2011 Surface cropping issue

[huhhot]

I'm in 2011 version. I 'm trying to crop a LiDar surface. However, the wizard came out without the source surfaces listed in the panel. I also tired to pick a surface in the drawing and I was allowed to pick surfaces, but nothing happened after I hit enter.

[tcorey]

What if you simplify the surface before cropping? Does that allow you to select it? It might be that there are too many points.

[huhhot]

the surface is generated from LiDar file.

No, the simplify surface option is grey out.

Thanks,

Jiang

[troma]

Are you sure you actually have a TIN surface in the drawing? Can you post a screenshot of you prospector surfaces collection?

[huhhot]

Thanks for reply my post. I attached ascreenshot, which shows my surfaces list.

Thanks,

Jiang

[sirjoelsph · Accepted solution]

You appear to have Grid surfaces created from a DEM file.  Grid surfaces do not support all of the surface editing operations that TIN surfaces do.  Search for "Surface Editing Operations" in the help file and you can see which are supported.

I would imagine that you are having the same problem when trying to crop your surfaces - that operation is not supported for Grid surfaces (couldn't verify this).

You can create TIN surfaces instead of Grid surfaces from DEM files and that might have to be your answer to do what you're looking for.

     -JOEL

[huhhot · Accepted solution]

Thanks, Joel; You have answered my question and I acturally refreshed the concept of grid surface and tin surface once again.

I'm new on the project. I didn't know why the surface initially created in grid.

Thanks, for the help.

Jiang

[KOShaughnessy]

We're having the same issue today. Downloaded LiDAR DEM geoTiffs. Created a surface from DEM. We try cropping but it doesn't let us. We're on 2016. I don't see a way to bring the DEM in as a TIN instead of a Grid.

[KOShaughnessy]

In case anyone is interested anymore, I found a couple different ways to create a TIN surface from DEM files.

1. New surface (from scratch) > Definition > DEM files.  You can now make a cropped surface from this TIN.

2. Make a surface style to show just triangles. Explode the surface to 3D Faces. Make new TIN surface from the 3D faces. Only use the 3D faces you need for your new surface.