Jeff,
I have made a floor type that has two layers, one concrete and one earth fill on top of the concrete. The earth fill layer is variable. If I use the shape editing tools, it will only let me adjust the variable layer, so all I can do is increase the amount of earth fill on top and make the top of that layer slope based on the points I put in. The concrete layer cannot be manipulated at all in this scenario even using the slope arrow tool in the edit boundary command. When the slope arrow is used it automatically removes the variable thickness of the variable layer.
So unless I am missing something it isn't possible to slope the concrete floor and have variable earth cover.
I am trying to find a way to construct an underground space and it seems that the topography isn't nimble enough to do it and the variable thickness floors and roofs aren't quite there either. Perhaps floors and roofs could have a function added to cut into topography similar to how pads work but with a check box to cut topography above or below until it meets another topo cutting element. With this type of feature, tunnels and underground buildings could be modeled with out having to try to match a toposurface and its method for manipulation with a mass or in place component and its different method for manipulation. For example, it would be very useful to be able to:
1) Make a topo surface.
2) Make a floor with an instance check box to cut topo surface ABOVE the floor to a certain height.
3) Make a floor or roof above the floor made in step 2 with an instance check box to cut topo surface BELOW the floor or roof to a certain depth.
This would leave the topo above the floor/roof in step 3 so that it could still be manipulated as part of the topo surface.
Based on my understanding of how the toposurface works (that it is not a solid or a mass, but merely a paper thin surface that shows a depth when cut by a section or pad), the topo surface might have to be changed to a different type of object for this to work. It seems that the toposurface not being a solid or mass is the main culprit behind the cumbersome chore of making a tunnel or underground space. Because it is just a surface, there isn't any dirt to carve a space out of. All a pad can do is punch a hole in that paper thin surface.
Hopefully Autodesk can add this feature soon!
Ian