Measure and view elevation profiles

Measure slope and horizontal distance between two points in 3D, read the ground height anywhere, and view, fly along and share a route's elevation profile.

On this page

The 3D site model has three quick tools for reading the ground: a two-point measure, a tap for elevation readout, and an elevation profile for any line, route or area.

Before you start

Measure between two points

  1. On the Survey tab, switch to 3D.
  2. Tap the ruler button on the right. It turns blue, and a chip at the top left says Tap two points to measure.
  3. Tap the first point, then the second. Tap on ground, or tap a pin to use that asset's exact position.

A blue straight line joins the two points, and a white line follows the ground between them. The chip shows:

  • Slope distance (the straight line through the air between the two points) and horiz. (horizontal) distance.
  • Δh: the height difference, second point minus first.
  • The grade as a percentage.
  • The bearing from the first point to the second, in degrees and as a compass direction.

For example: 42.6 m slope · 41.9 m horiz. and Δh +7.48 m · 17.8% · 63° NE.

To measure again, tap a new first point; the old measurement clears. Tap the chip to clear it without starting a new one. Tap the ruler again to stop measuring.

While measuring is on, taps don't open assets.

Read the ground height anywhere

With measuring off, tap bare ground in 3D. A marker drops, and a chip shows:

  • The height, in metres above sea level (m MSL).
  • The slope as a percentage, and the direction the slope faces (for example NE).
  • The latitude and longitude.

Tap the chip to close it.

The route panel

Tap a line, route or area in 3D. A panel opens at the bottom with:

  • The feature's name and length.
  • Fly to fly the camera along it (Stop while flying).
  • Details to open the asset's full details.
  • ✕ to close the panel.
  • The elevation profile chart, with the numbers underneath.
The 3D site model showing a route across terrain

Read the profile

The chart's horizontal axis is distance along the line; the vertical axis is height in metres.

  • The grey filled area is the terrain along the line.
  • A coloured line, in the feature's colour, shows the measured heights. This only appears when every vertex of the line has its own height, for example RTK vertices or an imported route with elevations.

The row underneath shows:

Figure Meaning
↗ Total climb along the line.
↘ Total descent.
max The steepest grade, as a percentage.
Range Lowest to highest height, in metres.

Drag your finger along the chart to scrub. A cursor shows the height at that distance, and a marker moves to the same spot on the route in 3D.

If the panel says Build the 3D site model for an elevation profile., there's no terrain yet. No heights along this line yet. means there's nothing to draw at all, neither terrain nor measured heights.

Fly along a route

Tap Fly. The camera travels along the route at 8 metres per second (about 29 km/h, or 18 mph), looking ahead. The profile cursor follows the camera so you can see where you are on the chart.

The flight stops at the end of the route, when you tap Stop, when you drag the view, or when you close the panel.

The profile in an asset's details

Lines and areas also have an Elevation profile section in their details sheet. It shows the same chart, plus:

  • Gain / loss, for example +38 m / −12 m.
  • Max grade.
  • Elevation: lowest to highest, in m MSL.
  • Surface length: the length measured along the ground, which is longer than the flat length on steep ground.
  • Share profile CSV.

If the model hasn't been built, the section says Build the 3D site model to see this route's profile. with a Build 3D site model button.

The profile CSV

Share profile CSV creates a file named after the asset (for example Main St sewer-profile.csv) and opens the share sheet, so you can send it by AirDrop or Mail, or save it to Files. The columns are:

Column Contents
distance_m Distance along the line from the start, in metres.
latitude, longitude Position of the sample, in decimal degrees.
terrain_msl_m Terrain height, in metres above sea level.
measured_msl_m Measured height, when the line has them. Blank otherwise.
grade_pct Grade from the previous sample, as a percentage. Blank on the first row.

The samples include every vertex, with extra samples spaced along each segment. Values are always in metres, whatever your display units are.