Kubla Cubed User Manual
If you are following the approach of defining the entire site in a Feature surface and then adjusting to a subgrade/formation level using the Reduce element, then hard landscaping can be modelled with contour lines and break-lines. Points are not a good way of defining hard landscaping areas as they are not necessarily joined in the way you would expect for hard edges (e.g. the edge of a building pad or car park). Firstly, closed contour lines can be used to define building pads and other flat areas. Break-lines can be drawn around the perimeter of car parks etc... to add that detail.
However, when modelling hard landscaping, the 'offset method' by which different areas of construction thickness are defined in different feature surfaces, does tend to create accurate surfaces far easier than the 'reduce method'. With the reduce method often a lot of time has to be spent with break-lines, contours and points to get the same effect of a few elevation elements combined. This is because Kubla Cubed generates side slopes for all elements, however when defining the whole site in one feature, all the side slopes of buildings, car parks, ramps etc. have to be defined with contours etc...
As with all take-off work, there is no one correct way to define things, however the following recommendations provide a good starting point when using the 'offset method' in regard to which elements to use:
Building Pads, Drives, Garages: For this the platform element can be used. You can define different areas in the same platform element with different outlines. However all areas in a single platform will have the same elevation. If you have many pads with different elevations (such as you would find in a housing project), a feature surface will allow you to define different pads with the 'fixed level' outlines. A different fixed level outline for each pad.
Car Parks: If the car park is a consistent slope or two consistent slopes perhaps then the slope element can be used for this. Frequently though, a car park is defined on a plan with elevations along the perimeter, in this case it is often easiest to use a Feature Surface and the 'varying level' outline. If there are extra elevations inside the car park, break-lines or points can be used, to add that detail.
Ramps: The slope element is useful for creating ramps. If the ramps are all on the same plane then you can use multiple outlines to define them in the same slope element. However if they are not then multiple slope elements can be used.
When using the offset method and splitting areas into different feature surfaces some consideration needs to be made in regard to the order of the elements. The elements lower in the calculation order will override the ones above. It is a good idea to put the more expansive areas at the top and the more detailed areas lower down. You down need to carefully snap the boundaries between different areas together if you use the overriding behaviour strategically.