Let's say that someone created a set of borehole logs. Now, they want to arrange them spatially so that they can see how their geologic layers correspond. It may be cost prohibitive for them to create this cross section diagram using CAD due to the amount of time it would take.

Using QuickCross, however, they can create a cross section in minutes. Users open the QuickCross editor, select horizontal and vertical scales, and hit "Browse" for each borehole log so that it's data is imported and displayed. Users can edit this lithologic layer data, if desired, and even delete and add layers. Users can skip the import step and enter the lithologic data completely if they don't have a borehole log file for a particular boring or well.

Users can choose to have the application use artificial intelligence to connect the lithologic layers or simply label them so that you can use "your intelligence" to connect the layers manually with the built-in drawing tools. Even without the layers connected, you've already saved 2-3 hours of manual drawing and scaling if you were to use CAD.

Unlike a CAD system, QuickCross is specifically designed to create cross sections. It places nodes at the contact points between geologic layers so that users have an automatic "snap-to" when drawing lines and polygons involving those layers.

QuickCross also features tools for adding new layers, pinch-outs and lenses. It offers a large set of user-editable bitmap geologic fill patterns not offered by CAD systems which use vector fill patterns. If users still prefer to use a CAD system, such as AutoCAD, to complete the cross section, you can export via DXF. Data from QuickLog and QuickCross can also be saved into AGS data format for importing into other geotechnical modeling systems.

Users can create geologic cross sections quickly and easily using QuickCross by itself or with QuickLog. For more information, contact M-Tech Software by visiting www.mtechsoftware.com.