Getting Started Demonstration Tutorial For Minex 6.

0 September 2008

Copyright 2010 Gemcom Software International. All rights reserved. Gemcom Software International publishes this documentation for the sole use of Minex licenses. Without written permission, you may not sell, reproduce, store in a retrieval system, or transmit any part of the documentation. For such permission, or to obtain extra copies please contact your local Gemcom Office. To find your local support office, go to www.gemcomsupport.com. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, we assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damage resulting from the use of the information contained herein. All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. About This Manual This manual has been designed to provide a practical guide to the many uses of the software. The manual describes one way of using the software; these instructions are by no means exhaustive. However, it provides a starting point for new users and a good overview for existing users by demonstrating how to use many of the functions in Minex. If you have any difficulties or questions while working through this manual, please contact your local Gemcom office. Product Minex 6.0

www.gemcomsoftware.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 2 THIS MANUAL ................................................................................................................................... 3 HOW TO INSTALL MINEX6 ON YOUR COMPUTER ................................................................................ 4 THE COMPUTERISED MINE PLANNING PROCESS ................................................................................. 5 MINEX6 GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................ 6
Open Minex6 ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 The Minex6 Graphical User Interface (GUI) ............................................................................................................. 6 Setup a Project ......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Getting Started with Graphics Objects ............................................................................................. 11

Customise Tool Bars ............................................................................................................................................... 19

MINEX6 GRAPHICS IN MORE DETAIL ................................................................................................ 21

Open Parameters.mpf ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Borehole Database ................................................................................................................................................. 21 Grid Files ................................................................................................................................................................. 23 Graphics Object Control Panel ............................................................................................................................... 29 Geometry File ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Survey Data ............................................................................................................................................................ 36 Drill & Blast Design ................................................................................................................................................. 39

Plans & Cross-Sections ..................................................................................................................... 45

Graphics Capture .................................................................................................................................................... 48

The Minex Archive........................................................................................................................... 51 APPENDIX 1 Features And Capabilities Of Minex6 .......................................................................... 55 APPENDIX 2 - Glossary Of Minex Terms ............................................................................................ 57 APPENDIX 3 - An Explanation Of The Dataset ................................................................................... 59 APPENDIX 4 Minimum Hardware Requirements. ........................................................................... 61 APPENDIX 5 - Minex6 Help............................................................................................................... 62 APPENDIX 6 Geometry File Information......................................................................................... 64 APPENDIX 7 - Survey Data Flow ....................................................................................................... 68

Minex 6 Demonstration Manual

INTRODUCTION
Minex is regarded as a software leader in Coal Geology and Underground and Open Cut Coal Mine Planning. Minex6 is a major upgrade to the Minex product suite, and incorporates many years of experience in understanding the issues and future directions in Coal Modelling and Mine Planning. The Minex6 core provides a simpler, more efficient graphical user interface coupled with an advanced 3D graphics engine with vector/solid rendering and real time rotation visualisation, and a 3D CAD toolset to form Strings and Surfaces (grid and triangle models of structure and quality data). Data prepared in earlier versions of Minex will be fully compatible with Minex6. Using Strings with Gridded and Triangulated Surfaces, Minex6 instantly displays data and provides rapid reporting of location and area as well as complex volume calculations. The plan and section capability allows the user to quickly and easily produce quality plots required for every facet of mining operations. Appendix 1 lists important features and capabilities of Minex6.

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THIS MANUAL
This demonstration manual is intended to provide an orientation session on Minex6 computerized mine planning software. There are several terms used in this manual which will be familiar to users of previous versions of Minex, but which may need some explanation to a new user. These terms are explained in Appendix 2. This manual uses a set of files contained in a dataset that is downloaded when Minex6 software is installed on a computer. Appendix 3 lists the files contained in the dataset.

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HOW TO INSTALL MINEX6 ON YOUR COMPUTER

The Minex6 software and demonstration dataset will use approximately 65 Mb of disk space. Refer to Appendix 4 for minimum hardware requirements for Minex6. Place the CD supplied with this tutorial manual into the CD drive of the computer. The computer should automatically begin to install Minex6. If it doesnt, open an Explorer Window and double click with the left mouse button on the SETUP.exe and follow the on screen prompts. This will: install Minex6 software onto the hard drive on the computer place a Minex6 icon on the desktop setup the environment settings needed to run Minex6. place a dataset on the hard drive

If you have not been supplied with a licence file and/or a dongle, please contact Minex support using the contact details on the front of this manual.

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THE COMPUTERISED MINE PLANNING PROCESS

The steps involved in computerised mine planning are not very much different from the steps involved in manual mine planning. The ultimate objective in mine planning is to maximise the net worth or net present value (NPV) of the mineral reserve.

In order to do this, the user must first build two models: A geological model that defines the mineral resource as it exists in the ground. An engineering model that defines that portion of the mining resource that can be economically mined. Minex allows for Pit Optimisation and the application of Maximiser NPV software to fully evaluate the mineable resource.

To build the geological model, the user must: Collect all the raw data and other information necessary to do an analysis. Decide which portion of that data is reliable enough to use in the evaluation. Construct and validate a Borehole Database and geological model. This involves an interpretation of the configuration, amount and quality of the resource believed to be present in the ground.

The engineering model is built in five steps: Determine which layers of the geological model are to be mined. Layers can include such things as overburden, interburden, coal seams, etc. Select a mining method and place a mine design for this method on the engineering model in the location believed best to make a mine. Select mining equipment able to cost-effectively mine the area. Schedule the equipment through the design over the life of the mine. Run a financial analysis and see if the rate of return is acceptable. The process can be repeated using different designs, schedules, equipment selections and possibly even a different model to see if there is a better method that brings a higher return on investment while most completely recovering the resource.

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MINEX6 GETTING STARTED

Open Minex6
Double click on the Minex6 desktop icon to start Minex6.

Minex6 will start by displaying the Splash Screen shown below. The splash screen displays the current Minex6 version you are running, and automatically disappears to display the Minex6 Graphical User Interface (GUI).

The Minex6 Graphical User Interface (GUI)

The Standard Minex6 GUI is as follows. The text and arrow boxes show the terms used in Minex6 to describe the various areas of the GUI.

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Toolbar Graphics Window Tabs

Menu

Status Bar

MINEX Explorer Window

Minex Graphics Window

Note that users are able to customise the GUI to suit their personal preferences and once these preferences have been set, they are automatically reloaded in subsequent sessions. Several important Minex6 features to note at this point are: The Minex Explorer on the left hand side of the screen. This is used extensively during the Minex5 operations and the procedure of highlighting a file in the Explorer window and using Right Hand Mouse (RH Mouse) to access a menu showing contextual options demonstrates the ease of use and simple action operations of Minex5.

Hover help As the mouse is moved over the various icons, pause slightly to see the hover help comment. These comments are designed to indicate to the user what each icon action is.

Hover help

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Note: Please refer to Appendix 5 for more information on the features and functionality of Minex5 Help.

TO EXIT THE SOFTWARE (at any time), click on the File Menu Option and choose the Exit button. The software will prompt the user to save any unsaved files or data.

Status Bar Dialogues. The status bar displays interaction instructions, system status messages and some warnings while you're using Minex.

These dialogues can prompt you for the next action to perform or give an indication of the mode you're using.

Setup a Project
It is now necessary to set up a Project Area to work in so that the user is able to begin using Minex6.

There are two steps to set up a new project area

Create a New Project Name

1 3 2

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5 Type a project name Tutorial here and click OK

Set Project Working Directory

Return to the Minex6 Explorer and Browse down by opening directories. The Tutorial Dataset Directory has a default location of:

C:\Minex6.05-D\tutorials\Getting_Started_With_MINEX6

If you selected to install the Software elsewhere, you will have to Browse to that location.

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In the Explorer window, click on the Tutorial Directory name to highlight it, then click Project then click Set Project Directory.

1 2

Now open the TUTORIAL project directory (Getting_Started_with_MINEX6) by clicking on the Minex Explorer Handle.

The Explorer will now resemble the following image

Minex 5 Explorer Handle

Note: Clicking on the Handle again will collapse the listing for that project.

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Getting Started with Graphics Objects

There are several operations that the user can perform at this stage without the need to set up any preferences or open any files.

Display a Triangle File.

SEOVB.tri3 is a triangulated surface representing a pit floor. To display the triangulated surface as a solid, move the cursor to the Explorer Window and use the left mouse button to click on the filename SEOVB.tri3 to highlight it and click the right mouse button and select the Display option using the left mouse button.

Minex6 will access the selected triangle file and display it as a solid surface in an automatically opening 3D design window.

The TRIANGLE ICON

beside the file name indicates it represents a Triangulated surface.

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Note that the triangle set is displayed in a default colour, red, and that it is possible to change the colour and plotting.

Minex6 has an active Drag & Drop function for displaying various file types quickly and efficiently in a 3D Design window.

Choose the same Triangle File SEOVB.TRI3 with the Left Hand mouse button by clicking on the Triangle Icon and holding the Left Hand Mouse button down at the same time dragging the mouse icon into the 3D Design Window. You should now observe the same Triangulated Surface displayed with a different colour.

Try this again and note the colour changes as Minex6 toggles through a series of Minex standard colours each time a triangle file is displayed.

To view this colour sequence go to the Graphics menu on the Minex Menu bar and choose the Colour Map option to display the Minex Standard Colour Map. This colour map image is used elsewhere in Minex6 whenever the user needs to select a colour for plotting.

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Note that there are more details on other methods of displaying a triangle file in the Getting Started with Minex6 Tutorial. They include:

Display a triangle file showing the surface colour coded by Quality Attribute. This allows the user to better understand the distribution and variation of the various quality attributes over the modeled area.

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Triangle

Display a Triangle file as triangle sides, and/or as contour data. The following image shows a triangle file as triangle sides.

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Display a Triangle file as triangle sides, and/or as contour data. The following image shows a triangle file as contours.

Manipulate the displayed image.

Minex6 has several options to manipulate images in a 3D Design Window.

Zoom, Pan & 3D Navigation These options are accessed from the Action Panel.

Zoom, Pan and 3D Navigation icons

Zoom: The Zoom icon prompts the user to digitize 2 Points to limit the extents of Zoom area required.
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Zoom Last: This icon activates the Zoom Stepping Back function.

Zoom to Extents: This icon will return the Display to its original location and size.

Pan: Activating the Pan icon prompts the user to digitize 2 points to indicate the from to movement of the graphics display.

3D Navigation: The 3D Navigation icon will activate the 3D Navigation Dialogue that allows the user to dial in the combinations of Viewing Azimuth and Dip including Z Amplification and Centre of Rotation points. The Rotate bar will start the automatic rotation of the Display. This action is terminated by the Stop button.

Dynamic Zoom, Pan & 3D Rotation using 3 Button Mouse or Roller mouse

To activate the Dynamic Zoom, Rotate and Pan functions, click on the 3D Dynamic Graphics Icon as shown below.

Dynamic Zoom, Pan and 3D Navigation icon

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Clicking on this icon will change the appearance of the Action Panel as follows.

Opening the 3D Dynamic options activates this function in the Minex Standard operating mode. These operations are only active if the mouse pointer is within the confines of the 3D Design Window.

If you do not have a three button or a roller mouse, you will not be able to perform all of the mouse controlled functions, e.g. the Pan Function. You will, however, be able to manipulate the display using the following icons:

Azimuth, Dip, Tilt and Z amplification icons

If you do have a 3 button or roller mouse, you will be able to manipulate the display as follows:

LH Mouse functionality: By holding the LH Mouse button down and simultaneously moving the pointer around the screen, the user is able to rotate the graphics display dynamically. General movements Up & Down the screen will tilt the picture normal to the viewer, any sideways movement will rotate the picture around the central axis. Combinations of movements will have a compounding effect.

Middle Mouse functionality: By holding the Middle Mouse button down and simultaneously moving the pointer in any direction around the screen, the user is able to drag the display across the screen in the direction of the mouse movement.

Right Hand Mouse functionality: By holding the Right Hand Mouse button down and simultaneously moving the pointer generally Up and Down in the 3D Design Window, the user is able to Zoom In AND/OR Zoom Out dynamically.

Normal: The Normal option will return the view to the standard Overview/Plan viewing position.

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Advanced Zoom & Pan Dynamic functionality: By selecting the Adv option in the Dynamic Zoom/Pan functions, the user is shown a red circle of influence representing an area of the Graphics Window where the LH Mouse Tilt & Rotate functions described above are operational as above. The red circle does not appear on screen until the LH mouse button is pressed and held down. To deactivate the Adv function, click on the Adv button again.

Outside the Red Circle, The LH Mouse Tilt & Rotate functions merely rotate the view in the plane of the screen. The Middle Mouse - Zoom In/Out AND the RH Mouse button - Pan functionality operate as described above.

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Fast Dynamic Zoom & Pan functionality: By selecting the Fast option in the Dynamic Zoom/Pan functions, the user is shown a fast representation of the viewed data (3D-Axis and Data Volume representation Box). The user then proceeds to rotate, zoom and pan the graphics until satisfied with the view and after releasing the mouse control the picture is refreshed in that viewing mode. This option is used if there is a considerable volume of data being viewed at any one time and dynamic rotation has slowed due to the extents and volume of data displayed. The Mouse operational parameters i.e. Zoom, Pan and Rotate are the same as those described above.

Expanded functionality: The Dynamic Zoom & Pan facility has a comprehensive range of other 3D Viewing & Display capabilities. These include Input AND Toggle field capability for Azimuth, Dip and ZAmplification, Standard North, South, East and West viewing directions AND X-Y, Y-Z & X-Z Viewing Planes.

Customise Tool Bars

To show the ease of use and customisation capability of Minex6, we will add another set of Icon Tools to the Tool Bar.

Right Mouse click in the Toolbar Area to open the Tool Bar Select Menu

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Now turn on the Borehole-DB icons by clicking in the Tick Box

To move the Icon Tools within the Tool Bar Area, click and hold the Left Hand Mouse button on the stipple bar at the Left Hand Side of each of the Icon Tool Groups and drag the Icon Group to another location.

Try Turning On & Off some of the other Icon Tool Groups and dragging them to different positions within the Tool Bar area.

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MINEX6 GRAPHICS IN MORE DETAIL

Open Parameters.mpf
The parameters file (Parameters.mpf) contains previously saved parameters or dialogue setups. Refer to Appendix 2 for more information about saved parameters.

Go the explorer on the left hand side of your screen and click on the Parameters.mpf file to highlight it. Click the right mouse button and select the Open option. A black tick will appear in the explorer menu meaning that the file is now open and the parameters that have been saved as part of this tutorial are now available for use.

Now that this file has been opened, saved parameters are available to the user for the rest of the Minex session.

Borehole Database
Open Borehole Database
In the Minex6 Explorer locate the Borehole Database file BOREHOLE.b31 (this file may or may not have the extension .b31, depending on whether the explorer is displaying file extensions or not) and either double click OR use the RH Mouse contextual option to open this file.

After accessing the Borehole Database BOREHOLE.b31 you will be prompted to access the Seam Split file. Answer Yes to the prompt and note the description of the Borehole Database which is displayed
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subsequently. Click OK after reading the report and you have successfully opened the Borehole Database.

Note that although only the .B31 is shown on the explorer, all components of the Borehole Database are automatically opened when the .B31 is opened. The Split Seam Interval File merely identifies the stratigraphic sequence of the seams and the naming convention of any internal seam splitting. This functionality is explained in the Seam Modelling tutorial and not covered here.

Display Borehole Data

To display the boreholes in the 3D Design Window, the Borehole DB (database) Menu actions are activated and the Plot 3D Boreholes option used.

Depending on what other data has already been displayed the Borehole traces are shown with the Seam Picks displayed in their respective colours.

Use the 3D Dynamic Rotate option to view the boreholes and set the Z Amplification to 2 to view the boreholes as shown below.

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To better appreciate the Borehole Display and the association of the Seam Picks with the Geological Model, display a number of the Seam Structure Floor Grids (eg B1SF, E2SF etc.) from the Model.grd directory.

The different Seam/Layer colours are displayed along each Borehole trace and show the seam location and thickness in 3D Space.

Grid Files
The grids contained in the grid files in this dataset have been generated from Borehole Database data and represent a series of gridded surfaces for various seams and as a set comprise a geological model. This geological model is used as a basis for the mining model.

Refer to Appendix 2 for Minex grid naming conventions

Access/Open Gridfiles
To access or activate the gridfiles in the tutorial dataset, go to the Tools button in the menu bar at the top of the screen and select Options.

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2. Click here and then click on the small dash button h

Click on the New button which will place a new line below the existing line in this menu. Click on the new line in the DD Name : Directory column and then click on the small dash button to access the following menu.

Type in a name (eg STRUCTUR) in the DD Name text field and use the arrow and dash button to select the location of the gridfile to access (eg Structur.grd)

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Click OK and the software can now access grids saved in the gridfile Structur.grd. Repeat the process for Model.grd and Quality.grd as shown below

Click OK and then close the Options menu.

Now you will be able to access grids in any of the gridfiles in the tutorial directory.

Display Grids
Using the Minex Explorer open the grid file directory by left mouse clicking on the Structur.grd key to list all the available grids for display. .

Scroll down to find the D1SF.grid and Drag & Drop this grid surface into the 3D Design Window.

Repeat this process for C1SF.grid, C2SF.grid, B1USF.grid, A1SF.grid and TOPS.grid and note that these grids represent various surfaces in the geological model (including Topography) and that this process builds up the series of grid displays representing the SEAM FLOOR of C1, C2, B1U and A1.
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By overlaying a plot of boreholes on the plot of the grids, a composite 3D picture of the Geological Model becomes evident.

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Now display the Triangulated Pit surface SEOVB.tri3 to gain a perspective of how the model is being mined. In the following image, the white surface intersecting the grids is SEOVB.tri3

It is possible to setup how a grid will be displayed in much more detail than shown in this manual. For more detail see the Getting Started with Minex6 tutorial manual. Some examples of the possibilities are:
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Display a grid showing structural surface colours coded by Quality Attributes that allows the user to better understand the distribution and variation of the various quality attributes over the modeled area.

Display the grid as mesh lines instead of as a solid

The seam sub crops here where the grid has been cut where it i t t th t h id

Note that the above image is a display of the mesh sides of the floor grid selected. The image has been dipped and rotated which causes the illusion that the mesh is rectangular.

Display contours of a grid instead of displaying it as a solid or mesh lines.

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Graphics Object Control Panel

The Graphics Object Control Panel is used by Minex6 as a way to manipulate the various objects plotted in Graphics Windows. After completing the display tasks above, there will be a number of Graphics Objects displayed in the 3D Design Window.

To delete AND/OR turn off or hide these graphics images in the 3D Design window, use the Graphics Object Control panel as follows.

1. Click here to access the Object

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The example Object Control Panel above shows several grids that are displayed in the 3D Design Window.

To Remove these Graphics Objects from the 3D Design Window, highlight the line using the LH Mouse button and : EITHER hit the Delete button on the keyboard OR use the RH Contextual options choosing Remove.

Multiple Selections are achieved by holding the Ctrl key down as each file is selected by the LH Mouse button and finally using the remove option.

The Remove Graphics Object merely removes the Selected File from the Graphics Window It does not Delete the actual file. If you wanted to Delete the file from your file directory, Select the file by highlighting and choose the RH Mouse Contextual Option Delete or use the Delete Key on your keyboard.

To Turn Off these Graphics Objects (i.e.: reset their visibility), highlight the line as above and use the Properties -- Visibility option in the Graphics Objects Panel and set the selected line to Visibility Off(Off may be replaced by false depending on the release)

To test your Minex6 skills so far, delete all Graphics Objects and replot the grid TOPS.grid from the directory Structur.grd

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Geometry File
Open the Geometry File
Refer to Appendix 2 and Appendix 6 for information on geometry files.

To open a Geometry file to access its contents, go to the explorer window and left mouse click on the Geometry File MAP.GM3 to highlight its name. Right mouse click to select the OPEN option. A red tick will appear to the left of the Geometry File name signifying that the Geometry File is now open.

Display String Data

String data is stored in a Geometry File (.GM3), in this case MAP.GM3. This Geometry file was the one opened earlier in this manual. Check that it is open by looking in the Explorer to make sure that the file MAP.GM3 has a tick to the left of its name.

A comprehensive explanation of the Minex Geometry File and its capabilities is covered in Appendix 6.

It is now necessary to select what type of data is to be displayed and identify the specific layer names to be plotted. This is achieved by using the Plot Geometry Data option.

The Plot Geometry dialogue window is opened by:

EITHER selecting the Plot Geometry Data Icon from the String toolbar.

Plot Geometry Data Icon

OR under the String Menu options as follows:

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The Plot Geometry Data Window is used exclusively for displaying String Data within Minex6. The full capabilities available within this dialogue are covered in more detail in the Getting Started with Minex6 Tutorial manual.

The following image shows the basic Plot Geometry Data Dialogue with the Data Type Structure selected and a specific Map TOPO also selected. Click on the Map button to select the correct map name (TOPO). To select a particular Ident or Class name, use the buttons with those names (Ident or Class) to make the selections.

1. Click here to select the type of data to plot e.g. Structure

2. Click on these buttons to select the Group, Map and Ident names to Plot. Note that * is a Wildcard which selects all data in that category

3. Click here to get the Group, Map and Ident names to Plot

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The Exclude and Edit fields are also used to exclude this data line from the plotting and allow or disallow strings available for editing during the session.

The preceding figure also shows the use of Parameters within Minex6. This functionality is used to store and retrieve previously saved parameters from Parameters.mpf for all the Minex setup windows. This allows the user to recall and use these parameters in subsequent sessions. This facility has obvious benefits in standardising presentation formats, colours etc., at a Mine Site.

Access the TOPO parameters which have been saved here to demonstrate this point:

1. Right Mouse click in the Plot Geometry Data field

2. Dont mouse click here, just hover until the parameter names appear 3. Left mouse click to select TOPO parameters

This procedure will access the saved parameters and complete the Plot Geometry Data Menu ready for the F Plot step. Note that the parameters are the same as the ones you were instructed to setup before starting this Get Params procedure. To see the effect you may have to change the menu before you Get Parameters.

The resulting display will, of course be the same as the display you originally achieved before the Get Params process. If you have left other Graphics Objects on the 3D Design window, e.g. a triangulated or gridded surface, the recently plotted TOPO strings may be plotted underneath these surfaces.

Use the Graphics Object Panel to delete or hide all other objects and just leave the Geometry Layer 1 untouched.

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Edit String Data

Note the different line colours, line types and symbols. To select any of these lines or points, and identify their data type, name, colour, type and symbol type, the String Select icon must be activated. This is located in the Action Panel and characterised by the arrow icon shown below.

String the displayed strings and note the Highlighting Select one of the strings using LH Mouse click near one of select Facility and the String Properties displayed in the Properties Dialogue underneath the Explorer window.

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Using the same technique, select another string or group of points, and change a colour and/or line weight or style using the Properties Window that will have displayed at the bottom left hand corner of your screen below the Explorer.

The change is made by left mouse click to select one of the property parameter fields in the Properties Window, line colour or line style for example. The current property attribute is displayed in the Properties Window. To select an alternative, left mouse click on the selected attribute and then left click on the dash icon that appears. Further options available are then displayed for user selection.

The various String Properties changed are immediately displayed in the 3D Design Window.

More detail on string creation and editing is presented in the Getting Started with Minex6 Tutorial Manual.
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Survey Data
Display Survey Data
Survey XYZ String data is also stored in a Geometry File.

Use the Plot Geometry Data Dialogue as before and display the Survey data as described below, using the Get Parameters -- SURVEY facility on the Plot Geometry Data Tab.

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If the survey data is obscured by any other existing objects displayed, use the Graphics Objects Control Panel to hide or delete them to reveal the survey data.

Note that the above image was captured with the background colour reversed to make the survey data easier to see in this image. To reverse the colour of the background, Click the Graphics button and then select Toggle Black/White. Repeating the process will return the view to normal.

Triangulation of Survey Data

As the Survey data is now displayed on the 3D Design Window, we will use this data to Compute a Triangle representing this XYZ data as a Triangulated Surface. Minex6 will compute the Triangulated surface from whatever data is setup in the Plot Geometry Data Menu. Compute a Triangle using the following method:

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When the OK button is clicked, Minex6 computes the triangle and displays the Save Triangle As menu. Type in a name for the new Triangle file. Note that only a filename prefix is necessary, Minex6 will apply a suffix automatically (.tr5). If you do not wish to save the file, click the Cancel button.

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The 3D Window display now automatically shows the selected Survey data as a triangulated Surface.

An Output Report is generated of the data that has been selected and used in the triangulation process. It is shown in the Output Window which appears at the bottom left of the screen. To delete this Icon. Output Window, simply click on the Output Window

Drill & Blast Design

The following sequence will display some basic Blast Design Capabilities of Minex6. Firstly, open the Blast Menu and select the Setup Blast Pattern option.

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Then, as described in previous sections use the RH Mouse button on the Blast Pattern Setup Tab to open the Get Parameters selection and select the Default Parameters.

By selecting these parameters, a default blast pattern design has been loaded. To complete this process, click on the Surface Tab on this dialogue and in the Colour Surface part of the resulting dialogue use the tab next to the Triangle name to select the triangle TUTORIAL.tri3. It is necessary to do this because the path needs to be absolute and depends on the location of the data on individual user computers. Click the OK button to display the Blast Design in the 3D Design Window.

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By selectively removing any obstructing Graphics Objects using the Object Control Panel, the Blast Pattern traces become obvious. By opening the Blast Pattern Setup Window and selecting each Tab in turn it is possible to follow the setting up requirements for this option. The Blast Explorer Tab shows the Pattern Name & each Row separately with RH Mouse contextual options available on both.

Dip and rotate the image to see it from different perspectives. Display the triangle surface TRIANGLE.tri3 to see how the blast layout fits the surface. Hide or delete the triangle surface.
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Display the grid A1SR (seam roof for seam A1) and rotate and dip to observe blast holes and this grid.

Open the Blast Pattern Setup Window, and select the Plotting Parameters Tab.

Now turn on the Display Blast Influence and set a Radius of 4 metres with the Cylinder option also on.

Click OK and note the result. This option is used to highlight any leading edge holes that may be too close to the front face and so blow out during the blast. The offending holes are then dragged off line to a new position and the Blast Influence Zone rechecked.

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By adjusting the Blast Influence Radius, all front holes are able to be checked for minimum width to the Free Face. For a more detailed Blast Information refer to the Blast Design Tutorial Manual

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Plans & Cross-Sections

To present your Minex Model Survey Files and Drill & Blast Design, in a format acceptable to Mine Management, Planning and Operations you will require the Standard Plan and Cross-Section Plotting techniques.

Minex6 has a comprehensive suite of Graphics Capture options, display and plotting tools available.

A number of existing Plan and Cross-Section Presentation Plots have been produced using the data already previewed above. To view these plots using the Minex Explorer window, open the Plots directory by clicking on the Plots Folder Explorer Key or by double clicking on the Plots Folder icon.

Select the file (left mouse click) then use the right mouse button to access the contextual Previewer menu for the file and then select Preview.

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This is a relatively simple Borehole Location Plot as shown below.

Now try the PROFILES.cgm file showing the Downhole Geophysical Traces for 2 Boreholes

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The SEAM_SECTION.cgm file shows a more complex plot generated in Minex6

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Graphics Capture
Minex also allows you to capture 3D Images from the 3D Design Window to maximise your presentation capabilities.

To illustrate the Graphics Capture Option and the association of Plans and Cross-Sections and the 3D Design Window, use the following steps to create a Graphics Tiff file.

Firstly display some of the Seam grids in the 3D Design Window by using the DRAG & DROP facility used earlier.

Add the Triangle file SEOVB.tri3. The Display should look similar to the following image:

Using the Mounts Menu, shown below, select the Mounts Control Panel and Open the Section Explorer then Highlight the Section Mount name Sectn1. (Refer to Appendix 2 for information on Plan and Section Mounts.)

Use the RH Mouse Contextual options to highlight the Solid Section option. Note the Solid Section in your 3D Design Window

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Repeat step 1 above, but this time choose the Co-ordinate Grid option

o o

Rotate the data displayed in your 3D Design Window to a suitable angle and dip. Open the Graphics Menu and choose the Graphics Capture option

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o o

Choose the Tiff generation facility and type in a name (eg Tutorial) The Sheet Size Default is set to an A4 (Portrait) with an approximate Scale for your plot Click the OK button and you have successfully created a tiff of your 3D Design Graphics Window

The example above has been generated using the Minex Graphics Menu -- Graphics Capture button. Take a second to re-open his menu using the File Type button to show the other formats available to you as a Minex User.

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The Minex Archive

The facility to Archive the Drafting window in Minex6 gives the user an added capability to store a particular Plan and/or Cross- Section as an ECS_Archive. Refer to Appendix 2 for information about Archive files. The archive facility is extremely useful in that the Archive can, at any time, be imported back into the Drafting window and edited for the latest updates and replotted and/or Archived for future use.

This capability is particularly useful where a complex plot is required to be changed on a regular basis. Mine working Plans, Infrastructure Plans and Open Cut Examiner Plans are examples of this requirement.

The Archive is composed of a number of overlays, described as Graphics objects which can be turned ON/OFF to change the plot presentation. Additional data can be plotted as well as the capability of removing existing Object Layers.

The following examples show how to retrieve an Archive from the Archive Directory.

Firstly we must open the Drafting Window with the correct Map Mount as we discussed above Use the Mounts Menu and choose the Mounts Control Panel to show the various Plan and Section Mounts

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The Mounts Control Panel will open as shown below. Open the Plans Handle and select the FULL_A1 plan Mount using the Draft on Mount option to set the Graphics to the Drafting Window ready to import the Archive.

The plans in the tutorial dataset were generated on A1 size sheets, and if the user needed to edit the archives, the correct plan or section mount would need to be accessed before the archive file was imported. For the sake of convenience, this tutorial imports each archive to a plain A1 size sheet. Reset the sheet from the selected plan mount to a plain A1 sheet as follows:

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3. Click here to select A1 sheet

To begin displaying Archive files, browse the Minex Explorer and open the Archives directory by using the Explorer Handle and select the Minex Archive file SeamE2Composite2.ecsarc

This process might take a few seconds as the Archive is very detailed. The image is as follows.

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To view other archive plans, use the Object Control Panel to delete all of the objects from the archive, then use the Minex Explorer to import other archives.

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APPENDIX 1 Features And Capabilities Of Minex6

The Minex6 core provides a simpler, more efficient graphical user interface coupled with an advanced 3D graphics engine with vector/solid rendering and real time rotation visualisation, and a 3D CAD toolset to form Strings and Surfaces (grid and triangle models of structure and quality data). Using Strings and Surfaces, Minex6 instantly displays data and provides rapid reporting of location and area as well as complex volume calculations. The plan and section capability allows the user to quickly and easily produce quality plots required for every facet of mining operations. Development began in January 2001, and has culminated in the first phase for Minex6 product release in October 2002. Historical data prepared in early versions of Minex will be fully compatible with Minex6. Minex6 has been designed to provide a simpler, more efficient GUI coupled with an advanced 3D graphics engine with vector/solid rendering and real time rotation. The Minex6 interface is based upon the latest Java NetBeans user interface technology and offers: Multiple graphics windows. Plan, section, perspective and isometric data displays. Solids rendering/hidden line removal/lighting. Real-time rotation. Zoom/pan and clipping planes. Direct control of graphic and data objects through control panels. Contextual menus on strings & other graphical objects. Internal file system Explorer. Internal Web Browser. Single and multiple document GUI. Java or Windows Look and Feel. Internationalisation multiple language interface & online help. Selection of Application Modules at runtime. Manipulation of Menus and Toolbars at runtime. Configurable Project and User settings. Automatic Update Centre over the web. Workspaces to organise and manage the desktop.

Editing/design operations Minex6 provides engineers and other professionals with the ability to work interactively and graphically in 3D. Minex6 is the tool kit to input, edit, calculate, design and manipulate any 3D strings and surfaces. Layer database with full string editing Screen input with snap to points, lines or surfaces. Use of whole or part line as strings. String split, join, drag, off-set, project. String design using bearing and distance combinations Polygon area string functions.

Minex6 provides access to the wealth of 2D modelling techniques developed and refined by ECSI over 30 years. Features include:
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Delaunay triangle surface generation. User defined number of triangles 2D grid computation using the ECS Growth Technique. User defined number of grid mesh points. Volumes and areas between surfaces and/or elevations. Arithmetic calculations between surfaces -add, max, min, or, and, limits. Interactive surface editing. Cross-section and surface contouring capability.

Grid Surface Modelling - Extended Operations Minex6 delivers a number of extended grid operations, such as: Grid smoothing and filters. Gradient and aspect. Normal thickness.

Data Archiving One of the real strengths of Minex is the ability to allow users to communicate and work efficiently with large sets of graphical data. Minex6 provides a powerful graphics archiving facility, which permits the saving of 2D or 3D images for subsequent retrieval and display. Users may archive specific objects from the current display - and selectively reload from the archive files. Visualisation and plotting Minex allows users to communicate effectively with 3D images and quality 2D plots all the complexities of their models and designs - such as the topography of the site, the geology of the deposit, the optimal mining sequence, backfill and rehabilitation plans. Minex6s drafting tools allow users to generate quality hardcopy plots quickly and easily using a number of industry standards. File formats include: CGM TIF RTL HPGL RAS

Data Access and transfer Minex6 provides data access and transfer facilities for strings, surfaces and GPS information using: Direct access to external ODBC compliant databases. DWG & DXF - output supported up to Release 2002 for both ASCII and Binary formats. ASCII Files - Input and Output. GPS input/Output.

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APPENDIX 2 - Glossary Of Minex Terms

Archive File .ECSARC An archive is a copy of objects from the 2D or 3D window. An archive file can be retrieved and added to or edited. The archiving facility was designed to allow users to create plans/sections in the 2D window and save them in a file that could be reloaded and edited to save the whole map being reproduced with minor alterations. An archive DOES NOT store the objects as map data with a group, map, ident and class, it stores all data within an object as one of four items (LINE, TEXT, MARKER or FILL).

Borehole Database .b3* A set of 5 containing data for a series of boreholes. The data includes: .b31: .b32: .b33: .b34: .b35: Borehole location Sample data (eg lithology and quality data) Seam data (seam name and start and finish depths) Header data (core type, driller, date etc) The stratigraphic sequence for seams in the deposit drilled.

A Borehole Database is Binary and can only be accessed from within Minex. The exception to this is the .B35 which is ASCII format and can be edited from any text editor.

Plot File .CGM A plot file generated from a 2D drafting window. Once generated, a plot file is sent from Minex6 to a printer. A plot file is accompanied by an accessory file (.CGM.size) which is automatically generated when a .CGM is created.

Geometry file .GM3 A file containing any ascii or dxf input data that is not held in a Borehole Database. Grid file This is a mathematical model of the topography. It approximated the original data with a regular mesh or grid. At each mesh point we have an elevation. Grid Naming Conventions Grids are conventionally given names that describe the seam and variable represented by the grid. Grid names should be upper case, contain no spaces and have a maximum of 8 characters. The Grid name prefix should represent the seam or unit, and have a maximum of 5 characters. The Grid suffix should describe the variable, eg thickness or ash. Mandatory grid suffixes are: SF Seam Floor or Structure Floor ST Seam Thickness SR Seam or Structure Roof IB Interburden These grid names are mandatory as there are several processes that look for exactly these grid names. Thus a grid named GCWSSF represents the structure floor for seam GCSW, and a grid named ASF represents seam A, structure floor. The Seam A will have both a Structure Floor (SF) and a Structure Roof (SR). Obvious variations of this naming convention are Structure Thickness (ST), Interburden (IB), and Quality Attributes ranging from Relative Density (RD) and Ash (AS), to Specific Energy (SE). Stripping Ratio (SR) is another option.

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As the Structure Thickness (ST) grid represents a thickness it is not generally displayed as a surface in the 3D Design window, however using the thickness as an attribute of the Seam, the SEAM Roof AND/OR Floor can be plotted showing the variations in thickness using various colour combinations.

Parameters file Parameters.mpf contains saved versions of setup parameters for various menu setups. Once any menu has been set up to the satisfaction of the user, the parameters can be saved for future access.

Plan and Section Mounts Plots are generated in Minex6 in a 2D drafting window. The area covered by the plan, the sheet size and the scale of the plan are user defined and saved in the form of a Plan or section Mount. Each mount is assigned a name and can be saved into a Geometry File so that it/they are available for future use.

Triangle file A triangle file is a graphical representation of data. In a road cut, a surveyor would survey break lines. In the section below, the break lines are A, B, C, D, E, F.

A representation in 3D might look like this.

A surveyor may collect information on points J, K, and L. These define a triangle. The collection of all triangles is stored in a triangle file (.TR3 extension). Triangles are defined by a set of points each with an X, Y and Z value.

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APPENDIX 3 - An Explanation Of The Dataset

This manual uses an existing dataset to demonstrate Minex6 concepts and capabilities. The dataset contains the files as shown in the following image.

This manual uses an existing dataset to demonstrate Minex6 concepts and capabilities. The dataset contains: Several Folders: o o o Archives Archive files representing pre prepared data displayed on plans. Manuals Minex6 manuals. Model.grid a series of grids representing the geological surfaces comprising the geological model. This set of grids has been cut or truncated on the topographical surface. Plots A set of plot files ready to send to a printer. Quality.grd a set of grids representing various quality attributes for the seams in the geological model. Replays an automatically generated folder containing a replay file recording the current session of Minex6 use. Structur.grd A series of grids similar to those contained in Model.grd, except that these grids have not been cut on topography.

o o o o

Other Files o BOREHOLE.b31 - A Borehole Database (Borehole.B31) containing data for a set of boreholes, including o Borehole location (survey/collar data) Seam picks (seam position and depths) Sample data (eg quality data)

DAWORK.TMP* - This file is known as a DAWORK and is a record of the current Minex6 session. There can be several of these files generated for a series of Minex6
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sessions, particularly if the software is unexpectedly terminated. Older versions are deleted automatically so that there can only ever be 5 of these files kept at any one time. It may be possible for Minex to retrieve a Geometry file from this DAWORK of a Geometry File. o o o o Two Geometry Files containing various other types of data relating to the geological and engineering models. (MAP.GM3 and TITLE.GM3). Parameters.mpf - A Parameters file containing pre set dialogue settings ready for use in future Minex6 sessions. SEOVB.tri3 A triangulated surface Station.stn A file containing survey stations to be used when loading survey files into Minex6.

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APPENDIX 4 Minimum Hardware Requirements.

Minimum hardware requirements are:

10 Gb Hard Drive Open GL compatable Graphics Card 1000 by 1200 dpi monitor Pentium III, 800 mHz Minimum 256 MB RAM

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APPENDIX 5 - Minex6 Help

How to Access Help
Minex6 offers many levels of help: Tool Tips are an easy way of finding out what each button does. Field Help gives you a hint about the type of information you should enter in any field. Context Help tells you about the window or dialogue box you're at, and what you can do from there. The Minex status bar displays interaction instructions (such as Pick string ...), system messages (such as Opening Triangles ...) and warnings. If you're having problems that you can't solve, you may want to contact Minex Support using the contact details on the front of this manual.

Using Tool Tips

If you're not sure what a toolbar button does, use the mouse to position the pointer over the button. The box that appears half a second later tells you about the button.

Using Field Help

Field Help works the same way tool tips do except they give you hints about what Minex expects you to enter in the field.

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Use the mouse to position the pointer over the field. The box that appears half a second later has a brief description of the type of information you should enter

Using Context Help

Minex Context Help tells you about the window or dialogue you're working on (that is, the active window or dialogue). Press the F1 key and this Online Help window will display the topic that relates to the active window or dialogue.

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APPENDIX 6 Geometry File Information

THE GEOMETRY FILE
The Minex geometry file is the central repository for the storage of data used in Minex. It is made up of special purpose data types, designed for use in different applications.

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Structure Data Type

Structure data type is 3D line and point data used for storing strings and points representing topography or geological structural surfaces such as coal seam roof and floor, crests and toes, and surface spot heights. These features (points/spot heights, contours, faults, discontinuities/watercourses and trends/ridges, boundaries) are used to generate surface models either in triangle or grid format. Structure data is stored in the geometry file (.gm3) using a hierarchical location description.

Mask Data
Mask Data is 3D string data used to represent closed polygons. These polygons are used to represent enclosed areas and are used within Minex to display areas such as dams, lease boundaries, rehabilitated areas, reporting volumes and tonnages within the mask, and for masking operations on triangles and grids. Mask data is also stored in the Geometry file (.GM3) using the hierarchical location description.

Base Map Data

Base Map Data is used to represent lines, text, symbols, colour fill areas and dimensioning in the 3D graphics display. String data such as power lines, lease boundaries, property boundaries, buildings and their associated text description and fill colouring are best represented using Base Map data. Base Map data is also 3D data allowing text and line work to be displayed in X, Y and Z. Base Map data is also stored in the Geometry file using the hierarchical location description. An example is shown below.

Hierarchical Data Storage

The following diagram illustrates a geometry file data storage example for the Structure data type.

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DATA FLOW - Geometry File

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APPENDIX 7 - Survey Data Flow

The Survey Data Flow is shown below.

With the latest GPS receivers, XYZ data is imported directly to the Geometry File in a similar Process using the various Survey options below.

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