Both Cut Fill and DEM Lake Carving are common raster analysis functions that are interrelated yet distinct. Both operate on DEM terrain data and generate new raster data. The difference lies in their operational methods: Cut Fill involves algebraic operations between raster datasets, while DEM Lake Carving essentially performs raster updates.

Below are detailed explanations of these two functions:

Cut Fill

Cut Fill calculates the earthwork volume required for excavation or filling on a terrain surface. It offers two approaches: The first method computes volume and area changes between two raster datasets (source data and cut/fill data). The second method, surface cut fill, determines a reference surface by drawing polygons or creating buffer zones from lines on the raster surface, then specifies the target elevation after excavation (append:) to calculate excavation area and volume.

The Cut Fill result generates a new raster dataset through algebraic operations between the source raster and excavation objects, with statistics for altered areas. Results can be displayed in both maps and scenes.

DEM Lake Carving

Natural terrains often contain depressions like lakes and reservoirs that require accurate representation. DEM Lake Carving achieves this by specifying polygon data as lake surfaces during DEM construction. Users can select elevation fields or input elevation values to define post-carving water surface elevations, effectively updating corresponding DEM elevation values.

SuperMap provides two implementation methods: performing lake carving during DEM construction, or modifying existing DEM data through lake carving operations.