Introduction to MineSight

(Reading in Topographic Surfaces)

2007 Dr. B.C. Paul
{Note The Name MineSight and the Program described are property of
Mintec Inc Tucson, Arizona}

One of a Limited Set of Programs

MineSight

(master of the open pit

metal mine)
Probably

most overall advanced and complete

Vulcan
Gemcon/Mincom
Carlson
Really

design

an autocad add on for graphics and

Where Do You Start With a Project

Probably

have a set of topographic maps

Probably

autocad digitized and therefore

importable to MineSight

Probably
Again

have collections of drill hole data

well assume in computer form

Getting Started with MineSight

Look for
MineSight
3D

Pull up MineSight on the Start / All Programs

Dont Panic that Billy Doesnt Know

Mintec (tell it to run)

Browse to Find Your Starting Folders

(have topo and drill hole data in)

Commentary

The 3D graphics features have a very windows like feel to them

Some of the routines have a command line operation flavor like
MSDos or Unix

This allows industrial users the convenience of batch and repetitive

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

Remember you are using a real industry program

Very specialized software lacks broad client base of a Microsoft

Office
Microsoft Word really has only a few basic things people do all the
time
MineSight has to do thousands of tasks

Program expects you to respond with specific sequences

You can get yourself into weird corners if you dont
The Program saves on exit but you can save your work throughout

Its a good idea to save your work periodically with any program
Its an even better idea with a program where you have a better chance of
messing up your input.

Needs Project Dimensions to Begin

(so it asks you for the info it needs)
Also needs to know what coordinate limits you
Will be using.

Needs to know whether you are in metric or imperial units

Requires an Early Commitment on Block

Size

Please note your project limits should be evenly divisible by

Your block size!

This is Where Your Work on Equipment

Sizes and Bench Heights Come In
The

Z dimension is your planned bench

height
Needs

to correspond to a mining height

and Y dimensions are usually similar to

yield a near cubical block
Enter your data and click ok
This creates a project control file that sets
the parameters for your project.

What is MineSight?
MineSight

is a suite of 3 programs

A 3D graphics program called MineSight

A suite of operations that can be performed on
data called compass
A suite of data analysis programs

MineSight

development started with first

computer routines in the 1970s and list
has grown since

Collection includes everything from old fortran

routines to python program language routines

Getting Our First Good Look at

MineSight

Viewers are the Areas Where 3D Images

and Views are displayed.

Data Manager is Sort of a Windows

Exploring for your project folders and files

Lets See About Importing Our Topography

(assuming in an autocad file - .dxf)

Top Part Tells You

Which Folder you
Are dealing with.
Bottom shows you
The file in the folders
(different types of
Files or objects)

Create a new Geometry Object

Pick Menus
File
New
Geometry Object

I Named Mine Topography!!!

See My
Pretty
Red Box!

Im going to get ready to put my topo data

into my geometry object

I use my
Curser to
Pick and
Highlight
Topography

Im going Open the Box (so I can put

something in it)
Right Click
On my
Highlighted
Object to
Bring up
choices
Then pick
edit

Note My Box Top is Now Open and My

Object is in Edit Mode (so I can do stuff to
it)

See the Pretty

Open Top Box!

Set Up to Import DXF File

Highlight the
Main folder

Click File

Choose Import

Pick DXF from

The side menu

Choose the DXF File to Import

This is a tough
Choice since
There is only
one

Tell it to Load All the Selected Layers

Oh Cool Look What Appeared in My

Viewer Window!!!

You Can Rotate and Turn the View by

holding the Left and Right Mouse Button
and Moving the Mouse

If you hold down the

Scroll knob and the
Left key you can
Zoom in and out

If you hold down the

Scroll knob and the
Right Key you can
Pan back and forth
And up and down

3 D Modeling and Surfaces

I

can use my topography to build a 3 D model for

my surface

Its a nice visualization

I will also use it as a basis later when I build my block
model or design my optimum final pit.

start by telling computer what to use to make

the surface (my topography obviously)
Ill tell the computer to lay out points on the topo
and then triangulate a wire frame from them
Ill convert the wireframe into solid surface

Now Select The Topo to Create A Surface

Highlight Topo
(the file the imported
Data went into)
Right Click to Bring up
Menu
Choose Select
On the side menu
Choose all elements
(not they are in red now)

Go to Surface
Under Surface Pick Triangulate Surface on side menu
pick with
selection

Note I will
Send my
Results to
topography

It Creates a Wire-Frame Surface

We Can Make A Regular Surface

(Here is How!)

Right Click Topography

To pull up a menu
Pick Properties

Switch to a surface instead of wire-frame

Note wire-frame only

Is highlighted in the
Radio button
Highlight the faces
Only button instead

Now I See A Triangulated Surface Instead

Lets Consider some Clean Up

I

probably dont need to see the topo lines

anymore
Lets

Lets

a bit.

Turn them off

Smooth out those triangulated faces

The Topo Lines are in the Topo File

Click on the
Save Edit Button
(It is a very
Strange looking
Save button
Compared to
Windows)

Now Highlight Topo and Right Click It to

Bring up a Menu Pick Close

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

Woopy Now They Are Gone

Now Lets Smooth That Surface

Select the
Topography object
Right Click it for a
Menu
Select Properties
Note on the
Properties menu there
Is a surface tab

Note the Smooth Shading Option on the

Surfaces Tab Screen

Go ahead and check for smooth surfaces and then click Ok

Now Isnt That Smooth Surface

Impressive?

Ok I Agree Blue is a Strange Color for

Mountains

Highlight
Topography

Right Click for

A menu

Choose Properties

Go Back to Surface

Note We Have A Color Control Area and

Pallet

This Color Pallet Works Like What You

Are Familiar With

I think I will go for a brown

And Now I Have My Surface in My Choice

of Colors