Infield Surfaces

Infield surfaces enable you to create a 3D surface in the cab. Using the infield surface wizard, you can create a simple surface or a complex alignment with a cross‑section applied to it.

NOTE – From v2.23, the system saves infield slope or alignment and section surfaces in LandXML format. For more information, see LandXML format.

Creating a new infield project

When you create an infield surface, you can either store it in an existing project or create a new infield project.

To create a new infield project:

  1. From the Job Setup screen, tap the plus icon on the right‑hand side of the Project field. The Create Project screen displays.

  2. In the Project Name field, enter a unique name for your new infield project and tap Save.

Creating an infield surface

TIP – When you create an infield surface, you can name it. This can be useful if you want to use it again in future.

To begin creating an infield surface:

  1. In the Job Setup screen, select a project and then go to the Mode field and select Design.

  2. Tap the plus icon on the right‑hand side of the Guidance Surface field. The infield surface wizard displays.
  3. Tap Level or Slope to create a simple surface; tap Alignment and Section to draw an alignment and section and then combine the two.

TIP – Select a design from the Design File field to show that design's linework when you view the completed infield surface on the work screen.

When you create a new infield surface, it is automatically selected as your guidance surface.

Level pad surface

To create a level pad surface, select your guidance focus and then set an elevation.

TIP – Tap Here to use the current Elevation of the focus point.

Slope surface

There are four steps to creating a slope:

  1. Select the guidance focus and then set the coordinates of the initial point in your alignment.
  2. Select the slope type:

    • Point and Direction: Create a slope design by combining an initial point with a defined direction and grade.

    • 2‑Point: Create a slope surface using two points in the path of your alignment.

  3. Define the surface.

    For the Point and Direction method, enter angles for the direction of the path of your alignment and the grade for the mainfall slope of your surface in the direction specified.

    For the 2-Point method, select the bucket focus and then set the coordinates of a second point, which defines the direction and grade of your alignment.

  4. Enter the angle of the cross slope. For a dual cross slope, enter the left and right angles of the slope.

TIP –

  • Tap Here to use the current coordinates of the focus point.
  • Tap Level to set the angle(s) of the cross slope to 0%.
  • When you change the Slope Type from 2-Point to Point and Direction, the new field values are calculated from the values entered for the two points. Use this to check if the calculated direction and grade are within design limits.

NOTE – Surface shading extends only 1km (0.6mi) from the alignment on the work screen. Guidance is still given past 1km (0.6mi) but surface shading is unavailable. Consider creating a second infield slope design parallel to the original if surface shading is required beyond 1km (0.6m) from the original line.

Alignment & Section surface

When you create an Alignment & Section, you will be guided through a 3-step process:

  1. Create an alignment.

    • Create the points that define the path of the alignment (Plan view).
    • Adjust the elevation of the points to establish the grade of the alignment (Elevation view).
  2. Create a section.
  3. Combine the section and alignment to create a 3D model of the infield surface.

You can create an infield surface with your bucket tip directly on screen or using an existing template.

Step 1: Create alignment

Select one of the drawing methods described in the following table.

Icon Method and description
Drawing with points. Use points that you have recorded on your work screen or points imported from the office.

Drawing with the bucket focus. Use the focus of your bucket tip to define alignment points.

Importing an existing alignment. Use an existing alignment as a template. You can edit it and save it as a new alignment.

Alignment editing modes

The different editing modes described in the table below are common to each of the alignment drawing methods.

By default, the edit coordinate mode is selected. Tap to select the editing mode you prefer.

Icon Mode and description
Edit Coordinate. Use this to edit the Northing, Easting and/or Elevation of a point.
Edit Segment. Use this to edit the distance, internal angle and elevation of a point.

There are two steps to creating an alignment:

  1. Create the points that define the path of the alignment (Plan view).
  2. Adjust the elevation of the points to establish the grade of the alignment (Elevation view).

TIP – Tap inside any field to directly edit it.

Drawing with points

Plan view

You can use points that you have previously recorded on the work screen or those that have been imported from the office to create a new alignment. Tap to select a point from the Points screen and add it to the alignment.

Use the filters on the Points screen to view only the points that were recorded on the work screen, imported from the office, or both.

Office points are stored in office-created projects. To use any available office points, first select the Office project in Job Setup.

TIP – Use the plan view preview to quickly check the placement of your points in your work area. Points that you have selected are highlighted.

The cursor identifies the active point. Additional points are relative to the origin point.

NOTE – Once an origin point has been created it cannot be edited as all the other points created are positioned relative to this point. To change the origin point, tap and create a new one.

Tap to undo your last action. Tap to delete a selected point or double tap individual points to delete them.

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

TIP –

  • Touch and hold the point you want to edit until its color changes to yellow before you try to drag and drop it to its new position.
  • Zoom in to place your points more accurately. The resolution of the grid will get finer as you zoom in.

NOTE – The lock to grid setting will affect the positioning of the point when dragging and dropping.

The icons in the toolbar provide useful tools for creating your design. See Common drawing tools.

Elevation view

After you create the points that define the path of the alignment, tap the Elevation view tab to define the grade of the alignment by adjusting the elevation of the points.

This view shows the elevation of all points along the length of the alignment. By default, the first and last points in the alignment are active . The black dotted line indicates a consistent grade between the two points.

NOTE – Select any two points on the line by touching them in succession to make them active.

The black dots show the change in elevation between the active points.

Once you select the segments bound by the active points, tap the Align Vertices button to align the segments between the active points. This is useful if you need to apply the same slope or grade to a series of segments.

NOTE – The Align Vertices button is only available in Elevation view and is only enabled after you create three or more points.

NOTE – If you alter any of the horizontal positions in the Plan view, you must also check the Elevation view and make adjustments if necessary.

Tap Next when you are finished.

Drawing with the bucket focus

Plan view

The cursor identifies the active point. Additional points are relative to the origin point.

NOTE – Once an origin point has been created it cannot be edited as all the other points created are positioned relative to this point. To change the origin point, tap and create a new one.

Each time you move the bucket to the next point, tap the Add Point icon .

Tap to undo your last action. Tap to delete a selected point or double tap individual points to delete them.

After using the bucket focus to create a point, you can edit it.

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

TIP –

  • Touch and hold the point you want to edit until its color changes to yellow before you try to drag and drop it to its new position.
  • Zoom in to place your points more accurately. The resolution of the grid will get finer as you zoom in.

NOTE – The lock to grid setting will affect the positioning of the point when dragging and dropping.

The icons in the toolbar provide useful tools for creating your design. See Common drawing tools.

Elevation view

After you create the points that define the path of the alignment, tap the Elevation view tab to define the grade of the alignment by adjusting the elevation of the points.

This view shows the elevation of all points along the length of the alignment. By default, the first and last points in the alignment are active . The black dotted line indicates a consistent grade between the two points.

NOTE – Select any two points on the line by touching them in succession to make them active.

The black dots show the change in elevation between the active points.

Once you select the segments bound by the active points, tap the Align Vertices button to align the segments between the active points. This is useful if you need to apply the same slope or grade to a series of segments.

NOTE – The Align Vertices button is only available in Elevation view and is only enabled after you create three or more points.

NOTE – If you alter any of the horizontal positions in the Plan view, you must also check the Elevation view and make adjustments if necessary.

Tap Next when you are finished.

Importing an existing alignment

You can use an existing alignment as a template. You can then edit and save it with a unique name as a new alignment.

NOTE – Any alignments you create as part of an infield surface will be included in the list of available templates.

The cursor identifies the active point. Additional points are relative to the origin point.

NOTE – Once an origin point has been created it cannot be edited as all the other points created are positioned relative to this point. To change the origin point, tap and create a new one.

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

TIP –

  • Touch and hold the point you want to edit until its color changes to yellow before you try to drag and drop it to its new position.
  • Zoom in to place your points more accurately. The resolution of the grid will get finer as you zoom in.

NOTE – The lock to grid setting will affect the positioning of the point when dragging and dropping.

TIP – To add a new point in the middle of a segment, touch the first point to highlight it and then tap .

Tap to undo your last action. Tap to delete a selected point or double tap individual points to delete them.

The icons in the toolbar provide useful tools for creating your design. See Common drawing tools.

Tap Next when you are finished.

Step 2: Create Section

Sections are like templates that define roads, banks and channels. A section consists of a number segments.

To create a section, use one of the methods described in the following table.

Icon Method and description
Drawing directly on-screen with your finger. Use your finger directly on the screen to define section points.

Drawing with the bucket focus. Use the bucket focus to define section points.

Importing an existing section. Use an existing section memory as a template. You can edit it and save it as a new section memory.

Section editing modes

The different editing modes described in the table below are common to each of the section creation modes.

By default, the edit line mode is selected. Tap to select the editing mode you prefer.

Icon Mode and description
Edit Point. In edit point mode you use relative measurements to specify a point's position (like rise over run).
Edit Line. In edit line mode you use an angle and a horizontal distance from the previous point to specify a point's position.
Scale All. In scale all mode you use a width and a height to specify the sections size.

NOTE – In scale all mode, indicates that the height and width ratio will be maintained on scaling. Tap to adjust these measures independently of each other ().

TIP – Tap inside any field to directly edit it.

Drawing directly on-screen with your finger

You can draw points directly on the screen with your finger to create a new section and then save it.

The cursor identifies the active point. Additional points are relative to the origin point.

Every time you lift your finger off the screen a new point is added.

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

Tap to undo your last action. Tap to delete a selected point or double tap individual points to delete them.

The icons in the toolbar provide useful tools for creating your design. See Common drawing tools.

Tap Next when you are finished.

Drawing with the bucket focus

Each time you move the bucket to the next point, tap the Add Point icon .

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

After using the bucket focus to create a point, you can edit it.

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

TIP –

  • Touch and hold the point you want to edit until its color changes to yellow before you try to drag and drop it to its new position.
  • Zoom in to place your points more accurately. The resolution of the grid will get finer as you zoom in.

NOTE – The lock to grid setting will affect the positioning of the point when dragging and dropping.

The icons in the toolbar provide useful tools for creating your design. See Common drawing tools.

Tap Next when you are finished.

Importing an existing section

You can use an existing section as a template. You can then edit and save it with a unique name as a new section.

The cursor identifies the active point. Additional points are relative to the origin point.

NOTE – Once an origin point has been created it cannot be edited as all the other points created are positioned relative to this point. To change the origin point, tap and create a new one.

Tap the point you want to edit and then, either edit the numeric fields directly, or drag and drop it to a new position.

TIP –

  • Touch and hold the point you want to edit until its color changes to yellow before you try to drag and drop it to its new position.
  • Zoom in to place your points more accurately. The resolution of the grid will get finer as you zoom in.

NOTE – The lock to grid setting will affect the positioning of the point when dragging and dropping.

Tap to undo your last action. Tap to delete a selected point or double tap individual points to delete them.

The icons in the toolbar provide useful tools for creating your design. See Common drawing tools.

Tap Next when you are finished.

Step 3: Combine Alignment and Section

In this final step, the section is attached to the alignment. By default, the first point of the section acts like an anchor and is attached to the alignment.

Drawing tools

The icons on the drawing screen provide useful tools to assist with combining the alignment and section.

Icon Description
Enter the distance to extend the surface back from the first point defined in the alignment. The maximum value is 500 m.
Enter the distance to extend the surface beyond the last point defined in the alignment. The maximum value is 500 m.
Tap to move the intersection of the section and alignment to the previous point.
Tap to move the intersection of the section and alignment to the next point.
Tap to horizontally flip the section without changing the intersection of the section and alignment. Use this feature if the section is attached to the wrong side of the alignment and you need to flip it to the other side. For example, if the section is attached to the left side of the alignment and needs to be on the right side, or vice‑versa.
Tap to reset the zoom and display the entire drawing in the view.

Plan view

To edit the intersection point of the section, tap the Next Point and/or Previous Point icons. The axes hairs show you where the section and alignment intersect.

3D view

Use the 3D view to perform a sanity check on the surface.

TIP – Zoom in to inspect the surface closely.

The system automatically assigns the next available name to the surface, for example: "Infield 2". If required, tap inside the Name field and enter another name. If you want to rename a surface later, you can do this from the Surfaces Manager screen.

Tap Apply.

Common drawing tools

The icons on the drawing screen provide useful tools to assist you with drawing alignments or sections.

Icon Description
Tap to undo the last action.

Mirror the existing section either from the origin point or from the end point. Select the mirroring direction in the pop-over box.
Select to replicate and reflect the section and attach it to the end.
Select to replicate and reflect the section and attach it to the origin.

NOTE – This is not available for Step 1: Create Alignment.
Tap to reset the zoom and display the entire drawing in the view.

Lock to Grid. New points are placed on the nearest intersection on the drawing grid.
Unlock from Grid. New points are placed anywhere in the drawing window. Tap to switch between the modes.

NOTE – Lock to Grid only applies to points created or edited on-screen by touch.

Tips to avoid overlapping surfaces in infield surfaces

Using the Alignment and Section method to create infield surfaces can create overlapping surfaces. The system may fail to give guidance to overlapping surfaces.

To use the Alignment and Section method to create surfaces that do not overlap, create alignments that:

  • Are straight or with wide corners and curves.
  • Start and end on straight portions - if the surface must close on itself. Leave a small gap between the alignment's start and end.
  • Have shallow or smooth elevation changes.
  • Are along the inside edges of the desired surfaces so that placing the sections creates surfaces along the open sides of the alignments.
  • Have narrow cross sections, especially on surfaces with corners or curves.

When you combine the alignment and section, use the 3D view to check for:

  • Overlapping sections - dark gray

  • Missing sections - no gray

  • Poorly formed sections - possible poor guidance points

NOTE – When you create a section, the system does not render lines that have an angle change of less than 5° in either the work screen or the preview pane. If you tap where the unrendered line is located, you can still select the line.

Renaming an infield surface

You can rename an infield surface from the Surfaces Manager screen. If you will use the surface again, it can be useful to rename it with a memorable name.

  1. Tap this icon beside the appropriate surface. The overflow menu displays.

  2. Select Rename. The Rename Infield Surface dialog displays.

  3. Enter the new name for your infield surface.

Editing an infield surface

There are 2 ways to edit an existing infield surface:

  • From the Surfaces Manager screen:

    1. Tap this icon beside the infield surface's name.

    2. Select Edit. This opens the surface in the infield surface wizard.

  • From the work screen:

    1. Touch and hold on the work screen to open the context menu.

    2. Tap the infield surface to edit. The system shows options for the surface.

    3. Tap Edit. This opens the surface in the infield surface wizard.

Deleting an infield surface

You can delete an infield surface from the Surfaces Manager screen:

  1. Tap this icon beside the appropriate surface. The overflow menu displays.

  2. Select Delete. A confirmation dialog displays.

  3. Tap Yes. The infield surface is deleted.

Showing design linework and getting guidance

You can load an office design file while using an infield surface. You can either show the linework in the design as a reference or you can select a line for horizontal guidance.

From the Job Setup screen:

  1. Select the office design file from the Design File field.

  2. Create or select your guidance surface from the Guidance Surface field.

    The work screen will show your infield surface as the guidance surface, but will show linework from the design.

  3. Touch and hold on a line to select it for horizontal guidance.

LandXML format

Previously, the system created infield surfaces in different formats, depending on the type of surface:

Surface Type File Format
Level .level
Slope (or dual slope) .slope
Alignment and section .infield

Now, the system saves .slope or .infield surfaces in the industry-standard LandXML format. This enables you to:

  • Edit your infield surfaces in CAD software

  • Share your generated surfaces with other systems that support LandXML

The .level format remains unchanged.

Earlier infield surfaces within the system (.slope or .infield) are automatically converted to LandXML when the system starts. If you import a .slope or .infield file, it is converted to LandXML during the import. The original files are saved in the \FieldData\Designs\Archive\ folder.