ArcView 3-D Analyst

Triangulated Irregular Network

(TIN)
A Mesh of Triangles

Triangle is the only

polygon that is always
planar in 3-D

Points Lines Surfaces

 Tin Triangles in 3-D
(x3, y3, z3)

(x1, y1, z1)

(x2, y2, z2)
z

y Projection in (x,y) plane

x
 Delauney Triangulation
Maximize the minimum interior angle of triangles
No point lies within the circumcircle of a triangle

Yes No
 Circumcircle of Triangle
• Draw the
perpendicular
bisectors of each edge
of the triangle
• Circumcircle is
centered on their
intersection point
• Radial lines from
center have equal
length
 Inputs for Creating a TIN
Mass Points Soft Breaklines Hard Breaklines

• Hard breaklines define locations of abrupt surface change

(e.g. streams, ridges, road kerbs, building footprints, dams)
• Soft breaklines are used to ensure that known z values
along a linear feature are maintained in the tin.
TIN for Waller Creek
 TIN with Surface Features

Classroom

UT Football
Stadium
Waller Creek
A Portion of the TIN
 Input Data for this Portion

Mass Points

Soft Breaklines

Hard Breaklines
TIN Vertices and Triangles
TIN Surface Model

Waller
Creek

Street and
Bridge
3-D Scene
3-D Scene with Buildings
Watershed Modeling With
TINs

Slides from Dr James Nelson

Brigham Young University

Sponsored by National Highway Institute

US Department of Transportation
Work Flow

Tin-based
Watershed
Delineation
Flow On a Triangle
13.0

10.0
9.0

5.0

2.0
Flow On a TIN

120
110
100
90
80
70

60

50
Defining Basins
 Computing Basin Data
• Area
• Slope
• Flow Distances A=5.39 acr

– Slopes BS=0.0243 ft/ft

AOFD=158.33 ft

• Aspect A=7.21 acr

BS=0.0200 ft/ft

• Stream Lengths A=3.18 acr

BS=0.0124 ft/ft
AOFD=93.47 ft

– Slopes AOFD=140.06 ft

• Others
 Modifying Basins
Add Outlets
Refine Boundaries
Merge Basins
Split Basins A=15.78 acr
BS=0.0199 ft/ft
AOFD=123.29 ft

Delete Outlets
Recompute Data
 Ten Steps Using TINs
1. Background Elevation
2. Smooth Elevations
3. Conceptual Model
4. Redistribute Vertices
5. Create TIN
6. Edit TIN
7. Add Interior Outlets
8. Define Basins
9. Refine TIN
10. Compute Basin Data
 1: Background Elevation
• TINs
– Digitized
– XYZ Data
• DEMs
 2: Smooth Elevations
• TINs or DEMs
 3: Conceptual Model
TOPAZ
Contours
Image
Importing
GIS
DXF
 4: Redistribute Vertices
From Coarse to Fine
From Fine to Coarse
Unequal Distribution
 5: Create TIN
Conceptual Model
Triangulate
Enforce Breaklines
Interpolate Z
 6: Edit TIN
• Flat Triangles
• Pits
7: Add Sub-basin Outlets
8: Define Basins
 9: Refine TIN
Split Flow
Refine
NULL Triangles
 10: Compute Basin Data
• Basins A=0.29 mi^2
– Area BS=0.2450 ft/ft
AOFD=279.69 ft

– Slope
– Avg. Elevation A=0.40 mi^2

– Length A=0.63 mi^2

BS=0.3065 ft/ft
AOFD=674.92 ft

• Streams BS=0.3552 ft/ft

AOFD=1222.43 ft

– Length
A=0.17 mi^2
– Slope BS=0.3730 ft/ft
AOFD=589.46 ft
 Ten Steps Using TINs
1. Background Elevation
2. Smooth Elevations
3. Conceptual Model
4. Redistribute Vertices
5. Create TIN
6. Edit TIN
7. Add Interior Outlets
8. Define Basins
9. Refine TIN
10. Compute Basin Data
 TIN Strengths
• Automated Basin Delineation with Parameter
Calculations
• “Adaptive” Resolution
– you can use most any elevation data source
• Urban Areas
– where small variations in flow can be significant
• It Was in WMS First
– reservoir definition, storage capacity curves, time area
curves, flood-plain delineation
 TIN Weaknesses
• Lack of Available Data
– With conceptual model approach this is not such a
big factor anymore
• Extra Steps
– Local editing