CROSS SECTION SOFTWARE

Cross Section Software for Earthwork Cubature from a DEM

STREAM is cross section software for earthwork engineers: it computes cut and fill quantities the way road and survey engineers do, by cross-sections. Draw an axis on the terrain, set the section interval, and STREAM slices a section out of the DEM at every station, measures each cut/fill area, and sums the volume between sections into a total.

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A section profile in STREAM along a drawn line, comparing two terrain scenarios with length, minimum and maximum elevation and average slope.

What is cross-section cubature?

Cubature is the volume of earthwork computed from cross-sections taken at regular stations along an alignment. The area of cut and fill at each section is measured, and the volume between sections is summed (average end-area).

It is the standard method for roads, canals, channels and trenches, because it produces a checkable, station-by-station quantity table.

Cross-section cubature — Axis → stations → area per section → volume from areas. — Cross-section cubature
Axis → stations → area per section → volume from areas.
**Axis** — the alignment drawn on the terrain
**Station interval (L)** — sections are taken at equal spacing
**Section area** — cut and fill area measured at each station
**Volume between sections** — summed with the average end-area method

Cross Section Software in STREAM

Sections from the DEM

Set the axis with two clicks; STREAM cuts a section from the DEM at every station, so the ground line always matches the real terrain.

Cut/fill area per station

The cut and fill area of each section is measured automatically at the interval you choose.

Cubature table

Get a clean station-by-station table of area and volume, with total cut and fill (average end-area).

DXF section drawings

Export the cross-section drawings as DXF, ready to drop into CAD.

How to compute earthwork cubature from cross-sections

1
Set the axis
Draw the centreline with two clicks, or reuse a line you have already drawn on the terrain.
2
Set the station interval
Choose the spacing between sections. STREAM cuts a section out of the DEM at every station.
3
Pick the surface pair
Choose the upper and lower surfaces the sections are measured between, and set the bulking factor if the quantities are reported loose.
4
Read the cubature table
Each station gets its cut and fill area, and the volume between consecutive sections is summed with the average end-area method.
5
Export drawings and table
Send the section drawings to DXF for CAD and the station-by-station quantities to Excel or CSV.

Supported formats

DXF

Cross-section drawings for CAD

GeoTIFF

Source DEM the sections are cut from

LAS / LAZ

Point cloud source for the DEM the sections are cut from

Watch it

Stream-- Cross-Section Volumes — Earthwork Cubature Straight from Your DEM

Frequently asked questions

How does STREAM create cross-sections?

You draw an axis on the terrain with two clicks and set the section interval; STREAM slices a cross-section out of the DEM at every station and measures its cut/fill area.

Can I export the cross-section drawings?

Yes. STREAM exports the cross-section drawings as DXF for CAD, alongside a station-by-station cubature (volume) table.

Which earthworks is this for?

Road, canal, channel and trench earthworks, site grading and quantity takeoff — anywhere station-based cubature is used.

Is STREAM cross section software for earthwork, or a full terrain modeling package?

STREAM is terrain modeling software that includes cross section software as one module — the same DEM and the same terrain model feed the cross-sections, cut/fill areas and cubature table directly, with no separate import step.