Introduction to MineSight®(Reading in Topographic Surfaces)

©2007 Dr. B.C. Paul{Note – The Name MineSight® and the Program described are property of

Mintec Inc – Tucson, Arizona}

One of a Limited Set of Programs

MineSight® – (master of the open pit metal mine) Probably most overall advanced and complete

VulcanGemcon/MincomCarlson

Really an autocad add on for graphics and design

Where Do You Start With a Project

Probably have a set of topographic maps Probably autocad digitized and therefore

importable to MineSight®Probably have collections of drill hole data

Again we’ll assume in computer form

Getting Started with MineSight®

Pull up MineSight® on the Start / All Programs

Look forMineSight®3D

Don’t Panic that Billy Doesn’t Know Mintec (tell it to run)

Browse to Find Your Starting Folders(have topo and drill hole data in)

Commentary The 3D graphics features have a very windows like feel to them Some of the routines have a command line operation flavor like

MSDos or Unix This allows industrial users the convenience of batch and repetitive

calculation to speed workflow For a student it may seem a little foreign

Remember you are using a real industry program Very specialized software – lacks broad client base of a Microsoft

Office Microsoft Word really has only a few basic things people do all the

time MineSight has to do thousands of tasks

Program expects you to respond with specific sequences You can get yourself into weird corners if you don’t The Program saves on exit but you can save your work throughout

It’s a good idea to save your work periodically with any program It’s an even better idea with a program where you have a better chance of

messing up your input.

Needs Project Dimensions to Begin(so it asks you for the info it needs)

Needs to know whether you are in metric or imperial units

Also needs to know what coordinate limits youWill be using.

Requires an Early Commitment on Block Size

Please note your project limits should be evenly divisible byYour block size!

This is Where Your Work on Equipment Sizes and Bench Heights Come InThe Z dimension is your planned bench

height Needs to correspond to a mining height

X and Y dimensions are usually similar to yield a near cubical block

Enter your data and click okThis creates a project control file that sets

the parameters for your project.

What is MineSight®?

MineSight® is a suite of 3 programs A 3D graphics program called MineSight® A suite of operations that can be performed on

data – called compass A suite of data analysis programs

MineSight® development started with first computer routines in the 1970’s and list has grown since Collection includes everything from old fortran

routines to python program language routines

Getting Our First Good Look at MineSight®

Viewers are the Areas Where 3D Images and Views are displayed.

Data Manager is Sort of a Windows Exploring for your project folders and files

Lets See About Importing Our Topography (assuming in an autocad file - .dxf)

Top Part Tells YouWhich Folder youAre dealing with.

Bottom shows youThe file in the folders(different types ofFiles or objects)

Create a new Geometry Object

Pick Menu’s

File New Geometry Object

I Named Mine Topography!!!

See MyPrettyRed Box!

I’m going to get ready to put my topo data into my geometry object

I use myCurser toPick andHighlightTopography

I’m going Open the Box (so I can put something in it)

Right ClickOn myHighlightedObject toBring upchoices

Then pickedit

Note My Box Top is Now Open and My Object is in Edit Mode (so I can do stuff to it)

See the PrettyOpen Top Box!

Set Up to Import DXF File

Highlight theMain folder

Click File

Choose Import

Pick DXF fromThe side menu

Choose the DXF File to Import

This is a toughChoice sinceThere is onlyone

Tell it to Load All the Selected Layers

Oh Cool – Look What Appeared in My Viewer Window!!!

You Can Rotate and Turn the View by holding the Left and Right Mouse Button and Moving the Mouse

If you hold down theScroll knob and theLeft key you canZoom in and out

If you hold down theScroll knob and theRight Key you canPan back and forthAnd up and down

3 D Modeling and Surfaces

I can use my topography to build a 3 D model for my surface It’s a nice visualization I will also use it as a basis later when I build my block

model or design my optimum final pit. I start by telling computer what to use to make

the surface (my topography obviously) I’ll tell the computer to lay out points on the topo

and then triangulate a wire frame from them I’ll convert the wireframe into solid surface

Now Select The Topo to Create A Surface

Highlight Topo(the file the importedData went into)

Right Click to Bring upMenu

Choose Select

On the side menuChoose all elements(not they are in red now)

Go to Surface

Note I willSend myResults totopography

Under Surface – Pick Triangulate Surface – on side menu pick with selection

It Creates a Wire-Frame Surface

We Can Make A Regular Surface (Here is How!)

Right Click TopographyTo pull up a menu

Pick Properties

Switch to a surface instead of wire-frame

Note wire-frame onlyIs highlighted in theRadio button

Highlight the facesOnly button instead

Now I See A Triangulated Surface Instead

Lets Consider some Clean Up

I probably don’t need to see the topo lines anymore Lets Turn them off

Lets Smooth out those triangulated faces a bit.

The Topo Lines are in the Topo File

Click on theSave Edit Button

(It is a veryStrange lookingSave buttonCompared toWindows)

Now Highlight Topo and Right Click It to Bring up a Menu – Pick Close

Note that this is a good reason for keeping objects is separate files so they canBe turned off and on with ease.

Woopy – Now They Are Gone

Now Lets Smooth That Surface

Select theTopography object

Right Click it for aMenu

Select Properties

Note on theProperties menu thereIs a surface tab

Note the Smooth Shading Option on the Surfaces Tab Screen

Go ahead and check for smooth surfaces and then click Ok

Now Isn’t That Smooth Surface Impressive?

Ok – I Agree – Blue is a Strange Color for Mountains

HighlightTopography

Right Click forA menu

Choose Properties

Go Back to Surface

Note We Have A Color Control Area and Pallet

This Color Pallet Works Like What You Are Familiar With

I think I will go for a brown

And Now I Have My Surface in My Choice of Colors