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I have some total station points in x,y,z (.txt) file that I want to make a 3D shape and create a volume from. The points are taken in small basins (as small as 50 gallons) and I do not need any spatial reference to the surrounding area, just strictly trying to find volume of a 3D surface made from these points. So far I've kind of figured out some of the tools to use, like Surface Volume Analyst in the 3D analyst toolbar, but I'm having trouble putting it all into a process from start to finish. Can any pros here help make sense of this? I have no problem getting the points into ArcGIS, but I am having trouble correctly interpolating and making a surface that I can then calculate volume from. Also, I'm using ArcMap 10.1. Thanks for any comments!
Mitchell
Thanks for your response! I converted the xyz points to a "3D aware" feature class like you said and created the TIN. One question, why does it look completely different from the feature class created just by uploading my points through "display xy data" and then "export as feature class"?? What is the main difference with something that is "3D aware"?
Also, is there a way that I can view the map in 3D? Would I have to have another program? Thanks again for your help, I was able to create the map I needed, just wanting to know why it is different so it makes more sense to me!
Mitchell