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User Manual

BLKCAD
Resources block modelling

BLKCAD Users Manual

Page i

Copyright 1999 Geostat Systems International Inc.


This document may not be reproduced in any fashion or in any media without the explicit written permission of
Geostat Systems International Inc.
Geostat is a trademark of Gamma Geostat International Inc.
Geostat Systems International Inc. is an authorized user of the trademark.
Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Access are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation

GEOSTAT SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL INC.


800 Chomedey Blvd, Suite C-500
Laval, Quebec, Canada, H7V 3Y4
Phone : (450) 973-6561
Fax : (450) 973-6070
E-mail : info@geostat.com
Web : www.geostat.com

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Page ii

Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... ii
List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................................. iii
1-

Installation of BLKCAD ....................................................................................................................................... 1


1- 1 System requirement ........................................................................................................................................... 1
1-1-1 Hardware needed ......................................................................................................................................... 1
1-1-2 Software needed .......................................................................................................................................... 1
1-2 Installation .......................................................................................................................................................... 1
1-2-1 From CD...................................................................................................................................................... 1
1-2-2 From diskettes ............................................................................................................................................. 4
1-2-3 From Web.................................................................................................................................................... 4
1-3 Running BLKCAD ............................................................................................................................................. 8
1-4 On-line documentation ....................................................................................................................................... 8
1-5 Re-installing BLKCAD ..................................................................................................................................... 8
1-6 Installed files....................................................................................................................................................... 8

2- BLKCAD overview .................................................................................................................................................. 1


2-1 Visualization of surfaces, envelopes and composites. ........................................................................................ 1
2-3 Resource calculation ........................................................................................................................................... 5
2-4 Reserve calculation ........................................................................................................................................... 10
3- Learning BLKCAD in three lessons ......................................................................................................................... 1
3-1 Lesson 1: visualizing composites, envelopes and surfaces ................................................................................. 1
3-1-1 A first glimpse at composites ...................................................................................................................... 1
3-1-2 What is a view?........................................................................................................................................ 3
3-1-3 View of a view : zoom, pan and visibility ................................................................................................... 6
3-1-4 Retrieving composite and envelope data ..................................................................................................... 9
3-1-5 Loading surfaces........................................................................................................................................ 14
3-2 Lesson 2: creating and estimating blocks ......................................................................................................... 20
3-2-1 Setting controls.......................................................................................................................................... 20
3-2-2 Viewing the block model........................................................................................................................... 27
3-2-3 Editing the block model............................................................................................................................. 30
3-2-4 Categorizing the blocks and saving the model .......................................................................................... 34
3-3 Lesson 3: calculating resources from block model ........................................................................................... 42
3-3-1 Producing resource reports ........................................................................................................................ 42
3-3-2 Defining figures and getting their reserves................................................................................................ 47
3-3-3 Editing and exporting figures .................................................................................................................... 51
3-3-4 Blending figures ........................................................................................................................................ 55

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List of Figures
Figure 1- 1 Installation of BLKCAD - Installation of InstallShield Wizard from Setup .............................................. 2
Figure 1- 2 Installation of BLKCAD - Presentation page of BLKCAD in the installation process............................. 2
Figure 1- 3 Installation of BLKCAD Standard warning to close all other applications............................................. 3
Figure 1- 4 Installation of BLKCAD Standard licence agreement ............................................................................ 3
Figure 1- 5 Installation of BLKCAD Identification page ......................................................................................... 5
Figure 1- 6 Installation of BLKCAD Selection of directory..................................................................................... 5
Figure 1- 7 Installation of BLKCAD Selection of Setup type ................................................................................... 6
Figure 1- 8 Installation of BLKCAD Selection of program folder ............................................................................ 6
Figure 1- 9 Installation of BLKCAD - Review of Setup information........................................................................... 7
Figure 1- 10 Installation of BLKCAD - Copying of files ............................................................................................. 7
Figure 1- 11 Installation of BLKCAD End of BLKCAD installation........................................................................ 8
Figure 2- 1 Bench (25ft) composites in a nickel-copper deposit (red=>0.3%,blue=<0.3%,black=0)........................ 2
Figure 2- 2 Ore limits in each bench as defined in SECTCAD (loaded as 3D polygons)............................................. 3
Figure 2- 3 Topo (light blue) and overburden/bedrock contact surfaces (loaded as XYZ triplets)............................... 4
Figure 2- 4 Resource model with 14,572 cubic blocks of 25ft side (red = interpolated Ni>0.3%)............................... 6
Figure 2- 5 Uppermost bench (#25 at Z=1800ft) with top and bedrock surface ........................................................... 7
Figure 2- 6 Middle bench (#17 Z=1600) with blocks within envelope colored according to %Ni............................... 7
Figure 2- 7 Long section (200S) with composites, blocks and trace of topo + bedrock surface................................... 8
Figure 2- 8 Cross-section (600W) with blocks, composites and trace of topo and bedrock surface............................. 8
Figure 2- 9 Resources graphed in Excel from results calculated on imported block file in Access............................. 9
Figure 2- 10 Resources according to measured (<50ft-red), indicated (50-100ft-yellow) and inferred categories....... 9
Figure 2- 11 Whittle pit optimized on BLKCAD resource model and loaded in BLKCAD....................................... 11
Figure 2- 12 Reserve report for resource blocks within Whittle pit (done in Excel) .................................................. 12
Figure 2- 13 Excavation limits (figures) defined in one bench and within final pit limits ...................................... 13
Figure 2- 14 Report of figure reserves currently defined in BLKCAD...................................................................... 13
Figure 3- 1 Tutorial Lesson 1 Opening project file................................................................................................. 2
Figure 3- 2 Tutorial Lesson 1 Navigating to the project file................................................................................... 2
Figure 3- 3 Tutorial Lesson 1 ORTHO-225 view loaded from the project file....................................................... 3
Figure 3- 4 Tutorial Lesson 1 Selecting a different view........................................................................................ 4
Figure 3- 5 Tutorial Lesson 1 Looking for parameters of view 200S ..................................................................... 4
Figure 3- 6 Tutorial Lesson 1 Parameters of view 200S ......................................................................................... 5
Figure 3- 7 Tutorial - Lesson 1 The PLAN view and its parameters ......................................................................... 5
Figure 3- 8 Tutorial Lesson 1 Zooming view 200S ................................................................................................ 7
Figure 3- 9 Tutorial Lesson 1 Zoomed view of 200S ............................................................................................. 7
Figure 3- 10 Tutorial Lesson 1 The 1700Z view with its parameters .................................................................... 8
Figure 3- 11 Tutorial Lesson 1 Envelope in bench Z=1700.................................................................................... 8
Figure 3- 12 Tutorial Lesson 1 Checking the envelopes currently loaded ............................................................ 10
Figure 3- 13 Tutorial Lesson 1 Checking the composites currently loaded ............................................................. 10
Figure 3- 14 Tutorial Lesson 1 Checking current color table .................................................................................. 11
Figure 3- 15 Tutorial Lesson 1 Changing the color table......................................................................................... 11
Figure 3- 16 Tutorial Lesson 1 Finishing changes to color table ............................................................................. 12
Figure 3- 17 Tutorial Lesson 1 Color of composites is changed........................................................................... 12
Figure 3- 18 Tutorial Lesson 1 Activating the Select Composites and getting composite data ............................... 13
Figure 3- 19 Tutorial Lesson 1 Activating the Import Surfaces............................................................................ 15
Figure 3- 20 Tutorial Lesson 1 - Selecting the surface file to import ..................................................................... 15
Figure 3- 21 Tutorial Lesson 1 Setting the name and color of surface to import.................................................. 16
Figure 3- 22 Tutorial Lesson 1 Setting the format to read the surface text file..................................................... 16
Figure 3- 23 Tutorial Lesson 1 After loading control points top surface is meshed and gridded ......................... 17
Figure 3- 24 Tutorial Lesson 1 Increasing the transparency of the top surface.................................................... 17
Figure 3- 25 Tutorial Lesson 1 Appending the second surface............................................................................. 18
Figure 3- 26 Tutorial Lesson 2 Setting the name and color of the second surface................................................ 18
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Figure 3- 27 Tutorial Lesson 1 Top and ovbd surfaces are loaded ....................................................................... 19
Figure 3- 28 Tutorial Lesson 1 Section 200S with composites and traces of envelopes and surfaces .................. 19
Figure 3- 29 Tutorial Lesson 2 Starting the block estimation procedure .............................................................. 22
Figure 3- 30 Tutorial Lesson 2 Checking the block grid parameters .................................................................... 22
Figure 3- 31 Tutorial Lesson 2 Parameters and view of default search ellipsoid.................................................. 23
Figure 3- 32 Tutorial Lesson 2 Parameters and view of Standard search ellipsoid ............................................. 23
Figure 3- 33 Tutorial Lesson 2 Estimation settings............................................................................................... 24
Figure 3- 34 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of variables to interpolate .................................................................... 24
Figure 3- 35 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of bounding surfaces............................................................................ 25
Figure 3- 36 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of envelopes for blocks........................................................................ 25
Figure 3- 37 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of envelopes for composites ................................................................ 26
Figure 3- 38 Tutorial Lesson 2 Interpolated blocks in section 200S..................................................................... 26
Figure 3- 39 Tutorial Lesson 2 Slice view of bench 8 (Elevations: 1800-1825)................................................... 28
Figure 3- 40 Tutorial Lesson 2 Slice view of bench 16 (Elevations : 1600-1625)................................................ 28
Figure 3- 41 Tutorial Lesson 2 Querying block values......................................................................................... 29
Figure 3- 42 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block representation with wire frame model....................................................... 29
Figure 3- 43 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block representation with filled polygons........................................................... 30
Figure 3- 44 Tutorial Lesson 2 Starting to modify envelope in bench 16............................................................. 31
Figure 3- 45 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selecting an anchor point along contour of envelope in bench 16 ...................... 31
Figure 3- 46 Tutorial Lesson 2 About to move the selected anchor...................................................................... 32
Figure 3- 47 Tutorial Lesson 2 Moving the anchor to the next vertex .................................................................. 32
Figure 3- 48 Tutorial Lesson 2 Second vertex has been moved About to keep changes. .................................. 33
Figure 3- 49 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block model is updated to reflect changes in envelope....................................... 33
Figure 3- 50 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the search ellipsoid for Measured blocks ............................................. 36
Figure 3- 51 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the search ellipsoid for Indicated blocks .............................................. 36
Figure 3- 52 Tutorial Lesson 2 Classification settings.......................................................................................... 37
Figure 3- 53 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining a new color table to see block classification......................................... 37
Figure 3- 54 Tutorial Lesson 2 Blocks colored according to classification .......................................................... 38
Figure 3- 55 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selecting blocks to export ................................................................................... 38
Figure 3- 56 Tutorial Lesson 2 Calculation of ore and waste in exported blocks ................................................. 39
Figure 3- 57 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the format of the output block file ........................................................ 39
Figure 3- 58 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the name of the output block file............................................................ 40
Figure 3- 59 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block file from BLKCAD imported in WordPad................................................ 40
Figure 3- 60 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block file from BLKCAD imported in Excel..................................................... 41
Figure 3- 61 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block file from BLKCAD imported in Access ................................................... 41
Figure 3- 62 Tutorial Lesson 3 Initiating resource calculations......................................................................... 43
Figure 3- 63 Tutorial Lesson 3 Asking resources by bench and category........................................................... 43
Figure 3- 64 Tutorial Lesson 3 Asking resources above 0.2%Ni........................................................................ 44
Figure 3- 65 Tutorial Lesson 3 Specifying bounding surfaces for resource calculation ...................................... 44
Figure 3- 66 Tutorial Lesson 3 Specifying ore types for resource calculation..................................................... 45
Figure 3- 67 Tutorial Lesson 3 checking progress of resource computation....................................................... 45
Figure 3- 68 Tutorial Lesson 3 Selecting a text file to store resource report ...................................................... 46
Figure 3- 69 Tutorial Lesson 3 Resource report as viewed in Wordpad ............................................................. 46
Figure 3- 70 Tutorial Lesson 3 Starting to define figures on bench #16............................................................... 48
Figure 3- 71 Tutorial Lesson 3 Limits and name of a first figure are entered....................................................... 48
Figure 3- 72 Tutorial Lesson 3 Figures reserves have been computed ................................................................. 49
Figure 3- 73 Tutorial Lesson 3 Changing characteristics of figures ..................................................................... 49
Figure 3- 74 Tutorial Lesson 3 Setting cut-offs on block estimates...................................................................... 50
Figure 3- 75 -Tutorial Lesson 3 Selecting the text file for the figure reserve report............................................. 50
Figure 3- 76 Tutorial Lesson 3 Initiating the editing of a figure........................................................................... 52
Figure 3- 77 Tutorial Lesson 3 Moving the vertex of a figure to a new location.................................................. 52
Figure 3- 78 Tutorial Lesson 3 adding more vertices along the figure outline ..................................................... 53
Figure 3- 79 Tutorial Lesson 3 New figure outline is defined. Reserves are recomputed .................................... 53
Figure 3- 80 Tutorial Lesson 3 Exporting figures : format of output file.............................................................. 54
Figure 3- 81 Tutorial Lesson 3 Exporting figures : name of output file................................................................ 54
Figure 3- 82 Tutorial Lesson 3 Defining additional figures on bench 16 ............................................................. 56
Figure 3- 83 Tutorial Lesson 3 Calling the blend window.................................................................................... 56
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Figure 3- 84 Tutorial Lesson 3 Adding figure 16-1 to the blend .......................................................................... 57


Figure 3- 85 Tutorial Lesson 3 Moving to bench 17 below with figures in bench 16 .......................................... 57
Figure 3- 86 Tutorial Lesson 3 Defining a new figure in bench 17 and adding it to blend................................... 58
Figure 3- 87 Tutorial Lesson 3 Modifying figure 17-1 to meet target on ore tonnage in blend............................ 58

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BLKCAD Users Manual

Installation-Page 1

1- Installation of BLKCAD
BLKCAD is a standard stand-alone Windows application. As such, its installation is also
standard and fully automated.
1- 1 System requirement
1-1-1 Hardware needed
486/Pentium/Pentium II computer with a minimum of 16Mb RAM, an SVGA color monitor
capable of a 800x600 resolution with 64k colors. Disk space needed for the program is relatively
small (about 3.5Mb).
1-1-2 Software needed
Windows 95, 98, NT operating system. The current version of BLKCAD will not run on
Windows 3.1
1-2 Installation
The current version of BLKCAD can be obtained on a CD or several disquettes (fully operative
or demo version) or downloaded from the web site of Geostat (www.geostat.com) as demo
version only
1-2-1 From CD
The current version of BLKCAD is normally stored in the BLKCAD directory of the CD
Geostat Software Library. Just insert the CD in the CD ROM unit and using standard Windows
navigation tool (Explorer..), go to that directory and double-click on Setup.exe file in that
directory. Setup starts by installing the InstallShield wizard on your hard drive (Figure1-1). Once
this is installed, you are presented with the banner page of BLKCAD. (Figure1-2). Click on Next
to continue.
Next comes the usual warning to close all other running Windows application before attempting
to install BLKCAD (Figure 1-3). Click on Next if no other significant Windows application is
currently opened. Otherwise, minimize the Setup window and close those applications before
continuing.
The next window is a standard licence agreement. Normally, you should be able to agree with
the terms of this agreement and click on Yes in order to proceed (Figure 1-4).

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Figure 1- 1 Installation of BLKCAD - Installation of InstallShield Wizard from Setup

Figure 1- 2 Installation of BLKCAD - Presentation page of BLKCAD in the installation process


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Figure 1- 3 Installation of BLKCAD Standard warning to close all other applications

Figure 1- 4 Installation of BLKCAD Standard licence agreement


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BLKCAD Users Manual

Installation-Page 4

The next page (Figures 1-5) deals with user identification. Just enter your name. If you are a
registered user of BLKCAD (=you are not installing a demo version), the name of your
organization and serial number should be exactly those given to you (generally on a sticker on
the CD box). On the next page (Figure 1-6), you select the directory where you wish to install
BLKCAD. Default is BLKCAD in GEOSTAT in the PROGRAM FILES directory. Click on the
Browse key to select a different one. Click on the Next key once you have selected the directory.
The next page (figure 1-7) deals with the type of Setup that you wish with a choice between three
types : typical, minimized and custom. Actually in BLKCAD, there are no real differences
between the three types hence you may just pick the default typical type and click on the Next
key to proceed with the installation.
Next comes the selection of the program folder for the program icon (Figure 1-8). Default is a
new folder with the name Blkcad
In the next page, you get a summary of selected Setup parameters (Figure 1-9) like Setup type,
target folder and user information. You may still go back and modify any of them.
If you accept the Setup parameters, the InstallShield Wizard will start copying files from CD
onto the target drive. A sliding bar indicates the percentage of files copied (Figure 1-10). When
all files have been copied without problem, a message indicates that the installation of BLKCAD
is terminated (Figure 1-11). You can then start BLKCAD right away without rebooting your
machine (see below) .
1-2-2 From diskettes
Installation from diskettes does not differ substantially from installation from CD. You click or
run the Setup.exe file on the first diskette. When needed, installation procedure will prompt you
to load next diskettes in the drive.
1-2-3 From Web
Installation from the Web does not differ substantially from installation from CD. You download
a self-extractable file called WBCAD.EXE from Geostat site at www.geostat.com. Click on that
file to start an installation procedure similar to that shown above. Obviously what you install in
that case is a demo version of BLKCAD.

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Figure 1- 5 Installation of BLKCAD Identification page

Figure 1- 6 Installation of BLKCAD Selection of directory


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Figure 1- 7 Installation of BLKCAD Selection of Setup type

Figure 1- 8 Installation of BLKCAD Selection of program folder


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Figure 1- 9 Installation of BLKCAD - Review of Setup information

Figure 1- 10 Installation of BLKCAD - Copying of files


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Installation-Page 8

Figure 1- 11 Installation of BLKCAD End of BLKCAD installation

1-3 Running BLKCAD


Once installed, you start BLKCAD by clicking on the Blkcad option of the Programs task bar.
You may also construct your own shortcut to Blkcad (make it point on file WBLKCAD.EXE of
the installation directory) and click on the icon of that shortcut to start the program .
1-4 On-line documentation
This option is not active yet.
1-5 Re-installing BLKCAD
There is no special provision for re-installing a new version of BLKCAD from either diskettes,
CD-ROM or the Web. Old files with the same name and already present on the default directory
will be erased without warning.
1-6 Installed files
Main program file is WBLKCAD.EXE in the installation directory (by default : C:\Program
Files\Geostat\Blkcad). Graphic routines are in the HOOPS32.DLL library in the same directory.
Subdirectory Demo Files contains the files of test data used in the tutorial (see below).

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Overview-Page 1

2- BLKCAD overview
BLKCAD is designed to model orebodies and compute resources/reserves with small blocks on a
regular grid. Values are assigned to blocks according to input envelopes and/or composites
data. Block geological tags (litho, mineralization, alteration..) are assigned to each block
according to its position with respect to envelopes of the various geology types present in the
deposit. Envelopes are 3D contours (=closed polylines) which can be defined in BLKCAD or
imported from SECTCAD (by Geostat) or other programs (such as AutoCAD). Block grades are
interpolated from adjacent composites with inverse-distance method. Composites are points with
known grades. Most of the time, they are derived from drill hole assay intervals (from-to data)
through application programs such as COMPOS by Geostat. The quantity of material available in
each block at those interpolated grades depends of a topo surface model and possibly an
overburden bottom surface model. Both models are defined from input 3D coordinates of control
points on those surfaces.
BLKCAD can also modeled multi-seam or layered deposits. In that case, each block on the 3D
regular grid is a mixture of materials from various seams or layers. BLKCAD determines the
proportion of each seam material in a block through a set of input contact surfaces. Each surface
is defined through the 3D coordinates of control points on that surface. Those points are
normally imported from either SECTCAD or COMPOS by Geostat or other programs (such as
AutoCAD). Grades of the portion of a seam or layer in a block are interpolated by inversedistance from adjacent composites in the same seam or layers. In the end, BLKCAD recombines
grades of seam fractions to get grades for the full block.
BLKCAD is a true Windows application which means that you can open it with other Windows
application (database, spreadsheet, AutoCAD session..) and exchange data or graphics with those
other applications. BLKCAD also use standard Windows drivers for peripheral devices such as
screen, mouse and printer.
2-1 Visualization of surfaces, envelopes and composites.
As indicated, the three major ingredients of a resource block model are 1) bounding surfaces
such topography or overburden bottom 2) bounding envelopes 3) composites to control the
quality of material between surfaces and within envelopes. Those ingredients are normally
imported from files derived by other applications such as SECTCAD and COMPOS by Geostat
or AutoCAD. A first function offered by BLKCAD is to visualize those ingredients from any
point in the3D space, control their visibility or transparency (for bounding surfaces) and color
them according to any quality parameter (for composites). Figure 2-1 shows the 554 25ft bench
composites in a nickel-copper massive sulphide deposit. Their coordinates and grades have been
computed by COMPOS in mostly vertical holes. Each composite is represented by a cross with a
color corresponding to the %Ni of the composite (red above 0.3%, blue below 0.3% and black
for nil) . Figure 2-2 shows the ore limits defined on each bench in SECTCAD. They are loaded
as 3D polygons. Finally, figure 2-3 shows the current topo surface going through hole collars as
well as an interpreted overburden/rock contact surface. Both surfaces are tinned from loaded
XYZ triplets.
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Overview-Page 2

Figure 2- 1 Bench (25ft) composites in a nickel-copper deposit (red=>0.3%,blue=<0.3%,black=0)

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Figure 2- 2 Ore limits in each bench as defined in SECTCAD (loaded as 3D polygons)

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Overview-Page 4

Figure 2- 3 Topo (light blue) and overburden/bedrock contact surfaces (loaded as XYZ triplets)

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Overview-Page 5

2-2 Block model construction and visualization


Given the composites, ore envelope and bedrock surface, BLKCAD will fill the ore envelope
below the bedrock surface with 25ft cubic blocks and interpolate the Ni and Cu grades of each of
those 14,572 blocks from Ni and Cu grades of adjacent composites (Figure 2-4). You have full
control over : block size, search parameters (size and orientation of an ellipsoid maximum
number of adjacent composites octant search with minimum/maximum number of composites
in each octant), interpolation parameters (power of inverse distance) which means that you can
change any of those controls and produce as many resource block models as you wish and
compare their values.
Once the block model has been computed according to your specs, you can view any slice of it
i.e benches (Figures 2-5 and 2-6) or sections (Figures 2-7 and 2-8) with all input ingredients
(composites, surfaces and envelopes) in the same slice.
2-3 Resource calculation
Resource block values and position can be exported into spreadsheets like Excel or databases
like Access and resources at various cut-offs can be computed and graphed (figure 2-9).
BLKCAD also has a specific feature to classify block resources according to distance to nearest
composite of the same type in a search window. The classification tag can be exported into the
output block file and use by Excel or Access to calculate and graph resource in different
categories.(Figure 2-10).

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Overview-Page 6

Figure 2- 4 Resource model with 14,572 cubic blocks of 25ft side (red = interpolated Ni>0.3%)

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Overview-Page 7

Figure 2- 5 Uppermost bench (#25 at Z=1800ft) with top and bedrock surface

Figure 2- 6 Middle bench (#17 Z=1600) with blocks within envelope colored according to %Ni
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Overview-Page 8

Figure 2- 7 Long section (200S) with composites, blocks and trace of topo + bedrock surface

Figure 2- 8 Cross-section (600W) with blocks, composites and trace of topo and bedrock surface
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Overview-Page 9

Resource grade-tonnage curves


1.40
1.20

20000000

1.00
15000000

0.80

10000000

0.60
0.40

5000000

0.20

0
0.00

Grades above cut-off

Tonnage above cut-off

25000000

TONNES
NI
CU

0.00
0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

%Ni cut-off

Figure 2- 9 Resources graphed in Excel from results calculated on imported block file in Access

Figure 2- 10 Resources according to measured (<50ft-red), indicated (50-100ft-yellow) and inferred categories
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Overview-Page 10

2-4 Reserve calculation


Resource block models calculated by BLKCAD are typically used by pit optimization programs
like Whittle 3d, 4D and 4X. Geostat provides an interface program called PITPACK to those
programs. The same interface is capable of extracting any pit shell from Whittle optimization
results and import it into BLKCAD as a bottom gridded surface (Figure 2-11). BLKCAD can
then extract only blocks between topo surface and pit bottom and export them into Excel or
Access where reserves (including overburden volume and waste/ore ratio) can be calculated
(Figure 2-12).

2-5 Production scheduling


Once final pit has been defined, BLKCAD can still be used to calculate reserves within
excavation limits (or figures) in any bench or sections (blast, one-year production limit, pit
expansion). Reserves always include ore/waste/overburden tonnage and weighted average grade
from underlying blocks. Cut-offs on individual block values can be set for ore/waste delineation.
A variable density can be used in calculating the ore tonnage and weighted average grades.
Figure reserves and limits can be saved in text files to be imported in Excel or Access for more
detailed production scheduling.

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BLKCAD Users Manual

Figure 2- 11 Whittle pit optimized on BLKCAD resource model and loaded in BLKCAD

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Overview-Page 11

BLKCAD Users Manual

Bench

Ore
Tonnes

1875
1850
1825
1800
1775
1750
1725
1700
1675
1650
1625
1600
1575
1550
1525
1500
1475

%Ni

0
0
0
59455
174119
366640
777164
1216000
1579810
2172946
2290441
2202674
2027139
1368885
770086
203846
43884
Total
15253090
Stripping ratio =

Internal
Tonnes

%Cu
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.34
0.29
0.30
0.31
0.36
0.39
0.42
0.46
0.49
0.54
0.55
0.50
0.47
0.43
0.45
2.07

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.26
0.24
0.25
0.29
0.35
0.41
0.45
0.51
0.55
0.63
0.69
0.63
0.47
0.35
0.50

Waste
%Ni
%Cu
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
26896
0.21
45299
0.21
147222
0.20
263302
0.18
540759
0.16
567656
0.19
77858
0.22
0
0.00
0
0.00
2831
0.23
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
1671824
0.18

Overview-Page 12

External Waste Total


Tonnes
Tonnes
0.00
325111
325111
0.00
1917902 1917902
0.00
3750358 3750358
0.15
4797618 4883970
0.16
5026929 5246347
0.15
4372788 4886651
0.15
3445570 4486036
0.16
2342818 4099578
0.19
1561407 3708872
0.19
1082934 3333738
0.00
665332 2955773
0.00
360978 2563652
0.21
120326 2150296
0.00
60871 1429756
0.00
8494
778580
0.00
0
203846
0.00
0
43884
0.17
29839435 46764349

17
15

Benches

13
11

Ore

Int. Waste
Ext. Waste

7
5
3
1
0

1000000 2000000 3000000 4000000 5000000 6000000


Tonnes

Figure 2- 12 Reserve report for resource blocks within Whittle pit (done in Excel)

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Figure 2- 13 Excavation limits (figures) defined in one bench and within final pit limits

Figure 2- 14 Report of figure reserves currently defined in BLKCAD

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3- Learning BLKCAD in three lessons


This is the tutorial part of this manual. Tutorial data have normally been installed in the directory
C:\Program Files\Geostat\Blkcad\Demo Files. The tutorial project lets you become familiar with
BLKCAD before using your own data. It is a massive sulphide deposit with nickel and copper
values that really exists. It comes complete with composites, ore envelope, bounding surfaces
and a complete resource block model.
3-1 Lesson 1: visualizing composites, envelopes and surfaces
3-1-1 A first glimpse at composites
1. Start BLKCAD as explained before e.g. clicking on an icon with shortcut to Wblkcad.exe.
2. Click on the File option of the top menu and then double-click on the Open option of the File
menu (Figure 3-1). You may notice that the File menu has other important options : New to
start a new project, Save to keep your work on file and Exit to quit BLKCAD.
3. Navigate through directories until you get to where you installed the demo files of BLKCAD.
Normally, it is C:\Program Files\Geostat\Blkcad\Demo Files. Double-click on file Demo.bcd
in that directory (Figure 3-2). In BLKCAD, all the input information (composites, envelopes,
surfaces..) plus your computed block model are kept in a single file with an extension of
.BCD. Generally, you give to that file the name of your project.
4. You should get the global view of composites shown on Figure 3-3. Note that each
composite is represented by a cross at its center point. Those crosses are regularly distributed
along mostly vertical lines which correspond to the original drill holes. In this case,
composites are 25ft bench intercepts. The coordinates of their center point have been
computed by the COMPOS program by Geostat.. In the background, you can see grids on
three different planes. They are the planes of the reference coordinate system i.e. vertical NS, vertical E-W and horizontal. The tripod at the bottom right of the screen indicates that we
are looking to the SW (X indicates the east and Y the north). In the upper left of the screen,
just below the menu bar, you will notice a dialog box called Section with a scrolling bar set
on ORTHO-225. This box is actually a toolbar which can be moved around the screen (just
click and drag in the grey part of the box toolbar is usually docked on one side of the
main window). It tells us that we are currently looking at a perspective view called
ORTHO-225 (Perspective to azimuth 225o = SW). This is the view which is displayed
when we load the project file because this is what we had on the screen the last time we
updated the project file.

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Figure 3- 1 Tutorial Lesson 1 Opening project file

Figure 3- 2 Tutorial Lesson 1 Navigating to the project file

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Figure 3- 3 Tutorial Lesson 1 ORTHO-225 view loaded from the project file

3-1-2 What is a view?


1. Sections should rather be called views. Click on the scrolling arrow of the Section toolbar to
see what views are currently available (Figure 3-4). In addition to the ORTHO-225, we have
a series of other ORTHO perspective views with different azimuth angles, SIDE horizontal
views, two PLANE views (from top-down and bottom-up) and specific sliced views called
200S, 400E and 1700Z. Click on the 200S view
2. You now get a view which, in this case, is precisely a section. Note from the tripod on the
bottom right of the screen that we are now looking north (the east or X is pointing to the
right). Note that we now get a single grid of coordinates (in the E-W vertical plane).To get
the view parameters, click on the Sections Dialog option of the Options menu (Figure 3-5)
3. The Define Sections window (Figure 3-6) tells you that for view 200S : 1) you are looking at
the anchor point with coordinates X=-200, Y=0, Z=1500 2) you look at this point according
to a direction vector with a 0o azimuth and 0o dip, hence a vector pointing to the north. With
the anchor point and view vector, you have just defined a section plane going through that
point and perpendicular to that vector. 3) view is limited to a corridor which extends from
50ft in front of the section plane (in the direction of the view vector) to 50ft behind that
plane. Hence our composites are within a corridor of +/-50ft around the E-W section at X=200. When there is no corridor (distances set to 0), all composites are visible like in the
ORTHO-225 view (please check) or PLAN view (Figure 3-7). Click on the Cancel or OK
button to close the Define Sections window

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Figure 3- 4 Tutorial Lesson 1 Selecting a different view

Figure 3- 5 Tutorial Lesson 1 Looking for parameters of view 200S

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Figure 3- 6 Tutorial Lesson 1 Parameters of view 200S

Figure 3- 7 Tutorial - Lesson 1 The PLAN view and its parameters

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3-1-3 View of a view : zoom, pan and visibility


1. Lets get back to the 200S view. Although zooming and panning can be done by selecting
option of the View menu, it is faster to do it by selecting keys of the main toolbar (or
BlockCAD toolbar if you dont see it, click on the BlockCAD of the Toolbars option of
the View menu ) just below the top menu. Press the Zoom Window key of the toolbar (this is
the one most to the left on the toolbar it shows a glass magnifier - if you keep the pointer
on top of it for some time, you will see the prompt Zoom Window). Cursor is changed into
a glass magnifier. Click on one corner of the zoom window and then drag to the opposite
corner (Figure 3-8). You get your zoomed view (Figure 3-9).
2. On the same toolbar, you can experiment with the Zoom All button to the right of the Zoom
Window button. To the right of the Zoom buttons, you get the Pan Buttons starting with the
generic Pan which prompts you to drag a pan vector on the screen followed by standard pans
to left, right, up and down which move the view by of the dimension of the current
window in the corresponding direction. Finally, to the right of the Pan Buttons, you have a
button to undo your last view ( something like a Zoom Previous) or another one to restore
undone views.
3. Last thing to notice on your screen : the so-called Status Bar at the bottom (if you dont see
it, click on the Status Bar option of the View menu) with some messages but, more important,
the 3D coordinates of the mouse pointer on the current view plane. Move the pointer on top
of composites on the 200S view (after a Zoom All): you will notice that Y stays at -200 (200S
is the E-W section at Y=-200), X ranges from 900 to +1800 while Z ranges from 1400 to
1900.
4. Change the view to 1700Z. The Define Section window tells you that this is an horizontal
slice (azimuth = 0, dip =-90). 25ft thick (corridor = +/-12.5), centered on Z = 1712.5 (Figure
3-10). Click on the E button to the right of the Zoom/Pan buttons of the BlockCAD toolbar :
by pressing this button, you make all loaded envelopes visible (Figure 3-11). As you may
notice from the pink line showing on your screen, an envelope is a set of contour lines
defined around specific material in benches. Blocks within the envelope would normally be
estimated from composites in the same envelope.

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Figure 3- 8 Tutorial Lesson 1 Zooming view 200S

Figure 3- 9 Tutorial Lesson 1 Zoomed view of 200S

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Figure 3- 10 Tutorial Lesson 1 The 1700Z view with its parameters

Figure 3- 11 Tutorial Lesson 1 Envelope in bench Z=1700

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3-1-4 Retrieving composite and envelope data


1. First lets see what is currently loaded in SECTCAD : click on the Envelope/Surface/Figure
Settings entry of the Options menu. Click on the Envelopes tab of the Project Settings
window (Figure 3-12). You can see that we have one envelope called 1 which is visible in
pink and with a density of material in the envelope set to 0.085(t/ft3). Close the
Envelope/Surface/Figure Settings window.
2. Click on the Project Status entry of the Options menu. It shows some counters on blocks
(apparently we have 287,310 of them but none is visible we will talk more on blocks in the
next lesson) and composites (a total of 554 of them). Click on the scroll arrow of the
Envelope box (Figure 3-13) and select 1 : you can see that 249 composites are inside this
envelope. Close the Project Status window.
3. Next, lets color composites according to their values. Click on the Display Properties
option of the Options menu and select the Search Table tab of the Display Settings window.
You can see from the box of current entries has nothing really activated. You can also see
from the Apply Colour On box that default variable used to color composite is called ni i.e.
the %nickel of composite. If you click on the scroll arrow of that box (Figure 3-14), you can
see that you can color composites according to values of another variable called cu i.e. the
%copper. Keep ni active and click in the Minimum box with its current default value of 0.
Replace it (from keyboard) with 0.01. In the same manner, replace the 0.0 in the Maximum
box with 0.3. Next you click on the Select Color button and select a dark blue on the Color
window (Figure 3-15) . Click on the OK button of the Color window to close it . The box of
current entries tells you that composites with a %Ni between 0.01 and 0.3% will be colored
in blue. Next click on the second line of that box, keep selecting ni in the Apply Colour On
list box, enter 0.3 in the Minimum box and 0.4 in the Maximum box and select a light blue
color from the Color window activated by clicking on the Select Color button. Repeat the
same for a 0.4-0.5 range with yellow, 0.5-0.7 range with orange and 0.7-100 range with red
(Figure 3-16). When you leave the Search Table option of the Display Settings window by
clicking on the OK button, you can see colored composites in bench 1700 (Figure 3-17).
Note that the envelope is drawn around colored composites while putting aside zero grade
composites left in black.
4. Finally, we will see how to get the assay values of the newly colored composites that appear
on the screen. First we make sure that the so-called Info toolbar is visible just above the
Status toolbar. If not, click on Info of the Toolbars option of the View menu. Then check the
Select menu : Composites option should be activated (if not, click on it). Then you can
double-click on any composite and you get its name, coordinates and %Ni and %Cu values in
the Info toolbar (Figure 3-18). Note that the Info toolbar has two scrolling arrows to view
long strings (when you have many variables).

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Figure 3- 12 Tutorial Lesson 1 Checking the envelopes currently loaded

Figure 3- 13 Tutorial Lesson 1 Checking the composites currently loaded

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Figure 3- 14 Tutorial Lesson 1 Checking current color table

Figure 3- 15 Tutorial Lesson 1 Changing the color table

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Figure 3- 16 Tutorial Lesson 1 Finishing changes to color table

Figure 3- 17 Tutorial Lesson 1 Color of composites is changed

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Figure 3- 18 Tutorial Lesson 1 Activating the Select Composites and getting composite data

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3-1-5 Loading surfaces


1. So far, all what we have discovered in BLKCAD (composites and envelope) was already
loaded in the project file demo.bcd. Actually they had been imported from files in a previous
update of the project file. We are going to do such an import operation with surfaces. Go
back to the ORTHO-225 view (note that we have a contour of envelope 1 in each bench) and
select the Surfaces option of the Import menu.(Figure 3-19).
2. Navigate through directories until you get to where you installed the demo files of BLKCAD
(normally, it is C:\Program Files\Geostat\Blkcad\Demo Files) and click on demotop.xyz
(Figure 3-20). A Surface Property window opens. In the Surface Name box of that window
you enter the name of the surface that you are about to load : we suggest that you type top,
then you select a Surface Color by clicking on the Select Color button : we suggest that you
pick a dark green in the color table. Finally, you keep the default option of importing triplets
of coordinates for control points on the surface (Figure 3-21). Click on the Next button.
3. Next you are presented with a File Format window where you specify where to read the X, Y
and Z coordinates of control points in the input file. By clicking into the scroll arrow of the
Field Name box , you can see that, with the current settings, you read X as a string of 10
characters starting in column 1, then Y and Z with the same length of 10 characters. The first
few lines of the file shown in the window tell you that this file format is Ok (Figure 3-22).
Click on the Finish button.
4. BLKCAD reads the demotop.xyz file and automatically meshes then grids the surface from
the control points read. Once finished, a rather flat surface covers the envelope and
composites (Figure 3-23).
5. In order to be able to see through the top surface, we are going to give it some
transparency. Get back to the Envelope/Surface/Figure Properties option of the Options
menu and select the Surfaces tab of the Envelope/Surface/Figure Settings window. You can
see that the top surface is there with its dark green color. Click on the Transparency slide bar
and move its cursor to the right (Figure 3-24). Then click on the OK button. You can now see
envelopes and composites below the surface.
6. Repeat the same exercise with a second surface in file demoovb.xyz. Click the Append button
in the box that tells you that a Set of Surfaces is already loaded. That box shows up when
you click on the Surfaces option of the Import menu (Figure 3-25). You can call that surface
ovbd (this is the interpreted overburden-bedrock contact surface) and give it a brown color
(Figure 3-26). Format to read it is the same as for top. Once loaded (Figure 3-27), this new
surface appears below the top one and will a lesser extension (it was only recognized in drill
holes). You can also give some transparency to that second surface.
7. Get back to the 200S view to review composites (now in color), trace of envelope contours
(in pink), trace of top surface (in dark green) and trace of overburden surface (in brown)
(Figure 3-28)
8. Click on the Save option of the File menu to update the project file demo.bcd with your color
code and the two surfaces read.

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Figure 3- 19 Tutorial Lesson 1 Activating the Import Surfaces

Figure 3- 20 Tutorial Lesson 1 - Selecting the surface file to import

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Figure 3- 21 Tutorial Lesson 1 Setting the name and color of surface to import

Figure 3- 22 Tutorial Lesson 1 Setting the format to read the surface text file

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Figure 3- 23 Tutorial Lesson 1 After loading control points top surface is meshed and gridded

Figure 3- 24 Tutorial Lesson 1 Increasing the transparency of the top surface

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Figure 3- 25 Tutorial Lesson 1 Appending the second surface

Figure 3- 26 Tutorial Lesson 2 Setting the name and color of the second surface

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Figure 3- 27 Tutorial Lesson 1 Top and ovbd surfaces are loaded

Figure 3- 28 Tutorial Lesson 1 Section 200S with composites and traces of envelopes and surfaces

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3-2 Lesson 2: creating and estimating blocks


In the first lesson, we have checked the three types of ingredients necessary to build a realistic
resource block model for our massive sulphide deposit. Those three types of ingredients are : 1)
surfaces (top and overburden) to limit the extension of blocks upward, 2) envelopes to limit the
extension of blocks laterally and 3) composites to control the variation of ore grades. We are
now in a position to build the resource block model.
3-2-1 Setting controls
1. Like in the first lesson, start BLKCAD and open the DEMO.BCD file. Normally you should
get back to the view of section 200S with the top and overburden surfaces, the ore envelope
and the composites. Click on the Setup Block Model option of the Estimation menu (Figure
3-29).
2. From the Block Grid Settings window (Figure 3-30), you can see that a block matrix is
defined through coordinates of origin, block size and starting/ending indices (or coordinates)
along the three coordinate axes. At the moment, the matrix is made of up to 157 columns 25ft
wide from X=-1200 (center of first column), 61 rows 25ft wide from Y=-800 (center of first
row) and 30 benches 25ft wide down (this is why size is 25) from Z=1987.5 (center of first
bench at the top). Values in any box can be changed (and some others will change
accordingly e.g. if the ending X-coordinate is changed from 2700 to 2800, the ending column
index will change from 157 to 161).Click the OK button. A warning tells you that any
existing block values would be erased since you (may have) changed the grid matrix
parameter. Click the OK button of the warning box .
3. Click on the Define Search Ellipsoid option of the Estimation menu. A Search Ellipsoid
Parameters window opens and a small shaded blue sphere shows up at the center of the
screen (Figure 3-31). That sphere is actually the default ellipsoid with parameters in the
window i.e. 100ft radius in all directions. In the Name box, type in Standard instead of
Default, then in the Radius boxes of both Major Axis and Intermediate Axis type in 500
instead of 100 and finally click on the Add/Update button (Figure 3-32). As shown by the
ellips at the center of the screen, you have just defined a new search ellipsoid called Standard
with a long radius of 500ft in any horizontal direction and a short radius of 100ft in the
vertical direction. You can define and store more ellipsoids and use them when needed. Click
on the OK button of the Search Ellipsoid Parameters window.
4. Click on the Estimation Settings option of the Estimation menu. The Estimation Settings
window opens with various tabs. Under the Estimation tab, set the Maximum Number of
Samples to Use to 15 (instead of the default 25), pick Standard in the Search Ellipsoid box,
set the Block Discretization values along X and Y to 2 (instead of 1) and activate the box of
Use Default Values for Assays if No Samples are Found (Figure 3-33). This way, blocks will
be interpolated from up to the 15 closest composites inside a 500x500x100ft ellipsoid
centered on the block. In distance calculations, blocks will be represented by 2x2 = 4 points
in the XY (horizontal) plane. If no samples are found in the ellipsoid, default values are
assigned to the block.
5. Under the Assays tab, select ni in the Assay box, enter 2 in the IPD Power box and click on
the Add/Update button. Then select cu in the Assay box, enter 2 in the IPD Power box and
click on the Add/Update button (Figure 3-34). This way both %nickel and %copper will be
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interpolated by inverse squared distance with a default grade of zero (for blocks with no
composites in the search ellipsoid).
6. Under the Surfaces tab, select top in the Topography (Top Surface) box and then ovbd in the
Bottom of Overburden box (Figure 3-35). This way, any block fraction above top will be left
empty . Any block fraction between ovbd and top will be tagged as overburden and not
interpolated. Only blocks with a fraction below ovbd will have their %nickel and %copper
interpolated. Note that you can also have a bottom bounding surface (e.g. a pit).
7. Under the Envelopes tab, click on 1 in the box Not Selected, then click on the Estimate button
so that 1 is in the box Selected (Figure 3-36). Under the Composites tab, click on 1 in the box
Not Selected for Envelopes, then click on the Estimate button so that 1 is in the box Selected
(Figure 3-37). This way, blocks within the ore envelope (tagged 1) will be interpolated only
using composites within the same ore envelope (in other words, zero grade composites
outside the envelope are not used in the interpolation of ore blocks). Click on the OK button
to close the Estimation Settings window (and store your settings for the next interpolation
run).
8. Click on the Estimate Blocks option of the Estimation menu. Messages indicate that
composites and blocks are classified according to envelope and blocks in envelope are
interpolated with composite in the same envelope. After a few seconds, blocks show on the
200S section with colors according to their interpolated %nickel grade (Figure 3-38)

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.
Figure 3- 29 Tutorial Lesson 2 Starting the block estimation procedure

Figure 3- 30 Tutorial Lesson 2 Checking the block grid parameters


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Figure 3- 31 Tutorial Lesson 2 Parameters and view of default search ellipsoid

Figure 3- 32 Tutorial Lesson 2 Parameters and view of Standard search ellipsoid

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Figure 3- 33 Tutorial Lesson 2 Estimation settings

Figure 3- 34 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of variables to interpolate

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Figure 3- 35 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of bounding surfaces

Figure 3- 36 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of envelopes for blocks

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Figure 3- 37 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selection of envelopes for composites

Figure 3- 38 Tutorial Lesson 2 Interpolated blocks in section 200S

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3-2-2 Viewing the block model


1. A block model is best examined slice after slice in any of the three reference planes of blocks
i.e. XY (benches), XZ (EW sections) and YZ (NS sections). Obviously, we can define a
specific view for each slice (like the current 200S, 400E and 1700Z). It is however more
convenient to use a specific slice viewer on the Slice toolbar which already gives us access to
the current views. This Slice toolbar is normally just below the main toolbar. Click on the
scroll arrows of the Planes box of that toolbar until you get XY Plane (Plan). Just to the right
of that box, you have a counter box . If you click on the arrows of that box, you will notice
that numbers go from 1 to 30 i.e. the maximum number of benches defined in the current
block matrix. Select 8 and click on the Refresh button. You are instantly presented with a
map of bench 8 (elevation 1800-1825) which is the higher bench with some blocks. You can
easily recognize the topo surface (green with transparency), overburden surface (brown),
envelope (pink contour), composites (crosses) and blocks (mostly blue squares) in that bench
(Figure 3-39).
2. Now select one of the bottom benches like 16 (elevation 1600-1625).You clearly see the
blocks constrained by the envelope with generally low estimates (blue color) in the east and
west extremities and medium to high estimates (yellow, orange and red colors) in the center
(figure 3-40). Zoom in the center part of the bench : you can see that blocks are represented
by a small square at their center. You can also check that wherever a composite is present
(shown by a cross) the color of the surrounding blocks is the same as that of the composite.
You can also query any block value : just click on the Blocks option of the Select menu and
then double-click on the block you wish to query (Figure 3-41). You get block location,
status and estimated grades in the box of the Info Toolbar at the bottom of the screen (dont
forget the scroll arrows of that box to view all the block information).
3. Blocks can be represented in different ways although the small square marker at the center is
the most efficient (and default) representation. To see others, click on the Display Blocks
As option of the View menu and click on the Wireframe Model option (Figure 3-42) :
blocks will be shown as hollow squares (actually, they are hollow cubes in the 3D space).
Another option that you can try is XY Planar View (Figure 3-43) : in that case, blocks are
filled horizontal squares. The 3D Shaded Model option is best used with perspective views.

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Figure 3- 39 Tutorial Lesson 2 Slice view of bench 8 (Elevations: 1800-1825)

Figure 3- 40 Tutorial Lesson 2 Slice view of bench 16 (Elevations : 1600-1625)

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Figure 3- 41 Tutorial Lesson 2 Querying block values

Figure 3- 42 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block representation with wire frame model

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Figure 3- 43 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block representation with filled polygons

3-2-3 Editing the block model


1. Next, we will slightly adjust the outline of the envelope in a bench and ask BLKCAD to
update the block model accordingly. Click on the option Modify Envelope of the
Create/Modify menu. Then click near one vertex of the pink contour on the screen (Figure 344). BLKCAD asks you to confirm that you wish to modify the outline of envelope 1 at
elevation Z=1612.5 (mid-bench elevation). Click on the OK button to confirm. You may
have noticed that two new toolbars have popped up : the Digitize toolbar (with two buttons
showing dark circles) and the Edit Vertices toolbar (with a button showing an anchor).
Actually, we will use the Edit Vertices toolbar. The Digitize toolbar is just in case we wish to
use any of the Snap buttons. As indicated above, you can move around those toolbars by
clicking and dragging on their border.
2. Click on the Anchor button of the Edit Vertices toolbar (Figure 3-45) then click on one vertex
along pink contour. Selected vertex is shown with a small square. Click on the Move button
of the same toolbar (Figure 3-46), then click on a new location for the selected vertex. Click
on the Next Point button (Figure 3-47) to move the anchor to the next vertex, then click on
the Move button again and finally click on a new location for that new vertex. In the end
click on the Save Changes (green) button to keep the changes that you made to the contour
(Figure 3-48). Alternatively you can click on the Cancel (red) button to restore the old
contour
3. New pink contour with you modifications is drawn. To update the block model, simply click
on the Estimate Blocks option of the Estimation menu. (Figure 3-49).
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Figure 3- 44 Tutorial Lesson 2 Starting to modify envelope in bench 16

Figure 3- 45 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selecting an anchor point along contour of envelope in bench 16
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Figure 3- 46 Tutorial Lesson 2 About to move the selected anchor

Figure 3- 47 Tutorial Lesson 2 Moving the anchor to the next vertex


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Figure 3- 48 Tutorial Lesson 2 Second vertex has been moved About to keep changes.

Figure 3- 49 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block model is updated to reflect changes in envelope

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3-2-4 Categorizing the blocks and saving the model


1. Before we save our resource block model, we will categorize resources in each block
according to its distance to nearest composite in the same bench. Blocks within 50ft of
composites will be tagged as Measured whereas blocks within 150ft will be tagged as
Indicated. Balance of blocks are put into the Inferred category. First we need to set new
search ellipsoids corresponding to those limit distances. Get back to the Define Search
Ellipsoid option of the Estimation menu and Add to the list of available ellipsoids one called
Measured with radii 50,50 and 25ft (Figure 3-50) and another one called Indicated with radii
150,150 and 25ft (Figure 3-51). Click the OK button to leave the Define Search Ellipsoid
window.
2. Click on the Classification Setup of the Estimation menu. You are presented with a
Classification Settings window. Under the Block Classification tab, enter MEASURED in the
Classification box, then pick Measured in the Ellipsoid box, enter 1 in Min Samples and click
on the Add/Update button. Repeat the same operations with classification = INDICATED,
ellipsoid = Indicated, Min. Samples = 1 and finally classification = INFERRED, ellipsoid =
Standard, Min. Samples = 1 (Figure 3-52). Arrange the other settings like for estimation i.e.
1) under the Surfaces tab, Topography (top Surface) = top and Bottom of Overburden = ovbd
2) under the Envelopes tab, Selected = 1 3) under the Composites tab, Selected = 1. Once
done, click the OK button to close the Classification Settings window.
3. Click on option Classify Blocks of the Estimation menu. A progress bar indicates that
BLKCAD is classifying blocks. You may notice that classification takes more time that
estimation itself because BLKCAD needs apply three search ellipsoids on each block instead
of just one. Once classification is finished, nothing really shows up on screen. To see the
results of the classification, we will define a new color table. Go back to the Display Settings
window (option Display Properties of the Options menu) and select the Search Table tab.
Click on the Next LUT button and define a new table with MEASURED blocks in red,
INDICATED blocks in yellow and INFERRED blocks in blue (for each new line in the box of
current entries, you pick the name of category in the Apply Color On box and you pick the
corresponding color with the Select Color button Figure 3-53). Blocks are now colored
according to classification tag with clusters of red blocks within 50ft of composites and zones
more than 150ft from composites in blue (Figure 3-54).
4. We have now finished the construction of our block model. We can save the blocks with
their values and tag in the Demo.bcd file by clicking on the Save option of the File menu. We
can also export the block values and tag in a formatted ASCII file by clicking on the Blocks
option of the Export menu. A Select Blocks window shows up. Click on 1 in the Not
Exported box then click on the <<Move button to only export blocks in envelope, pick top in
the Topography (top surface) box and ovbd in the Overburden box and click on the Next
button (Figure 3-55). The next Calculation window (which controls the calculation of %ore
and %waste in blocks) is not used in our case hence you just click on the Next button (Figure
3-56).
5. In the next Export window, you define where and how to write the block variables in the
ASCII output file. We suggest that you enter the following controls : Field Name =
IX(column), Position =1, Length =3; Field Name = IY(row), Position = 4, Length = 3, Field
Name = IZ(bench), Position = 7, Length = 3, Field Name = %Between topos, Position = 10,
Length = 5, Decimals = 2, Field Name = %Overburden, Position = 15, Length = 5,
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Decimals = 2, Field Name = Classification, Position = 20, Length = 10, Field Name = ni,
Position = 30, Length =10, Decimals =2, Field Name = cu, Position = 40, Length = 10,
Decimals = 2. Note that you can define the Position and Length of the field whose name
appears in the Field Name box by dragging the mouse on an interval along the numbered rule
and clicking the Select button. Variables which you dont want to write in the output file are
left with a length of 0 (Figure 3-57). Click on the Finish button.
6. Finally the last window is to indicate the name of the ASCII block file to create. We suggest
demo.blk in the demo files directory (Figure 3-58). Click the Save button. If the file already
exists, you get a warning but you can erase the previous version of the file.
7. The ASCII block file can be loaded in many different programs like WordPad (just do an
Open of demo.blk - Figure 3-59), Excel (do an Open of demo.blk as Fixed Width ASCII
Figure 3-60) or Access ( same Figure 3-60). In both Access and Excel , you can create
queries or macros to calculate resource summaries from imported block values.
9. Click on the Save option of the File menu to update the project file demo.bcd with your block
model.

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Figure 3- 50 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the search ellipsoid for Measured blocks

Figure 3- 51 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the search ellipsoid for Indicated blocks

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Figure 3- 52 Tutorial Lesson 2 Classification settings

Figure 3- 53 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining a new color table to see block classification

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Figure 3- 54 Tutorial Lesson 2 Blocks colored according to classification

Figure 3- 55 Tutorial Lesson 2 Selecting blocks to export

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Figure 3- 56 Tutorial Lesson 2 Calculation of ore and waste in exported blocks

Figure 3- 57 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the format of the output block file

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Figure 3- 58 Tutorial Lesson 2 Defining the name of the output block file

Figure 3- 59 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block file from BLKCAD imported in WordPad

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Figure 3- 60 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block file from BLKCAD imported in Excel

Figure 3- 61 Tutorial Lesson 2 Block file from BLKCAD imported in Access

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3-3 Lesson 3: calculating resources from block model


One of the main interest of a resource block model is to get resources in various categories and at
various cut-offs or reserves within excavation limits or figures generally defined on benches.
Because of the way the resource block model has been constructed in BLKCAD, the figures
reserves reflect the change of geology (through different envelopes) and variations of grades
from one composite to the next in the same geology. In this lesson, you learn how to define
figures in BLKCAD and get their reserves, how you can edit previously defined figures and
recalculate their reserves, how to blend reserves from different figures to make the production
for a given time period and finally how you can export the figure limits and their reserve
parameters. But first, let see how we get resource reports out of BLKCAD.
3-3-1 Producing resource reports
1. Start BLKCAD again, open the demo.bcd that you saved in the previous lesson (section 3-24) and click on the Resource Report Settings option of the Estimation menu (Figure 3-62).
2. In the Resource Reporting window, under the Report Options tab. Select Report Resources
on a bench-by-bench basis and Report by Classification Categories. Make sure that resources
are computed with all blocks in the model i.e. Block Model Extents are 157 columns, 61 rows
and 30 benches (Figure 3-63 Note that you can easily get resources in specific groups of
blocks)
3. In the same window, under the Assay tab, click on the scroll arrow of the Assay box and
select Ni, enter 0.2 in the Min cut-off box and 100 in the Max cut-off box and click on the
Add/update button to add %nickel in the list of assays to include in the resource report with a
cut-off of 0.2%Ni applied to the blocks (in other words, you are about to compute resources
above a 0.2% cut-off). Repeat the same operation for Cu but this time, keep the minimum
cut-off equal to 0 (Figure 3-64).
4. In the same window, under the Surfaces tab, select topo in the Topography (Top Surface) box
and ovbd in the Bottom of Overburden box (Figure 3-65).
5. Finally, always in the same window but under the Envelope tab, click on 1 in the Not
Selected column and click on the <<Estimate button to indicate that you just want resources
from blocks within the envelope (Figure 3-66). Actually, in this case, you could ask for
resources in the entire model since our model is just made of blocks within the envelope but
if you were in a situation with various ore types, you could selectively get resources in each
ore type or any combination of them. Click on the OK button to close the Resource Reporting
window.
6. Click on the Resource Report option of the Estimation menu. A Generating Report progress
bar tells you about the progress of resource computation (Figure 3-67). When computation is
terminated, BLKCAD ask you for the name of the text file that will store the report. Enter
demo in the File Name box and click on the Save button (Figure 3-68). Your report is stored
in file demo.txt of the C:\Program Files\Geostat\Blkcad\Demo Files directory.
7. To view the resource report, just load the demo.txt file into Notepad or Wordpad (Figure 369). It tells you that, above 0.2%Ni, you have 3.41Mt measured at 0.44%Ni and 0.50%Cu
plus 13.15Mt indicated at 0.42%Ni and 0.46%Cu plus 1.69Mt inferred at 0.34%Ni and
0,39%Cu for a total of 18.26Mt at 0.41%Ni and 0.46%Cu
.
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Figure 3- 62 Tutorial Lesson 3 Initiating resource calculations

Figure 3- 63 Tutorial Lesson 3 Asking resources by bench and category

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Figure 3- 64 Tutorial Lesson 3 Asking resources above 0.2%Ni

Figure 3- 65 Tutorial Lesson 3 Specifying bounding surfaces for resource calculation

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Figure 3- 66 Tutorial Lesson 3 Specifying ore types for resource calculation

Figure 3- 67 Tutorial Lesson 3 checking progress of resource computation

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Figure 3- 68 Tutorial Lesson 3 Selecting a text file to store resource report

Figure 3- 69 Tutorial Lesson 3 Resource report as viewed in Wordpad

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3-3-2 Defining figures and getting their reserves


1. You should normally be viewing bench#16 at Z=1612.5 If not, select the bench (XY plane)
16 (section 3-2-2) . Re-activate the first color table on %Ni grade (click on the <<Previous
LUT button under the Search Table tab of the Display Settings window sections 3-1-4 and
3-2-4). Click on the Create Figure option of the Figures menu (Figure 3-70).
2. The Digitize toolbar with its green light button shows up. Click on that button : all the other
buttons are now active including a red light button. Click on the four vertices of an
approximately rectangular polygon completely inside the envelope. Then click on the red
light button of the Digitize toolbar. A Create Figure window shows up. Enter 16-1 in the
Figure Name box (Figure 3-71), then click on the OK button.
3. The polygon that you just defined is shaded in black. A small window prompts you to recompute the values of the figure. Click on the Yes button of that window. Figures reserves
show in the Info toolbar (normally at the bottom of the screen). Click on the scroll arrow at
the right of the toolbar to check the surface area, corresponding ore volume and tonnage and
average %ni and %cu of material in your figure 16-1 Note that the polygon is now shaded
with the color corresponding to this %ni. Figure volume is surface area x 25ft (bench height)
and tonnage is volume x 0.085t/ft3 (fixed ore density).Figure grades are weighted averages
of block estimates cut by the polygon. Weights are actually proportional to the surface area
cut by the polygon in each block. You have just defined your first figure in BLKCAD
(Figure 3-72).
4. At any moment, you can get figure reserve parameters in the Info toolbar by clicking on the
Figures option of the Select menu and then double-clicking inside your figure
5. Click on the Figure Settings of the Figures menu. Under the Figure tab of the Figure
Options window, you can change the properties of the figures that you have already defined
like its name, its visibility, its shading, even its calculated values. This is also where you can
delete figures that you no longer need (Figure 3-73).
6. Under the Assays tab of the same window, you can define cut-offs on estimated block values.
In that case, the ore inside the figure is just in blocks cut by the figure outline and with
estimates within cut-offs. For example, enter 0.2 in the Min Cut-off box and 100 in the Max
Cut-off box, then click on the Update button to set that ore is just in blocks >0.2%Ni (Figure
3-74). Press on the OK button. Next you click on the Recalculate One Figure of the Figures
menu and then you click inside your figure. New reserves show in the Info toolbar : you will
notice that ore tonnage is down but ore grades are up. Also some waste tonnage appears.
7. You can get a printable report of reserves in all current figures by clicking on the Figure
Report option of the Figures menu. Simply enter the name of the text file that will store the
report, like Figure (Figure 3-75 the file is given an extension of rpt). Like for the resource
report (see previous section 3-3-1), you can use either Notepad or Wordpad to see the figure
reserve report in figure.rpt

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Figure 3- 70 Tutorial Lesson 3 Starting to define figures on bench #16

Figure 3- 71 Tutorial Lesson 3 Limits and name of a first figure are entered

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Figure 3- 72 Tutorial Lesson 3 Figures reserves have been computed

Figure 3- 73 Tutorial Lesson 3 Changing characteristics of figures

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Figure 3- 74 Tutorial Lesson 3 Setting cut-offs on block estimates

Figure 3- 75 -Tutorial Lesson 3 Selecting the text file for the figure reserve report

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3-3-3 Editing and exporting figures


1. Zoom on the figure that you just defined. Click on the Modify Figure option of the
Create/Modify menu (Figure 3-76). Click inside your figure 16-1 and confirm that it is the
figure that you wish to edit.
2. Outline of the figure turns red and a red square appears on one of its vertices. All buttons of
the Edit Vertices toolbar (the one with the anchor) are now active. Notice that this is the same
toolbar that you used when you were editing the outlines of the ore envelope in section 3-2-4.
If you wish to select another vertex to edit, click on the Select Anchor button on the toolbar
(the one with the anchor) and then click on that vertex. Alternatively, you can click on the
Next Point button (with the right arrow) or the Previous Point button (with the left arrow) of
the toolbar until you reach the vertex that you want to edit. To move the selected vertex (with
the red square) to another location, click on the Move Point button (with the two
perpendicular arrows) of the Edit Vertices toolbar, click on any of the Snap buttons of the
Digitize toolbar that you wish to activate and click on the desired new location of that vertex
(Figure 3-77). To add more vertices along the ore envelope outline, keep clicking first on the
Add Point button (yellow) of the Edit Vertices toolbar and second on the location of new
vertex along the outline (Figure 3-78). At anytime, if you wish to abandon your editing
operations and restore the original figure, click on the Cancel button (with the red cross) of
the Edit Vertices toolbar.
3. When you feel that the new figure is OK, just click on the Accept Changes button (with the
green tick mark) of the Edit Vertices toolbar. You are asked to confirm that you want to
recalculate the reserves of figure 16-1 with its new outline. If you click on the Yes button,
figure reserves are recalculated and polygon of figure is re-painted according to the new
average %Ni of the figure (Figure 3-79).
4. You can export the reserve parameters and coordinates of all current figures into text files (to
load into AutoCAD for coordinates or Excel for reserve parameters). Click on the option
Figures of the Export menu. You are asked to specify if you wish reserve parameters and
coordinates in the same file or two separate files. Keep the default of a single file and press
the Next button. Then you can specify which variables you want to keep in the output file and
how they should be written (starting position on record, length=maximum number of
characters used and number of decimals for numerical data Figure 3-80). Note that you
cant use position #1 which is reserved for a flag = 1 for the header record at the start of each
new polygon (with reserve parameters if a single file was selected) and = 2 for coordinate
records. Any parameter that you do not want to keep in the output file is given a length of 0.
Normally, you would keep the figure name (with 2-10), ore tonnage (with 12-10-0), %Ni
(with 22-10-2), %Cu (with 32-10-2), X-coordinate (with 2-10-2 ), Y-coordinate (with 12-102 ) and Z-coordinate (with 22-10-2). Click on the Finish button.
5. Finally you are prompted for the name of the text file to store figure coordinates and reserve
parameters (Figure 3-81). We suggest that you enter figure.dig on the demo files directory.
Like for report files, you can view the contents of figure.dig in Notepad or Wordpad.

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Figure 3- 76 Tutorial Lesson 3 Initiating the editing of a figure

Figure 3- 77 Tutorial Lesson 3 Moving the vertex of a figure to a new location

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Figure 3- 78 Tutorial Lesson 3 adding more vertices along the figure outline

Figure 3- 79 Tutorial Lesson 3 New figure outline is defined. Reserves are recomputed

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Figure 3- 80 Tutorial Lesson 3 Exporting figures : format of output file

Figure 3- 81 Tutorial Lesson 3 Exporting figures : name of output file

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3-3-4 Blending figures


Blending offers a convenient way to combine figures to meet production targets for any given
time period. Best is to view BLKCAD figures as potential blasts in the benches of an open-pit
mine. With blending you can add blasts in different benches, check for the practicality of mining
them in the same sequence (you cannot mine a blast if there is not any sufficient room in the
benches above), edit the limits of blasts before re-entering them in the blend and print a report
detailing all the blasts to mine, their tonnages and values and the tonnage and values of the total.
This option is particularly useful in deposits of industrial minerals (e.g. limestone for cement)
when mitigation of good and bad material is necessary to optimize the utilization of the resource.
1. Get back to your figure 16-1 and make sure to show blocks with a colored marker at their
center to better view the figures. Using the Create Figure option previously described in this
lesson, add a couple of figures around 16-1. Use the Snap Figure or Snap Side buttons of the
Digitize toolbar to make sure that you don`t leave gaps between adjacent figures or that they
don`t overlap (Figure 3-82)
2. Click on the Figure Blending option of the Figures menu. A Figure Blending window pops
up. This window will always stay on top of the main display until you specifically close it by
clicking on the Close button All the Blend Totals are null and there are no figures in the
Current Figures in Blend scroll box (Figure 3-83).
3. Click on the button Add Figure to Blend of the Figure Blending window and click inside
figure 16-1 : tonnage, volume and grades of figure 16-1 appears in the Blend Totals and
figure color becomes clearer to indicate that the figure has been put in the blend (Figure 384). Repeat the same operation for all the figures defined in that bench 16 : you will notice
that each time you add a new figure in the blend, totals are updated.
4. Select bench 17 just below (select XY-Plane (Plan) in the Planes box, then set counter to the
right at 17 and click on the Refresh button further to the right). Do a Zoom All to see all
estimated blocks in that bench and with the View Sections Dialog option of the Options
menu, increase the 1/2 Corridor from 12.5 to 13ft : then you see the figures that you defined
in the bench above (Figure 3-85). Zoom on the zone with those figures and in the Figure
Settings option of the Figures menu, set the Rendering Method of all figures to Lines Only to
better view the blocks in bench 17 below the figures in bench 16 .
5. With Create Figures, define a new figure 17-1 in bench 17 that could easily be mined once
the figures in the bench above are gone. Add that figure to the blend (Figure 3-86) If the
tonnage of ore in blend does not meet your production target (say you want 550,000t and you
just have 519,216t like on Figure 3-86), then you remove figure 17-1 from the blend by
selecting it in the Current Figures in Blend scroll box and then clicking on the Remove
Figure from Blend button : you will notice that color of figure 17-1 is back to original and
blend totals are updated.
6. Using commands of Modify Figures described in previous section, you can enlarge the extent
of figure 17-1 (Figure 3-87), save and recalculate its reserves and add them to the blend
until you meet the desired ore tonnage You can click the button Export to file (we suggest
blend.txt) to keep the details of you figure combination and then on the button Clear Current
Blend Totals to empty the blend before starting a new one.
7. Click on the Save option of the File menu to keep all your figures in the demo.bcd file and
click on the Exit option of the same menu to exit BLKCAD
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Figure 3- 82 Tutorial Lesson 3 Defining additional figures on bench 16

Figure 3- 83 Tutorial Lesson 3 Calling the blend window

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Figure 3- 84 Tutorial Lesson 3 Adding figure 16-1 to the blend

Figure 3- 85 Tutorial Lesson 3 Moving to bench 17 below with figures in bench 16

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Figure 3- 86 Tutorial Lesson 3 Defining a new figure in bench 17 and adding it to blend

Figure 3- 87 Tutorial Lesson 3 Modifying figure 17-1 to meet target on ore tonnage in blend

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