Kubla Cubed User Manual
Project Checks
A computer model can only be as good as the data input to it; a frequently used industry phrase is 'GIGO' (Garbage In Garbage Out). Therefore, checking your input is essential to ensure that no mistakes have been made during the various steps. The checks should be made after the data is input (e.g check the site plan after it has been imported). However, we also recommended the following checks are done at the end of each project before producing reports...
Site Plan Scale Check
Check that dimensions in site plan are correct. Press and hold the 'M' key on your keyboard, then drag your mouse from start to end over a known length. If the value matches that on the site plan, then you have scaled correctly. Be sure to pick a long length for comparison to remove the potential of small inaccuracies going un-noticed.
Alternatively, you can use the 'Length' Measurement element. This can be found by double clicking on the 'Measurements' panel in the right-hand side of the program. For instructions, see our Count, Length and Area Measurements video. The added benefit of this method is that the element stays in place and can be referenced each time new site plan edits are made, helping ensure nothing becomes 'broken' without being noticed.
CAD data Import Units Check
Check that the units in you CAD import, match the units used in your Kubla Cubed units setup. The importer has a units option and you can also change the Measure units from the main menu.
Elevation Spot Check
Going back to check each point height would be a laborious effort. However, you can change the cursor options to show the XYZ values and then mouse over. To do this, from the menu, select 'Measure'. Within the sub menu 'Cursor', select the option X: Y: and then Z(proposed): and/or Z(existing): . Now, when you mouse over terrain, the selected dimension values will show beneath the cursor.
Elevation Cross Section Check
Draw a cross section line across your site. View the graph within Kubla Cubed and check where the proposed line rises above and falls below the existing. Moving the mouse across the graph, you can also check individual sections are precisely as expected under the cursor.
Vertical Exaggeration Check
To help check for incorrect Z values and to a lesser effect XY values, exaggerate the terrain height... Change to one of the 3D cameras to show the Vertical Exaggeration Tool. Move the tool's slider up/down to highlight obvious mistakes such as height spikes.
Input Validation Check
Once all you data has been input, from the main menu select 'Create Spreadsheet' and then select 'Input Data'. Check that the Spreadsheet contents match your original input data.