It's all about money - you have to prove something to get yours.

Putting in rock on a slope

• The plans have a typical cross section - but there's really no "typical" cross section
• They didn't survey it - but you have to prove them wrong
• Work today and take your shots
• Put the shots into CS2 tonight and print something
• Give the inspector updated drawings tomorrow

Moving dirt - you get paid by the yard

• You have a beautiful set of plans with the nicest looking contour lines
• Import the contour lines if they will give you the dxf file
• Stake some lines to see if they are right - If the lines are wrong, in my experience, its 50 - 50 on who it favors
• Import what you are suppose to build
• Make a TIN of original and proposed to check them
• I had a job with a estimated 35,000 yards of dirt that turned out to be 15,000 yards

Moving dirt - you get paid lump sum

• You have a beautiful set of plans with the nicest looking contour lines again
• Engineer had survey done by airplane photos
• Dirt is to be stock piled
• Spend some time and take a real good before survey of the stock pile area
• You can get a feel of how many yards fit your area at different depths

Volume calculated with cross sections

• Cross sections work fine if the sections are on a straight line
• Cross sections on a curve are not "average"
• If you are filling a hole and the cross section alignment is on each side of the hole - that is not "average"
• The weirder something looks the better TIN's work

The main thing I have learned is that you have to find errors before you do the work. Every one of the buttons on the COGO tool bar is there because I needed it.