Backfilling is the process of filling up a cavity with material after an excavation. Kubla Cubed can be used to calculate the material that will be used in a backfilling operation. It is critical that an additional phase to complete a backfill operation, excavation and backfill cannot be completed in a single phase. A number of elements can be used to define the surface of the backfill material, however there is a trick that can be used to save time in tracing around the perimeter of a cavity. If we set an element like the platform to ‘fill only’ mode it cannot cut from the surface. Using this technique we can trace a platform over the general area of backfill and it will fill up the cavities to the given level, as long as the elevations around the cavities is more than the backfill level than they will remain untouched.
Excavation in one phase has been backfilled in a subsequent phase by using a platform over the area and setting the platform to ‘Fill Only’ mode.
The backfill trick does not need the backfill to be at a set fixed level to work, you can use the same technique with any other absolute element (e.g. Slope or Feature Surface).