How to Perform Volumetric Analysis

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW TO PERFORM VOLUMETRIC ANALYSIS IN LP360

LP360 has one of the most comprehensive assortments of volumetric tools available for geospatial processing to perform volumetric analysis. Now users can easily define toes and clean volumetric data in a fraction of the time.

In the workflow video below, Chad Dillard, the LP360 Sales Manager, demonstrates a number of the tools available in LP360 to make easy work of your volumetric calculations.

This workflow video demonstrates how to use the toe extractor tool to easily outline stockpiles and remove points over the stockpile. You can also learn how to reshape stockpiles to meet the base, separate stockpile features with the split geometry tool, calculate volumes, and easily export volumes to Excel for further analysis and calculations.

Volumetric Analysis in LP360

Volumetric analysis within a point cloud setting is the process of using the point cloud to compute the volume of stockpiled material. LP360 contains an advanced set of volumetric analysis tools that allow for a variety of computational scenarios such as:

• Simple stockpile with base defined by a “toe”
• Simple stockpile with overhead features (that require removal from the computation)
• Stockpiles with a priori base level (for example, a surface is defined by a survey performed before the stockpiles were placed)
• Volumes with bases defined by geometric shapes
• Borrow pit analysis
• Change analysis over time such as cut and fill computations

Using LP360 to perform volume calculations

In LP360, we define Cut as the positive volume and Fill as the negative volume. Thus, if you had a pile and drew a polygon around its base, the volume would be considered Cut. Conversely, a polygon around a hole in the ground would result in a volume labeled Fill. We have found this definition to be consistent with the practice in some industries yet in opposition to others, so you may need to reverse the labels in your particular area of practice.

For a typical 10-acre stockpile area of 50 or so piles, you can save 8 hours of production time as compared to manual definition methods by using the tools in LP360.

For example, a customer of GeoCue (a paper mill application) was using tools from another software provider to calculate toe definition and volumes. However, they were spending over 8 hours trying to model a single pile (excluding the point cloud processing time!) Even after this large investment of time, they were not getting accurate volumes.

After switching the volume part of the workflow to LP360, the time spent defining toes and computing volumes was reduced from 8 hours to less than one hour. In addition, after employing LP360 for cleanup and editing, their volumes met expectations. This company has now transitioned its entire plant (including feeder stock log piles) to drone-based volumetric.

If you’re ready to put LP360 to work for your business and greatly increase your efficiency in processing data, schedule a time to meet with one of our knowledgeable representatives today.

Volumetric Analysis Workflow

1. Open LP360 and use the Add Files dialog found on the Project tab to add the desired LAS layer to the map. Be sure to save the project
2. Configure the conflation method to use when creating new features. 
   1. Navigation to the Feature Edit tab, then open the Feature Edit Options dialog
   2. Select the Auto Z tab in the dialog
   3. The default conflation method will be set, however it will look at all points in the point cloud for the Z value measurements. If the LAS has the ground classified, click the ellipse (...) button next to the Edit Feature Conflation Task. The point cloud task (PCT) settings will open.
   4. Modify the Input Points Filter of the PCT to only consider Ground Points. 
   5. Click Apply in the PCT settings dialog.
   6. Click the ellipse (...) button next to the Create Feature Conflation Task and repeat steps 4 and 5.
   7. Click the Apply or OK button to confirm the changes.
3. Use the Create Feature Layer tool on the Feature Edit tab to create the new feature layer.
   1. Specify the output location
   2. Give a descriptive name
   3. Geometry Type should be a 3D-Polygon
4. Use the Create Feature tool to digitize the feature you wish to measure OR for stockpile measurements, use the Toe Extractor PCT to automatically digitize the stockpile.
5. Once the desired feature is created, navigate to the Point Tasks tab, then select the PCT Manager tool
6. Use the Add button to create a new PCT - Task Type: Volumetric Analysis
7. On the Point Tasks tab, select the Active PCT Settings button to configure the Volumetric Analysis Settings:
   1. The 1st page of the settings is the Base tab.
      • This parameter is intended to be the boundary of the surface to be measured (typically a feature layer) 
        • 3D Polygon Boundary: <Tool Geometry> 
          • This allows users to execute by any feature layers within an open project.
        • Surface Generation Method: Use Polygon Only
        • Breakline Enforcement is an optional parameter and is typically not used.
   2. The 2nd page of the settings is the Hull tab.
      • This parameter is intended to be the surface to be measured (typically a LAS layer)
        • Check Use Base Polygon
        • Surface Generation Method: Use LAS Points
          • Input LAS Points Layer: [Active LAS Layer]
            • This allows users to execute on any ACTIVE LAS layer within an open project.
            • Input Points Filter allows you to select which points to measure - typically Ground only. 
        • Breakline Enforcement is an optional parameter and is typically not used.
   3. The 3rd page of the settings is the Volume tab.
      • Output Polygon File: use the <> button in the I/O Manager to insert the <LP360_Project_Path> variable, followed by a backslash and a name for a new folder to be created. 
        • Example Output Polygon File: <LP360_Project_Path>\Volumes\VolumePolygon.SHP
      • Volume Computation Method
        • Cut
        • Fill
        • Fill-Cut
        • Cut-Fill
      • Output Volume Units
        • Yards
        • Meters
        • Feet
      • Additional Output Attributes
        • Cut Volume
        • Fill Volume
        • Diagnostic Attributes
   4. The 4th page of the settings is the Cut/Fill tab.
      • Optional setting - generates a raster colorized by areas detected as a Cut and as a Fill within the Base polygon.
      • Cut and Fill Output Image File: use the <> button in the I/O Manager to insert the <LP360_Project_Path> variable, followed by a backslash and a name for a new folder to be created. 
        • Example Output LAS File: <LP360_Project_Path>\Volumes\VolumeRaster.TIF
   5. The final page of the settings is the LAS Output tab.
      • Check Output LAS File(s)
      • LAS Point Source: Hull
      • Negative Output Z Value
      • LAS Point Attributes > Destination Class: Ground
      • Cookie Cut into Regular Tiles - Optional
      • LAS Output File: use the <> button in the I/O Manager to insert the <LP360_Project_Path> variable, followed by a backslash and a name for a new folder to be created. 
        • Example Output LAS File: <LP360_Project_Path>\Volumes\VolumeLAS.LAS
8. Execute By Feature Layer

Output LAS Layer in the 3D Viewer