The topographic surface is one of the most important items in Virtual Surveyor. The surface is a set of triangles that models the topography of an area and is commonly referred to as a Triangulated Irregular Network or TIN for short. A surface can be shown in different ways. The way it is presented (what you see) influences your exports (what you get). 


You can present surfaces as:

  • A TIN (triangles)
  • Contours
  • A TIN and contours


Display a Surface as a TIN

  1. Select a surface.
  2. Go to the TOOLS for Surface tab.
  3. In the Styling group click on Show TIN and Hide Contours
    1. You can set TIN color and thickness in the two first drop-down menus.



Display a Surface as Contours 

  1. Select a surface.
  2. Go to the TOOLS for Surface tab.
  3. In the Styling group click on Hide TIN and Show Contours
    1. You can set contour's color, interval (vertical distance between two contours), and thickness in the two drop-down menus on the right.


Display a Surface as a TIN and Contours 

  1. Select a surface.
  2. Go to the TOOLS for Surface tab.
  3. In the Styling group, click on Show TIN and Show Contours
    1. You can set TIN color and thickness in the two first drop-down menus. 
    2. You can set contours color and interval and thickness in the two drop-down menus on the right.


Exporting Surfaces

Exporting surfaces follows the principle WYSIWIG = What You See Is What You Get. For example: you can export the contours only when the surface property was set to Show Contours.


To export a surface: 

  1. Select that surface through the Viewport or in the Project View. 
  2. Make sure the visualization are aligned with what you want to get (TIN, contours or both). 
  3. Go to the Export tab. 
  4. In the Survey group, select the file format and click the Export Survey button. 


You can use the exported lightweight CAD model in third party software.


See our article on Exporting Contour Lines to discover more about exporting contours.