The Create Surface workflow

With the Create Surface workflow (prepare > Surfaces > Create Surface) you can create surfaces with a choice of interpolation techniques. The workflow leads you through various steps where you define the input data, output surface type, interpolation technique and optionally a trend. The output consists of a single fault, horizon, unconformity or intrusion with a 2D grid or tri-mesh representation (a fault will always be a tri-mesh).

In this workflow and in JewelSuite in general, the term 'surface' is often used to indicate the surface representation of an event of type 'fault', 'horizon', 'unconformity' and 'intrusion'. For more on events, see Geological events in the modeling workflow.

The Create Surface workflow uses a 'surface definition' to store the settings and selections of each of the workflow steps. When you select a surface definition at the top of any of the workflow forms, the last applied settings for that surface definition are retrieved. This facilitates easy updating of existing surfaces. Moreover, when you have made an update to one (or more) of the workflow steps, you can proceed directly to the last workflow step to construct the surface without the need to go through each of the steps in between. The surface is then reconstructed based on the updated settings, but note that the existing (previously constructed) surface will be overwritten. In case you want to keep the existing surface, make a duplicate in the JewelExplorer (via its context menu 'Duplicate' or 'Duplicate to Data') before reconstructing a surface.

The output surface is always an event of type 'fault', 'horizon', 'unconformity' or 'intrusion' with a tri-mesh or 2D grid representation. This means that the JewelSuite rules for events apply, i.e. a surface can exist in multiple folders with the same name, but each folder can contain the surface only once (optionally with multiple surface representations). When the surface exists multiple times across folders, it always needs to be of the same event type (i.e. 'fault', 'horizon', 'unconformity' or 'intrusion').

Advantages of using this workflow are:

  • Input can exist of representations from different events, which are combined into a single output surface. For example you can combine a point set of event X with a tri-mesh of event Y. (Events can be horizons, faults, boundaries, fluid contacts, etc, see Geological events in the modeling workflow.)
  • Workflow settings are stored in a Surface Definition. This facilitates easy reconstruction of a surface after you made changes to any of the settings in the workflow steps. After you made a change you can directly proceed to the last step to reconstruct the surface.
  • You can exclude parts of the input data from being used as input by making the nodes of the representation 'inactive'. This is called 'data clean-up' in the workflow. This data will not be deleted but set to 'inactive' while the original input data is preserved. This way you can easily make variations to your input.
  • You can add a trend to 'steer' the output surface beyond the input data.
  • The Create Surface workflow can be automated via the JewelScript Editor.

Depending on the surface you want to create (fault, horizon, unconformity or intrusion) the selection options in the workflow steps vary. The table below gives an overview of these options:

Output Surface Fault Horizon - Unconformity - Intrusion

Output representation
  • Tri-mesh
  • Tri-mesh or 2D Grid

Data input
  • With Input
  • With Input
  • Without Input

Clipping options
  • Smallest rectangle around data
  • Boundary polyline
  • Convex hull
  • Fit around data
  • Smallest rectangle around data
  • Specified rectangle
  • Boundary polyline
  • Convex hull
  • Specified rectangle
  • Boundary polyline

Interpolation methods
  • Inverse Distance Weighting
  • Kriging
  • Recursive Refinement
  • Sequential Gaussian Simulation
  • Triangulation
  • Inverse Distance Weighting
  • Kriging
  • Recursive Refinement
  • Sequential Gaussian Simulation
  • Snap input data to 2D grid nodes
  • Triangulation
  • Create flat surface
  • Sequential Gaussian Simulation

Trend and projection options
  • Projection normal
  • Planar
  • From other data

(not an option)

For more information about each of the workflow steps, see

Create Surface Definition

Assign Data

Cleaning up input data

Resolution and Clipping

Define Interpolation

Trends and projections

Construct Surface