Creating 3D Stratigraphic Surfaces - All Formations

RockWorks | Borehole Manager | Stratigraphy | Structural Elevations | 3-Dimensional | All Surfaces

Use this program to:

• Read a listing of stratigraphic contacts from the Borehole Manager database.
• Interpolate a grid model representing the upper surface of each formation, across the project area.
• Create a 3D surface map representing each grid model.
• Plot the surfaces in RockPlot3D.

See also: Creating 3D Stratigraphic Surfaces - One Formation

Feature Level: RockWorks Standard and higher

Menu Options
Step-by-Step Instructions

Menu Options

• Gridding Options: Click on the Options button to the right to establish the gridding method (aka algorithm), the grid dimensions, and other gridding options which will be used to interpolate the formation surface models.
  • Algorithms: Select a gridding method from the list on the left, and establish the method-specific Options in the middle pane.
  • Grid Dimensions:  Specify how the grid dimensions are to be established, using the settings on the right side of the dialog box.  Unless there's a specific reason to do otherwise, you should probably leave the grid dimensions set to the current project dimensions.
  • Additional options: Establish the other general gridding options (declustering, logarithmic, high fidelity, etc.).
    
    
• Reference Cage: Insert a check in this box to include a 3-dimensional frame around the surfaces, with coordinate labels. More.  

Step-by-Step Summary

Follow these steps to create 3-dimensional surfaces of all stratigraphic units. 

1. Access the RockWorks Borehole Manager program tab. 
2. Enter/import your data into the Borehole Manager database. This tool specifically reads location, orientation (if any), and stratigraphy data.
3. Select the Stratigraphy | Structural Elevations | 3-Dimensional | All Surfaces menu option. 
4. Enter the requested menu options, described above.
5. Click the Process button when the gridding and diagram settings are established to your satisfaction.
6. If you have activated the gridding Dimensions / Confirm Dimensions option, the program will display a summary window with the grid boundary coordinates and node spacing.  Adjust these items if necessary and click OK.  More. 

The program will read the depth intervals for all of the stratigraphic units in the project Stratigraphy tabs. It will internally translate depths to elevations based on the boreholes' surface and downhole surveys. It will create a grid model of each layer's upper elevations using the selected gridding method, and from this model it will create a 3-dimensional surface for each unit. Each grid model will be stored on disk using the formation name plus the GRD file name extension.  For example, the grid model for a formation named "Vadose Zone" would be stored as "vadose_zone_.grd" and "Aquifer-1" would be "aquifer-1_.grd".  The completed diagram will be displayed in a RockPlot3D tab in the Options window.

7. You can adjust any of the options along the left and click the Process button to regenerate the grid models and the surfaces.
   
   ! Each time you click the Process button, the existing display will be replaced. 
    
8. View / save / manipulate / print / export the image in the RockPlot3D window. 

Tips: You can adjust each surface's appearance individually: expand the Stratigraphic Contacts group in the Data section of the RockPlot3D outline, and expand the surfaces' own groups.  Double-click on each "Elevation Grid"  entry and you'll see the available options.  To adjust the lighting of the scene, choose the View | Lighting option from the main RockPlot3D menu. To add an already-saved 3D image of the project's striplogs, for example, choose the File | Append command. 

 Back to Stratigraphy Menu Summary

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