MINESIGHT® TUTORIALSMineSight® is a powerful visual tool for all facets of mine design and planning. Most of the functions in MineSight® are easy to implement, but some guidance may be desired, especially when first getting comfortable with MineSight®. This section presents a number of tutorials that address some of the more common questions and procedures that arise in the use of MineSight®.

GOING INTO 2D MODE

Using the 2D Mode including setup and Strips and Histograms

CREATING AND MANIPULATING DRILLHOLE VIEWS

Creating Drillhole Views, Editing Drillholes, Compositing and Viewer Properties.

USING THE BLAST PATTER EDITOR

How to create blast patterns using the Blast Pattern Editor.

CREATING LABELS

Adding text to your MineSight® project.

CREATING MODEL VIEWS

Creating and manipulating Model Views and GradeShells. 

INTRODUCTION TO MODEL ROTATION

Rotate the project model within project boundaries.

MODEL VIEW BROWSE-EDIT

Viewing and editing model item values in MineSight 3-D.

SETTING UP COLOR CUTOFFS

Setting Color Cutoffs of Materials based on grade or code values.

SETTING UP PLOT LAYOUTS

Setting up Plot Layouts, including creation of Title Blocks and Manipulation of Areas in the Plot Layout.

USING THE MINESIGHT® LINKER

Building solids using the Linker, including basic links, partial links, multifurcation and data preparation.

WRITING PYTHON SCRIPTS

Introduction to Python script structure and reserve scripts vs model scripts.

GOING INTO 2D MODEThe MineSight® default Viewer is 3D. All display and editing within this Viewer is done in 3D mode and you should make use of Edit Grids and/or Snap Modes to properly enter new data into a project.

However, you can also put MineSight® into a 2D mode, which makes it easier to do certain editing tasks. It also allows you to step through the data in the Viewer using a set of controlling planes, and visualize drillhole and model data with unique 2D display attributes.

Setting Up 2D ModeIn order to use the 2D mode of the MineSight Viewer, it is first necessary to attach a Grid Set to the Viewer, which is accomplished through the View Options tab of the Viewer Properties dialog.

This tells MineSight which way to clip the data. Attach the Grid Set by clicking on the icon to the right of the Installed Grid Set box. Choose a grid set and click OK. Now, click the Change to 2D Mode button. The 2D mode always begins with the first grid in the grid set, so you may not see any data. Use the dropdown list in the Viewer Properties window to choose an appropriate plane. Another dropdown list with convenient stepping arrows is located along the top of the Viewer window. Going into 2D Mode locks the azimuth and dip of the view; both are locked normal to the attached Grid Set. By default, Plane Filter is toggled on upon entering 2D Mode. Once the Grid Set has been attached to the Viewer, you can toggle between 2D and 3D modes using the icons on the Viewer Icon Strip.

2D icon 3D icon

Properties of 2D ModeWhen in 2D Mode, editing and display are limited to the selected plane, and there are certain features that are available only in 2D Mode. In the Viewer Properties window, the Viewer Options tab has checkboxes for Rotate view 180° and Snap Edit Grid to Current Plane. The Rotate view 180° option rotates the azimuth of the view from 0° to 180°, while the Snap Edit Grid to current Plane selection will select an Edit Grid at the current plane location. Note: In 2D Mode, it is sometimes necessary to switch to a different plane before changes are reflected in the viewer.

 In the Drillhole View Properties window, there are also a number of 2D Mode options. On the Intevals Tab, there is a checkbox to toggle Label visibility on and off in 2D Mode. On the Display Tab, both the Trace and ID Label options have toggles for 2D Mode. in addition, the 2D Options area allows the specification of the Projection volume, Piercement angle, and Piercement marker size, and provides a checkbox to Invert the view. The projection volume specifies the distance from the current plane from which data will be shown in the Viewer. The piercement angle is a tolerance for drillholes that are somewhat perpendicular to the current plane. If the drillhole is within this tolerance (default value is 10 degrees) with respect to the current plane, the drillhole will be rendered as a square piercement marker rather than a trace. The Piercement marker size option allows the specification of the size of this marker. Finally, the Invert view checkbox is used in conjunction with the Rotate view 180° option; when this is selected in the Viewer Properties, the entire data set, incuding labels, is rotated, resulting in reversed labels. The Invert view checkbox will restore the labels' readability without changing the position of the data in the viewer.

Strips/HistogramsThe display of drillhole strips and histogram information for plotting is another feature available only in 2D Mode. The display of strips and histograms is controlled in the Strips/Histograms tab of the Drillhole View Editor.

To add a strip or histogram, first click the Add Strip button; a default strip is created as shown above. The Strip width is a global setting - it defines the width of a strip or the maximum width of a histogram. The Color item defines the cutoff color item to be used for the color display of the strip or histogram. The Pattern item defines the item to be used if patterns are desired in the strip display; patterns can be assigned to cutoff color items using the Properties option in the Cutoff color dialog. The Histogram item defines the item to be used for histogram display; the histogram will display the relative values of the selected item. Finally, the Maximum value box allows a limit to be set for the histogram display. Either a Pattern item or a Histogram item can be chosen for display, but not both.

To add another strip or histogram, simply click the Add Strip button and set the desired limits. The black bar in the strip window represents the drillhole trace, and strips can be placed on either side of the trace, or on both sides. The Move Strip buttons allow you to adjust the position of any of the strips or the drillhole trace; select the strip you wish to move (or the drillhole trace) by clicking with the mouse and then use the Move Strip arrows to position the strip as desired.

Finally, there are options for toggling the display of histogram scale lines and interval outlines. Histogram scale lines give an indication of the magnitude of the histogram bars with respect to the value specified in the Maximum Value window. The color of the histogram scale lines and interval outlines are the same, and can be changed using the palette icon. The following examples will demonstrate the use of the different options available in the Strips/Histogram display.

This figure shows a simple strip; the Strip width is 10 units, the Color Item is CU, and the Maximum value is left at the default value of 10. A smaller value for the Strip width variable will result in a narrower strip, but in this mode, the Maximum value has no effect.

The figure below shows the effect of adding a Pattern item to the strip display. The patterns shown were entered into the cutoff color dialog using the Properties button. In this example, CU was also used as the Pattern item, but another assay or composite item could be used. The blues and purples have patterns, while no patterns were assigned to the greens or yellows in this particular color scheme.

Now let's examine the results if we choose the Histogram option instead of the Pattern option - recall that these are exclusive operations; only one at a time may be used. We will choose CU as the Histogram item, and check Histogram Scale Lines, which display a reference scale based on the value entered as the Maximum Value. We will first choose a Maximum Value of 2 for this example (see figure below), since previous examination of the data has indicated that the highest CU value is approximately 2.6. Note that the intervals where the CU value is greater than the maximum are marked with a Break symbol. This is automatically generated for any intervals whose value exceeds the Maximum. Adjusting the Maximum Value to 3 in this case will eliminate the automatic Break symbols, as seen in the lower figure.

Other elements such as Labels can be added to the Drillhole view using the options on the Display tab of the Drillhole View Properties window, and all elements are then available for plotting. Strips and histograms can be a powerful tool for generating detailed and informative cross section plots as well as a flexible visualization too.

CREATING AND MANIPULATING DRILLHOLE VIEWS

Drillhole Views are an interactive graphical tool for visualization and editing of assay, composite and/or blasthole data. Creation and manipulation of Drillhole Views is very straightforward, provides a variety of options for item specification, and allows a number of viewing options. This tutorial will guide you through the creation of a Drillhole View, setup of the Viewer Properties and then allow you to explore many of these options.

In order to create a Drillhole View, there must be a File 11 (for Assay Views) or a File 9 (for Composite or Blasthole Views); a File 12 (survey file) is required for Assay Views, but is optional for either Blasthole or Composite views if the survey information is in File 9.

Before creating a Drillhole View, a Folder should be created in which to store the Drillhole Views. In this tutorial, it is assumed that a folder called "Assays" has already been created for this purpose.

Creating a Drillhole View

Creating a Standard MineSight Drillhole view:

In the Data Manager window, click on the Assays folder. Click right then click on New=>DHView=>MineSight. We'll name this view CU.

The DHView Data Selection window will appear. Click on Select PCF and choose the file 10 (Project Control File, or PCF) for the desired project. A list of all the assay and survey files in the PCF will appear. The default is to create a view from assay files but composite and blasthole files are options as well. Click on the desired File 11 for the assay file and its matching File 12 survey file. Click OK. Notice that the OK button is not activated until both files are chosen.

If alphanumeric extra items occur in the survey file (file 12) selected, a window will be displayed asking if they should be appended to the drillhole name.  Only the MS3D drillhole names are changed with this option and does not change the file 11/12 drillhole names.  Up to two item values can be appended to the file 11/12 drillhole name to construct a longer drillhole name.  You cannot change of remove the labels after the view has been defined.  If you choose Cancel on the dialog, then the drillhole view will still be created but without the extra items appended to the drillhole name.

Creating a Drillhole View from a Composite/BH file where there is no survey file:In the MineSight system, the drillhole survey information is usually stored in file 12. However, this is not mandatory. Drillhole survey information can be stored in the composite or blasthole file (file 9). To create a DH View of a composite/BH file, in the Assays folder, from the right click menu in the data manager, select New=>DHView=>MineSight. Give this new DH View a name, "Composites1".

As in the above example, the DHView Data Selection window will appear. Click on the "Select PCF.." button, then choose the project PCF (Project Control File), and the composite file (file 9) to create the drillhole view from. Since the drillhole survey information is contained within the composite file, be sure to toggle that option. Then click on OK.

In the following window, you will need to select the items in the composite file which contain the drillhole geometry. Specifically, you will need to supply MineSight with the composite items that represent the starting and ending coordinates for each composite interval. In composite files, these are usually EAST, NORTH and ELEV.

Next select where the Drillhole ID is stored. In the composite file (file 9), it can be stored in either the REF# or in 2 DHID labels. In general, REF# is the default location for DHID.

DHID1 and DHID2 are special composite items which are accessed programmatically. To use them, the composite file must have been initialized with them.

 After either DH View case (assays and/or composites, with or without a survey file), the next window to be displayed contains the option to limit the items available in the DHView. Clicking Yes brings up a list of items in the assay or composite/BH file. Items can be selected or unselected. Clicking No allows access to all the items in the assay file. Click No.

 The drill hole view properties window will appear next, with the "Selection" tab dialog on top by default. Select the drillholes to load, under the "Selection Method" section on the dialog or select the holes individually from the list displayed along the left side of this dialog. Then click on "Load Selection".

Setting a Display Item and Color Cutoffs

The next step is to select a display item. In the lower portion on the Selection tab dialog, select the "Cutoff Item" by clicking on the item chooser icon. A list of the available items in the MineSight file (assay file 11 or composite file 9 depending on the DH View) will be displayed. Select an item from the list. This input field is restricted to a selection from the list, you cannot type in an item label name.

Note: By default, the first numeric item in the assay or composite file that the DH View

is based on, is entered as the Cutoff item. If this is the first DH View created in your project, and/or cutoffs have not been previously entered for the particular Cutoff Item selected, then MineSight will prompt you for the cutoff values when drillholes are loaded.

To set the cutoffs, click on the Cutoffs button. When the "Cutoff Line Colors" window dialog appears, click on the Intervals button to set the cutoffs.

Set the minimum, maximum, and increment to suitable values (the illustrations use 0, 5, and 0.25, respectively). Click OK and the cutoffs will appear. However, all the cutoffs are the same color. To set the colors, select all the cutoffs and click on the Properties button. The Resource Properties window will come up.

Now click on Set Color by Range. This option allows you to specify a range of the spectrum to use in coloring the cutoffs. Use the slider bars to choose a section of the spectrum and click OK. Click OK on the Resource Properties window. Now the cutoffs will be colored.

To display the actual assay interval values for item CU, in the Drillhole View Properties dialog go to the Intervals tab dialog and click on the "+" button, then select CU from the item list.

 Now that the display item is set up, the drillholes must be loaded. To do this click on the Selection tab. Click on Select All and then click on Load Selection. The drillholes should appear in the Viewer. Click OK to shut down the drillhole view properties window.

VIEWER SET UP

Now that there is something in the viewer, let's take a quick look at the viewer properties.

The viewer properties window can be accessed by clicking on the Viewer Properties icon. Double clicking on the name of the viewer in the Data Manager window, which is Viewer 1 in this case, can also access this window.

Click on the Grids tab.

Use the pull down menu to change the grid style to labels and lines. A grid will appear in the viewer. The grids controlled here are just for reference. They will adjust with changes to azimuth and dip as well as zooming in or out.

There are several different types of grids available. Labels and lines seem to be a good option, especially for plotting. Change the Grid Style to see what the other options look like.

Notice that if the Grid Style is Marks or Labels and Marks, the Grid Marks Style pull down menu becomes activated. Marks are the grid intersections. Grid Marks Style refers to which intersections are shown.

There are also options to change the color of the grid and the size of the grid labels.

Now let's take a look at how to adjust the view. The azimuth & dip are adjusted using the controls at the top of the viewer.

The azimuth & dip can also be controlled with the mouse button. Hold down both the left and the right mouse buttons while moving the mouse around.

The mouse can also be used to zoom in and out. With a three-button mouse hold the middle and right mouse buttons and drag. With a two-button mouse, press the Alt key and both mouse buttons and drag.

Panning left, right, up and down is also done with the mouse. With a three-button mouse hold the left and middle mouse buttons and drag. With a two-button mouse, hold the shift key and both the mouse buttons and drag.

There are several icons at the top of the viewer that are very useful in adjusting the display.

It is possible to have more than one Viewer. To create another viewer, highlight New Resource Map, click right, then click on New=>Viewer. Accept the default name by clicking OK. Now you should see both Viewers listed in the Data Manager window.

Viewers can be used one at a time or together. To tile the Viewers, click on the Tile Windows icon. Notice that the properties of each viewer are different. They can have different azimuths and dips; anything in the Viewer Properties window can be different in each Viewer. However, the data displayed in each viewer will always be the same.

If you want to cascade the Viewers, click on the Cascade Windows icon.

 

DRILLHOLE VIEW OPTIONSNow, let's take a closer look at the drillhole options. Double click on CU in the data manager window to bring up the Drillhole View Properties window.

Selection Tab

The Selection tab controls the loading and unloading of individual drillholes within the drillhole view. On the left side of the window is a list of all the drillholes in the File 11. All the drillholes with a check next to it are loaded.

In this window, selecting a drillhole means highlighting it on this list. Once the drillhole is selected, it can be loaded by clicking the Load Selection button or unloaded by clicking the Unload Selection button.

There are several ways to select drillholes. We already used the Select All button. Select by grade allows you to specify a range of values for any item. Any drillhole which has at least one interval in that range will be selected. Select by location will check collar locations against a user specified area. Select by ID allows you to type in specific drillhole ID's. Reset before Load unloads all the drillholes and then loads the selected drillholes.

Intervals Tab

The Intervals tab controls the display properties of the individual assay intervals. Along the top of the window is where assay values, called Labels, are set up. Click on Add Label to display assay values. Then click on the Item Selector icon to choose a value to display. Let's display CU. Click Apply. Zoom in and you'll see the CU values displayed for each assay interval.

To color the item labels according to the cutoffs, choose Coloring by Cutoff under Item Label Style. The height of the numbers and their position within the interval can be changed here as well.

Several items labels can be used on either side of the drillhole trace. Just click Add Label each time. The thick black line indicates the drillhole trace. Just click the arrows next to Move Label to change the position of the labels.

You may also choose to filter the dispaly of your DH intervals by a secondary item. Use the Filter item area to specify the secondary filter item, then in the text field, enter the values you wish to display. Check th box to

filter your primary dispaly itme; only those intervals that fit the criteria entered in the text field will be displayed.

Numerical data can be specified as a comma-delimited list or as a range semerated with a colon (e.g. and entry such as '1:3,5' will filter the display, showing only those intervals whose secondary item values are 1 through 3 or 5. Alpha items can also be used for filtering, and wildcards are allowed.

Display Tab

The Display tab has some general display options. The Trace options refer to the survey trace. This does not display color cutoffs, just the position of the trace.

The ID label is the drillhole ID.

Info Tab

The Info tab contains information on the files used in this drillhole view. Under System Notes, there is a list of all the items in the File 11 along with their minimum, maximum and number of decimals. User notes is a place where you can record your own notes about the drillhole view.

Click OK to shut down the Drillhole View Properties window. If you want to bring it back up either double click on it or highlight it, click right and select Properties.

DRILLHOLE EDITINGYou can edit drillholes using either the Drillhole Editor or using the Geometry Editor.  Either operation allows you to edit the assay values in drillhole intervals, but they each have different functions.

Remember that editing here does change the File 11 so be careful. To edit, highlight CU in the Data Manager window, click right and select Edit.

Viewing Items

This window always comes up in browse mode to guard against accidental edits. To limit the items displayed click View=>Items. This allows you to display only the items you want to see. Another nice display option is

View=>Use Color Cutoff. All the items which have cutoffs set up will use these cutoffs on the table. The drillhole pull down list on the right allows you to pick a drillhole to view.

Before going into Edit mode, it is a good idea to make a backup. This can be done by clicking File=>Backup file.

Edit Mode

To switch to Edit mode, click Edit=>Edit Drillhole. Notice that REF#, FROM, TO, and AI are not editable. This information is protected.

To save the changes as you go along, just click the Apply button. This saves the changes to File 11 so this is permanent.

Edit mode only allows you to edit one interval at a time. To change several intervals, use Select Intervals mode. To get into this mode, click Edit=>Select intervals. Draw a box around the intervals you want to edit. These intervals will be highlighted in yellow. The assay data for the entire hole will be listed in the Edit window. The selected intervals will be highlighted. Choose the item you wish to edit and enter a value for that item. Then click Options=>Fill Selected Intervals.

Composites

There are two composite options. Neither one effects the composite File 9. Let's look at composite intervals first. Click on Edit=>Composite Intervals. Now, draw a box around the intervals you want to composite. They will be highlighted in yellow and listed in the Edit window. Click on Composite in the Composites window. MineSight® will calculate the composite values for all the items listed in the Edit window.

The other composite option is Dynamic Composites. To get into this mode, click Edit=>Dynamic Composite. Pick a drillhole to composite by clicking on it in the viewer, and choosing it from the pull down menu in the Edit window. Next, choose a display item in the Dynamic Drillhole Composite Window. Click on the Composite button. Now, click and drag on the drillhole to select a portion of it to composite. As you drag down on the drillhole the composite values will automatically change, as will the color of the composite in the viewer.

The Apply button will save your composite as a geometry object, which is displayed in the Viewer as shown below. The Geometry Object includes the composite values as text. The Reset button allows you to start over.

USING THE BLAST PATTERN EDITORThis tutorial reviews how to design blast patterns with different orientations, how to use clipping boundaries, design holes along trim rows, and for ramp shots.  The following blast patterns were designed using an AutoCad design as a guideline.

1. Digitize the 4880 toe and the 4920 bench areas.

2. Digitize in polygons for use as pattern boundaries based on orientation and/or blasthole spacing of the patterns.  

 

3. Use Minesight's Blast Pattern Editor tool to generate Patterns 221, 222, and 227.  The design specs for each of these patterns are summarized in the table below:

 

Pattern No.

Grid Orientation

Pattern typeBlasthole Hole Spacing

221 N-S rectangular 29 by 29

222 N.46.5ºE. rectangular 29 by 29

223 N.21.5ºW. triangular 26 by 26

 

Some Trim Row Layouts and Ramp Shots can also be generated.

4. Generation of Pattern 221

Zoom in on 221 area and click on Tools -> Blast Pattern Editor.  Blast Pattern Editor panels are filled in as follows (below).

 

On the Grid tab (above) you can either key-in actual coordinates for Origin and actual orientation angle for the grid or pick them by digitizing.  In this case the origin was digitized and keyed in the N-S 0.0 azimuth orientation.  Extent of the Grid works the same way (key in extents  or digitize by dragging to required size). What is important here is to make sure the grid covers the polygonal boundary for the pattern.

Still on the Grid Tab, check the box for Clipping Boundary and select  the Pattern 221 polygon boundary in the viewer.  Check the box to Clip before numbering and specify the Blasthole spacing (29 by 29)  for the rectangular pattern.  For numbering of the holes in the pattern, use sequential numbering in this case with the Bench Id of 51 as a Prefix.  This prefix is specified on the Defaults Tab as shown below:

 

Back on the Grid Tab now click on Preview to see if you got what you wanted and if so, click on Apply to generate the blastholes according to the pattern design specs (see below).

The Blast Pattern Editor window now contains a listing of the blastholes in the Pattern with their collar coordinates, lengths, and inclinations (see below).

Now use the Adjust Tab to assign a length to the holes (see below).

In this case I am assigning a fixed length of 45 feet to each.  This Adjust tab has a lot of useful adjustments. For example the collars can be adjusted to follow the irregular surface of a typical mining bench (Project Collars to a Surface Option).  From these variable collar elevations you can then calculate lengths to a fixed elevation (e.g. elevation defined by toe elevation plus constant sub-drill depth).  Each hole then gets its exact length assigned based on the surveyed bench floor that the drill rig is on.     

Once lengths are assigned, you immediately get 3-D blasthole representations and can use Minesight’s 3D viewing to look at them all lined up like little toy soldiers.

5. Generation of Pattern 222 follows the same steps.  This pattern is oriented N46.5E   All you have to do is re-orient the grid and pick the Pattern 222 bounding polygon to generate this pattern (see below):

 

6. Generation of Pattern 227 follows the same steps again but this time specify a 26 by 26 triangular pattern by using an offset of 13 on the Grid tab under Size.  

7. Trim Rows

Presplit and trim row layouts are generated from the Line Fill Tab of the Blast Pattern Editor tool. For example, the three lines of holes were generated that will form the bench face behind Patterns 226 and 227. The first step is to digitize the lines (see below).  This was done using Snap offsets from 4920 final design crest of 10, 15 and 22 ft

The spacing of the holes on the trimline nearest the final face is 8 ft. and the spacing of the holes on the other two trim lines is 24 ft.  The Line Fill Tab on the Blast Pattern Editor is filled out as follows to generate these trim line layouts.

8 ft spacing:

Hit Preview and if you like what you see, hit Apply to produce the trim line design with 8 ft hole spacing:

 

Repeat, changing the hole spacing to 24 ft and selecting the other two trim lines.

Now go to Adjust tab and set the depth for the holes using any of the available options.

8. Ramp shots

Blast patterns to create ramps where the holes are drilled to variable depths based on the inclination of the ramp can also be designed in Minesight.

First, a triangulated surface representing the ramp is created in Minesight:

 

Next, a polygon boundary for the Ramp shot is digitized on 4920 level and the Grid Tab is set up for the Ramp shot (orientation and hole spacing)

 

Finally, the Blast hole depth is set for each hole by setting hole depth to the triangulated surface representing the ramp.

 

Variable hole depths are listed in the table:

 

9. Mining out a Ramp

The same triangulated surface representing the ramp can be used to generate the Pattern for removing the ramp.  Here the blast hole collar elevations will be set to the variable ramp elevations and the depth will be calculated to a fixed elevation.

 

 The Defaults Tab on the Blast pattern Editor Tool has some exporting options for flexibility in transferring hole coordinates to survey instruments.

CREATING LABELSAnnotation in MineSight® is applied through the use of elements called Labels.  There are two main types of labels:  Transformed Labels and Semi-Transformed Labels.  Transformed labels are entirely fixed in space, with a constant orientation, and therefore will rotate along with the data in the viewer as the view is rotated. Each line of text in a multiple-line transformed label is saved as a separate element.  Transformed labels are selectable from anywhere on the label.  Semi-Transformed labels are fixed to a point in space, but their orientation will adjust as the viewer is rotated, thus the labels are always properly oriented, upright and readable.  Multiple-line semi-transformed labels are saved as a single element are only selectable at their origin, which varies depending on the alignment of labels in that object.  For example, if the labels are aligned top-left, then they are only selectable at the top-left.

Labels can be created using the Label-Create Transformed or Create Semi-Transformed functions from the Viewer Menu.  First select the object that is to contain the label and make it the current Edit Object.  Then select which type of label to create and click in the viewer at the desired location.  Enter the text into the dialog box.  Both Create Label functions will remain active so that many labels can be added in one session. When through with one label, just click on the new location for the next label.  When all labeling is complete, click right in the viewer to exit the function.  

The font, size, color and alignment of laels can be set on the Object Properties-Labels tab of the object that holds the labels.  Orientation for Transformed labels can be adjusted using the Element=>Rotate function or by snapping to an Edit Grid.  To edit the text of a label, select the text and use the Label=>Edit function from the Viewer Menu.

CREATING MODEL VIEWSOne of the most valuable tools for examining the potential of a mining deposit is the Model View. This allows the investigation of the interpolated block, surface or seam model, not only on a visual basis, but on a block by block query basis as well. The Model View option allows the viewing and manipulation of 3D Block or GSM Models (File 15) or 2D Surface models (File 13). The Model View in MineSight® also permits editing of Model block values and coding the model from solids in the Viewer. The following descriptions of Model data manipulation assume that the desired model has been already attached to the MineSight® project.

Creating a Model ViewThe first step in the creation of a Model View is to designate a folder in which to store the model view. Folder and data object organization in MineSight® is extremely flexible, allowing the grouping of Model Views either with other Model Views or with some other designation, such as by economic mineral or geographic location. Once the Folder is available, highlight the folder name in the Data Manager, click right, and select New=>Model View. You will be prompted for the name of the Model View, and when you click OK, the Model View Properties dialog window is displayed.

To create multiple model views from a Special Pit Optimization file 13

Using one dialog you can create multiple model views for each of the gridded surfaces contained in a "Special Pit Optimization" file 13 (or a file 13 with more than 50 item labels).

When you create a model view and select a file 13 that has more than 50 items, a notice will be displayed;

 

By default, the primary display item is "topog" -  the standard, required item in any file 13.  Click on the file icon to select a different display item and then list of items which are available in the file 13 you are creating the model views from.

Check the items (surfaces) you want to create model views using the checkbox to the left of the item name.  Items can be selected individually or multiple items can be selected at once using the Select option at the top of the dialog.

Next, you can optionally enter a name for the model view objects to be created.  If the optional name is blank, then the new model view objects will be named using the specified Prefix + the item name (in uppercase).  

In the example shown to the left, model view objects will be created for items TOPOG, RCODE, SLPS1, SLPC1, SLPS3, SLPC3, SLPS4 and SLPC4.  Model views will not be created from items SLPS2 & SLPC2 because they are not selected. Since a model view name is not specified for items SLPS3 & SLPC3, those model views will be named "ePitsSLPS3" and "ePitsSLPC3".  The model views created for the other selected items will be given the optional name specified without the prefix (e.g., the model view created for item "TOPOG" will simply be named "topog").

When you have completed the setup, click on OK and model

views will be created for each of the selected file 13 items.

Setting the Model View Properties

You must specify the item for this model view; click on the item selection icon and select the desired item with the mouse. in this example, we have chosen the item CUIDS for display. To assign Cutoff Colors to the display item, click the Cutoffs button, and the Cutoff colors dialog appears. Intervals and Cutoff Colors are selected as described in the Color Cutoffs tutorial.

The display range for the model View is specified on the Range Tab of the Model View Properties window. There are two sets of sliders for setting the range, one for 3D views and one for 2D views. The sliders permit you to specify the portion of the model desired for viewing with respect to Easting, Northing and Level.

Once you have selected the display item and specified a display range, click the apply button to create the model view. The Immediate viewer refresh button will automatically update the model view as any changes are made. Note: the Immediate refresh option can cause somewhat slower computer performance if the model is large or has a large number of items, especially when viewing the entire model.

In the following discussion, we will explore some of the display options available to customize the Model View, along with the procedures required to access the model data for browsing and/or editing. In the view below, we have chosen to limit the view so that we're viewing the center portion of the model, about halfway in the North and East directions. the viewer is in 3D Mode, using the 'standard view' 3D display type and the 'filled polygons' display style. Other display types are Grade Shell, Levels, East-West or North-South sections, while other available styles are Contours, Smooth Contours, 3D Block or Surface/Slab.

Creating a GradeShellA GradeShell is a solid generated from 3D block model data; the data can be limited by grade or other item value, and is a valuable visualization tool for deposit analysis and mine design. To create a GradeShell, highlight the folder where you wish the gradeshell to reside, click right, and choose New=>Model View. For this illustration we will use the model item CUIDS and create gradeshells defined by the grade intervals 0.5 to 1.0, 1.0 to 1.5, and 1.5 to 2.0, then save the gradeshells as Geometry objects. On the Display tab of the Model View Editor, set CUIDS as the Primary display item and set the 3D display type to GradeShell. On the Range tab, set the range to show the entire model, since the GradeShell will be limited to the area defined by the Range sliders. Alternatively, you may wish to limit the GradeShell to a portion of the model; this portion can be defined using the Range tab sliders as well.

 Now, on the GradeShell tab, we'll set the grade interval for the first GradeShell; set the Primary display item to CUIDS, enter 0.5 for the Compute gradeshell > value, check the box to activate the <= window, and enter a value of 1.0. We will also limit this view by the TOPO item, so that blocks with less than 50% TOPO will be excluded from the gradeshell computations. Click the box to Limit by secondary item, choose TOPO as the item, and enter 50 as the >= value. The resulting GradeShell is displayed below.

Finally, to save the GradeShell as a geometry object, click the Save GradeShell button and the Open a Geometry File... dialog comes up. Here you can choose the location and specify the name for the Geometry object where the GradeShell will be saved.

The Geometry object is saved as the default geometry material, as shown below.

Additional GradeShells can now be created using the same model view and saved to new geometry objects - the illustration below shows three gradeshells for the intervals 0.5 to 1.0, 1.0 to 1.5 and 1.5 to 2.0, with contrasting colors and smooth surfaces, which were set in the Geometry Object Properties window.

Exposed Ore Display

The MineSight® Model View can also allow you to view the ore grades from the model on an exposed surface such as a pit wall. To implement this viewing option, it is necessary that the surface you wish to display the grades on is open; in this illustration, a surface (tri804) representing a pit design has been chosen for the display. On the Geometry tab of the Model View Editor, choose the Select button and select the geometry object desired.

Now, choose the Exposed Ore button, and the cutoff colors for the display item specified on the Display tab will be displayed on the selected surface. The range controls have no effect on the Exposed Ore Display - the entire model area that intersects the selected geometry object is displayed. If the model slab is in the way, preventing you from viewing the exposed ore display, turn off the model 3D display on the Display tab dialog.  To clear the Exposed Ore Display, select the Clear exposed ore button.

INTRODUCTION TO MODEL ROTATIONModel Rotation Basics

To define a rotated model, it is necessary to specify a rotation origin and three angles of rotation; this results in the model having a different set of coordinate axes than the project from which it was built. In MineSight the Project Coordinates are designated Easting, Northing, and Elevation while the respective Model Coordinates are denoted by Model X, Model Y, and Model Z. For convenience, the term 'Rotated PCF' should be understood to mean "PCF with rotated model", since the Project Coordinates will always remain orthogonal to North.

Model Rotation is accomplished using the dialogs found under the Files menu -> Rotate Model PCF.

The initial step in rotating a model is to select the rotation origin. The rotation origin is the point with Model coordinates (0, 0, 0) and is specified by Easting, Northing and Elevation (in Project coordinates). The next step is to specify the rotation angles. These angles are defined in MineSight as a series of rotations in a specific order.

The first rotation is a horizontal rotation about the Project Z axis, with positive being clockwise. The defined angle is known as the Model Rotation Azimuth, as illustrated below.

The second rotation is a rotation around the new X axis; this rotation moves the Model Y-axis into the desired position. The second model rotation is known as the model rotation dip, and the positive direction of rotation is up. The illustration below shows a second rotation of dip = 15°.

The third rotation is a rotation around the new Y-axis, which moves the X-axis into the desired position. The third rotation also defines the positive direction of rotation as up; the following illustration shows a third rotation of plunge = -15°.

Adjusting the Project Limits

After the third rotation, the Project Limits must be adjusted; MineSight provides tools that allow the automatic calculation of these limits, as well as the manual entry of desired Project Limits. Since the plotting limits are based on the project limits, it is often desirable to specify 'round' numbers for these limits manually. Model rotation parameters are applied to the PCF, so multiple model files within the same project must have the same rotation parameters. In addition, the Project Limits define the outer limits of your project; if your data is located outside the project boundaries, it cannot be used in MineSight calculations.

Compositing ConsiderationsAfter the model rotation parameters have been changed it will often be necessary to recomposite your drillhole data. If your composite File 9 was created using either bench or seam compositing, the composite locations will no longer be valid, and this will have an effect on block estimation during interpolation.

When compositing, it is recommended that you store both the TOP and BOTTOM coordinates of each composite interval, or composite using the ZMID option. If using the ZMID option, you must also select the ZMID option in any subsequent interpolation runs. Remember too, that the TOP and BOTTOM coordinate option results in the storage of the midpoint in the item EAST, NORTH and ELEV.

Grid SetsOnce the model rotation parameters have been applied, grid sets can be created parallel to the rotated model axes. Within the Grid Set creation dialog, select 'Based on PCF' and choose between PCF(model) Plan, PCF(Model) EW, or PCF(Model) NS.

MODEL VIEW BROWSE-EDIT

Description

The Model View Browse-Edit window allows the user to view and interactively edit Model data directly in the MineSight® viewer. To access the Model View Browse-Edit window, invoke the query function and click on a model block in the viewer. The Model View Browse-Edit window will appear.  If the Model View Selectability function is toggled ON, model query is disallowed.

The Model View Browse-Edit window has two menu selections: Edit and View. The following sections discuss the options available under each menu selection.

Edit

Under the Edit menu selection, the Browse and Edit functions are available. The Browse function allows the user to examine the model item values for the

blocks specified in the Level, Row and Column windows.

The Edit function permits the same browse capabilities, and the added ability to edit the model item values directly in the viewer. To change model blocks, the block coordinates (level, row, column) can be scrolled or entered directly into the window. The block can also be changed by clicking directly on the desired block in the viewer.

To apply the model item changes, click the Apply button.

View

Under the View menu selection, the Sort, Items..., Use cutoff colors and Outline block functions are available.

The Sort function will sort the items on the list alphabetically.  If this option is not toggled ON, the items are listed in the order they were

entered when the file was created.

The Items... function allows the user to select the model items to be included in the Browse-Edit window. When the desired items have been

checked, choose OK to return to the Browse-Edit window.

The Use cutoff colors function applies the color cutoffs that are available to the respective values in the Browse-Edit window. To apply color cutoffs to a model item, use the Cutoffs button on the Display tab of the Model View Editor.

The Outline block toggle outlines the selected model block with a highlight marker when checked.

The settings selected on the View menu dialog are stored.  When querying between different model views, the settings are then different for each model view.

SETTING UP COLOR CUTOFFSWhen displaying Drillhole Views or Model Views, it is desirable to differentiate between various grades or code values by assigning display colors to the different grades or codes. This section demonstrates how this is accomplished in MineSight®. This example will use CU for the Drillhole View item, and CUIDS for the model View item. The grade values used for both will be a range of 0 to 2, with an interval of 0.2. The steps shown can be easily adapted to any other grade or code item by simply choosing and substituting an appropriate grade range and interval.

The Color Cutoffs DialogColor cutoffs can be applied to Assay, Composite or Model View items; Assay and composite items will be displayed in Drillhole Views, while Model View items will be displayed in Model Views. To access the Cutoff Colors dialog in the Drillhole View Properties window, choose the Intervals tab, and then click the Cutoffs button next to the Display Item box. In the case of model views, the Cutoff Colors dialog is found in the Model View Editor, on the Display tab. Click the Cutoffs button next to the Primary display item box. Creating Cutoff Colors for any item will also create an object corresponding to that item in the Items default folder in the Data Manager. The Cutoff Colors dialog can also be accessed by double clicking the item in the Data Manager window. Note: Until Color cutoffs are created through one of the other dialogs, there will not be an Item in the Items Folder.

The Intervals tab in the Drillhole View Properties window

The Display tab in the Model View Editor window

The Cutoff Colors Dialog

When the Cutoff Colors dialog is initially opened, there are no intervals or colors assigned. To set the intervals, click the Intervals button to bring up the Cutoff Intervals window.

Note that we have filled in the range of 0 to 2 and the interval value of 0.2

The Cutoff Colors dialog now has values spanning the specified range, divided at the specified intervals. All of the intervals are colored grey; to assign cutoff colors, select the intervals by dragging with the mouse (the intervals will be blue when selected), and click the Properties button to bring up the Object Properties window. Click on the Set Color by Range button and bring up the Color Range dialog. This dialog allows various options in setting a color range, but in most cases, simply choosing OK will yield a suitable color range.

Click on the intervals to unselect them, and the cutoff colors are displayed. These colors will now be used to differentiate the varying grade or code values when this item is selected for display, either in a Drillhole View or Model View, depending on the item. The same Color Cutoffs will be displayed in the Drillhole or Model View Browse/Edit windows if the Use Cutoff Colors option is checked.

SETTING UP PLOT LAYOUTSMineSight® has a convenient, simple interface for producing scaled plots using the data that is displayed in the viewer. There are two phases to setting up a plot in MineSight®: setting up the Title Block and Legend (if desired), then setting up the Plot Layout itself, using the desired Title Block, Legend, and Area(s).

Title BlocksTitle Blocks are one type of text data object in MineSight®; other text data includes labels such as Drillhole labels and User labels, which are used as annotation. To create a new Title Block, highlight the desired folder in the Data Manager, click right, and choose New=>Title Block. Name the Title block and click OK; then double-click on the Title Block name in the Data Manager. This will bring up the Title Block Editor, shown below. The Title Block Editor dialog consists of two main tabs, the Title tab and the Info tab. The Title tab is where the actual creation of the title block occurs, so that will be the main focus of this tutorial.  You can also customize the default title block design using a titleblock configuration file.

The Title Tab

The Title Tab consists of two main areas: the large window on the left is a representation of the Title Block, where the various entries can be edited, while the right side of the tab has a number of toggles and windows for specification of the Title Block size, text size and text alignment. A second window at the bottom of the right side contains a list of the variables which can be used to automatically include selected project information in the Title Block. A number of these selected variables are brought up as defaults when the Title Block Editor is invoked, including the date, time and scale factors in the x and y directions.

Creation of the Title Block begins with the entry of a project name in the designated field; if a different layout of information is desired, the defaults can be edited by simply clicking the desired field and typing over the default entries. If different formats for the project are desired, the list in the right hand window provides the

variables for the most commonly used data formats. Again, these can be edited by simply clicking in the desired field and typing over the default entries. this section of the Title tab also contains buttons which can be used to add, remove or move columns and/or rows in the Title Block. As an example, the figure below shows the initial setup for a Title Block for a project called Mintec1, using a month/day/year date format and an hours/minutes format for the time. In addition, we have chosen to add entries for the maximum and

minimum plot extents in both the x and y directions.

The right side of the Title tab allows the user to set specifications for the Row Height, Font Size, Font Alignment, and Column Width. There are also four different fonts from which to choose. When changes are made in these windows, it is necessary to either press the Tab or Enter keys to set the changes before moving to another row. Row Height and Font Size are based on rows; all boxes in the same row will have the same height and font size. The Total Width and Total Height displays at the top of this section are calculated depending on the specifications in the windows below and the number of rows and columns. Note: this window does not visibly reflect the changes in Row or Column width and height. To see these changes click on the Preview button.

The Info Tab

The second tab in the Title Block Editor is the Info tab, shown below, which displays relevant information about the Title Block. This information includes the Name of the Title Block, the data type, location, and size; in addition, the time and date of creation and most recent editing are also displayed. Finally, there is a large window that is available for the entry of User Notes. When the Title Block has been created, click on the Apply button, then the Close button to return to the MineSight® project.

LegendsA Legend is a type of data object available in MineSight; just as with other data objects, it is created from the Data Manager. To create a Legend object, highlight the desired folder in the Data Manager, click right, and choose New=>Legend.

The Properties dialog for the Legend object can be accessed by double clicking on the Legend name in the Data Manager, or by clicking right and selecting Properties. The Common tab allows you to define the type of data the Legend will display (Company Logo, Cutoff Table, Drillhole View, or Model View).

A Company Logo or any other *.jpg or *.png image file can be inserted in the Legend. This logo can then be positioned and/or resized as necessary in the Plot Layout.

The Cutoff Table option will read a Color Cutoff Table Object and build a legend associating the colors to the cutoff values. A precision for the cutoff values can be selected.

The Drillhole View and Model View options allow you to construct a

legend that associates the value of a DH View or Model View item to its

corresponding color cutoffs.

 

Plot LayoutsPlot Layouts are an arrangement of areas, defined and positioned using the Plot Layout Editor. Areas can be Title Blocks or Viewers, either the current Viewer or any other Viewer in the project. Plot Layouts are created by highlighting the desired folder in the Data Manager, clicking right and selcting New=>Plot Layout. The Plot Layout Editor is accessed by highlighting the desired plot layout in the Data Manager, clicking right, and choosing Properties from the dropdown menu. Like the Title Block editor, the plot layout Editor also consists of two tabs, the Layout tab and Info tab. The Layout Tab (shown below) is where the Plot Layout creation takes place, so this will be the main focus of our discussion.

The Layout tab

The Layout tab has two sub-tabs, the Page tab and the Area tab.

Area tab

The Layout Area tab permits a wide range of flexibility in the selection and positioning of different Areas in the scaled plot.

By default, a plot contains one area that consists of the currently active Viewer. In order to change the Area properties, it is necessary to select the Area by clicking left on the Area Icon, activating the configuration options. To change the Area boundaries on the plotted page, click left on one of the small black squares visible when the Area is selected, and drag it to the desired position. The entire area can be moved on the page by clicking anywhere else on the Area and dragging it to the desired location. Precise values for these options can also be entered in the windows, using either absolute units (inches or centimeters, depending on the project units) or as a percentage of the plot size. The six buttons at the top of the panel control the directions available for direct configuration; the top row controls horizontal configuration options, while the bottom row of buttons controls vertical configuration options.

To disallow moving of an area, toggle the Lock Area checkbox. If there is more than one Area in the Plot Layout, the draggability and configuration options apply only to the selected Area.

Additional viewers and other plot layout components can be added by clicking on the plus icon on the Area tab. By default, the new object will be a current viewer, but once it is selected by clicking on the viewer icon, the type option becomes enabled and you can change its type to a named viewer, a title block, a north arrow or a scale bar, then resize it and place it as desired. To remove the selected Area, click the minus icon

. The Move Area buttons control the relative position of overlapping Areas; clicking the Up button

brings the selected Area up one layer, while clicking the Top button moves the selected Area to the Top

of the stack. Similarly, clicking the Down button moves the selected Area down one layer, while the

Bottom button moves the selected Area to the bottom of the stack. To implement the selected configuration options, click the Apply button.

By default, the main viewer's grid set is the controlling grid set. You can also select a named viewer in the plot layout window and then check "use the viewer area's grid set". The grid set is used as the controlling grid set will be the one from which plane(s) to be plotted will be selected. If you want to use the grid set limits, you must make additional settings in the Plot Settings window, described below.

MineSight® by default will automatically calculate the most appropriate scale, depending on the page size and Viewer zoom setting. The scale is based on the project units, either inches or millimeters.

The second portion of the Layout tab is the Page tab, shown below.

Under the Layout tab, the Page tab allows the specification of page size and orientation using two windows with drop-down menu selection. If none of the standard paper size selections is appropriate, selection of the custom option activates selection windows for user entry of page width, height and appropriate units. Orientation selections are Portrait and Landscape. For the explanation of the Plot Page Settings button, see below.

Plot Page Settings button on the Page Tab

If you want to use the grid set limits or defined limits as the limits of your plot, you must do these things:

- On the Area tab, verify that the main viewer is the controlling viewer of the layout, that it has an associated grid set, and that it is in orthographic projection on the view options tab of the viewer properties dialog.

- On the Area tab, check the box to Use grid set limits and make sure the radio button is checked to use the main viewer area's grid set

- On the Area tab, choose the two center area configuration icons. These represent distance from left and right edges of the paper to the plot, and distance from top and bottom edges of the paper to the plot.

- Set the distances to some small percentage, such as 5% or 10%. Using these settings will allow the page size to change with the scale.

Now click on the page tab, and click on the Plot Page Settings button. A new dialog will come up. Leave the radio button checked to Use Viewer Grid Set limits. In this case, only the scale, text size and text width factors are enabled. You can set the scale here and plots will be made at the specified scale. The actual size of the plot will depend on the size of the grid set at the chosen scale.

The line width factor is used to specify the relative thickness of lines plotted vs. their thickness on screen. If you would like polylines to plot thicker than they currently do, increase this factor. In both the plot preview and the actual plot, the line thickness will be increased.

The text width factor can be increased to plot text larger than it appears on the screen as well.

To plot the Layout, choose one of the options under the Print button; the Printer selection sends the Plot to the system default printer, while the HPGL or PostScript options allow saving the plot to a file. If you want to save your plotting specifications, click the Save Set button. Give the set a descriptive name. You can then return to the plot layout at a later data and choose this set from the Plot Settings Set pulldown menu. When finished plotting, click the Close button.

Using Multiple Viewers & Synchronizing DataThis section reviews how to create a series of cross sections with a plan view strip map across the top of each plot. We will use multiple viewers in MS3D; one will be for the cross section and one for a plan view strip map. As you step from one section plot to the next, the data will be synchronized.

Open an existing Drillhole View in a viewer, and then open a second viewer. Create a new Grid Set for the planes you want plotted or use an existing grid set (e.g., either an East-West or North-South grid set).

Attach that Grid Set to one of the viewers and put that viewer in 2D mode. This viewer is a cross section view of your data. Under the Drillhole Properties for that Drillhole view, on the Display tab dialog, set the 2D projection volume to +50 & -50.

The second viewer should be in plan view, 3D mode with volume clipping set to match the 2D projection volume set in the other viewer (equally +50 and -50).

Next, create a new Plot Layout object. Select the Current Viewer area to the 2D viewer which is displaying the drillhole data in cross section and toggle it as the "Main" viewer. This viewer now controls the view, and the other viewer is now subordinate to the main viewer. Set the defining grid set at the Main Viewer Area's Grid Set, and toggle ON "Use Grid Set or Defined Limits"

To properly synchronize the data in the viewer representing the plan view strip map with the cross section data in the Main viewer, toggle ON "Sync with the Main Viewer Area's Target" in the Plot Layout Editor's Area tab dialog. This toggle maintains that the correct data is properly plotted from one cross section to the next, matching the data displayed in the Main Viewer.

To display Easting, Northing or Elevation grid lines &/or labels on the plots, turn on the Grids for the viewer windows in the Viewer Properties dialog.

Finally, in the Plot Layout Editor, click on Print | Preview and select a couple of sections to see how they look. Notice, as you step from one section to the next, that the data in the strip map is always displayed in the proper plane and projection thickness as the data in the cross section. If the previews are okay, then click on Print | <print type> (such as 'hpgl2'), then Select All and plots for every plane in the attached Grid Set will be properly created.

USING THE LINKER TOOLIncluding Data Preparation, Partial Links, and Substrings and Multifurcations.

Preparing Polylines for Linking:

In order to ensure quick and easy linking, all the polyline endpoints should be in the same relative position, and the polyline directions should match.

The nodes on each polyline should be evenly spaced, with a spacing relatively equivalent to that of the spacing between sections. Ideally, the triangles created by linking should be pseudo-equilateral. Very long and thin triangles may cause the problems with Intersect Solids, and self-intersecting triangles may be created due to precision limitations.

Nodes too sparse.Use Polyline Densify.

Nodes too dense.Use Polyline Thin.

Nodes well-spaced.

 Basic Link

Basic link operation showing:

previously linked polylines

strong nodes to guide the new link

selected polylines to be linked next

 

To perform Basic Linking, select the strings you wish to link into a solid and choose the Linker from the Tools menu or with the icon on the menu bar. The Open a Geometry File dialog appears, where you must specify the geometry object that will contain the linked solid. Once you have selected the desired Geometry Object, the Linker dialog will appear.

Linking is performed by first choosing the desired Link operation - either Link, Quick Link, or Auto Link. Using the Link option requires that you choose each string to be linked and then link them individually, Quick Link allows you to choose a number of strings sequentially before linking, and Auto Link allows you to use the mouse to sweep across a number of strings, which are then automatically linked when you right-click the mouse.

Link - To create a surface between two complete polylines:

o Select the first polyline to link, then select the second polyline.

o Add strong nodes by clicking left on a node of the first polyline, then a corresponding node of the second polyline; the strong nodes will be highlighted.

o To redefine a strong node pair, click on the first node and the strong link will be removed; then choose the new strong node pair.

o Click right or choose Preview to view the link, then select Apply to complete the link.

Partial Link - To create a surface between two partial polylines:

o Select two nodes on the first polyline.

o If the polylines are closed polylines, you are asked which side of the polylines to use.

o Repeat for the second polyline.

o Define strong node pairs as in the Link operation.

o Choose Preview to view the partial link, then choose Apply to to complete the partial link.

Quick Link - To create links without choosing extra strong nodes:

o Select each polyline in the order you wish to link them.

o Only the endpoints of the polylines are used as strong nodes.

o Surface segments will be updated as the polylines are chosen.

o Click right to preview the linked surface; choose Apply to complete the link.

Auto Link - To create links without choosing extra strong nodes:

o Select each polyline in the order you wish to link them. You can pick each polyline individually, or drag the cursor to "draw" a box around the group of polylines you wish to select.

o The endpoints of the polylines are used as the strong nodes.

o Click right to preview the linked surface; choose Apply to complete the link.

o Auto Link compares the planes on which the polylines lie. This operation may give unexpected results if the planes are not parallel to each other.

o Auto Link performs only simple links, so if there is more than one polyline on the same plane, the additional polyline(s) will be skipped. Auto Link will highlight the skipped polylines and issue a warning. You can later erase the highlights using Clear All Highlights.

Merge Links - to merge the created links into a surface or solid.

o Once you have created the desired links between polylines, simply click the Merge Links button.

Partial Links

Partial linking is useful when you need to link a portion of one polyline with another. An example might be linking a structure that branches into two sections.

To begin this example, we have selected a number of polylines - the lower polyline will be split to form partial links with the polylines above. With the linker open, choose Partial Link. The MineSight® message window opens, instructing you to select the start and end nodes of the 1st contour, then the same for the second contour. The chosen polyline segments are highlighted, as shown below.

The strong node pairs between the segment endpoints are created by default, and you are asked to add extra strong node pairs. To do this, click on the first contour, then click on a corresponding location on the second contour. For more complicated polyline linking, it is recommended that you insert sufficient strong node pairs to ensure a smooth linking segment. When you are satisfied with the strong node pairs, click right to preview the link.

To save the link, choose Apply. In the example on the left, we linked the remaining segments on the left side with the Link operation, and then repeated the partial Link operation to continue linking segments on the right side.

 

Substrings and Multifurcation

Substrings are used to split existing polylines into smaller segments. This allows you to create complex shapes for linking without predefining the polylines. Substrings can in turn be split, so a multifurcated link can be done

1. The original string (highlighted) is chosen after clicking the Subdivide Polygon button. Then the subdividing string is digitized across the original string.

2. The subdivided string can now be used for linking.

3. Here the subdivided string has been linked to two neighboring strings.

4. The linking of the split solid.

Self-Intersecting Faces caused by Linking

Always check for self-intersections after creating a solid. To do this, click on Surface=>Check for Self-intersection. Self-intersecting faces may be caused by:

the original polylines having either too few, or too many nodes, as outlined in the polyline preparation section.

complex geometry on one polyline linking to less complex geometry on the other

It can be very helpful to create intermediate polylines when trying to perform a difficult link. The procedure for this is outlined below.

1. Original Polylines 2. Self-intersection when linked

3. Create a set of intermediate grids that can be used to slice the solid.

4. polylines from slicing, which are then edited before being linked New

 

Writing Python ScriptsScripts can be used to manipulate model, reserve and geometry data.  Python is the scripting language used in MineSight 3-D. It is a high level scripting language whose syntax is relative simple and straight forward. Python is object oriented but does not require you to use that form. It has many extensions; one can import libraries to do things such as make dialog boxes, link to Microsoft® Excel or do a multitude of other things. The official Python website is www.python.org and there are numerous books and resources available on the subject of programming in Python.

Scripts are ASCII files that are interpreted by MineSight 3-D as they are executed.  Calculations can be done on-the-fly, thus making them very flexible and easily customizable.  Data can be read in from external sources and used in calculations or assigned to attributes.  Default scripts provide good default reports. Custom calculations can be scripted and displayed automatically.

Running scriptsScripts in MineSight 3-D are run in two different places depending on the type of script. Reserve scripts are run from within the MineSight Interactive Planner (IP) tool, and are used to report reserves to the accumulation windows as well as to output reserves to various report files.  Model scripts are run from the Model View Editor properties page -> Scripts tab dialog, and are used to manipulate model data.

Reserve scripts are accessed from the Scripts tab in the IP Cut Design dialog which is part of the IP Tool. There are two distinct areas for scripts, the accumulation script and additional scripts. The accumulation script is responsible for updating the accumulation windows and is intended to be run on the current cut;  a warning will be displayed if you try to run this script without a current cut. It has a toggle, which can be used to turn on and off it's auto run behavior. The Sigma symbol will run the accumulation script; you can also see that there is a Sigma button on the toolbar, which does the same.  The additional scripts are meant for functions such as reporting or calculating a custom attribute value. There is a Run on Save toggle that runs the scripts (in the order of the list) when the user saves the current cut.

Model scripts are run from the Scripts tab on the properties dialog from the model view object. Model scripts are very similar to user subroutines in their capabilities except that there is no need to compile or link. Scripts can be used to reset an item, perform complex calculations, or run calculations based on multiple blocks, etc.

Tools & Syntax

- THE "IDLE" EDITORSince scripts are ASCII file that do not need to be compiled in order to run them, you can edit them in any text editor.  However, we recommend using the default editor, "Idle" which is provided with the Python installation.  

"Idle" has a number of important and useful features specifically used in Python script editing.  These features include, color code based on recognized keywords and uses smart indenting.  This editor has the standard search and replace functions, etc with one glaring omission of a print function.

Indentation and spacing are critical in Python scripts for determining where code blocks start and end.  In Python scripts, code blocks are executed in a loop or if a conditional expression is met.  If you have two lines of code, one indented four spaces and the next only three, then they are not considered to be in the same block of code.  Tabs are not the same as spaces in Idle.  Use the 'untabify' option on the Idle toolbar -> edit to remove unwanted tabbing in the script.

- LIBRARIESSeveral libraries are installed by default by Python and they installed in the .\python21\lib subdirectory. These default libraries handle various functions such as string handling, and we recommend using the provided libraries whenever possible.  Using Python, you can create your own custom libraries and it is encouraged;  this promotes code reuse and limits errors.

Library scripts that are provided by Mintec must be copied to the .\Python21\lib directory, and those include reslib.py, gview.py, panel.py and easyExcel.py.  One script in particular, reslib.py is used by MS-IP to get reserves information from the "reserves dictionary" (a dictionary is a free form data structure in Python). For a listing of all the functions in reslib.py, please refer to the reslib.htm document included with the standard Mintec-provided scripts.

Note: when the reserves structure is changed within MineSight 3-D, reslib.py will be also be changed and any scripts that were written using it will still work. However please beware; if you parsed the reserves dictionary yourself there is a good possibility that any changes in the structure of the reserves dictionary could break your script.

- DEFINITIONSBegin creating a script by importing the libraries to reference at the top of your script, then define the functions in that library you wish to use.  An example of the syntax is shown below.

- Import the libraries to be used:import reserves

import core

import string

import reslib

- Define the functions in the above libraries that you wish to use:def main():

hRes = reserves.hGetCurResRef()     # Get reserves handle

dRes = reserves.dGetRes(hRes)        # Get the whole reserves structure

Notice in defining the functions, above, that the syntax is the [libraryname].[function].   Comments occur to the right of the pound (#) symbol.

Reserves ScriptsAll reserves scripts share a few things in common and they only start to diverge when it comes to where output will be sent.  All reserves scripts need to import at least the same three libraries; reserves, core and reslib.

Reserves scripts also share at least the same two lines of code:

hRes = reserves.hGetCurResRef()  # Get reserves handle

dRes = reserves.dGetRes(hRes)     # Get the whole reserves structure

The first line gets the reserves handle, which is a numeric identifier for this plan. This is then used in the call to dGetRes, which returns the reserves dictionary.  The reserves dictionary holds all of the reserve data for the current plan, but it does not hold the actual geometry data (although if desired, the data can be obtained through further calls).

Using an accumulation script as an example, we need to know how to pop up grid windows and populate them. Below is an excerpt of the source code from the default accumulation script.

To use the accumulation windows you must import the library called gview.

def fillmain(dRes, numbins):

phndl = gview.OpenStdGrid(3+(3+reslib.getnumgrades(dRes)) * (numbins + 1), 3, 1)

labelrows(phndl, dRes)

gview.SetWinLev(phndl, 1)

fillcurrentperiod(phndl, dRes, numbins)

fillplan(phndl, dRes, numbins)

gview.CloseStdGrid(phndl)

gview.DisplayStdGrid(phndl)

The above code excerpt is from the default script that has to do with the period and plan accumulation window. The call to gview.OpenStdGrid takes three arguments (arguments are separated by commas). The first two are row and column.

phndl = gview.OpenStdGrid(3+(3+reslib.getnumgrades(dRes)) * (numbins + 1), 3, 1)

In this example, row is defined by an equation, and column is hardwired equal to 3.  The third argument (=1) is for window instance.  The resulting table will be 3 columns wide by several rows long.  You can have multiple windows; this is how you know which window to pop up or refresh. There is no difference between popping up a new window or refreshing an old one. If the instance is in use, the existing window will be refreshed. If it is not being used, a new window will be created. There is no limit to the number of windows you can create.

A few lines farther down in the code above, the focus level of the window, SetWinLev is set equal to 1. This is how you can tell the window to always be on top and values can range from zero to four.

Finally, at the bottom of the above code clip are the CloseStdGrd, which closes the grid for editing, and DisplayStdGrid, which displays the grid in the window or updates it depending on the existing state.  File output is handled similarly and follows the same logic as in most other programming languages - open the file write to it, then close the file. Below is a code excerpt that demonstrates this.  Error handling code is included as well.

try:

fl = open(“report.txt”, ‘w’)

except IOError:

return 0

fl.write(“%10.0f \n” % 12.4)

fl.write(“test” + “\n”)

fl.close()

core.vSysSpawn (“notepad”,”report.txt”)

The format specifiers used in Python are very similar to FORTRAN and C/C++.  Use “f” for float, “d” for decimal and “s” for strings. A full listing of the format specifiers used in Python can be found on the Python website.

Notice there is a call that spawns an external process. In this case, Notepad is being spawned our newly created file ("report.txt"). This function can be used to spawn other process as well.

There are several useful functions in reslib.py.  One function to look at is getcontolgrade(). This returns the control grade on which the cutoffs are based. It is used in many places so we should get used to using it. It has two arguments but only one is required. The first argument, and one that is used in almost all calls to reslib, is the reserves dictionary. The second and optional argument is an Area Index. Multiple areas can be used.

The next group of calls are the ‘bin’ calls like Getcuttonsmaterialbin and getcutgradematerialbin. Here, 'bin' refers to 'cutoff'. There are a whole series of calls to get tons, volumes, grades by cutoff. There are also bin calls, which do not break it down by material or cut either such as, getbintons, getbinvol and getbingrade. Many of these calls are not meant as a final product but rather to be used together to get to the desired result. There are many other utility functions in reslib.py - which is really the heart of reserves scripting.

When trying to make your own reserve script it is recommended that you start by trying to modify the existing scripts first (be sure to back up the originals first).

Model ScriptsModel scripts provide complete read and write access to the model. Like reserve scripts they start off with a few required imports and one required line of code. The imports are as follows:

import model

from Numeric import *

The model library is imported as the interface into the MineSight model. The Numeric import is different and deserves some discussion on its own. The Numeric library allows us to work with very large arrays of numerical data efficiently in Python, which is critical with model data.  

Model scripts are based on the idea of a slab of data. This slab can span multiple benches and multiple items. It could span your whole model and all of your items.   However, beware that although you are allowed to try to fit your entire model into your computer's RAM, it is not recommended.   You can probably load your whole model if you are only getting one or two items and you could definitely load a slab the size of a bench with all your items. The point is that instead of limiting the usefulness of the tool by putting in artificial limitations, its best to think about memory usage before writing a model script.

Below is an excerpt from a contact block dilution script. In this script every ore block is checked against adjacent blocks to see how many waste blocks border it and an item is coded with that value. To minimize memory usage, no more than three single bench slabs are loaded in memory at one time. When a new one is loaded an old one is stored back and freed from memory, moving down through the model.

Below is an excerpt from the dilution script and shows how to work with a model;

SlabDesc = {}

ModelDesc = model.dGetActiveModelDesc()

SlabDesc[‘NumberItems’] = 2

SlabDesc[‘ItemList’] = [‘ZONE’,’VALPT’]

SlabDesc[‘Origin’] = [0,0,0]

SlabDesc[‘Extents’] = [ModelDesc[‘Extents’][0],ModelDesc[‘Extents’][1],1]

Mid = model.dGetSlab(ModelDesc, SlabDesc)

On the first line we declare an empty dictionary.  Here we describe the slab to be returned (which we read and write to, then return for updating).  The next line is where we get the information about the current model, with a call to dGetActiveModelDesc().  A dictionary is returned with information such as origin, extents, rotation and item list. Then we define the slab we want to retrieve in our empty dictionary and retrieve it with a call to dGetSlab.  

To access the items in the model use a form as follows;

Mid[item][level][row][col] = value

Note that the level, row and column are relative to the slab origin not the model origin.  Therefore, if they do not correspond, then they will not be the same values. For example if the slab only encompasses the fourth bench then the level value would not be 4 but rather 0 as it is the first level in the slab even though it is not the first in the model. Note that in Python, indexes start at 0, not 1 as they do in Fortran. The item value is not a name but rather an index based on the position of the item in the item list given in the slab description. Once we have finished reading and possibly writing new values to the slab, we then need to update and free the slab from memory.

model.vSetSlab(ModelDesc, SlabDesc, Top)

model.vFreeSlab(Top)

Function vSetSlab is called to update the MineSight® model with the changed values, and function vFreeSlab frees the memory.  You do not need to call vSetSlab if the data does not need to be updated. Always remember to free your slabs, they are very large and you will run out of memory very fast.

Final NoteScripts can be used to perform a variety of functions in MineSight 3-D.  For example, one powerful feature of MineSight 3-D scripts is the ability to automatically update custom attributes.  You can assign attributes to be carried with cuts based on multiple grades and/or external data, such as routing codes.  Though codes can be automatically assigned, the user still has the ability to override the generated code.

THE SELECTION MENUBefore the CAD functions become available for editing data, it is necessary to Select the data which you want to edit. Selected, or newly created entities will appear red in the Viewer, indicating that they may be edited. Selected data may also be Moved or Copied to another Object.

To save the edits and continue editing a different data object, the polylines must be Unselected, and therefore Saved.

The following list details the steps and shortcuts for selecting data:

Make New - To pick elements only from one geometry object in the viewer - shift+click allows data to be unselected; Click right to complete the Selection.

Make New Multi-object - To pick elements in a viewer from multiple geometry objects in the same folder - shift+click allows data to be unselected; Click right to complete the Selection. The multi-selection button selects elements in objects where the objects are found in the same folder.  If the objects are found in different folders then the elements in one of the two objects are selectable.  

  Multi-folder Select - Requires toggling on Select Edit Group or Multi-object Select and holding down the Ctrl key while picking.  Ctrl-clicks will select anything and everything.

Save Selection Edits - To save the edits and Unselect the data so that other data may be Selected. Note: Even data which has been deleted must be Unselected and Saved before other data may be Selected.

Save and Continue - This function allows you to save edits but leave data selected so that editing may continue. This function also acts as a limit for the Undo function; Undo cancels all edits back to the last Save Selection Edits or Save Edits and Continue command.

Show Polyline Nodes - Click on this icon and the nodes of selected polylines will be displayed. Size and symbol of the nodes may be changed in the Points tab of the Object Properties window.

Show Only Selection - Click on this icon and the Viewer displays only those Geometry Objects which are selected for editing.

  Hide Selection - This command, available only from the menu, hides the selected geometry in the viewer.

  Copy to Object - This command, available only from the menu, copies the selected data to another Data Object; the Data Object to receive the data must be open.

  Move to Object - This command, available only from the menu, creates a copy of the selected data in another Data Object and deletes the original data. The data Object to receive the data must be open.

  Export - This command, available only from the menu, allows you to export selected

geometry to one of the following MineSight export formats: 3D Points (ASCII); DXF File; GSI data format; MineSight VBM File; MineSight VBM (ASCII); Survey File (ASCII); Survey File (ASCII, CSV).

  Configure Selection Filter -  This command is used to configure the Selection Filter which will filter elements by data type, orientation, attributed name, attributed material, length, area and/or volume.  It is available through the Selection menu and through the Data Manager-File-Select menu.

Undo Edits - To undo the last series of edits from the point that the data was Selected, or from the point where the Save Edits and Continue option was last invoked.

Redo Edits - To redo the last series of edits from the point that the data was Selected, or from the point where the last Save Edits and Continue option was invoked.

History List - Displays a list of all operations that have been performed on a selected edit objects since the last save.  The history list is invoked from the History List icon on the tool bar.  It keeps a stack of all edits done to an entity in the current edit session which allows you to selectively revert to a previous edit state. An entry is made on the history list on every right click.  For example, if you do a point move, right click, point delete, right click, point add, right click, you will get 3 entries in the history list.  If you do 10 point deletes, they would be all in one entry in the history list.  You can then revert to no edits (top of history list), or any of the intermediate edit changes.

  Cancel Selection - This command, available only from the menu, cancels the current data selection without saving any edits.

Delete Selection - Click on the icon and all selected data will be deleted. It may be retrieved by the Undo function, before using the Save function.

Modelview Selectability - When a model view is displayed, this function is used in conjunction with the Query function to allow a model block query.  If the function is not selected, then model block query is not allowed. This is useful when there are numerous objects displayed in the viewer and allows objects to be selected without interference from a model block query.

  Query Selection - This command provides information about the objects currently selected and outputs the information to the message window.

Unset Edit Object - This command allows you to conveniently unset the currently open edit object.

Selection Properties - This command, available only from the menu, allows the user to specify the appearance of selected data. There are three choices: no highlighting - selected data is displayed as specified in Object Properties; highlight lines and nodes - the default setting - selected data is displayed with lines and nodes highlighted; and highlight in wire frame - selected solid and surface data is displayed with the surfaces hidden. The

highlight color is specified by clicking on the highlight color box.

MODEL VIEWS

DescriptionModel Views are used to attach model files to a MineSight® project. Attaching a model lets you directly interact with the model. Available model files are:

File 15: 3D Block Model or GSM (Gridded Seam Model)

File 13: 2D Surface File

File 14: GSM Summary File (GSM projects only)

Model Views allow you to visualize your model data as contoured surfaces, blocks, or polygons. You can also visualize the model as a GradeShell (3D Block Models only). In addition, attached models can be directly coded from a MineSight® 3D solid.

Models typically contain many items. Model Views are created to contain individual items from a model, or different spatial regions of a model. Each model view contains a definition of a region of the model space and a display item.

Attaching a MineSight® ModelYou can attach a model by highlighting the Project Map, clicking right and selecting New=>Model View in the Data Manager. Use the MineSight® file chooser to select a PCF file (File 10: Project Control File) from any directory. A pick list will then display the list of available model files for the selected project. Once a model file is selected, you will be in the MineSight® Model View Properties Dialog.

MineSight® provides direct access to PCF and Models that are in a different format from that of the machine you are running on. MineSight® will read a Windows NT® formatted set of project files when running on a Unix machine and vice versa. The only restriction is that the model associated with the PCF that is being accessed must be in the same byte order as the PCF.

Multiple Model Views from one File 13When creating a model view from a "Special Pit Optimization" file 13, you can create multiple model views for each of the gridded surfaces contained in that file 13 using one dialog.  In fact, you can create multiple model views in one step for each of the surfaces in a file 13 - if the file 13 contains more than 50 items.  

If you select a "Special Pit Optimization" file 13 (or that file 13 that has more than 50 items), a notice will be displayed which asks if you would like to create multiple model views.  If you choose No, then only one model view from one gridded surface will be created.  If you choose Yes, then the "Multiple Model Views" dialog will be displayed.

 

By default, the primary display item is "topog" - the standard, required item in any file 13.  To select a different default display item, click on the file icon and a list the items in the file 13 will be displayed from which to choose.

The surface items in the file 13 are listed.  The checkbox to the left of the item name specified which items to create a model view object.  Items can be selected individually or multiple items can be selected using the Select option at the top of the dialog.

The Select function has the following options:

Select all (Ctrl-A) - This option selects all of the items to create a model views of all items.

Unselect all (Ctrl-U) - Choose this option to unselect any selected items.

Filter selection (Ctrl-F) - Choose this option to select the items to create model views from based on certain criteria using wildcards in the filter.

          

The model view objects are named using the optional name specifed.  If a name is not specified, the new model views are named using the specified Prefix + the item name.

In the example shown to the left, model view objects will be created for items TOPOG, RCODE, SLPS1, SLPC1, SLPS3, SLPC3, SLPS4 and SLPC4.  Model views will not be created from items SLPS2 & SLPC2 because they are not selected.  Since a model view name is not specified for items SLPS3 & SLPC3, those model views will be named "ePits SLPS3" and "ePits SLPC3".  The model views created for the other selected items will be given the optional name specified without the prefix (e.g., the model view created for item "TOPOG" will simply be named "topog").

 

MineSight 3-D Export Formats

Exporting Files from MineSight 3-D

Exporting files from MineSight can done through the Data Manager, using the right click menu Export function, at the Object level. Objects must be open to be able to access the export options.

There are also Export functions under the Selection and Surface menu options, which are specifically designed for exporting selected and surface data, respectively.

There are a wide variety of data formats in use for the transfer of data within MineSight and between MineSight and other software and/or hardware devices, such as data collection systems (total station, etc.). The formats and general uses of these formats are outlined below.

 

DH List - This export option is available only when the open data object is of the DH View type, and allows to export a list of DH names or intervals.

Selecting Export=>DH List brings up a new dialog listing all of the drillholes available for export from the selected DH View. By default, the export dialog will have all drillholes selected, so if you just want a list of DH IDs and lengths, click the Export button. The file that is created is a tab-delimited text file, and an example is shown here. Holes or intervals within holes can be excluded from the list by either entering the appropriate values in the windows or using the pick icon to designate holes and/or intervals in the Viewer.

SM-013 0.0 243.8 1SM-014 0.0 506.0 1SM-015 0.0 518.2 1SM-016 0.0 530.4 1SM-017 0.0 512.1 1SM-018 0.0 249.9 1SM-019 0.0 335.3 1

Note: The DH list function is currently available only in 3D mode.

3D Points (ASCII) file -This file format uses an xyz triplet to define each point; polylines are separated by a breakcode ($). The default file extension for the 3D Points (ASCII) file is *.xyz; an example is shown.

2503.407 5159.112 2294.2582501.931 5160.334 2284.4442500.454 5161.556 2274.6292498.977 5162.778 2264.8152497.500 5164.000 2255.000$2485.229 5185.009 2225.0002488.877 5205.955 2225.0002494.151 5217.327 2225.0002452.770 5237.480 2334.6472452.262 5246.618 2327.8842544.676 5185.266 2225.0002553.700 5180.000 2225.000$2470.600 5113.700 2240.0002472.700 5116.900 2240.0002496.645 5123.442 2305.4512500.066 5124.377 2314.8012503.487 5125.312 2324.1512506.908 5126.246 2333.501$

DXF file - This is the standard Drawing Transfer (Xfer) Format used for transferring data between MineSight and AutoCAD. MineSight accepts 3D polylines - open or closed, extruded polylines, polymesh, 3D face, 3D meshes, lines and solids. The default file extension for the DXF file is *.dxf. Additional details regarding the import/export of DXF files can be found in Import DXF File.

GSI file - This is an outptut format that can be read into certain types of data recorders. The GSI file format consists of sets of points, each on a separate line, with flags denoting the type of data being stored. In MineSight, this export is only available for point and string (polyline) data. Data flags used in MineSight are 11 for point number, 81 for Easting, 82 for Northing, and 83 for Elevation. The default extension for GSI files is *.gsi, and a sample of GSI ouptut is shown here.

11....+00000001 81...0+10381000 82...0+10838200 83...0+0408254011....+00000002 81...0+10533400 82...0+10838200 83...0+0408762911....+00000003 81...0+10685799 82...0+10838200 83...0+0409766011....+00000004 81...0+10838200 82...0+10838200 83...0+0410704911....+00000005 81...0+10990599 82...0+10838200 83...0+0411320011....+00000006 81...0+11143000 82...0+10838200 83...0+0411558011....+00000007 81...0+10381000 82...0+10685799 83...0+04066989

VBM file - This a binary file format used within MineSight programs to define polyline data. The naming convention of the VBM file is proj25.xxx, where proj is your 4-letter project ID, and xxx is a user-specifed extension. Additional details regarding the import/export of VBM files can be found in Import MineSight VBM File.

VBM (ASCII) file - this is an ASCII file format that can be imported and exported directly to and from the binary VBM files. The VBM (ASCII) format consists of a header line with a plane number (usually the elevation or section line), a feature code to define the line, and optional orientation information. This is followed by a field of x, y points in free format. The default file extension for the VBM (ASCII) file is *.vbm; an example is shown.

2210.00 910 2457.50 4916.40 2210.00 90.00 0.002480.80 4973.302457.50 4989.802460.40 5010.602463.40 5032.402472.20 5041.202495.70 5039.702515.70 5037.602536.70 5035.302562.50 5027.402589.50 5019.102605.90 5001.802622.20 4984.502639.40 4966.302639.40 4942.802625.10 4929.902610.10 4916.40.0 .02225.00 910 2442.70 4901.60 2225.00 90.00 0.002449.70 5038.202451.70 5041.502461.70 5052.202459.00 5055.802471.10 5080.902483.90 5107.202501.40 5125.402518.80 5143.602536.30 5161.802553.70 5180.002571.20 5198.20.0 .0

Survey (ASCII) file - This file format is defined for use in MineSight programs using the Survey Code File, which is discussed in further detail below. This file format must adhere to the following parameters:

Columns Data

1-4 Point code (characters)

5-6 Blank spaces

7-12 Point number(optional, character/numbers)

13-24 Easting coordinate

25-36 Northing coordinate

37-48 Elevation

49-50 Blank spaces

51-66 Descriptor (optional)

The default file extension for the Survey (ASCII) file is *.srv; an example is shown.

CST 001 -1943.368 5425.541 3700.631 CRSTCST 002 -1897.200 5378.676 3702.863 CRSTCST 003 -1915.908 5317.910 3703.877 CRSTCST 004 -1935.222 5260.574 3702.420 CRSTCST 005 -1990.033 5226.129 3701.540 CRST$TOE 101 -1952.076 5390.444 3645.871 TOETOE 102 -1955.965 5357.887 3646.050 TOETOE 103 -1968.859 5329.644 3648.283 TOETOE 104 -1988.689 5277.434 3647.680 TOE$TOPO A01 14720.801 5026.000 3550.000 TOPOTOPO A02 14721.000 5035.500 3550.000 TOPOTOPO A03 14716.801 5076.300 3550.000 TOPOTOPO A04 14702.500 5180.500 3550.000 TOPOTOPO A05 14684.301 5246.400 3550.000 TOPOTOPO A06 14680.500 5254.500 3550.000 TOPO$TOPO B01 10865.000 -850.800 3650.000 TOPOTOPO B02 10696.500 -773.000 3650.000 TOPOTOPO B03 10690.700 -769.500 3650.000 TOPOTOPO B04 10620.000 -721.400 3650.000 TOPOTOPO B05 10612.500 -715.700 3650.000 TOPOTOPO B06 10495.600 -656.000 3650.000 TOPO$

Survey (ASCII,CSV) file - The Survey (ASCII, CSV) format, also known as the Survey General Format, is a comma delimited file with the following fields: Easting, Northing, Elevations, Node Point count, Material name, Attribute name, Object Name, Attributed Material name. The Easting, Northing, Elevation and Node Point count are required items. Optional items if missing are indicated by two adjacent commas, as illustrated below. The Survey General file has an .srg extension; an example is shown.

2733.330,5507.240,420.000,1,TOE,,TOE,2736.520,5502.470,420.000,2,TOE,,TOE,2730.110,5490.940,420.000,3,TOE,,TOE,2727.920,5479.010,420.000,4,TOE,,TOE,2740.690,5472.920,420.000,5,TOE,,TOE,2754.040,5480.850,420.000,6,TOE,,TOE,

IMPORT DXF FILEAutoCAD DXF files can be imported directly into MineSight® using the Import=>DXF files selection. Highlight the desired folder for import, click right, and select Import=>DXF files. This opens a standard file selection dialog, where the desired DXF file is selected for opening. The Layer Selection dialog appears, allowing selection of the desired layers from the DXF file. All Layers can be selected using Edit=>Select All, or individual layers can be selected using the mouse. MineSight accepts 3D polylines - open or closed, extruded polylines, polymesh, 3D face, 3D meshes, lines and solids.

In some cases, it may be desirable to interchange x and y or y and z coordinates; these options can be selected under the Options selection on the menu bar.

When desired options and layers have been selected, press the Load Selected Layers button to complete the Import operation. The Layer Selection dialog can then be closed using either the 'x' box in the upper right corner of the dialog, or by choosing File=>Close from the menu bar.

DXF import can handle ATTRIB items, '%%...' special characters in DXF TEXT and ATTRIB items, and sets the label color.  

DXF import changed to allow other characters to be the last record in the DXF file (e.g., 0, EOF), rather than only CR, LF, or CRLF characters

IMPORT => VBM FILEVBM files can be imported directly into MineSight® 3-D projects. Choosing Import=>VBM Files from the Data Manager will bring up the VBM Selection dialog. To implement this feature, it is first necessary to specify the PCF with which the VBM is associated, either by entering the PCF name in the text field, or clicking the Select PCF... button. Once the desired PCF is selected, all VBM files associated with the PCF appear in the selection window, and the desired VBM is selected by clicking left with the mouse. Click the OK button, and the VBM Import dialog appears, with tabs for Plane and Feature selection.

In the Plane selection tab, enter the desired planes, either by using the All Planes button, entering a plane range and increment in the Minimum, Maximum, and Increment text fields, or by selecting the desired planes with the mouse. Mouse selection can be made by clicking left on a single plane, using click-drag to select multiple adjacent planes, or using Ctrl-click to select multiple nonadjacent planes. If selection is made using the Minimum, Maximum and increment text fields, the Select button must be clicked to set the selection; the Select button is not required if Plane selection is made with the mouse.

When the desired planes have been selected, use the Features tab to select the desired features of the VBM File. This selection is made in the same way as Plane selection, using the All Features button, entering a single plane or a wildcard selection (i.e., 3* or ??4) in the selection text field, or by selecting the desired features with the mouse. Mouse selection can be made by left-clicking on a single feature, using click-drag to select multiple adjacent features, or using Ctrl-click to select multiple non-adjacent features. If selection is made using the selection text field, the Select button must be clicked to set the selection; the Select button is not required if Feature selection is made with the mouse.

When the desired planes and Features have been selected, click on the Apply button, and the selected Features on the selected Planes are imported into the currently selected folder.

GradeShellDescription

GradeShells are 3D wireframe solids that represent a surface of constant value in three dimensional space. The source data required to compute a GradeShell is a 3D Block Model (File 15); the model selected to define the ModelView must be a 3D model file for the GradeShell option to be available. Any data item from the 3D Block Model can be used to compute a GradeShell. For example, a GradeShell can be computed for AU > 0.2 g/T. The resulting GradeShell may consist of more than one closed volume, depending on the distribution of grades in the block model.

The GradeShell calculator has been designed to allow for several computation options. The simplest case is to compute a GradeShell for values above a specified threshold for a continuous data item (such as AU in the above example). Alternatively, GradeShells can be computed for data constrained between low and high

cutoffs. The GradeShell calculator can also handle discrete data items such as ROCK type, or a CODE item. Another variation allows for limiting the GradeShell data item by another specified item (e.g.,build a GradeShell of AU > 0.2 g/T where CU > 0.7 oz/T).

GradeShells are an excellent data type for visualizing your 3D Block Model. As a model verification tool, GradeShells will quickly point out any data anomalies. You can also use GradeShells as a guide to ore during underground and open pit design evaluation.

GradeShell Primary Item

The is the model item to use for the Gradeshell. The items are available in a dropdown list by clicking the icon to the right of the GradeShell Primary Item field.

Next you need to specify the cutoff(s) for the GradeShell item. If you just want a GradeShell computed above a value then enter the value in the Compute Gradeshell field. If the model item is a discrete (integer type) data item then click on the switch Item is an integer/code value. If you wish to constrain the GradeShell between two values, then click on the <= and enter the minimum value in the field.

Limit by secondary item

If you want to compute a GradeShell limited by another model item value, then click on the Limit by secondary Item switch and select the Limiting Item from the item list. Enter a threshold value for the limiting item in the field and an upper limiting value in the second field.

Save Grade Shell

The Save Grade Shell button opens a dialog where the new Grade Shell can be saved as a Geometry object.

MODEL VIEW PROPERTIES DIALOG

Display tab

Model View Name

This is the name that can be assigned to this view. A default name will be displayed upon opening the Model View Editor.

Primary Display Item

The Model View Editor will display the list of all available model items in the Item popdown list. To select a new item for editing click the item selection icon to the right of the Primary Display Item field and make a selection from the displayed list. Use the cutoffs button to set the item cutoff intervals and colors.

Hatch Item

In addition to the coloring by cutoff based on the Primary Display Item, a block can have a hatch pattern superimposed that is associated with a different item. If the Primary Display Item has a hatch pattern associated with its value, this pattern will be ignored when a Hatch Item is selected, and rather the pattern associated with the Hatch item value will be displayed in the block. Hatch Items are available in 2D and 3D views but will only work with Filled Polygons and 3D block Styles.

To use a Hatch Item, first designate the model item upon which the hatching will be based using the item selection icon and popdown list (select NONE to reset to no Hatch Item). Next use the Cutoffs button to associate a hatch pattern with each value or range for that item. In the Cutoff editor, highlight the cutoff value or values then select the Properties button. On the Polylines tab in Object Properties, choose a pattern in the

Polygon Fill - Fill Style section to be the hatch pattern for that value or values. (Note that the Fill Styles with T are texture modes and are only used when projecting patterns onto irregular Surfaces, not closed polygon blocks, so are not available as hatch patterns.) Press Apply to implement the hatch.

Display in 3D views

Checking this box activates the selected Display Type and Style when using the Model View in 3D viewing mode.

There are five 3D Display Types available:

1. Standard View: This will display the portion of the model requested on the Range tab of the Model View Editor with the requested View Style applied.

2. GradeShells: Displays the model as a gradeshell. See the GradeShell section.

3. Level/Bench Plans: Displays the model as horizontal sections.

4. EW Sections: Displays the model as vertical East-West sections.

5. NS Sections: Displays the model as vertical North-South sections.

View Style

There are five ways a 3D view can be displayed:

1. Contours: This style displays contours of the selected model item on the spatial extent of the defined model region. This is the fastest and least memory intensive method of viewing the model.

2. Smooth Contours: This style displays contours with a gradual change in the contour colors on the spatial extent of the defined model region.

3. Filled Polygons: This view displays individual model blocks as polygons

4. 3D Blocks: This style displays the model as individual blocks. Blocks are displayed at 90% of their size. Warning: viewing a large region as 3D blocks is a very memory intensive operation. It isn’t recommended on machines with limited RAM.

5. Surface/Slab: A Surface/Slab view is available for more efficient display of the model. In both cases, a "Mesh" is used instead of a triangulated "Shell". A mesh is just a grid, and is more efficiently displayed in MineSight® than a Shell. Slab rendering of a 3D block model is done by displaying only the bounding two rows, two columns and two benches of the model, the interior blocks being undisplayed. Surface rendering is used for grid files and the midpoints of the grids are connected by a mesh.

Display in sectional views

Toggle this on for model views to be displayed in 2D mode. For view styles, please see View Styles above. Note: 3D Block style is not available for sectional views. Turning the 3D display toggle off will improve the performance of sectional views.

Options:

1. Display on edit grid

Edit Grids may be used to display contours of a model item on the plane. This is particularly useful for viewing non-orthogonal views of the model.

The following steps are required to obtain a Model View:

Place an Edit Grid where you want to view the model items by using the Edit Grid editor to position the grid.

Bring up the Model View Properties dialog by double-clicking the Model View in the Data Manager.

On the Display Tab, check the option Display on Edit Grid.

Contoured values of the Model Item will appear on your Edit Grid plane.

2. Show 3D block model as GSM

The Show 3D block model as GSM toggle permits the display of a 3D Block Model as a Gridded Seam Model. The 3D Block Model must contain items that define the seam top and bottom (such as ZTOP and ZBOT) to enable this option.

3. Toggle on Show Model Bounds and a rectangle will be displayed in the current viewer show the extents of the model file.

4. Click on Model Properties to bring up the Object properties dialog for the model view.

 

Range tab

The viewing Range is defined using the level/northing/easting slider controls on the Range Tab. The range can be set from a single block up to the entire model. Move the boxes in the slider bar to define the limits of the range you want. Use the left arrow and right arrow keys to move the range as one group. At the left of each slide the number of blocks in the range is is displayed.

3D Display Limits

The slider bars in the 3D Display Limits section of the Range tab controls the amount of the model displayed when the Viewer Mode is set to 3D.

2D Display Limits

The slider bars in the 2D Display Limits section of the Range tab controls the amount of the model displayed when the Viewer mode is set to 2D.

Immediate Viewer Refresh

If the Immediate Viewer Refresh is toggled, the view is updated as the sliders are manipulated. This can be used to dynamically move through a model. By default, any changes made to the spatial region will not be applied until the Apply button is pressed.

Options tab

Secondary item limiting

The item selected for display in the Model View can be limited by the value of a second item. The second item and its limiting value are entered in the corresponding windows.  Note:  secondary limiting works only with Filled Polygons, 3D Blocks and Surface/Slab Styles, and does not work with Contour or Smooth Contour Styles.

2D Labeling

Note that the Text Item options are active only in 2-D mode and are based on the type of view (3DBM, vs GSM or Surface).

3-D Block Models (3DBM):  The values for up to 3 model items can be displayed.

Use the item selector icon to select the item values to display and toggle ON the checkbox to the left of the item selected.  An item's values will only be displayed if the checkbox is toggled ON.

Select the number of decimals in the value to display.

Use the horizontal and vertical offsets to place the text for the selected items in the model block.  The Horizontal offset is cumulative relative to the other items.  The Vertical offset is relative to the upper edge of the block.  The label size is found under Model View->Display tab->Properties.

After editing and clicking on the Apply button, refresh the display in order to view the changes.

Invert Labels

The Invert Labels checkbox must be used when viewing a model with labels in 2D view, and viewing 180º from the default view direction.  It is to be used in conjunction with the Rotate View 180º checkbox on the Viewer Properties -View Options tab.  When the view is rotated 180º through the Viewer Properties, the Invert Labels checkbox must be checked to correctly orient the block labels.  Press Apply for Invert Labels to become effective.

GSM/Surface Models:

Use the checkbox toggles to label GSM seams or Surfaces at the start and end of each seam or surface.

The Repeat option will draw the item label at approximately the chosen distance along the seam/surface. The Start Label option must be ON to activate the Repeat option.  This option gives the user the convenience of seeing the labels rather than having to scroll all the way back to the beginning of the seam or surface to see the label.

The actual distance is approximate.  If the next displayed point along the line is greater than the specified distance (notice that's a slant distance), then the text is displayed.  For a flatish line, the minimum value that can be used for the repeat option is based on the block size.  The distances were not intended to be precise.

Block Size (percent)

When the 3D display style is defined as 3D blocks or filled polygons, this parameter sets the amount of each block in the model that is displayed. By default, this value is 90 percent.

 

GradeShell tab

The GradeShell tab allows you to create solids that define a value range for any item in your model. This tab is available only when viewing a 3D block model.

Gradeshell Primary Item

To create the GradeShell, first specify the Primary Grade Item; this is the item whose values will be used to define the GradeShell solid, and is chosen by clicking the Item Selection icon and choosing the desired item from the pulldown list. If the desired item is an integer or code item, check the box marked 'Item is an integer/code item'. To define the minimum grade value for your GradeShell, enter this value in the window marked 'Compute gradeshell >='; to limit the GradeShell by a maximum value, check the box marked 'and <', and enter the desired maximum value in the window.

Limit by Secondary Item

You have the option of limiting your GradeShell by a secondary item; to accomplish this, check the box marked 'Limit by secondary item:', and use the same procedures as for the primary grade item above.

Save GradeShell

You may also save your GradeShell as a geometry object; to do this, click the button marked 'Save GradeShell'. In the Open a Geometry File window, choose the folder you wish to contain the geometry object, specify the name and material type of the geometry object, and click Open. This process can be repeated as many times as desired from the same Model View.

GSM/Surfaces tab

The GSM/Surfaces tab allows you to define the GSM parameters or 2D surfaces in your model. This tab is available only when viewing a 2D surface model (File 13) or a GSM (Gridded Seam Model).

GSM

This section is active only when the model being viewed is a Gridded Seam Model (GSM). This section allows you to specify the GSM seam top and bottom items; the defaults are ZTOP and ZBOT, respectively. In this section, you can specify whether to display the seam top, seam bottom, or both. You can also specify whether the GSM is horizontal, East-West Vertical or North-South Vertical.

Surfaces

This section is active only when the model being viewed is a 2D surface model (File 13). This section is where you would specify the Surface Elevation Item for the 2D surface model (the default name for this item is TOPOG).

Grid points can also be exported to an ASCII file using the Export button.  Use the "Export grid points to ASCII file:" button to output the X,Y,Z coordinates of the surface at each the block center (grid center).

Default Elevation

This section is available in both GSM and 2D surface model views. This section allows you to specify a minimum value for the elevation item, and if desired, to suppress the view of this item below the specified minimum value.

Save Surfaces

This section allows you to save File 13 or GSM surfaces as surface geometry objects.  First select an existing folder to put the resulting surfaces.  Then click the Save button and an item selection window will appear, wherein you can specify the item(s) that you wish to create geometry objects from.

If you are viewing a GSM model, the selected seams will each be saved as a 3D mesh.  

If you are viewing a 2D surface model (File 13), you also have the option to save the selected surfaces as 3D polylines/points.  You can optionally assign the minimum value to missing values for non-elevation items in the 2D surface model.  To save the surfaces as Polylines/Points, you can specify the maximum point count along each polyline generated along the surface.  If you want to save only points, not polylines, use a maximum point count of 1.

Note: If you choose to save a 2D model surface as 3D polylines/points, subsequent triangulation should be performed using the Triangulate Surface =>With Selection in Plan function.

Geometry tab

Geometry

The Geometry section of the Geometry tab allows the selection of a Geometry Data object to be used for Model Coding or Exposed Ore display. The Geometry Object to be used must be opened in the Data Manager before selection. To select the desired Geometry Object, click on the Select button and a dialog will open allowing the selection of any open Geometry Object. Alternatively, a Geometry Object can be selected using the Object Contents Browser; click on the OCB icon to effect this type of selection. Clicking the Code Model button switches to the Code Model tab, where the various Model coding options can be selected. Clicking the Exposed Ore button will display a projection of the model information onto the surface of the selected Geometry Object.  [Note: if the model slab is in the way, preventing you from viewing the exposed ore on the selected surface, turn Off the 3D display on the Display tab dialog]. To clear the Exposed Ore display, click the Clear Exposed Ore button.

Lock Selection While Editing Model View

This function locks the selected geometry objects for use while the model view properties dialog is displayed. Locking selected objects keeps those objects on the list of selected objects to be used multiple times in model view functions (such as Code model, Exposed ore, or Grid).  If a geometry object is not locked, then it is cleared from the list after it is used in a model view function.  In general, locking should only be used if you want to perform multiple Model View operations using the same geometry.

Grid Surface

The Grid Surface option is active only when a 2D Model (File 13) or a GSM model has been selected for viewing.  This section of the dialog is activated after a surface geometry object has been selected in the above section of this dialog.  The selected surface can then be gridded directly to a File 13. The surface can also be coded to a level in a GSM File 15.

To grid a surface is to take a surface geometry object and overlay the model grid, then calculate the surface value (usually elevation) over each model block and store the resulting values to selected items in the File 13 or GSM model file.  Subcell counting is used for greater accuracy.

The first check box allows setting ungridded values to 'missing'. The next window permits the specification of the model item to which the geometry surface is to be gridded. If the Model View is of a GSM project, GSM levels to be gridded can be selected in the lower window. To perform the gridding operation, click the Grid button after all selections have been made.

Code Model tab

The Code Model tab allows you to code your model directly from a MineSight® solid, which is specified in the Geometry tab.

The first window allows you to specify whether to code an integer (CODE) item or a PERCENT item, or both. Coding an integer or CODE item assigns the model code (set on the Object Properties Material tab) from the solid to the specified CODE item in the model (set in the next section of this tab). You can set a threshold percentage for model coding in the window below the code assignment window. This is useful for coding the block model with geological surfaces that represent different rock types or zones. Coding a PERCENT item is used to update a selected quantitative item such as ORE% with the volumes of the selected closed surfaces. For each closed surface, the percent of each block that lies within that surface will be computed and stored in the selected "ORE%" item. Both PERCENT and CODE items can be updated in the same operation. If you have a model with multiple ore zones you can select up to four percent and code items.

The next window allows the specification of coding precedence; codes are assigned either by majority block owner or a user specified order. By default, the percent and code will be assigned based on which ore zone is the majority block owner. To set a user specified order, you must define model code priorities in the Object Properties Materials tab.

The next window allows you to specify the threshold percentage of the block that must fall within the coding solid to code that block when using the CODE item based on % solid in block option. The default is to not code any block that has less than 1% solid within it.

There are also two checkboxes:

The first checkbox forces coding to be performed on the entire model; the default is to code only the part of the model defined by the Range tab of the Model View Properties window.

Select the second checkbox to reset the chosen model items before coding; if for some reason you are doing multiple coding passes with different closed surfaces you may want to disable this switch after the first update.  

When the Reset checkbox is selected, the reset values input fields are activated.  Optionally input the reset values for the CODE (integer) and/or PCT items.  The default reset value for the CODE item is a dash (blank) and 0 for the PCT item.

In the next section, specify the model items to be coded.  Use the checkbox option at the bottom of this section to specify that Ore Percent items are to be coded as a remainder (100 - item%). This option is useful for coding mined out areas in an underground mine, for example.

The bottom section of the dialog allows you to specify a normalization calculation for the items to be coded. Normalization will guarantee that the sum of all percentage items in a block is not greater than 100%. Percentages totaling more than 100 can occur if the solids being used in the model update overlap or intersect. (This could be due to errors in digitizing, or to purposeful overlapping due to complex solids.) The items can be normalized proportionately or by user-specified priority. The final precision is based on that of the lowest precision PERCENT item.

Note:  Model coding writes information to the msAudit.txt file, such as what item is being coded, the name of the geometry object used, if the reset option is used and the rows, columns, and levels included.

Normalization Examples

Simple Overlap of Two Solids:

Two overlapping zones

Rock 1 and 2 overlap by 10%

Rock 1 = 40% of Block

Rock 2 = 70% of Block

The total block percent is 110% before normalization.

None

If coding just zones into the model, or when coding percentages and when the zones being coded are not near each other, you do not need to select any normalization.

Proportionally

If the sum of the zone percentages is greater than 100% in a block, then Proportional normalization will downgrade all the percentages equally.

Percentage Results

Rock 1 = (40/110)*(100) = 36.4 %

Rock 2 = (70/110)*(100) = 63.6 %

By Priority

In this case, the normalization will remove the excess percentage from the lowest priority material. The priorities are defined in the Object Properties Materials tab.

Percentage Results - if Priority of Rock 1 > Rock 2

Rock 1 = 40 %

Rock 2 = (70 - 10) = 60 % 

Normalize against item

Instead of normalizing the block against a default value of 100%, you can choose to normalize the block against an existing item in the model. A typical example would be to normalize the block against TOPO%, so that the zone percentages do not sum to greater than the TOPO in the block.

Tolerance

In some cases, you may wish to force the sum of the zone percentages in a block to equal 100%. This can occur if there are gaps between adjacent solids. The tolerance value will let you force a total percentage of 99% to be 100% - in this case specify a tolerance factor of 1%. The tolerance is a percentage of the normalization value (which may be less than 100%) as opposed to an absolute percentage. The limits on this tolerance value are from 0% to 20%.

The tolerance may be added Proportionally, or by a User-defined Priority. The final precision is based on that of the lowest precision Percent Item.

Two adjacent zones with a gap between

The gap is 10% of the block

Rock 1 = 40% of Block

Rock 2 = 50% of Block

The block percent is 90% before tolerance adjustment

Proportional Tolerance

The percentage to add is divided proportionally between the solids in the block, based on their original percentage.

Percentage Results

Rock 1 = (40/90)*(100) = 44.4 %

Rock 2 = (50/90)*(100) = 55.5 %

Priority defined Tolerance: 

The percentage to add is added only to the highest priority solid, based on the priority defined in the Object Properties Materials tab.

Percentage Results - if Priority of Rock 1 > Rock 2

Rock 1 = (40 + 10) = 50 %

Rock 2 = 50 %

Coding Enclosed Solids

Normally, when using solids in MineSight ® to code a 3D block model with codes and/or percentages, the solids should be rationalized (not overlapping). This is best done using Intersect Solids. There are some cases where this is not possible, especially where one solid lies entirely within another. The Intersector will not recognize this case, as the solids must touch each other for a correct result to be obtained. If not properly prepared, one solid lying entirely within another solid will cause 3D block model percentages to total greater than 100 percent.

Totally enclosed solid (colored in) to be used for coding the model.

The solution to this is:

Copy the smaller internal solid into the same object that contains the larger surrounding solid. (Select it, use Selection=>Copy to object to put it into the same object as the larger solid, then unselect the smaller solid.)

In turn, select the two components (exterior, interior) in the object that contains both of the solids. Merge them into one solid with Surface=>Merge selected.

Run the Code Model function, selecting the object that contains the smaller solid and the object that contains both the larger and smaller solids.

Enclosed solid and enclosing solid, merged into single solid element.

The Code Model function will recognize the smaller solid as both a void inside the larger solid and a separate solid, and will update the model with correct codes and percentages.

Resulting model slice showing coding with the enclosed solid.

Scripts tab

The Scripts tab is used to select an existing Python script to run on the particular model view.  

Use the file chooser icon to select a Python script, followed by the GO icon to execute it.

If there are any errors associated with this run, a file is generated in the local project directory called, pythonerrors.log.  This file contains the run-time errors generated during the run.  It is also appended to each time there are errors, the file is not recreated after each script execution that has errors.

If you have a large model file and/or if the script has numerous calculations, beware that the execution time could be lengthy.  

Python scripts cannot be edited in this dialog.  

 

Info tab

The Info tab provides information about the Model View; model name, type, location, size and creation and modification dates are listed. The upper window provides information on the items in the model and the currently selected display item. The lower window provides an area for user notes.

THE OBJECT PROPERTIES DIALOGA wide variety of object and display properties can be viewed and edited through the Object Properties Dialog, which is accessed by double-clicking the name of the object in the Folder Contents View Window of the Data Manager, or through the Data Manager right-click dropdown menu - highlight the Object name, click right, and select Properties. The Object Properties Dialog consists of a number of tabs, which are described in the following sections. The display properties of Geometry Objects, Color Cutoff Items, and Model Properties are contolled with similar dialogs.

When changes to the properties have been completed, click on the OK button to close the dialog.  

Use the RESET button to revert the object properties to the properties of the material.  Resetting the material properties reverts the material to the default display properties for the class (class being Geometry, Drillhole view, etc).

The General tab

The General Tab allows you to view or edit the name of the Resource or the Material type.

Clicking the radio button adjacent to the Material type will add a Materials Tab to the Object Properties window, where changes to the Material properties can be made.

Check boxes allow you to specify which specific types of data you wish to display - points, polylines, labels or surfaces. The radio buttons allow you to specify whether to display surfaces in wireframe, wireframe and faces, or faces only mode. The global color button brings up a color selector dialog which allows you to set the global color for the Object.

Data is selectable in viewers, when checked, allows the Object to be selectable by mouse click in the viewer. If the box is unchecked, data is selectable only through the dropdown menu in the Data Manager.

Data is sliced for planar views, when checked, allows the Object to be sliced for planar (2D) views. When this box is unchecked, the data will not be displayed in 2D views.

Data is volume clipped, when checked, specifies that the data in the selected object will be volume clippable in 3D views. when unchecked, the data is not volume clippable, and the entire object is displayed, whatever the clipping status of the viewer.

The Points tab

The Points Tab allows you to specify the display properties of points in the selected data Object.

The Show Nodes checkbox toggles the display of the Object's nodes. The palette button brings up a color selection dialog, the style button allows you to select the desired node style, and the size text field allows you to set the node size.

The Polylines tab

The Polylines Tab allows you to specify the display properties of polyline data in the selected Resource Object.

The first section controls the display of the nodes; the checkbox toggles node visibility on and off, and palette and node style selections are made in a similar manner to that in the Points Tab above.

The Show Lines checkbox toggles line visibilty on and off. The palette button brings up a color selection dialog, and the two style buttons allow you to specify linetype and line width. There is also an option to display arrows, with selector buttons for style and size, plus the option to specify arrow spacing on a node basis.

The Polygon Fill checkbox toggles fill visibility on and off. The palette button brings up a color selection dialog, and the pattern selection and palette buttons allow you to specify one of a selection of patterns for polygon fill, as well as the pattern color. Note: polygon fill will only be applied to closed polylines.

The Surfaces tab

The Surfaces Tab allows you to specify the display properties of surface and solid data in the selected Resource Object.

  The first section controls the display of the nodes; the checkbox toggles node visibility on and off, and palette and node style selections are made in a similar manner to that in the Points Tab above.

The Show Lines checkbox toggles line visibilty on and off. The palette button brings up a color selection dialog, and the two style buttons allow you to specify linetype and line width.

The Show Faces checkbox toggles Face visibility on and off. The palette button brings up a color selection dialog, the hatch button allows you to specify a hatch pattern, and the pattern palette button brings up a color selection dialog for the pattern color. Checking the Smooth Shading button will 'soften' the edges of your solid, and if you have OpenGL video capability, the Transparent faces checkbox allows you to set the degree of transparency for the Faces of your solid or surface.

The Labels tab

The Labels Tab allows you to specify the general display properties of Labels in the selected Resource Object.

The Label Style selections include a palette button for color selection, a Height text field which allows you to specify

the Label Height (in project units), and the Decimal precision text field, which allows you to specify the number of figures following the decimal point of the Labels. Label alignment and spacing can be specified with the alignment buttons and the Character spacing text field. Character Spacing is a relative measure, based on a value of 100 as 'standard' spacing - values less than 100 result in closer spacing, while values greater than 100 yield a wider spacing.

The Stroked Font Width gives you the option to thicken the Stroked font. This thickness will always be reflected on plotted output, but will only be reflected in

the viewer if the toggle on Project Settings-Properties, "Honour stroke width label property in viewers", is checked. The default for this toggle is off since it causes a decrease in performance.

The Font selection dropdown allows you to specify the font, and three main types of fonts are available.

Labels can be switched on and off globally using the Global Label Display toggle from the Tools menu, also available from the icon bar

.

 

The Node Labels tab

The Node Labels tab provides a number of options for the placement and content of Node Labels. The use of the various options are illustrated below. Global label properties such as size, color, precision, and spacing are found on the Labels tab, described above.

The Node Labels tab consists of a matrix of 12 buttons that represent the position of a particular label in relation to the

The Label Types available are:

No Type (blank, no label)Object NameObject Material NameElement NameElement Material NameX ValueY ValueZ Value

Use the checkbox to prefix Eastings and Northings with an e: or an n:.

Node being labeled, which is represented by the '+' in the center of the matrix. Each button has a checkbox that activates that particular label, and the data to be displayed in the label is specified by clicking on the button itself. There are seven different Label Types, shown below in the popup menu activated by clicking the label button.

Note: Element Attribution is necessary to use the Element Name or Element Material Name options.

The Line Labels tab

The Line Labels tab provides a number of options for the placement and content of Line Labels. The use of the various options are illustrated below. Global label properties such as size, color, precision, and spacing are found on the Labels tab.

The Line Labels tab

Use the checkbox to prefix Eastings and Northings with an e: or an n:.

consists of a row of 6 buttons that represent the position of a particular label in relation to the Line being labeled, which is represented by the line at the top of the row of buttons. Each button has a checkbox that activates that particular label, and the data to be displayed in the label is specified by clicking on the button itself. There are seven different Label Types, the same as those available in the Node Labels tab.

There are also two options for fine-tuning the positioning of the labels; the Distance Between Labels window allows you to specify the distance along the line

between labels in project units, and the Offset Off Line window specifies a percentage offset off the line for the position of the top label.

 

The Info tab

The Info Tab allows you to view Resource information, including the object type, location, size, creation date and date last modified. The large text field at the bottom of the tab is a space for the entry of User Notes.

The Material tab

The Material Tab allows you to specify a number of properties regarding the Material type of the selected Object.  This tab dialog is only available if you have selected the "Material type" option on the General tab dialog.

The VBM code is the feature code that will be assigned to any strings created by slicing the object to VBM. By default, objects created upon VBM import will be assigned the VBM feature as the VBM code.

The Model code is the code that will be assigned to a model that is coded using the object. The Prioritize Model codes button allows you to specify which code has precedence if you code a model using overlapping solids.

The Survey code is the value corresponding to the Survey code in the Survey parameter file. The Survey type defines the type of Survey data: Point, Breakline,

Boundary or File BreakCode.

The checkbox allows you to specify whether or not the Material type has an attribute such as a Point ID.

Survey Types and Triangulation

The Survey type for a material classifies how to interpret the data in an object having this material. This is only used by the Triangulator when generating triangulated surfaces. The available values for the Survey Code are:

Point - will interpret any polyline data as a set of points. No edges are recognized even if the data is organized in polylines.

Breakline - will interpret any polyline to be a break line. To the Triangulator this means that triangulation cannot generate an edge over any these polylines. However, triangulation may be performed on both sides. If breakline violations are found, the triangulation functions will let you optionally continue with the triangulation.

Boundary - will interpret any polyline to be a boundary. To the Triangulator this means that triangulation cannot generate an edge over any of these polylines and triangulation can only occur on one side of the polyline.

FileBreakCode is not an option for new materials. This is needed for the default material breakcode. This breakcode is specifically used for importing survey data. It is used for recognizing the end of a survey

polyline.

Model Codes and the Material Folder

All MineSight Geometry Objects have an associated material type which references a set of user defined attributes in the project materials folder. One of these attributes is the model code, an integer code that can be assigned to a qualitative block model item (usually rock type, zone, etc.). Every 3D closed surface within a Geometry Object will have the material attributes (and model code) associated with that object. You can think of the model code as being used to assign a value to the volume inside a closed surface(s).

Before running the Code Model function, you should make sure that you correctly define Materials for each Object, and also define an appropriate entry in the Object Properties Material tab.