-TIN command

Creates a new TIN Surface from selected source data via Command line.

Description

A TIN Surface is a three-dimensional geometric representation of a terrain or a civil feature, which also includes its representation with triangles, contours, slopes, spot elevations, and elevation ranges.

The algorithm connects the nearest lying points into triangles that form a Triangular Irregular Network (TIN), using the Delaunay triangulation method.

You can affect the way points are connected by adding boundaries and breaklines to the TIN Surface. Triangles always follow specified boundaries and breaklines and never intersect them. You can also edit the TIN Surface with other options available in the TINEDIT command.

A TIN Surface is dynamically linked to most of its input data, such as Point files, Point Groups, Point Clouds, Civil points and Contours. Point files and point clouds are usually no longer modified by users after a TIN Surface has been created from them. Therefore, in the next step after the creation of the TIN surface, a snapshot of the TIN surface is automatically created. This breaks the link to the input data. You can remove the Create snapshot definition in the Civil Explorer to re-establish the dynamic link.

Dynamic link is not supported for CAD elements and 3D faces. Changing these types of input data does not affect the triangulation of the TIN surface.

Method

The following type of source data can be used to create a TIN Surface with the TIN command:

  • CAD elements (points and linear entities) and Civil points
  • Point files
  • Civil points specified in the drawing
  • 3D Face elements
  • Point Clouds
  • Point Groups
  • Contours

Launch the TIN command from the Ribbon, Civil Toolbar, Command line, or from the Civil Explorer panel. Select the source data type and specify the input elements. New data is added to the TIN Surface as a new Definition.

Options within the command

Import from file
Creates a TIN surface from an imported points file in text file format (TXT), comma-delimited file format (CSV) and other text formats where the XYZ coordinates in the input file are separated by any delimiter. You can select multiple point files to create a TIN surface. The file names and their path have to be introduced in the Command line.
Enter file format name
Sets the file format name.
? to list point file formats
Lists the names of all point file formats.
place Points
Creates a TIN surface from picked points.
create from Faces
Creates a TIN Surface by selecting 3D faces. You can choose to add edges of 3D faces as breaklines (Y) or to create TIN Surface only with points of 3D Faces (N).
create from point Cloud
Creates a TIN Surface from a Point Cloud.
create from point Groups
Creates a TIN Surface from a Point Group.
create from cOntours
Creates a TIN Surface from selected line elements.
Use weeding factors

Yes: existing contour vertices are not used to create a TIN Surface, if the distance and angle between them is less than the specified weeding parameters.

No: all the vertices of source line elements are used to create the TIN Surface from the Contours.

Use supplementing factors

Yes: additional vertices are added to contours, if the distance between vertices on the contour is greater than the specified supplementing distance.

No: all the vertices of source line elements are used to create the TIN Surface from the Contours.

cLip polygon
Creates a TIN Surface only in the area defined by the CLIP polygon (a closed polyline).
Note: An option exists to remove the crossed breaklines, if any.
Simplify the TIN surface?
Yes: the TIN Surface created from an imported points file is simplified, and from a Point Cloud by reducing the points density. The surface simplification process is defined by setting values for the radius or simplification step, and for elevation difference.
No:: a TIN Surface is created from all points in the input point file or in Point Cloud.
Note: After the first iteration of the simplification, a report on the command line displays, stating the number of points before simplification, the number of removed points and the number of points after simplification. In the next step, you can choose between the options Simplify again or Create TIN Surface.
Create TIN surface
Creates the TIN Surface.
Densify TIN surface

Yes: after the TIN Surface is simplified, the maximum elevation difference between the simplified TIN Surface and the excluded input points on a specified area in a TIN Surface is specified. All input points with a greater elevation difference than specified are added back to the simplified TIN Surface.

No: the TIN surface is created according to the specified parameters for simplification.

Enter for entire TIN surface
Applies the densify process for the entire TIN Surface.
Select polygons
Applies the densify process for the selected polygons.
Draw polygon
Applies the densification for a polygon, specified in a drawing.
Note: The parameters for TIN Simplify and TIN Densify processes can be subsequently edited using the appropriate definition for creating a TIN surface in Civil Explorer.