05 Drawing Tools
AVAG includes a set of drawing tools for placing measurements directly on your map data. Access them by clicking Measurements in the left sidebar. The panel is divided into three sections: Polygons, Lines, and Points, each with its own list of shapes and a “show / hide all” toggle.
To start drawing, select a tool from the toolbar on the left edge of the map. A banner at the top of the screen will confirm what you’re drawing and which layer it’s being drawn on, for example “Drawing on Drone Survey III. into Polygon.” Click on the map to place vertices and double-click to finish the shape.
All shapes can be given a name, duplicated, and are automatically timestamped with their creation and last updated time. Each shape also shows which layer it was drawn on.
Points
Section titled “Points”Click the point tool (circle icon) in the map toolbar to place individual points on the map. Each point captures the following information:
- X, Y, Z coordinates – the precise position of the point, with elevation (Z) read automatically from the active layer’s DSM
- Elevation profile – click Generate to produce an elevation profile at the point location across all active layers
- Note – add a free-text note to the point
Points are listed and numbered sequentially in the Points section of the Measurements panel. Each point can be toggled on/off, renamed, duplicated, edited, or deleted using the icons next to it.
Click the line tool (diagonal line icon) in the map toolbar to draw a line across the map. Click to place each vertex and double-click to finish. Each line automatically calculates:
- Length – the 2D horizontal distance of the line
- 3D Length – the true length of the line accounting for elevation changes
- Highest point – the maximum elevation along the line
- Lowest point – the minimum elevation along the line
Lines also offer two profile generation tools in the detail panel:
Elevation profile – generates a terrain cross-section along the line. You can set the resolution (e.g. 0.25m) before generating.
Section profiles – automatically generates a series of cross-sections perpendicular to the line, useful for road and corridor surveys. Configure the spacing (Along), the width to the left (Left), width to the right (Right), starting stationing, and direction.
Polygons
Section titled “Polygons”Click the polygon tool (pentagon icon) in the map toolbar to draw a closed area. Click to place each vertex and double-click to close the polygon. Each polygon automatically calculates:
- Area – the 2D surface area of the polygon
- Polygon 3D Area – the true surface area accounting for terrain
Polygons also include a volume calculation tool:
Click Measure volume to calculate the volume within the polygon. Before executing, configure:
- Base surface – choose the method for defining the base plane: Triangulated, Lowest point, Highest point, Average, or Custom elevation
- Also generate cut/fill map – toggle this on to automatically generate a cut/fill map alongside the volume calculation
Click Execute to run the calculation. Results are shown directly in the panel. Click Export protocol to download a PDF report of the volume results.
Editing shapes
Section titled “Editing shapes”To edit an existing shape, select it on the map or in the Measurements panel. To move a vertex, hold Alt and drag it to a new position. Shapes can be renamed, duplicated, or deleted using the icons next to each shape in the panel.
Organizing with folders
Section titled “Organizing with folders”Click Add Folder at the top of the Measurements panel to create a folder. Folders help you organize your shapes by area, date, or any other grouping that makes sense for your project. Shapes can be moved or copied between folders using the action icons next to each shape.
The Actions menu at the top of the panel provides bulk operations across all shapes.