Automating your World: Unlocking the data model mystery – or how does a 3D system know how much to cut?

Welcome to the second Automating your World column, a series of advice articles by Aptella’ technical experts. In this series of articles, we look at the various aspects of machine control solutions. Figure 1 One of the questions I am asked most often is: “How does the 3D system know how much to cut?” Many prospective 3D grade control buyers quickly grasp the concept that a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver mounted on the blade of a motor grader can give you the position of the cutting edge of the blade in real time. However, how the computer in the cab knows where grade is and how it gets that information deserves an explanation. Before we proceed,