Minescape Form Help

Form Name: Generate Samples from Solids

Form Usage:
Solids can be used to generate samples to a table file. These samples are prisms with
triangular top and bottom faces which can be accumulated to calculate volumes. Samples
may also be generated graphically to a design file.

The input solids can be listed in a ASCII data file and/or may be entered by name.

The Table file must contain a valid name and a solid column name should be specified to
hold the name of the solid. The table file does not have to exist; if it does, it is deleted first.
The table file stores the corner coordinates of the samples, the top and bottom surface names
and the values of any optional columns.

An area may be calculated for the solid and stored in the table file. The area may be defined
as that of the top face, the bottom face or a face lying on a nominated surface. When a solid
is generated using an offset operation there are 2 faces lying on the surface corresponding to
the offset operation. These 2 faces can be distinguished using the SURFACETOP and
SURFACEBOTTOM options. The SURFACETOP option identifies the face representing
the top of part of the solid. The SURFACEBOTTOM option identifies the face representing
the bottom of the adjacent part of the solid.

The sampling modules require certain common parameters which must be set. Once defined,
it is unlikely these will require revision throughout the sampling process.

The Surface representing topography must be identified. The name entered field must be a
valid surface. This surface is used as the upper surface for overburden when using reserve
intervals.

A number of optional columns may be included in the sample table. These columns may be
added for more information. It is recommended that Volume, Area and Mass are included.
Note that the inclusion of optional columns increases the size of the table file and the amount
of processing required.

If output is to a design file, the Design file must have the name of an existing design file and
an output Layer must be specified. The layer may be given a Title and may be set to
overwrite existing graphics in that layer by setting the Append flag to Off. Design file output
is generally used to graphically examine the samples, e.g. to check the sampling density. The
tops and bottoms of the samples are represented in the design file as triangular polygons. For
high sampling densities, it is not recommended to use design file output as the file becomes
very large and slows down the processing. If no design file output is required, ensure the
design file field is blank.

If samples are to be drawn into a design file at any stage, the sample tops and bottoms are
drawn as polygons. The attributes of these polygons are according to the reserve interval
display definitions (i.e. display definitions named INT_interval name) if the samples
represent a reserve interval roof or floor. A default display definition should be supplied for
all other samples.

Samples can be generated using an AREA option or a POINT option. With the AREA
option, the value for the sampling density is the area per sample, hence the smaller the
number, the more samples generated. The units used for the area may be nominated here. If
no units are entered then the units are assumed to be the project's current area units. With the
POINT option, the value for the sampling density represents the number of samples per
block, hence the larger the number, the more samples generated.

If the surfaces to be processed (topography, subset roofs or floors) include triangle surfaces
then you can nominate that samples generated should honour surface triangles. Note that this
may slow down the reserves significantly if a large number of triangles are involved.

There is an option to perform accumulation by this module by setting the accumulate flag to
Yes. Please note that no further intersections or evaluations can be superimposed onto the
sample table if the table is accumulated. This option should only be used if a quick one step
process is intended. In most cases, this flag should be set to No. The accumulate menu option
can be used when all sample generation steps are complete.

Samples can be generated with either horizontal or sloping top and bottom faces when
evaluating surfaces. In most cases, horizontal faces are sufficient, particularly when the
sample density is adequate to represent the data and the surfaces being evaluated have small
dips (low angle slopes). For this option, the centroid flag should be set to Yes. Samples are
generated with the top and bottom faces on the same elevation as their centroids. This
provides a quick and efficient method of processing. The non−centroid option, which
ensures calculations are always performed at each corner of the sample prisms, increases the
amount of processing and hence be much slower. This option should be used when design
file output is important so that samples are generated with a smooth appearance at surfaces.
Note that when evaluating batters on solids (not a surface), each corner of the prism is
evaluated over this part of the solid regardless of the centroid option used.

Intersections with reserve intervals, surface sets and benches, and evaluations of surfaces and
intervals may be performed by the intersection and evaluation menu options or can be
performed as part of this module. Reserve intervals divide the samples into mining resource
and burden components. Benches limit the samples to only be within the specified benches.
Surface subsets limit the samples to only be between the specified pairs of surfaces and
according to selection expressions. Geological surfaces may be evaluated to generate
columns with their elevations for each sample. Similarly, geological interval attributes such
as floor, thickness and parting may also be evaluated.

If samples are to be intersected with reserve intervals, a list of intervals should be supplied
along with a selection expression for each. If the reserve intervals are not associated with a
schema, they must be listed in their correct stratigraphic order, that is downhole order. The
reserve interval and burden column names must also be defined. For each reserve interval,
there is a sample produced which is flagged RESOURCE in the burden column. There is
always another sample produced which is for the burden. It is is interburden, the burden
column stores the name of the above−lying reserve interval. If it is overburden, it has the
name of the topographical surface, OVERBURDEN (if no topographical surface is
specified) or the top surface of the original sample (if it is below the topographical surface).
If there is any part of the sample which is below the lower−most reserve interval it is placed
in a sample which q has the burden column flagged as UNDERBURDEN and the reserve
interval column stores the name of the above−lying reserve interval.

Benches can be defined by supplying a bench definition name and selecting one or more
benches from this bench definition. A bench column name also must be defined and the
output table stores the bench name for each sample. The new samples generated only include
samples within the specified benches.
Surface sets can be defined by supplying a name, upper surface, lower surface and a
selection expression. A subset column name also must be defined and the output table stores
the name of the surface subset for each sample. The new samples generated exclude volumes
outside of the specified surface subset limiting surfaces. However if a limiting surface, upper
or lower, is 'missing' then no volume will be excluded by this limit.

A list of geological surfaces and intervals may be evaluated for each sample. The surfaces
have their elevation stored while intervals have their floor elevation, thickness and parting
stored. Elevations and thicknesses are evaluated at the samples' centroids.

An option exists in this module to include qualities in the output sample table.

Each of the qualities are evaluated into the sample table by evaluating the corresponding
quality surface, if one exists, or by using a default. If a quality surfaces are to be used, there
should be surface definitions set up with names of the form:

model code_interval_quality code.

Qualities require a set of Specs be set up. Each quality entered must have a quality definition
Spec defined. These definitions contain parameters such as codes to be used in the
construction of surface names, weighting information, units and other information. For each
quality in the model, there is another Spec which defines default values. These values are
used when a quality surface cannot be found or the surface cannot be evaluated at a location.
The quality surfaces and defaults used depend on the current quality model.

Table columns for each quality per interval are included in the output table. Compositing is
performed over each of the samples for each reserve interval and the values are written to
columns named after the quality,

i.e. <quality>.

If geological intervals are also supplied, columns are added to the output table with names of
the form

<interval>_<quality>.

Washability data can optionally be used by supplying wash table file names as input (drill
hole data) and wash table file names for output (block data). The output files are always
overwritten. A search radius and inverse distance power may be supplied. The latter defaults
to 2.

Report

To generate a report from a sample table, a repent report definition must be created. Under
this option, pre−defined repent report definitions are used to create standard reserves reports.
Since the sample table could potentially have more than one naming column after
intersections, there may be a need to generate one or more names.

Select from one of the standard reports or press the User option to choose a user defined
definition.

For use defined reports enter the name of the report definition from the pulldown list. If the
repent report requires input from the user check the User Interactive box and the program
 will be launched in a separate window, and pause at each prompt to wait for user input. Note:
This will also cause MineScape to pause until the response is entered.

The name of the input Table file must be supplied. The table must be an accumulated sample
table with reserve intervals. A selection expression can be supplied if only a subset of the
data is to be used.

The name of the output Report file must be supplied.

The Report description is written on each report page.

The set of output names are created by assigning components from the list of input names,
constant values and counters. Each component definition consists of a type, value and
destination name. The component type can be one of the input column names. If it is not, it
must be CONSTANT or COUNTER. If blank, the default (CONSTANT) is used. If the type
is an input table column name, the value is the character positions to include from the
column value (e.g. 234 represents the second, third and fourth characters). If the type is
constant, the value is literal. If the type is a counter, the value is the start value with number
of digits (e.g. 00001 ).

An example:

Reserving identifier Type Value

−−−−−−−−−−−−− −−−−−−−−− −−−−−−
RES_BLOCK CONSTANT BLK
RES_BLOCK BLOCKNAME 45678
RES_SUBSET SUBSET 1234
RES_SUBSET COUNTER 0001

In this example, two nomenclature columns are created in the output table. and the two
reserving identifiers are stored in table constants. The first nomenclature column stores a
name for each of the records in the reserves table and constructed using the RES_BLOCK
components. The name stored is constructed using a constant BLK and characters four
through to eight from the original BLOCKNAME column. A second nomenclature column
also stores a name for each of the records with each name being constructed using the
RES_SUBSET components. The name stored for this second column is constructed using the
first four characters from the original SUBSET column plus a counter of four digits starting
at 0001.
Form When the necessary data is supplied to the form and the OK button is selected, modules
Output: BLKSAMPSOL and SURFSAMPFORM are submitted to the server for execution.

Last updated Sep 27, 2004

res_sol.html