How to calculate volumes on Pix4Dcloud

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Warning: Under one of the following conditions, calculating volumes is not possible and an error is displayed:
  1. No DSM is available.
  2. The 3D Textured Mesh is uploaded from the Pix4Dcloud interface without the offset.xyz file and the volume is calculated using the 3D Textured Mesh as a reference, even if the DSM is available (the base surfaces that are being drawn on the mesh do not intersect any valid region of the DSM). Uploading the offset.xyz file can georeference the mesh.
  3. The coordinate system is not one of those recognized as valid.
  4. The coordinate system is arbitrary.

How to create a new volume

1. In the 2D or 3D view, in the main window, select the new volume tool by clicking 2018-10-15_16-52-16.png

2018-10-15_16-43-17.png

Alternatively, on the left panel, click to add a new annotation and select Measure a volume.

2. Draw the base surface of the volume that must be calculated, by left-clicking to mark its vertices. With each click, a vertex is created and the volume base surface is formed. Double-click to complete the polygon.
3. (optional) To mark the vertices more accurately, select the volume from the Annotations list on the left panel or click ic_cursor_black.png on the toolbar. Correct the position of the vertices or click the plus sign between two vertices to refine the perimeter.
4. Once the polygon has been drawn, specify how the base surface elevation should be determined according to the points of the polygon. By default, a triangulation of all the points is used, but other options are possible. When changing the base surface type, a preview in the 3D view is visible.

2018-10-15_16-44-00.png

 
Tip: For more information on which base surface is recommended to measure your volume: Which Base Surface is recommended for the Volume Calculation?

On the right, details about the base surface are displayed:

  • Name, description, and color of visualization can be edited. 
  • Area, projected area, perimeter, projected perimeter, minimum and maximum elevation, and elevation difference will be displayed according to the drawn polygon.

How to calculate the volume

Once the base surface is set, click Calculate Volume to trigger the volume calculation.

2018-10-15_16-44-15.png

The volume is always calculated on the DSM, not on the 3D Models.

 
Information: For faster results for large volumes, the computation might be made on downsampled DSM tiles. The displayed calculation errors reflect the downsampling algorithm.


The results are displayed on the right panel when done. Changing the base surface type and editing the base surface polygon will automatically trigger a new volume calculation.

2018-10-15_16-44-31.png

 
Note: Volume surface displayed with blue areas represents the fill volume, whereas red areas represent the cut volume.

The following information is displayed:

  • Cut volume [units3]: Volume that is above the volume base. The volume is measured between the volume's base and the surface defined by the DSM.
  • Cut error [units3]: Error estimation of the cut volume.
  • Fill volume [units3]: Volume that is below the volume base. The volume is measured between the volume base and the surface defined by the DSM.
  • Fill error [units3]: Error estimation of the fill volume.
  • Volume difference [units3]: Volume difference = Cut volume + Fill volume.

For more information about how the error is computed: Error estimation in volume calculation.

How to share or export the volume

Volume calculations can be exported together with any other annotation as a SHAPEFILE (2D view only), as a CSV or a GEOJSON file. All the volumes in the project are included in the exported file. To export annotations, select the Annotations layer on the left panel, click  cloud_download.png  and select the preferred export format.

2018-10-15_16-44-54.png

Volumes can be shared using the link generated after clicking the Share button in the upper-right corner. For more information: Share.

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