Quick review on Virtual Surveyor

[Thompson.assc]

Been trying out virtual surveyor lately as part of a side project combining drone data and traditional ground shots, and I'm still wrapping my head around what it does best, I initially came in expecting a CAD style interface, but I think its better oriented towards terrain modeling and cut/fill analysis which I must say is great for volume calcs, but not quite the drafting tool I first thought it'd be but anyway, the way it handles drone generated elevation models is impressive, it's quick to pull contours, and I can sketch out breaklines and surfaces way faster than in Civil 3D, so how are others fitting it into their workflow especially if you're mixing UAV and GNSS data

 

[Artof_War]

I think Virtual Surveyor exposes how bloated traditional CAD software has become. Tools like Civil 3D feel stuck in the past...Virtual Surveyor's focus on terrain and volume work shows that most users don't need full drafting capabilities; they need speed, simplicity, and better UAV integration

 

[MurphY]

Some people I know just use it as a pre CAD tool, do the heavy lifting with drone data in VS, then export clean surfaces or DXFs into Civil 3D for final linework or sheets or use it purely for volume reports or site progress tracking since it's quick and visual

 

[SpecialWriter56]

Been trying out virtual surveyor lately as part of a side project combining drone data and traditional ground shots, and I'm still wrapping my head around what it does best, I initially came in expecting a CAD style interface, but I think its better oriented towards terrain modeling and cut/fill analysis which I must say is great for volume calcs, but not quite the drafting tool I first thought it'd be but anyway, the way it handles drone generated elevation models is impressive, it's quick to pull contours, and I can sketch out breaklines and surfaces way faster than in Civil 3D, so how are others fitting it into their workflow especially if you're mixing UAV and GNSS data

As someone just starting out, I'm curious, how do you usually handle accuracy between drone elevation models and GNSS points in Virtual Surveyor? Do you need to adjust the data before creating surfaces?