • Loose Volume
5. Scroll to Milestone Breakdown (5) to view volume data grouped by milestones. 
6. Click Export (6) to download the breakdown as a .csv file. 
7. Switch to the Detailed Breakdown tab (7) to view a tabular breakdown of each operation, including milestone and volume data. 
8. Use Export again to download the detailed data as a .csv file.

Earthwork Settings

1. Click on the Earthwork Settings (1)
2. Here you can change the color of the boundary or earthwork operations

• Default earthwork color/texture (2) – Set the default color or texture for excavation areas
• Dirt shows projections (3) – Enable or disable projected surfaces (such as overlays) on the excavation

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Earthwork Colors

Enhance your site plans with colored Earthwork Operations. You can independently customize colors for the top/ bottom, and sides during cut, fill, or ramp operations. This allows for greater appeal and clarity in your simulation. 

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How to Customize the Color of Earthwork Operations

• Start by creating a new or editing an existing excavation operation. Here we are using a Cut operation as an example. The same process applies to Fill and Ramp operations.
• In the Color section (1), you'll find two color blocks, initially set to the default excavation color
  • The first block controls the top/bottom color of the operation
  • The second block controls the sides.
• Click the desired color block (2) to access the color picker and select your preferred color. 

• Once you've selected your colors click the Done button. The selected colors will be applied to your excavation operation.

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Video Tutorials

Watch the following videos for step-by-step guidance on creating and managing earthwork operations.

Creating a Trench

Watch this video to learn how to create a Trench.

Creating a Backfill to the Original Map

Watch this video to learn how to create a backfill to the original map.

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Tips & FAQ

Creating Excavation Lifts and Benching

Simulating excavation in lifts helps you visualize the construction process and manage material movement more effectively. This approach improves planning, sequencing, and communication across project stages.

Follow these steps to create excavation lifts:

1. Create the initial Cut by sketching around the building perimeter or excavation footprint.
   💡 Tip: Use the Project from 3D tool within the sketch to quickly project elements like slab edges from your model.

2. Set the cut depth to match the desired lift height (e.g., 10 ft).

3. Duplicate the cut to reuse the same boundary.

4. Click and drag the duplicated cut into the subsequent milestone and edit the depth to 10ft.

   💡 Note: If you are creating many lifts, you may wish to apply a slight offset to the sketch to avoid co-planar faces and improve performance. See Optimizing your earthwork.

5. Repeat this process for other lifts.

   💡 Tip: You can also apply an offset to the sketch, as seen below, to easily incorporate benching.

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Best Practices

Apply the following best practices to optimize your earthwork:

• Reduce the number of operations by combining cuts and fills where possible.
• Use Projected Zones instead of Cut/Fill to Terrain when changing ground appearance.
• Simplify earthwork boundaries and sketches by removing unnecessary points without significantly altering geometry.

Here is a video walking through the above steps to create a trench