Surpac Solids Tutorial

1

Solids Modelling in Surpac Vision

August 2006

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Copyright © 2006 Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd (A Gemcom Company). All rights reserved. This software and documentation is proprietary to Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd. Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd publishes this documentation for the sole use of Surpac licenses. Without written permission you may not sell, reproduce, store in a retrieval system, or transmit any part of the documentation. For such permission, or to obtain extra copies please contact your local Surpac Minex Group Office. Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd Level 8 190 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia 6000 Telephone: (08) 94201383 Fax: (08) 94201350 While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, we assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damage resulting from the use of the information contained herein. All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of there respective companies. About This Manual This manual has been designed to provide a practical guide to the many uses of the software. The applications contained within this manual are by no means exhaustive as the possible uses of the software are only limited by the user’s imagination. However, it will give new users a starting point and existing users a good overview by demonstrating how to use many of the functions in Surpac Vision. If you have any difficulties or questions while working through this manual feel free to contact your local Surpac Minex Group Office. Contributors Jane Bateman Kiran Kumar Rowdy Bristol Phil Jackson Surpac Minex Group Perth, Western Australia Product Surpac Vision v5.2


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Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................1 Requirements ...................................................................................................................................1 Objectives .........................................................................................................................................1 Workflow ...........................................................................................................................................2 Solids Concepts................................................................................................................................3 Data Preparation...............................................................................................................................7 Creating a Solid ..............................................................................................................................14 Triangulation techniques ................................................................................................................23 Bifurcation Techniques ...................................................................................................................37 Centre Line & Profile ......................................................................................................................46 Editing Solid models .......................................................................................................................51 Validation of Solid models ..............................................................................................................56 Solids intersection...........................................................................................................................61 Viewing Solid models .....................................................................................................................73 Create sections...............................................................................................................................77 Report volume of solids ..................................................................................................................86 Intersecting Drill holes with Solid models .......................................................................................88 Optimise Trisolations ......................................................................................................................90 CMS Modelling ...............................................................................................................................93 Underground Modelling ................................................................................................................101 Triangulation Algorithm.................................................................................................................110


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Introduction Solids Modelling allows us to use triangulation to create three dimensional models (3DMs) based on Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and String files. This document introduces the theory behind the solids modelling process and provides detailed examples using the solids modelling functions in Surpac Vision. By working through this manual you will gain skills in the construction, use of and modification of solids models.

Requirements This tutorial is written assuming users have a basic knowledge of Surpac Vision. We recommend that Users be at least comfortable with the procedures and concepts in the Principles of Surpac Vision training manual. If you are a new Surpac Vision user, you should go through the Introductory Guide to Surpac Vision training manual before going through this manual. You will also need:

• To have Surpac Vision v5.1 installed • The data set accompanying this tutorial • Basic knowledge of Surpac string files and editing tools • To have completed the Block modelling manual

Objectives The objective of this tutorial is to allow you to work with Solids Modelling tools. It is not intended to be exhaustive in scope, but will show the work flow needed to achieve a final result. You can then refine and add to this workflow to meet your specific requirements.

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Workflow


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Solids Concepts Overview

What is a Solid model?

A Solid model is a three-dimensional triangulation of data. For example, a 3DM is a solid object formed by wrapping a DTM around strings representing sections through the solids.

Solid models are based on the same principles as Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), used in Surpac software for many years. You may also have heard Solid models referred to as `3DMs' or a `wire frame model'.

Solid models use triangles to link polygonal shapes together to define a solid object or void. The resulting shapes may be used for:

• visualisation • volume calculations • extraction of slices in any orientation • intersection with data from the geological database module

A DTM is used to define a surface. With Surpac software, creating a DTM is automatic. Triangles are formed by connecting groups of three data points together by taking their spatial location in the X - Y plane into account. The drawback of this type of model is that it cannot model a structure that may have foldbacks or overhangs. For example:

• geological structure • stopes • underground mine workings, for example: declines, development drives and draw

points.

A Solid model is created by forming a set of triangles from the points contained in the string. These triangles may overlap when viewed in plan, but do not overlap or intersect when the third dimension is considered. The triangles in a solid model may completely enclose a structure.

Creation of Solid models can be more interactive than the creation of DTMs, although there are many tools in Surpac Vision which can automate the process.


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The following diagram shows an example of a Solid model (design decline and ore body).

Make use of the 32,000 numbers available to number objects as it makes them easier to edit. Try not to number everything object 1, trisolation 1.

Requirements

Prior to performing the exercises in this chapter, some experience in solid modelling is helpful, but not required.

Terminology

A Solid model is made up of a set of non-overlapping triangles.

These triangles form objects that may have a numeric identifier between 1 and 32000. Objects represent discrete features in a solid model. For example, in the diagram shown above, the decline and the ore bodies all have different object numbers as they represent different features.

However, features such as ore bodies can consist of discrete pods, and you may want to give these pods the same object number to indicate that they are from the same structure. In this case, each discrete pod must have a different trisolation number. A trisolation is a discrete part of an object and may be any positive integer.

Object and Trisolation numbers give reference to all the objects contained in a Solid model.

An object trisolation may be open or closed. A trisolation is open if there is a gap in the set of triangles that make up the trisolation. An object may contain both open and closed trisolations.


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The reason for treating objects as open or closed are:

• a closed object can have its volume determined directly by summing the volumes of each of the triangles to an arbitrary datum plane.

• a closed object always produces closed strings when sliced by a plane. • a closed object could be used as a constraint in the Block Modelling module. • an open object cannot provide the same capabilities; when sliced by a plane the

strings it produces may be open or closed or both.

Solids Files

Solid models are stored in the same way that DTMs are stored, in two ASCII text files, with .str and .dtm extensions.

Detailed notes and examples of string and DTM file formats can be found in the Online Help Manual under Appendix D - File Formats.

Creating a Solid model There are a number of different methods of creating Solid models in Surpac Vision. The methods for Solid model creation that will be covered in this manual are listed below.

• Between segments

Triangulate automatically between selected segments

• Using centreline & profile

Triangulate along a centre line string using a profile

• Using control strings

Triangulate between segments using control strings to provide definition

• Inside a Segment

Triangulate automatically within a selected closed segment

• By manually selecting points

Triangulate between segments by manually defining the limits of triangulation

• One Triangle

Triangulate by selecting triangle corner points to define individual triangles

• Segment to a Point

Triangulate automatically from a selected segment to a selected point


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• One segment to two segments

Triangulate between one closed parent segment and two children (segments or points) using a union concept to control the line of bifurcation

• One segment to many segments

Triangulate between one closed parent segment and many children

• Many Segments

Automatically triangulate between a range of strings or segments

Summary

You should now be familiar with the concepts and terms used for Solid Modelling in Surpac. Please review this chapter or consult the Online Reference Manual if you are unclear about the definitions used in this section.


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Data Preparation

Overview

Spending a few minutes checking the integrity of strings prior to beginning modelling will help to ensure trouble free model creation. This section will give you a few pointers on how this is done in Surpac. This section will show you how to check for:

• string direction • foldbacks (also called spikes) • excessive number of points • duplicate points

Requirements

Prior to performing the exercises in this chapter, you should have:

• A basic knowledge of Surpac string files and editing tools as covered in the Introduction manual

String Direction

Strings should all be in the same direction, even if they are open strings. For example, you should not have the following situation:

In this case you should reverse the direction of string 2.

Foldbacks

Foldbacks or spikes in a string will cause problems with your model as they may cause overlapping triangles to be formed.


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Large Numbers of Points

Large numbers of points (ie. more than necessary to define a structure) will slow model creation and you should filter strings as necessary.

You should also ensure that all data to be modelled is in the same coordinate system, and that the data is in a normal plan projection. Having all the data in a plan projection will considerably simplify the modelling of the data.

1. Combine string files into one file before validating data. From the File Tools menu, select Combine/Split file options, and then select Combine string files.

This will combine all sixteen files into one string file. From the File Tools menu, select Change string directions.

This will ensure that all digitised segments are clockwise. This string file is a series of sectional interpretations, representing a copper ore body.


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2. Check string file directions by using String File Summary

Check that the strings are closed and their directions are clockwise using String File Summary. From the File tools menu, select String summary. Fill in the form as shown below and click Apply.

Enter the name of the result file as shown below:

Open the file ore1.str and view the results.


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The same results can also be achieved by Opening all the files into one layer in a similar manner and then saving the layer as ore1.str.Use this file to do a final check that all strings are closed and clockwise in direction. If the data you are modelling has open strings, you must make sure that all the open strings are in the same direction. You will have to do this in the graphics module.

3. Transformation of data from the sectional view to the plan view, using the String Maths function.

The final step in preparing this data for the interpretation is to transform the data from the sectional view to the plan view, using the String maths function. From the File tools menu, select String maths, then enter the parameters as shown below:

Your string file has been converted from sectional view to plan view and is now ready for final validation. This will be done graphically.

4. How to check and remove foldbacks. Use the cleaning tools to graphically find and highlight any errors in the data. Open the file mod1.str. You will see that the data is in plan view and each section is numbered from 1 to 16 from south to north. From the Edit menu, select Layer, then Clean to check for foldbacks or spikes. By using the Layer option all strings are checked when using the Cleaning tool.


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You will see a temporary marker (red circle) appear on one of the segments. Window in on the highlighted area to view the foldback.

Re-run the Clean function step with Action set to remove. This will automatically remove the foldbacks. By using the layer option, all strings are checked when using the Cleaning tool.

Any errors highlighted by the Clean function can also be manually edited if preferred.


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5. Highlight and remove duplicate points. From the Edit menu, select Layer, then Clean.

Duplicate points are highlighted by a temporary marker (red hash symbol) as shown below.

Re-run the Clean function with Action set to remove to delete any duplicate points.

If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_01_data_preparation.tcl

Note: You will need to Apply the forms presented.


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Summary

Good data preparation will make Solid model creation a smooth process, particularly if you are creating a complex model. In summary, the suggested steps you should take in preparing data are: View the data in the Graphics module. Check for:

• Foldbacks • Unnecessarily large numbers of points • Duplicate points

Edit the data, using the Clean tools or Filter Strings as necessary. Check the directions of the strings. Make sure that the strings for any trisolation are going in the same direction. You should make use of some or all of the following functions:

• String File Summary • String Directions • Graphics module (to check and change directions of strings)

Make sure that the data is in plan projection and in the same coordinate system. You may need to use the following functions to achieve this:

• 2D Transformation • String Maths

You are now ready to begin the process of creating a Solid model. The following exercises will demonstrate how to use most of the modelling methods available in Surpac Vision. . Bear in mind while doing these exercises that there is never any single, correct way of creating a model.


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Creating a Solid Overview

The following sections will run through the various triangulation methods that can be used to create a Solid model.

You can also display the strings using the View by Bearing and Dip form.

Requirements

Prior to performing the exercises in this chapter, you should:

• Have a basic knowledge of Surpac string files and editing tools as covered in the Introduction manual

• Have completed Data preparation for solid modelling.


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1. Automatic Triangulation Automatic Triangulation is the most commonly used of the solids creation techniques. It uses algorithms that minimise the surface area of triangles formed between polygons. It is simple to use, and for many objects it produces the best results. This topic will show you how to create a solid model using the Automatic Triangulation function that is found in the Solids, Triangulate menu. Follow the instructions on creating this model carefully the first time, but as you become more confident in using the modelling tools you can try modelling it in your own way.

Create a solid model

Create a solid model from the mod1.str file. Open the File mod1.str by dragging it into the graphics area Rotate the strings using the left mouse key to view the data in long section. From Display menu, select Strings, then With string numbers to draw your strings. From the Solids menu, select Triangulate, then Between Segments.

Enter the parameters as shown below:

At the prompt Select a point on the first segment to be triangulated, click on string 1 The next prompt is Select a point on the next segment to be triangulated, click on string 2.


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The message window will indicate that the data is being processed. After a few seconds you will see the data displayed. Continue using the Automatic Triangulation up to and including string 5, then press the escape key to stop triangulating. You should see something like the screen below:

Save the file as mod1. You must make the file type DTM to save the triangles.

You can use the Triangulate Between Segments function indefinitely as long as the selected strings are still in the same active layer as the first string selected.

Note: You can also use the Toggle Stitch Algorithm function to change the algorithm used to create the triangles.

When creating 3DMs you have a choice of having the triangles that are created, drawn initially as polylines or polygons. Polylines will draw the edges as lines. The advantage to drawing the triangles as polylines is the rapid speed at which they are drawn on the screen. The advantage to drawing the triangles as polygons is that surface rendering, hidden line removal and light source shading can all be shown as the 3DM is created. These tools help you to visualise the 3DM and determine whether it has been created correctly. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_02a_create_solid_automatic_triangulation.tcl Note: Whenever the macro pauses, displaying Click in graphics to continue in the message window, you will need to click in graphics to continue. Also, you will need to click Apply for all forms presented.


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2. Control Strings Control Strings are strings created by you to control the triangulation process. These strings link together points on your object polygons that have a strong structural relationship. This is similar to using breaklines when creating DTMs. This means that you gain greater control over where triangles will form in very complex models. This section will demonstrate how to digitise control strings and how to create a solid model. There are several rules that apply to the use of control strings. These are:

• A minimum of 2 control strings • A maximum of 10 control strings • The first control string (master control string) must link all segments to be triangulated • Subsequent control strings may link some or all of the segments and may not have

more points than the master control string • Control strings must all be in the same direction • Control strings must not cross

It is also a good idea to number your control strings sequentially, in the order they are to be applied. Do not use the same string numbers as the polygons you are modelling.

When creating control strings, take care to ensure that the created strings make sense structurally, i.e. the control strings join points of geological or structural similarity.

Control Strings

We will now create control strings using the Digitiser function. Open mod2.dtm by dragging it into graphics. From the Display menu, select Hide everything to erase all strings and objects From the Display menu, select Strings, then Strings with numbers. Fill in the form as shown below to display strings 5 – 10.

From the View menu, select the Window In function to focus on the points of interest.


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From the Create menu, select Digitise, then Start next string This will increment the string number by one automatically.

From the Create menu, select Digitise, then select New point by selection. Each point digitised will snap to an existing point in each polygon. Use this mode to digitise three strings (100 - 102) as shown below between strings 5 and 10. Click on the design string number on the status toolbar, or choose Start Next String from the Digitiser menu to increment your string number at the completion of each string.

From the Triangulate menu, select Using control strings. Click anywhere on String 100. When selecting each control string graphically, click on the string midway between polygons. This will ensure that the control string is correctly selected. Check your dialogue line for prompts. Next click on String 101 and finally click on String 102.


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You will continue to be prompted for control strings. In this case you do not have any more strings so press the Esc - key on your keyboard to terminate the input. Enter the parameters as shown below.

Your message window will indicate the processing of each segment, and after a short time the triangles will be displayed.

From the File menu, select Save as, then String/DTM to save the model If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_02b_create_solid_control_strings.tcl Note: Whenever the macro pauses, displaying “Click in graphics to continue” in the message window, you will need to click in graphics area to allow the macro to continue. Also, you will need to Apply the forms presented.


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3. Triangulate Many Segments This function is a more automated version of Triangulate Automatic. With well organised data, Triangulate many Segments can often be used in place of Triangulate Automatic, especially when the strings or segments are numbered in sequence.

You can also use the Toggle Stitch Algorithm function to change the algorithm used to create the triangles.

Triangulate Many Segments is also useful if the data is not numerically sequenced as it is possible to manually select segments in the order in which triangulation will occur.

There are several points to note in the use of this function. These are:

• Organise your data in numeric sequence if selecting strings or segments by a range • Only display what needs to be displayed if selecting segments manually, ie. erase

objects that might obscure the string data • Be aware that it is also possible to automatically close off the Solids at both ends

To create a Solid by specifying a range of strings 11, 14. Open mod3.dtm by dragging it into graphics. Erase all strings and objects by selecting Hide Everything from the Display menu From Display menu, select Strings, then select With string numbers, to draw your strings with labels. In this case we wish to select strings 11 to 14 inclusive.

Note: The range definition form can be applied with a blank string range to triangulate all strings in the current graphic layer.

From the Solids menu, select Triangulate menu, then Many Segments.


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Enter the parameters as shown below:

Select Range on the next form.

The next form asks for a String Range or Segment Range. Fill in the form as shown below:

After applying this form, the Solids will be created and displayed.


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Save the file as mod5.dtm.

Note: It is important to note that when Solids are created or opened, the UNDO command is disabled.

While you have been modelling this ore body, you have been using different object numbers for different parts of the ore body, even though it is all the same feature. These objects can be easily renumbered towards the end of the creation of the model. It is a good idea to model in this way, particularly in complex models. The different colours give you more flexibility with editing your model and make it easier to view. If you do make a mistake in modelling, you will only need to make corrections to a part of the model. You should avoid giving objects that are not linked, the same object and trisolation numbers, as this will cause problems later in validating the object. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_02c_create_solid_triangulate_many_segments.tcl Note: When ever the macro pauses, displaying “Click in graphics to continue” in the message window, you will need to click in graphics to allow the macro to continue. Also, you will need to Apply the forms presented.

Summary

You should now be familiar with creating Solids by the Automatic function, by Control strings and by the Many segments methods. If you experienced any difficulties or did not fully understand this function it would be useful to refer to the Online Help Manual and repeat the exercise. Other Solids creation functions to investigate are the triangulate control strings and triangulate many segments. These functions can provide extra control with complex shapes and can also speed up the creation of the solids.


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Triangulation techniques

Overview

This section covers four functions that are useful in triangulating portions of a Solid model.

• Triangulate segment to a point • Triangulation inside a segment • One triangle • Manual triangulation

Requirements


• Be familiar with Data preparation for solid modelling. • Be familiar with solid creation techniques.

• Be familiar with different Bifurcation techniques.

1. Segment to a point Segment to a point is a useful function for creating the ends of your ore body.

• Create points to triangulate to using the digitiser. • Create a Solid model using the Triangulate to a Point function.

Create data

Create points to triangulate using the digitiser. Open mod5.dtm, which is the model built thus far. Erase all strings and objects by selecting Hide Everything from the Display menu From Display menu, select Strings, then With string numbers to draw all of the strings with labels. In this case we leave the string range blank to draw all strings

Change to Plan View by clicking on the icon. From the Display menu, select Zoom and then either In or Out.


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From the Create menu, select Digitise, then Properties and enter the parameters as shown below:

From the Create menu, select Digitiser options, then Enter attributes for each point so that you can change the Z - value for each new point. You will now use the digitiser to create your points for triangulation. From the Create menu, select Digitise, then Point by selection and digitise the southern most point, accepting the point attributes. Then digitise both of the northern most points. Press Esc key to end digitising. When complete, your strings should look similar to the following:


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Change the point attributes as shown below:

From the View menu, select Zoom, then All to reset the view to the graphics extents.

Alternatively, click on the icon from the toolbar From the View menu, select Data view options, then View by bearing and dip. Enter values of 70 for bearing and -20 for dip. From the View menu, select Window and In to window in on the northern end. You need to see the point on string 1001 and also both segments of string 16. From the Solids menu, select Triangulate then Segment to a Point, and enter Object = 6 and Trisolation = 1 on the form displayed. Select a point of string 1001 (ie. the one you just digitised). Select the matching segment of string 16. Press the Esc - key on your keyboard. You have now finished the triangulation. From the Triangulate menu, select Segment to a point, and create Object 7 Trisolation 1. Select the second Northern point of string 1001. Select the second matching segment of string 16.


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The Northern end should now look something like this:

You will now repeat this process on the southernmost end of the data. Window Out and then Window In on the southern end. From the Triangulate menu, select Segment to a point, and enter Object = 8, Trisolation = 1. Select the southern point of string 1001, then select string 1. Press the Esc - key to finish the triangulation.

Zoom All by selecting the icon. Draw all the objects created so far. Notice that there is a gap between strings 15 and 16. From the Triangulate menu, select Between Segments, to create objects 9 and 10 to fill in the gaps between strings 15 and 16 at the Northern end of the Solid model. Save the file as mod6.dtm. This exercise demonstrates good general practice for modelling complex structures. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_03a_segment_to_a_point.tcl Note: You will need to Apply the forms presented.


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You are now ready to model the area between strings 10 and 11, which is where the ore body is faulted. The method you will use to create the model in this area uses DTM Tools and String Maths. Open the solid model mod6.dtm by dragging it into graphics. Draw the strings. Open the string file fault1.str and Append it to mod6.dtm, view the data with the objects erased Note: To append to the same layer, hold down the control key while dragging and dropping fault1.str

Fault Plane

This string represents the fault through this area. Ideally you need two shapes which coincide with the fault on either side of the fault. The following steps illustrate one way of doing this. String 11 is on the north side of the fault and string 10 is on the south side of the fault. Save string 11 only to a file called north1.str. Save string 10 only to a file called south1.str. Refresh Graphics. Open the three files. The files should display as shown below.

You now need to press these strings onto the surface of the fault. This function works only on Z or Description fields, therefore you will need to swap your Y and Z coordinates to make this function work correctly (ie. back to section view). As can be seen in the diagram above, if we press in the direction of Z with the data in plan view, the surfaces will never intersect. Later you can swap these fields back again.


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From the File tools menu, select String maths. The file that you will create should have the same name as the file that you input. For the string file fault1.str, swap the Y and Z coordinates. Apply the form to save the results into f1.str.

Repeat for the north1.str (string 11) and south1.str (string 10).


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View the result of swapping the axes in graphics, ie. Open f1.str, and append n1.str and s1.str. Note: Hold down the control key while dragging and dropping n1.str and s1.str to append to the same layer as fl.str

Strings over DTM

Strings can be pressed onto a DTM from a layer in Graphics or from a string file. We will now look at both of these options. Firstly, we wish to press string 11 in file n1.str against the fault plane. From the Surfaces menu, select DTM file functions, and then Drape strings over a DTM. Fill out the form as shown below and click Apply.

The operation to be performed is Z = Z and this is the default operation displayed. Click Apply.


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Strings can also be pressed onto a DTM by opening the DTM into one layer and the string file to be pressed into another. Open the DTM file, f1.dtm into one layer. Open the file n1.str into its own layer. Rotate the view so you can clearly see the string. From the Surfaces menu, select Drape String over DTM. You will be prompted to select the string to be draped over the DTM. Click on string 11. You will then be prompted to select the layer that contains the DTM file. Click Apply to press the strings onto the DTM surface.

You will see the string pressed onto the DTM surface. New points will be interpolated into the pressed string so that if the DTM surface undulates, the strings are pressed perfectly against the DTM surface.


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From the File tools menu, select String maths, and swap n1.str (string 11) and s1.str (string 10) back to plan view.

Now you are ready to incorporate the newly created strings into your solid model. Open the file s1.str. Open the file n1.str and append it to the same layer. Note: Hold down the control key while dragging and dropping n1.str You should see that the two string segments are coincident along the plane of the fault. Open and Append mod6.dtm, the solid model. Display segments with labels. From the Display menu, select Hide everything Use View by Bearing (Bearing = 80, Dip = -20). Window In on string 10 and 11. Adjust the view if necessary to see the data clearly. From the Triangulate menu, select Between segments, (Object = 11, Trisolation = 1). Select string 10, segment 1 and string 10, segment 2. Press the Esc - key on your keyboard. Erase Objects. From the Triangulate menu, select Between segments, (Object = 12, Trisolation =1). Select string 11, segment 2 and string 11, segment 1.


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Press the Esc - key on your keyboard. Save the file, remembering to save it as a DTM file. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

03a_segment_to_a_point.tcl

Note: You will need to click Apply on the forms presented.

2. Inside a Segment The final step in the creation of triangles for this ore body is to triangulate inside the strings coinciding with the fault plane to close the ends of the ore body. This is most easily accomplished using the function Triangulate Inside Segment. Triangulate inside a segment is another method of closing an object. This function is very simple, and will not necessarily work on complex shapes. It is recommended that you save your model before applying this function. It can also be used to triangulate within back or floor strings, which represent underground workings.

Alternative methods to close the end of your model are:

• Use One Triangle • Use Surfaces to create a dtm of the segment, and if necessary, DTM Clip. As DTMs

and Solid models have the same file structures they can be combined in one model.

Open file mod7.dtm.

From the Triangulate menu, select Inside a segment (Object = 11, Trisolation = 1). Select String 10, Segment 2. From the Triangulate menu, select Inside a segment (Object = 12, Trisolation = 1). Select string 11, segment 2. Press Esc on your keyboard. Save the file.

Note: The Triangulate Inside Segment function will work for open segments. The results are the same as if the segment was closed from the first to the last point on the segment.


_03b_triangulate_inside_segment.tcl



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3. One Triangle This function creates one triangle at a time by selecting corner points of the triangle. This function is used where precise detail is needed or where the geometry of the 3DM to be created is very complex. An example of where this function could be useful is when there are areas on your existing 3DM model that are not triangulated correctly. By using the One Triangle function you can then fix the problem areas by rebuilding the triangles one at a time. This section will demonstrate the use of the One Triangle method of Solid model creation. Open the string file mod1.str by dragging it into graphics. Window In on any part of the file. From the Display menu, select Point, then Markers, to display all the points in the segments. Use the View by Bearing function to change the view to Bearing = 70, Dip = -20. From the Triangulate menu, select One Triangle. The Define the Trisolation To Be Created form is displayed as shown below:

Enter an Object number of 1 and a trisolation number of 1 and click Apply. At the function line, the software prompts you to select the first point - select a string. The software prompts you to select the second point - select a following string. Now the software prompts you to select the third and last point. Select a point on the first string, adjacent to the first point you have selected. A closed triangle should now appear. The software prompts you to select the third point again. If you select a point on the second string again a second triangle will appear. Press the Esc button on your keyboard when the prompt appears again.

Note: The prompt will keep on appearing until you press the Esc button or select another function. Remember to always select the points in the same direction as the first point you selected.


_03c_triangulate_one_triangle.tcl


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Note: Whenever the macro pauses, displaying “Click in graphics to continue” in the message window, you will need to click in graphics to continue. Also, you will need to click Apply on the forms presented.


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4. Manual Triangulation This exercise demonstrates the use of the manual triangulation function. This is effectively a way of stitching a series of One Triangle operations together between two segments. This function for creating triangles gives you a high level of control when triangulating between segments while still leaving a degree of automation to the triangulation process. You are able to create 3DMs of extremely complex geometry which will exactly match your geometrical interpretation of the data. We will now discuss how to manually create a series of triangles between two segments. When using the Manual Triangulation function you control the start and end points of the triangulation on a segment by segment basis. When using this function, it is very important that you select points in the same direction as the string (in other words, if the string is clockwise in direction, the points you select should also be selected in a clockwise direction). Displaying point numbers will help in determining the directions of your strings. When the Triangulation Manual function is used to create triangles between two closed segments, the function is often only cancelled once the final points selected are the same as the first points selected. As a result, the last triangle created will have an adjacent edge with the first triangle created. Create a Solid model using the Manual Triangulation function. From the File menu, select Open. Navigate to the string file mod1.str. Input a string range of 1, 2. as shown below:

Note: This exercise is designed to practice Manual Triangulation; do not save the output. Use the View by Bearing function to change the view to Bearing = 70, Dip = -20. Window In on strings 1 and 2.


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From the Display menu, select Point then Numbers to display the numbering sequence of strings 1 and 2. From the Triangulate menu, select By manually selecting points. The Define the Trisolation to Be Created form is displayed as shown below:

Enter an Object number of 1 and a trisolation number of 1 and choose Apply. Note: Follow the function line prompts with care as the segments must be selected in a strict order. Now select point 34 on string 1 and the corresponding point 118 on string 2. Then select point 57 on string 1 and the corresponding point 137 on string 2. Press Esc to end the function. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_03d_triangulate_manual.tcl


Summary

You should now be familiar with the following functions:

• Triangulate segment to a point • Triangulation inside a segment • One triangle • Manual triangulation

Please review this chapter and consult the reference manual if you require extra information about these functions.


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Bifurcation Techniques Overview

Bifurcation was previously a manually intensive process involving a combination of One Triangle and Manual Triangulation. However, new functions have been created in Surpac that automate the process while still offering some degree of manual control to ensure accurate modelling.

The new modelling techniques are:

• Bifurcation One to Many

Triangulates between one closed parent and many children.

• Bifurcation Union

Triangulates between one closed parent and two children (which can be segments or points).

The next two sections will discuss the new ways of modelling a bifurcation as well as providing exercises that will demonstrate the bifurcation processes.

Requirements


• Have basic knowledge of Surpac string files and editing tools as covered in the

Introduction manual

• Be familiar with Data Preparation for solid modelling.

• Be familiar with solid creation techniques

1. One segment to many segments The function One segment to many segments from the Triangulate menu is used to triangulate between one closed parent segment and many children. The children may either be closed segments or single points.

The One segment to many segments function gives you less control over choosing the position of the line of bifurcation than the One segment to two segments function does. The main advantage of the One segment to many segments function is that it allows you to join the parent segment to more than two child segments whereas the One segment to two segments only allows you to join the parent segment to two children.

You can also use the Toggle Stitch Algorithm function to change the algorithm used to create the triangle.


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We will now demonstrate how to use the One segment to many segments function to triangulate between one closed parent segment and many children. We will start with some simple examples and then move on to a more real-life situation.

For the One segment to many segments function to give an optimal result, there must be a reasonable geometric match between the child segments and that portion of the parent segment to which they are to be triangulated. The function may also give a less than optimal result if a bifurcation branch is at too great an angle to the parent segment.

Open the file bifurc1.str. Put it in a suitable 3D view so that you can see all three shapes. Note: It is very useful to plot markers whenever selecting points in graphics. From the Display menu, select Points and then Markers. From the Triangulate menu, select One segment to many segments. Fill out the form as shown below:

Because we are using the One segment to many segments, the next form asks for the number of child segments.

You will be prompted to select the first break point on the parent segment for the first child. Click anywhere on the parent segment. Here you are being asked to select where you are going to perform the bifurcation, ie. You decide where the bifurcation is going to happen A prompt appears to select the second break point on the parent segment for the first child. Click on the opposite side of the parent segment.


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Your graphics window should now look something like the picture below. Don't worry if you have selected the bifurcation in another part of the segment.

You are now asked to select the portion of the parent segment to join to the first child. This means which side will you join up with which child. Select the left hand side of the parent segment by clicking in it. At this stage you are asked to choose whether the first child is a segment or a point. In our case it is a segment, but you do have the flexibility to close off one half to a point in space.

Apply this form and then choose the left hand child by clicking inside it. You are now asked to nominate whether the next child is a segment or a point Apply this form and then select the right hand child segment. The result should look something like this:


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Reset Graphics by clicking on the icon without saving to clear all data from memory. Note: This is just one way of performing a bifurcation. The benefits are the relative simplicity and the ability to split the parent string to more than two components. It is important to emphasise that if the parent string and child component strings have no geometric similarities then it is possible that the triangulation will be less than perfect. The nature of these triangulations is to minimise the surface area and this may lead to twisting problems or self intersections if the geometry is poor.

2. One Segment to Two Segments (Bifurcation Union)

The next method we will examine is one of union, which can give you a little more flexibility in where the bifurcation actually occurs. This will result in an increase in volume because the line of contact between the two sectional interpretations is no longer at the level of the parent segment. Union has the potential to be more geologically correct.

The function allows you to triangulate between one closed parent and two children. The children may be either closed segments or single points or a combination of both. The One Segment to Two Segments concept can give you great flexibility in controlling the position of the line of bifurcation. With this function you have the option to join all of the parent segment to all of the child segments, or to split the parent segment up and join a portion of it up with each segment.

There are two methods for union demonstrated here. The first does not split the parent string and the second allows for greater control by splitting the parent string into two user defined halves.

We will perform a bifurcation from a parent segment to two child segments using a union concept to accurately model the line of bifurcation. The parent segment is not split. Open the file bifurc1.str. Put it in a suitable 3D view so that you can see all three shapes. Hint: Try View by Bearing 0 dip -15. From the Triangulate menu, select One segment to Two Segments. Enter the data as shown below and click Apply.


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A form asking for bifurcation options will appear. Accept the defaults as shown:

A series of prompts will appear. You are prompted to select the parent segment. Click anywhere on the parent segment.

You are then prompted to state whether the first child is a (S)egment or a (P)oint.

Accept the default and click anywhere on the first child.

The same prompt will appear asking whether the second child is a (S)egment or (P)oint.

Accept the default and click anywhere on the second child


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The resultant triangulation is now displayed.

Since this model forms a true geometric union it may not always produce a suitable result. It may be necessary to experiment with the splitting of the parent segment.

Use the viewing tools to analyse the results. Note the manner in which the segments have been joined and also how all the crossing triangles have been removed to form a perfectly valid model. Note also that new points have been created in string 32000 defining the line of bifurcation contact. Erase the object and Select Display, then Point and Numbers to plot string 32000. By apportioning parts of the parent segment with the mouse and then assigning the parts to each of the child segments, more control over the bifurcation can be achieved. The following example demonstrates this process. Open the file bifurc1.str. From the Triangulate menu, select One segment to two segments. Fill out the form as shown below:

Note: Whenever selecting points or segments, the assist F1 key may be used to adjust the angle of view and zoom, to enable more accurate data selection. When using the assist key, press Esc to return to point select mode.


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Now when the next form prompts to split the parent, tick the box as shown

The position of the line of bifurcation is controlled by splitting the parent segment in different ways. The two breaklines defined must always overlay. The diagram below illustrates the steps followed to split a parent segment.

The first series of prompts will define a portion of the parent segment to be assigned to the first child. You are prompted to select the first break point on the parent segment for the first child (ie. point 1 as shown in diagram) You are then prompted to select the second break point on the parent segment for the first child (ie. point 2 as shown in diagram) You are then prompted to select the portion of the parent segment to join to the first child. Click anywhere on the parent segment on the left hand side of the defined breakline. You are then asked whether the first child is a (P)oint or a (S)egment. Accept the default and click anywhere on the first child (Child 1 in diagram).


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The next series of prompts will define a portion of the parent segment to be assigned to the second child.

You are prompted to select the first break point on the parent segment for the second child (point 3 as shown in diagram). You are then prompted to select the second break point on the parent segment for the second child (point 4 as shown in diagram). You are then prompted to select the portion of the parent segment to join to the second child. Click anywhere on the parent segment on the right hand side of the defined breakline. You are then prompted as to whether the second child a (P)oint or a (S)egment. Accept the default and click anywhere on the second child (Child 2 in diagram).

View the results.

Note the manner in which the segments have been joined. Also note that new points have been created in string 32000 defining the line of bifurcation. Changing the amount of overlap between the two breaklines in the parent segment will affect the position and shape of the line of bifurcation.


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Use either One segment to two segments or One segment to many segments to model the line of bifurcation. Open the file mod4.dtm. Reset graphics and draw strings 14 and 15. String 14 will be the parent segment and the two segments of string 15 will be the child segments.

Repeat the previous process to see the results of a more realistic bifurcation on an ore body If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_04_bifurcation.tcl

Note: When the macro pauses, displaying “Click in graphics to continue” in the message window, you will need to click in graphics to allow the macro to continue. Also, you will need to click Apply on the forms presented.

Summary

You should now be familiar with the different Bifurcation options available within Surpac Vision.


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Centre Line & Profile

Overview

This function allows you to create a 3DM of a given profile along a specified string.

You can also use the Toggle Stitch Algorithm function to change the algorithm used to create the triangles.

From the Triangulate menu, select Using centreline & profile to display the Triangulate Centre Line and Profile form.

The form and fields are described below:

• Profile Location

Enter the name of the file that contains the profile string.

• Profile ID Number

Enter the ID number of the file that contains the profile string.


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• Scale Factor

The size of the profile is multiplied by this factor, which has an allowable range of between 0.0001 and 99999.9

• Offsets (Y, X and Z)

Values other than 0, 0, 0 will produce a translation of the 3DM. This function is mainly used for underground mine design when you want to specify a range of similar features such as tunnels at regular intervals from the centre line string.

• Profile Rotation (in degrees)

This allows you to rotate the profile and has an allowable range of 0 - 360. The default value of 0 gives no rotation.

• Progressive Profile Expansion Along Centre Line String

As well as providing a constant scale factor, you can expand or contract the profile along the string by inputting a non-unity value. The formula governing the expansion is:

Expansion factor = Final profile scale/Start profile scale

Thus, a value of 2 will expand the profile to twice its original size, while a value of 0.5 will contract it to half its original scale. If you enter a value of -2 (negative value) it will produce a value where the first profile is twice the original scale, contracting to its original scale at the end of the centre line string.

• Vertically Constrained

Enter (Y)es to force the profile to be vertical. If you enter (N)o then the profile will always be perpendicular to the direction of the string.

• Draw Style For Triangles

Enter the initial drawing style for the triangles that you are about to create. Selecting a string in the graphics window with the mouse chooses the centre line string. The profile is taken from a string file. The profile is placed at each point of the centre line string and rotated to be perpendicular to the centre line string. Finally the strings are stitched together to create a 3DM. The ends of this 3DM remain open.

Requirements

Prior to performing the exercises in this chapter, you should have:

• Basic knowledge of Solids and their creation using various methods.


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We will now create a Solids Model using the Centre Line & Profile function. Open the file pfl1.str. These are a series of profile strings representing the outlines of various underground features. Save string 4 only into the file prof1.str. Open the file prof1.str. From the Display menu, select 2D grid to draw a 2D grid. In order for the profile to be correctly applied to a centre line, the centre bottom point of the profile needs to have coordinates of X = 0, Y = 0. The 2D Transformation of a string file function in File Tools, Transformations can easily do this. Another set of functions for graphically transforming data can be found in the Graphics Transform menu. These functions also allow 2D Transforms. From the File tools menu, select Transformations, then 2D transformation of string file. The two old points will be the coordinates of the lower left and lower right corners of the profile. The two new points are the coordinates of the transformed profile resulting in an origin (0, 0) at the bottom centre of the profile. Enter the data as shown below:

Check the transformation parameters and click Apply.


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Note: There should be no scale change. Accept these adjustments and click Apply. Open the file dcl100.str. This file represents the centre line of a decline. From the Triangulate menu, select Using centre line & profile to display the Triangulate Centre Line and Profile form. Enter the parameters as shown below:

Select the centre line. The profile string is applied perpendicularly at each point in the centre line and then these profiles are stitched together to form the object. Erase the object and Draw Lines to see how the solid has been created. Window In and Orbit around a few times to make the solid a bit easier to visualise. This function does not save the new file automatically, so if you want the file saved you should specify a new file name. Remember to save the file type as a DTM.


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The output from this function will be named according to the string number of the profile. Thus, profile String 4 will result in Object 4.1. If the same profile is applied to another centre line string, a new trisolation is created with the next trisolation number ie. 4.2

Click the Reset Graphics icon without saving the file. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_05_centre_line_and_profile.tcl


Summary

You should now be familiar with creating a solid using a Centre line and Profile. If you have had any problems with this function it would be useful to consult the Online Help Manual or to repeat this exercise before continuing.


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Editing Solid models

Overview

This section demonstrates the editing techniques available to you when manipulating Solid models. It will cover a range of functions for editing single triangles, trisolations and objects. The Edit menu has several functions for making permanent changes to Objects, Trisolations and Triangles. These functions include deleting, copying, renumbering and reversing directions on Objects and Trisolations as well as individual triangles. The edit functions are split into three groups:

• Functions which apply to Objects and all Trisolations of the selected Object

• Functions which apply to Trisolations and all triangles on the selected Trisolation


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• Functions which apply to individual triangles

When using these functions, it is a good idea for you to use the function Object Faces On, in order to improve the selection process of the different objects, trisolations and individual triangles. Note: Creating multiple distinct trisolations in the same trisolation number is not recommended in Surpac. This function should be used only as a corrective measure.

Edit Object menu

• Copy

This function will copy an object from one object number to another object number in the same position. The Object Copy command will not copy an object to a new position. To copy an object to a new position, you must first copy the strings to the new position and then recreate the object. This function may prove useful if you want to make some changes to an object, but are concerned that the changes may corrupt the object. By copying the object you can work on the copy and then later, when you are confident that your changes are acceptable, you may delete the original object.

• Delete

Choose Object Delete from the Edit Object menu to delete all trisolations of a selected Object.

• Delete Range

Choose this function from the Edit Object menu to delete a specified range of objects from the active layer. Choosing this function will display the Delete A Range Of Objects form.

• Name

This function allows you to assign a name to the selected object. The assigned name is for reference purposes only. It provides a way to permanently reference individual objects with a text description. This name will be included in any reports containing details of the object.


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• Renumber

This function allows you to renumber an object and all the trisolations that form part of that object with a new object number.

• Reverse

Choose this function from the Edit Object menu to reverse the directions of all the trisolations of the selected object. Trisolations with a clockwise direction (solids) will become counter clockwise (voids) and counter clockwise trisolations will become clockwise.

• Delete redundant points

Cleanup 3DM is used to delete all unnecessary points from the current graphics layer. This function defines unnecessary points to be points that are not vertices of any triangles in any trisolation in the current graphics layer.

Note: The exception to the point deletion process is that the first and last points in a closed segment that has at least one of its points as a triangle vertex, will not be deleted - this is to ensure that closed segments remain closed after the cleanup process.

• Delete duplicate triangles

Remove redundant points from the current graphics layer. This function will work for any number of triangles connected to any number of points with the same coordinates, amalgamating all points at the same coordinates into one point.

Edit Trisolation menu

• Split Connected triangles into trisolations

This function allows you to take a trisolation which consists of several distinct trisolations and split it up into its component trisolations. You must define a new object into which the split trisolations will be copied. If N distinct trisolations are found these will be copied into trisolations 1 to N of the new object. The original trisolation is not deleted and remains unchanged. The input trisolation must have its neighbours set and must have been validated. All the new split trisolations have their neighbours set and are validated automatically.

Edit Triangle menu

• Triangle Delete

Allows you to delete a selected triangle. Position the pointer and select the triangle to be deleted. The selected triangle is deleted and the screen is updated accordingly. The Triangle Delete function will continue until it is cancelled using the Esc key.

• Delete Attached

Allows you to delete all the triangles attached to a segment. Position the pointer and select a particular segment. All triangles attached to this segment are deleted. Clear the screen and redraw to display the altered object.


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• Delete Inside Segment

The Delete Inside Segment function allows you to delete the triangles of a trisolation that lie inside a particular segment. 'Inside' means that all three vertices of the triangle lie on that segment. This function should be used to delete triangles formed by the Triangulate Inside Segment function. You are asked to select one of the triangles inside the segment to be deleted. The function then deletes this and all the other triangles inside the segment.

• Delete To a Point

This function allows you to delete all the triangles in a trisolation attached to a certain point. You are first asked to select the trisolation to be edited. Only triangles from the selected trisolation will be deleted by the function. For example if you have triangles from two trisolations sharing the same point in space then only triangles from the chosen trisolation will be deleted.. You are then asked to select the point to delete to. The function then deletes all the triangles in the chosen trisolation, which have a vertex at the selected point.

Requirements


• Be familiar with solid creation techniques.

• Be familiar with different Bifurcation techniques. Editing a Solid This exercise is designed to demonstrate the use of the Trisolation Renumber function. Open the file mod8.dtm. From the View menu, select Surface view options, then Hidden surface removal. From the Solids menu, select Edit trisolation, then Renumber. This function allows you to renumber a trisolation by pointing to and clicking on triangles. Renumber all the trisolations south of the fault to Object = 1, Trisolation = 1. Renumber all the trisolations north of the fault to Object = 2, Trisolation = 1. Press the Esc - key as you have finished renumbering. You should now have two objects displayed on the screen.


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Save the file as mod9.dtm

This will allow us to return to mod8.dtm to validate separate objects if a localised problem is found. Once an object has been renumbered in this way it is more difficult to go back a step to edit or display portions of the data. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_06_edit_solid.tcl


Summary

You should now be familiar with Renumbering Trisolations and should also have a general understanding of the solid model editing tools available.


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Validation of Solid models

Overview

If you wish to use a model that you have created for the calculation of volumes, intersect drillholes, or as a constraint for a Block Model then it is important to check that the model has been correctly formed. These checks are carried out by using the functions on the Validation menu.

There are quite a few different validation techniques and other functions in the Surpac Vision software to help you with validation of your model.

The techniques include:

Validate Functions

• Validate object Set neighbours and validate all trisolations in an object. • Validate trisolation Set neighbours and validate a single trisolation • Set object to solid or void Ensure that all the triangles in all trisolations of a 3DM

have a consistent direction. • Set trisolation to solid or void Ensure that all the triangles in all trisolations of a

3DM have a consistent direction. • Display open sides Show open sides for all objects or trisolations in an object. • Hide duplicate triangle edges Erase the duplicate triangles shown by Validate

Object or Trisolation function. • Hide invalid triangle edges Erase the invalid edges shown by Validate Object or

Trisolation function. • Hide open side edges Erase the open sides shown by Display open Sides

function. • Hide self intersection edges Erase the trisolation self-intersecting triangles shown

by Validate Object or Trisolation function.


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Validate an Object or Trisolation

This function creates a topology index for a 3DM and validates a 3DM. Creating a topology index means that each triangle in each trisolation of a 3DM has information about the three triangles that are its neighbours. In the process of creating this index, each trisolation is also evaluated as being open or closed.

The function also validates each trisolation of the object. Validation consists of looking for:

• Duplicate triangles (i.e. identical triangles in the same trisolation) • Invalid trisolation edges (i.e. edges in a trisolation which have more than two attached

triangles). Note that the triangles attached to the invalid edges are highlighted. • Self intersecting triangles (i.e. triangles in a trisolation that intersect other triangles in

the same trisolation).

If triangles satisfying any of the above conditions are found, they are highlighted on the screen in a user chosen colour and the trisolation is evaluated as having been validated as false. If no triangles satisfying the above are found then the trisolation is evaluated as having been validated as true.

A number of Solid modelling functions require that a solid be validated before advanced processing can be performed. Examples of these functions will be discussed later but include Filter Optimise and Trisolation Intersection functions.

Requirements

Prior to performing the exercises in this section, you should:



1. Validation of Solids This section demonstrates how and when to use the Validate Object or Validate Trisolation functions. We will now validate and set the neighbours for two objects. Open the file mod10.dtm. This is the Solid model with two objects 1 and 2 created in the previous section.


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From the Solids menu, select Validation then Validate object. Leaving the object number blank will allow both object 1 and object 2 to be validated.

Note: Remember to validate the object again after you have created new triangles. Your window should indicate that the object is closed. The message window will display the following information for each trisolation:

• The Object and Trisolation numbers and also an indication of the status, i.e. open or closed.

• Messages to say whether any invalid edges, duplicate triangles and self-intersections have been found for that trisolation

• The Object and Trisolation numbers again and also an indication of whether that trisolation is validated, i.e. true or false.

The validation function will also produce a valid1.not report as shown below.


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Note: Remember to save your work. If there are problems, close the report window and view the solid. Problem areas are highlighted by the colour defined in the Validate Object form. There are a number of ways to edit and correct an invalid surface. A couple of suggestions are:

• delete the invalid surface solid by using the functions on the Edit Triangle menu and use another triangulation method from the Create menu

• try toggling the algorithm and re-doing the triangulation • once the invalid surface has been deleted, check the string segments. Inserting

additional points into a segment can often resolve triangulation problems

The neighbours and validate object function is an essential part of confirming the data integrity of your modelling. You should now be familiar with the basics of validating Objects.

2. Set Object (Trisolation) to solid or void This function will ensure that all the triangles in all trisolations of a 3DM are consistent in direction. This is crucial to calculating correct volumes of the space inside a 3DM.This section will demonstrate how to set the directions of the objects created so far into Solids. Reports generated by the Object Report function use the trisolation direction to calculate volumes. Thus, it is possible to combine Solids and Voids to report meaningful overall volumes. A typical example is the modelling of Solid geological ore zones and the coincident underground mining Voids to represent the amount of ore left behind after mining. By convention, Solids are positive volumes whereas Voids are negative volumes. Open the file mod11.dtm. From the Validation menu, select Set object to solid or void, and make Objects 1 and 2 Solids. Complete the form as shown and choose Apply to set the object directions.

If you leave the Object range field blank in the Set Triangle Directions for Objects form then all the objects in the working layer will be processed.

Note: It is possible to Apply a blank Object range to set the directions of all Objects in the working layer. The message window will report that the object (or trisolation) is now a solid. Save your model. Now the solid can be used to calculate a volume, a constraint in block model filling. Later in this manual you will use the model you have created in this section to demonstrate viewing solid models, intersecting drill holes and volume calculations.


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3. Display Open Sides This function will display in a user-defined colour, all edges of any triangles in a defined object which have no neighbouring triangle. This is a useful aid during the creation and editing of Solid models to ensure that objects and trisolations are closed. This is necessary to calculate the volume of the enclosed space. Prior to using this function, it is important that the Validation / Validate Object function be used to determine the neighbouring triangles for each triangle in the Object.

The lines, which represent the open sides, are drawn merely as a modelling aid and are not selectable. After the open sides have been drawn, you may wish to erase the open sides by using the Hide open side edges function.

To best view the result of the Display open sides for object (trisolations) function; use the Faces off function to leave the open triangles visible while turning the filled triangles off. This will help you to see the location of the open triangles.


_07_solids_validation.tcl


Summary

You should now be familiar with the validation of solid objects.


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Solids intersection

Overview

By now you have been through the processes of building, editing and validating solid models. The following sections will cover some Solid tools functions.

File Intersection

There are quite a few Intersection functions in Surpac Vision. In this section we will examine the more common functions and do a short exercise to demonstrate their use. The following is a list of the intersection functions we will cover:

• Intersect solids • Union solids • Outersect solids • Clip solid above DTM • Clip DTM outside a solid


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Requirements Prior to performing the exercises in this chapter, you should:



1. Union This function allows you to merge two solids together. Examples are merging one ore outline into another to create a single ore body (effectively creating a bifurcated body), and joining a new tunnel design into an existing tunnel network. Open the two 3DMs called decline1.dtm and crosscut1.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. Note: Use drag and drop for the file decline.dtm and hold down the control key while dragging and dropping crosscut1.dtm

From the Solids tools menu, select Union solids. You are prompted for a layer name in which to display the resultant 3DM and the object number to assign to this 3DM. Enter values of your choice, an example is shown below.

The layer name cannot be the same as any of the other layer. The new layer will contain the new 3DM.


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Now follow the prompt by selecting each of the 3DMs. The order of selection is not important. The program will go through the process of uniting the two 3DMs, finishing with the statement Calculations are completed. Note that the previous objects have been erased from screen. You will now be in the layer you specified with the united 3DM displayed. The resultant 3DM is merely displayed in this layer. You will still have to save it before exiting. Remember that you must make the file of type DTM to save the triangles. From the View menu, unselect Hide triangle edges for a more effective display. Window in into the area of contact to confirm the result.

Always save the unioned or intersected object as a new file name. The underlying strings have been changed as is shown below.


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The Intersect Trisolations operations can be performed on 3DMs which have their directions set to either Solid or Void. It should be noted, however, that the definitions of inside and outside are different for solids and voids. Care should be taken when intersecting different combinations of Solid and Void as unexpected results can sometimes occur. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_08a_solids_union.tcl


2. Intersect solids This function allows you to intersect two 3DMs. ie. the function creates a new 3DM, which represents the volume common to both the input 3DMs. An example of this is intersecting a tunnel 3DM with an ore 3DM to produce a 3DM of only that part of the tunnel that occurs within the ore. The volume of ore extracted can thus be reported. Open the two 3DMs called lev1.dtm and stope1.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. These represent a stope and a development drive. To display two different layers use the Layers Status command to make one layer visible in each viewport. From the Solids tools menu, select Intersect solids. The 3DM/3DM Intersect Results Storage form is displayed.

You are prompted for a layer name in which to display the resultant 3DM and the object number to assign to this 3DM. Enter values of your choice, e.g. Layer Intersect, object number 1.The layer name cannot be the same as any of the other layer. Now follow the prompt by selecting each of the 3DMs. The order of selection is not important. The program will go through the process of intersecting the two 3DMs, finishing with the statement Calculations are completed. You will now be in the layer you specified with the resultant 3DM displayed. This result is only those areas of the decline that fell within the solid body. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_08b_solids_intersection.tcl



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Outersect

This function allows you to find the difference between two 3DMs. The order of selection is important, and you will be prompted to select the 3DM to be outersected first followed by the outersecting 3DM. Outersecting a tunnel with an ore 3DM to produce a 3DM of only that part of the ore outside the tunnel. The volume of ore remaining can thus be reported. If the centre line of the tunnel exists, you can then drive along the tunnel through the ore using the View Along String function. Open the two 3DMs called lev1.dtm and stope1.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. From the Solids tools menu, select Outersect solids, to display the 3DM/3DM Outersect Results form as shown below:

You are prompted for a layer name in which to display the resultant 3DM and the object number to assign to this 3DM. Enter values of your choice, e.g. Layer Outersect, object number 3. Note: The layer name cannot be the same as any of the other layers. Now follow the prompt by selecting each of the 3DMs, ie. first the ore body and then the decline.


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In this case, the order of selection is important. The outersected solid must be selected first, while the outersecting solid (i.e. that one that will cut into the outersected solid) is selected second. The program will go through the process of outersecting the two 3DMs, finishing with the statement “Calculations are completed”. You will now be in the layer you specified with the resultant 3DM displayed. The result is the original solid body with those areas that were common with the decline removed.

If you want to see all of the steps performed in this section, either run or edit:

_08c_dtm_outersect_solid


3. Clip solid above a DTM This function allows you to find the portion of a 3DM that is above a DTM. ie. Creating a 3DM representing the volume of an ore body above a proposed pit surface. Open pit4.dtm and ore4.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. These represent a pit design and an orebody.. From the Solids tools menu, select Clip solid above DTM. Enter the values as shown below and Apply the form

The output 3DM above the dtm will be stored in the layer solid_above_dtm. The layer name chosen cannot be the same as any other layer.


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Click on the solid 3DM and then click on the DTM. The program will go through the process of checking the two trisolations, finishing with the statement “Calculations are completed”.

The solid_above_dtm layer will now become the active layer. The ore body above the pit surface will be displayed. You must save this file if you wish to use it for further work.

If you want to see all of the steps performed in this section, either run or edit:

_08d_dtm_above_solid



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4. Clip DTM outside a solid This function allows you to find the portion of a DTM that is outside a 3DM. ie. Creating a DTM representing the surface area of a proposed pit surface, which is outside an orebody. Open pit4.dtm and ore4.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. As seen before, these represent a pit design and an orebody. From the Solids tools menu, select Clip DTM outside a solid. Enter the values as shown below and Apply the form

The output 3DM above the dtm will be stored in the layer solid_above_dtm. The layer name chosen cannot be the same as any other layer. Click on the solid 3DM and then click on the DTM. The program will go through the process of checking the two trisolations, finishing with the statement Calculations are completed. Be patient as this process may take some time.

The solid_outside_dtm layer will now become the active layer. The pit outside the ore body will be will be displayed.


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You must save this file if you wish to use it for further work.

Note: This result is not a 3DM but is instead a DTM. Only that part of the pit surface that occurred outside the solid orebody is retained. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this section, either run or edit:

_08e_dtm_outside_solid


5. Surfaces DTM surfaces can also be intersected to produce new surfaces. The intersection menu is found under the Surfaces menu as shown below:

6. Upper triangles of 2 DTMs This function takes two DTMs as input and creates a new DTM, which is an upper surface combination of the two input files. An example is combining a DTM representing a proposed waste stockpile and a DTM representing a topological ground profile to produce a new DTM of the ground profile containing the waste stockpile.


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Open the two DTMs called topo2.dtm and dump1.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. These represent a topographic surface and a dump surface model. From the Surfaces menu, select Clip or intersect DTMs, then Upper triangles of 2 DTMs. The DTM/dtm Upper Results Storage form is displayed. You are prompted for a layer name in which to display the resultant DTM and the object number to assign to this DTM. Enter values of your choice, e.g. upper triangle results The layer name cannot be the same as any other layer. Now follow the prompt by picking each of the DTMs. The order of selection is not important. The program will go through the process of joining the two DTMs, finishing with the statement “Calculations are completed”. You will now be in the layer you specified with the resultant DTM displayed. The result is the waste stockpile surface incorporated into the topographic surface.


_08f_upper_triangles_of_2dtm.tcl


7. Lower triangles of 2 DTMs This function takes two DTMs as inputs and creates a new DTM, which is a lower surface combination of the two inputs. This will show the result of combining a DTM representing a proposed pit design and a DTM representing a topological ground profile to produce a new DTM of the ground profile containing the pit design. Open the two DTMs called topo2.dtm and pit2.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. These represent a topographic surface and a pit design surface model. Go through exactly the same process as described in the previous exercise except choose lower triangles instead of upper. The result is a surface representing the pit incorporated into the topography.


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_08g_lower_triangles_of_2dtm.tcl


8. Create solid by intersecting 2 DTMs This function takes two DTMs as inputs and creates a 3DM, which is the volume enclosed within the intersection of the two DTMs. An example is combining a ground terrain profile with a proposed pit profile to find the volume of material which must be extracted to create the pit. Open the two DTMs called topo1.dtm and pit2.dtm, appending them both into the same layer. These represent a topographic surface and a pit design surface model.

From the Surfaces menu, select Clip or intersect DTMs, then Create solid by intersecting 2 DTMs

The DTM/dtm Intersect Results Storage form is displayed. You are prompted for a layer name in which to display the resultant DTM and the object number to assign to this DTM. Enter values of your choice, e.g. Layer Intersect, object number 3. The layer name cannot be the same as any of the other layer. Now follow the prompt by picking each of the DTMs. The upper DTM (topography) must be selected first, followed by the lower DTM (pit). The program will go through the process of joining the two DTMs, finishing with the statement Calculations are completed. You will now be in the layer you specified with the resultant 3DM displayed. The result is a solid 3DM representing the material that will have to be removed from the designed pit. The image below shows before and after the DTM/DTM Intersection.


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From the Solids menu, select Solids tools menu, then Report volume of solids to create a note file with the volume of the Pit below the topography. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_08h_create_solid_intersecting_2dtms.tcl


Summary

You should now have some familiarity with the Intersect Trisolation functions. Refer to the Online Help Manual if you need clarification.

It is important to understand how these functions work. Essentially, the line of intersection is a critical calculation. If too many points along this line are geometrically complex, involve near duplicate points or very small triangles, then the calculation will often not be complete.

The workaround is to edit any points along this line of contact to reduce the geometric complexity. More comprehensive notes can be found in the Online Help Manual.


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Viewing Solid models

Overview

Once a Solid model has been created there are many tools available in the Surpac Vision software for enhancing on-screen images to enable better visualisation. This section allows you to experiment with different techniques for displaying Solid models. These techniques include:

• Lights On / Faces on / Edges on / Hide on • Draw Shells • Viewports • Hardcopy output • Animation • Object Styles

Requirements



• Be familiar with different Bifurcation techniques. Viewing Solid models In this section we will demonstrate how to produce a professional looking image of solid models. Open file pit1.dtm into its own layer. This is a design pit for the copper ore body you have been working on throughout this manual. All DTMs must have an Object number of 1 to be valid. By putting DTMs into different layers, they can be assigned different face colours.


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From the Customise menu, select Display properties, then DTMs and 3DMs.

Change the colour of the faces for Object 1 and Apply the form. Open file fault1.dtm into its own layer. Repeat the same steps as for the pit DTM but choose another colour for the faces. Apply the form and you will see the changes reflected in the Active layer only. Open the solid model mod12.dtm into its own layer. Change the colours of the Objects for the 3dm as shown in the previous two DTM examples. From the View menu, select Data view options, then View by bearing and dip. Change to Bearing = 140; Dip = -30. These actions will modify the colours of the Solid objects only for the current session. To save these as the default colours, it would be necessary to choose the Unload Styles function. From the View menu, select Surface view options, then Hide triangle edges and Hidden surface removal. Note: Hidden Surface Removal removes lines from view that are behind other lines. There are several algorithms that determine exactly how lines are removed. Your hardware and the amount of available RAM on your computer determine the algorithm used. The slowest algorithm is the Painters algorithm, which is the least memory intensive. By default the software should be using Software Z-Buffering algorithm which uses your PC memory to perform many of the hidden surface removal calculations. Refer to the Online Help Manual for an explanation of these different types of algorithms.


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From the View menu, select Surface view options, then Lighting options, and apply two light sources as shown below. Then click Apply.

Use Gourad for Lighting Interpolation. Up to three different light sources may be applied to the Object at one time. A vector defines light source direction. A vector 1, 1, 1 indicates a North East light source above the horizon. From the Display menu, select DTM with colour banding, and click Apply

This will produce an evenly spread colour banding in the elevation direction of all 3dm objects. From the Display menu, select Colour banding options, then un-tick Smooth colouring. This will change the graduated colour banding to sharp contours. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_09_view_solid_model.tcl



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Capturing Screen Images The Surpac Vision software allows you several ways of saving images for printing or for inclusion in documents.

From the File menu, Select Images where there is an option of capturing a screen image as a GIF or PNG file. You can then use third party software to print the image to a colour printer, or to include the image in a document. Gif files support a maximum of 256 colours whereas PNG files support much higher numbers of colours for smooth shading effects.

Also in the same menu is a function called Postscript, which captures the image on screen to a file suitable for printing or for inclusion in documentation. Postscript files can become very large using smooth colour interpolation or Gourad/Phong light shading.

If you are using Windows as your operating system then there is another alternative. The Print screen button on the keyboard pastes an image of the entire screen to the clipboard which allows you to paste the image into any Windows graphic application. The Alt-Print screen keyboard combination can be used for the window currently active (i.e. Surpac forms)

Go to File, Export and select Current layer to VRML. This function will take a graphics view, and convert it to a VRML 2.0 file. This will allow the view to be placed in any Web browser (with the appropriate plug in), and placed on web pages, reports or any other internet application. Faces, edges, lines, colours and the current view will be converted to the VRML file, as will lights. The data, when viewed from a compatible browser, will look almost identical to that displayed in Surpac.

It is important when viewing shaded Solids to optimise the hardware settings on your Computer and operating system. A typical Windows PC should be capable of 1024 * 768 screen resolution with 16 million colours. If the images appear degraded it would be advisable to check your display settings. See the Frequently Asked Questions located in the Online Help Manual for more details.

Summary

You should now be familiar with a number of viewing tools that are useful for quality display work.


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Create sections

Overview

The Create sections function from the Solid tools menu is used to extract horizontal, vertical or inclined slices through a 3DM. Another related function is Section using centreline which can also be found in the Solid tools menu. The plane of intersection of the slices is defined by entering the Y, X, Z coordinates at each end of a three dimensional axis line and by specifying the interval along that axis at which slices are to be taken. The first slice is taken at the start of the axis and then the slices are taken at the specified interval along the axis until the length of the axis is exceeded.

There are two results produced by the Create sections function. The first result is a range of string files which contain the extracted sections in section coordinates. These files are saved to disk. The second result is a file which contains the extracted sections in real world coordinates. These sections are automatically displayed on the screen in a different layer. You can make this layer the active layer and then save the data to a file.

Always try to use closed Objects when using the Slice Object function because they produce closed segments in the extracted sections. These sections can then be used for further processing where closed segments are necessary. Open objects can produce both open and closed segments during the extraction process.

In Surpac Vision version 5.2-D there is new functionality which allows you to modify the start point, the end point and the slice distance using three slide controls. These controls allow you to view the effects of changing these parameters in real time. Also, the new function allows you to digitise the axis using your mouse. The original method for defining the axis, start and end points and the slice distances is still valid and may be chosen instead of the interactive method.

Some of the reasons for slicing a 3DM are:

• to produce level plans of geological models for Resource Reporting/Mine Planning purposes

• to slice Underground Workings Models for inclusion on drill hole sections • to slice Underground Workings Models to help plan diamond drilling or perform

production Ring Design

Requirements

Prior to performing the exercises in this section, you should:

• be familiar with the concepts of solid models and DTMs


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Interactive Method Open the file mod12.dtm in graphics. From the Solids tools menu, select Create sections to open the Define an axis line form.

Click Digitise to use your mouse to define the axis. Click the start point and drag the cursor to the end point of the axis line. When you have done this, the form will be redisplayed, with the real world coordinates of your axis line. You may use these coordinates directly from the result of digitising or you may wish to adjust the coordinates manually using the digitised axis start and end points as a guide. Make sure that the option to create slices perpendicular to the axis is selected. Apply the form to continue.


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You will then be presented with the Extract Slices Through Objects form as shown below:

Click on the Interactive slider controls button to display the new way of defining your slices in real time. The slide controls enable you to adjust the start and end points of your axis and also the distance between slices. Try moving the slide controls up and down to see the effects of your changes. The slices will be taken using the parameters in the boxes on the right hand side of the slider bars when you click Apply.

Also, move the object about in 3D space to see how the slices relate to the solid.


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If you want to see all of the steps performed so far, either run or edit:

_10a_slice_objects_interactive.tcl Note: You will need to click Apply on the forms presented. Sections by range We will now extract bench slices through the same object using the Slice Object function. Open the solid model mod12.dtm. From the Inquire menu, select Report layer extents, to determine the Maximum and Minimum Y, X and Z coordinates. This will help in determining your axis line. From the Solids tools menu, select Create sections, to display the Define an Axis Line form. For this exercise you will be slicing this model on levels (Z). To do this you will need to define a vertical axis. Using the coordinates determined from the layer extents, the following parameters will define our vertical line.


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Enter the parameters shown below:

Our data extends from 10055 north to 10920 north. By defining a north-south axis as shown in the form above, as long as the data falls within the axis limits, the objects can be sliced. Click Apply to display the Extract Slices Through Objects form. Next you must enter the layer name to display the slices to, objects to be sliced, and the output file names as shown below.

Once processing is complete, the string files containing the slices in section coordinates are written to disk.


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The slices in real world coordinates are automatically displayed in the specified layer on the screen as shown below.


_10b_slice_objects_by_range.tcl Note: You will need to click Apply on the forms presented. Section using centre line. Next, you will extract slices along a centre line string using the Section using centreline function. Clear all layers and open stope2.dtm. Open and append the file cl2.str. This string is the reference line used in the Section using centreline function.


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From the Solids tools menu, select Section using centreline, select the end points of your digitised centre line. Fill in the form as follows and click Apply.


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You will be presented with a second form. Fill out the form as shown below and click Apply.

You should now see the results of the slicing. It can be more effective to display just the layer containing the slices. Try changing the Layers Status to make the main graphics layer invisible. This is done by selecting the View menu, then Layer, then Properties. You should now have a set of string slices in a layer called ring slices which should look something like this:

Notice how the slices start at 90 degrees and the last slice is at 70 degrees.

The following points are important when using this function:

• selecting positions on the centre line snap to the line not to the nearest point • spacing refers to the distance between slices • choosing the spacing button will resize the spacing between slices to match a given

number of slices. • the numbering of the output strings can be controlled by the rest of the form input,

refer to the Online Help Manual for more information.


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If you want to see all of the steps performed using slice by centre line, either run or edit:

_10c_centre_line_slice.tcl Note: You will need to click Apply on the forms presented.

Summary

This function is valuable in quickly generating a range of outlines for use in other options within Surpac. For example, bench plans for Grade Control, stope outlines for Ring Design and geological outlines for Plotting are all easily achieved with this function.


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Report volume of solids Overview

Report volume of solids from the Solid tools menu is used to generate a .not file indicating status, surface area and volume of each trisolation of an object. From this section you will learn how to generate an Object report and what the various reported parameters mean. The Report volume of solids function calculates the volume of a closed object or trisolation. In order to generate a volume the solid must be validated and have its direction set.

Requirements



• Be familiar with different Bifurcation techniques. Report volume of solids In this section we will create an Object Report of the Solid model mod12.dtm. From the Solids tools menu, select Report volume of solids, to display the Object Report form as shown below:

Enter a name for the text file to be created. The resulting .not file will contain the information on each object and trisolation. The following is an example of the Object Report for mod12.dtm.


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The following are key points to note:

• Objects and Trisolations can both have names entered via the Edit 3DM menu Name function

• The Validated = true flag indicates the solid has been validated and is closed • A positive volume indicates a Solid by convention and a negative volume indicates a

Void as determined by the Set Direction function.

The message window displays the file name of the .not file created. A report is produced as shown below:


_11_solids_volume_report.tcl


Summary

You should now be familiar with the Report volume of solids function. If you are unclear about this function please review this section before continuing.


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Intersecting Drill holes with Solid models Overview

It is possible to intersect drill holes stored in a geological database and a Solid model and then store the intersections in a table in the database. You may wish to do this when there are certain areas of interest in your ore body that you want to earmark for geostatistical analysis. This section demonstrates the capability of the software to store a code in a Geological Database interval table representing an intersection of a drill hole with a Solid model.

This function allows you to perform intersections between drill holes stored in a drill hole database and 3D objects created using Solid modelling functions. For example, you may need to extract samples inside a particular zone of mineralisation for geostatistical analysis and the only way to define the zone of interest is to intersect the drill holes with a 3DM.

The results of the intersection are written to a log file for later inspection. The points of intersection can also be saved to a table in the database with a special code to indicate the portions of the drillhole which are inside the 3DM.

Requirements



• Be familiar with different bifurcation techniques. Intersecting Drill holes with Solid models In this section we will connect to a simple database and update a table with a code indicating an intersection with a Solid model. Open mod12.dtm which should be a validated, closed solid model containing objects 1 and 2. This exercise will concentrate on object 1, the southern half of the model. Your Objects must be closed to perform this intersection and you must have a geological database that contains the drillhole data of interest. From the Database menu, select Open then fill out the form as shown below:

From the Database menu, select Display, then Drillholes. You have now established the link with your geological database and drawn the collars on the screen. This database has one optional table called Intersection, where you will store the results of this processing.


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From the Database menu, select Analysis, then Drillhole DTM intersection.

A constraint form will appear. This form allows you to limit the amount of data used in the processing. In this case we will select all the data in the database so simply click Apply on the blank constraint form.

When you intersect drill holes with your model, the resultant traces will be displayed in a new layer in the Graphics module. A log file is produced detailing the intersections and you may store the results in a database table. Enter the parameters as shown below and click Apply.

After a short time the intersections will be displayed. The table called Intersection within the database also contains a field called intersection in which a character code zone1 has now been stored. Use your text editor to view the log file zone1.log.You can also try viewing the results in the intersection table in the geological database.

You might have to turn the Faces Off and Edges Off to see the intersections clearly.

Alternatively, use the Layers Status command to make the Main Graphics Layer non visible.


_12_intersect_drillholes_solids.tcl


Summary

This is a particularly important function as it allows the Geological Database to store and interface to three dimensional solid object information. This is important in geostatistical modelling and resource calculation, where a well organised drill hole database is fundamental to a successful project.


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Optimise Trisolations

Overview

The Optimise function involves the filtering of 3D objects to reduce the number of points. This has particular relevance to Cavity Monitoring System (CMS) data where there are a very large number of data points produced by the instrument.

All these points are typically not required for defining the shape, making memory requirements high and processing time a lot slower. This function requires the input trisolation to have been validated and the object direction set. The input trisolation may be open or closed.

This section demonstrates how to optimise trisolations that contain excessive triangles and remove redundant points resulting from the filtering process. Optimise Trisolations This function aims to minimise the number of points and triangles making up a Solid model while retaining the overall shape and volume. Open into graphics the file filter1.dtm. From the Solids menu, select Edit trisolation menu, select Optimise. You are asked to select the trisolation to be optimised. Select the object on the screen. Fill in the form as follows and click Apply.

Make sure to change the tolerance distance to 0.2m. The Tolerance distance refers to the difference between the new filtered shape from the existing shape. The larger the tolerance distance input, the more triangles will be removed but less geometric integrity will be retained. The magnitude of the tolerance distance you choose will depend on the units of the triangle vertex coordinates in the string file. For example, if these distances are in metres and you enter 0.5 as the tolerance distance, then a new filtered trisolation will be formed ensuring that the new surface is always within 50cm of the original surface. However, if you enter 0.0, very few triangles will be removed. Note: The optimisation will take some time while it calculates the new shape. The message window should show you that while more than half of triangles have been removed, the shape is still recognisable. Even though the optimisation removes all the triangles it does not remove the points in the original string file.


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We will now examine the function to Draw Strings with no labels. You will now see a number of lines that have no relationship with the Solid model triangles. ie. the redundant points are not connected to any triangle vertices.

From the Edit trisolation menu, select Delete redundant points, and the following form will appear.

After applying the form, the message window will show that more than 90% of the points were deleted. You will see that any segments not associated with a triangle have been deleted. As you may not be satisfied with the result of an optimisation on a solid, the solid is not validated automatically (this takes some time with CMS data). If you wanted to use this solid shape for block modelling or volume calculations you need to validate it and save it separately. An alternative method for controlling the number of triangles contained within a large Solid model is to slice the object, remove near duplicate points and recreate the Solid with one of the automated routines like many Segments. This has the advantage of not requiring the Solid to be validated (which may result in a considerable time saving). Validation and Filter Optimisation may then be performed on a much smaller 3DM.


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_13_optimise_trisolation.tcl


Summary

You should now be familiar with the Optimise function and the use of the Delete redundant points function. Review this section or consult the Online Help Manual if you are unsure of any the concepts in this section. This concludes the introduction to the functionality of the Solids Tools within Surpac.

Further sections have been provided to give additional experience in solid modelling with particular reference to modelling underground workings.


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CMS Modelling Overview

The following exercise shows how to import and cleanup Cavity Monitoring System (CMS) data into Surpac. CMS data is derived from a laser instrument that measures the position of many points within a cavity or rock face. Unfiltered, this data can be very difficult to handle but using some of the Surpac Vision tools in this section, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of points in the file without altering the volume or essential shape. CMS data is generally too large to be handled (over 50,000 points in a single shot is not unusual), irrespective of the software being used. The CMS typically collects far too much information when the walls are very close (eg. under 20m away). This section shows how to clean up a CMS file. Import CMS data From the File menu, select Import, then Cavity monitoring DXF file. Enter the information as shown and click Apply.

As with most CMS files, there are several thousand data points, and this will take a while to process. When it is completed, open cms1.dtm in graphics, and spin it around.


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_14a_import_cms.tcl

Note: You will need to click Apply on any forms presented. SECTIONING AND RETRIANGULATING Open cms1.dtm if you don’t already have it displayed. From the Solids tools menu, select Create sections. Enter the following information into the form below and click Apply.

This defines a vertical axis. Slices will be created, perpendicular to this axis. Enter the following information into the form below and click Apply.


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Use the layer chooser to set the layer named section as the current layer.

Turn Faces Off, and spin the data around. You should see something like the diagram below:


_14b_section_cms.tcl

Note: You will need to click Apply on any forms presented. We are now going to use some of the cleaning tools in Surpac to minimise the number of points before re-triangulating the closed segments. From the Edit menu, select Layer, then Clean. Fill out the form as shown, and click Apply.


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The message window will indicate that several points were deleted: Searching for duplicate points 100 percent complete SSI Warning: 3,617 points deleted Often, due to data geometry, removing duplicate points with the CLEAN LAYER function must be run multiple times to ensure all data points are deleted. Repeat the previous step. The message window will show that more points were deleted: Searching for duplicate points 100 percent complete SSI Warning: 28 points deleted Repeat the previous step until you see only these two lines in the message window: Searching for duplicate points 100 percent complete This indicates that all points within 0.2 metres of any other point have been deleted. It is a good habit to save your data as you work. From the File menu, select Save, then String/DTM file. Enter any temporary name, such as displayed below, then click Apply.

Next, we will remove all closed segments less than a specified area.


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From the Edit menu, select Layer, then Clean. Enter the data as shown below, and click Apply.

Any segments which are less than 1 square metre in horizontal area will be deleted. Another common way to clean up the data is to delete segments with only a small number of points. From the Edit menu, select Layer, then Clean. Enter the data as shown below, and click Apply.


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Last, we will check for spikes. From the Edit menu, select Layer, then Clean. Enter the data as shown below, and click Apply.

A red marker will be placed on any spikes. If any spikes are detected, you will need to use the Edit tools to either delete or move points. Given the results of the preceding functions, this dataset should not have any spikes detected. Next, we will triangulate the data to create a closed solid. One method of doing this is to use Triangulate – Many segments. We will first want to look at the segment numbers. From the Display menu, select Strings, then With string and segment numbers. Leave the form as displayed and click Apply. You should see:


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We will use the function Triangulate – Many segments to automatically connect segments 1 to 12. From the Triangulate menu, select Many segments. Enter the data as shown below and click Apply.

When selecting strings to perform any triangulation it is advisable to erase any triangles that might interfere with the selection, ie. selecting a triangle accidentally might not give the desired result. From the Display menu, select Hide DTM, and Apply the form. We will be triangulating a range of segments. Fill in the form as shown and click Apply.

On the next form, enter the data as shown below and click Apply.


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Segments 1 through to 12 of string 1 will now be triangulated. Alternatively, you could manually triangulate each slice.


_14c_retriangulate_cms_slices.tcl

Note: You will need to click Apply on any forms presented.

The upper part of the stope splits into two segments (bifurcates). Try using other triangulation methods to finish retriangulating the cleaned data.

Validate and turn the object into a solid.

Generate volume report. The dataset has been reduced from over 43000 points to just over 1800 points. A comparison of the original and retriangulated solids created and the volumes is shown below.

Original CMS survey cms1.dtm 2388 m3 Retriangulated from sections cms2.dtm 2298 m3

This results in a 3.7% difference in volume. This potentially large difference in volume is due to the 2 meter slicing spacing. This spacing distance was chosen here to demonstrate functionality of the software. In actual practice, you would use a smaller spacing distance, which would result in a smaller volume discrepancy.

Summary

Manipulating large CMS datasets can be very time consuming. As seen in the above example, the amount of points in this dataset has been reduced substantially, yet the change in volume is relatively small. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_14d_cms_volumes_.tcl

Note: You will need to click Apply on any forms presented.


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Underground Modelling Overview

DTM files can be incorporated into creating a 3dm. The following example shows how to achieve this. This exercise provides the opportunity for some additional practice and also demonstrates some further techniques that are particular to underground modelling.

Underground Modelling

Open File lev200.str. Interrogate the data and have a good view of the strings. Below is an example showing an oblique view of part of the file:

You will notice by using the viewer that there are two strings, one for the backs (also known as the roof) and another for the floor. The problem we have is that there are several segments to each string, and using the Between Segment function will not give us the effect that we are after, ie. the pillars would be ignored. Also the backs and floor spot height picks would be ignored. To get around this we will use the Create dtm function and then use the Clip dtm function. Firstly, we must split our current file into two parts; one for the backs and one for the floor. To do this we must know the string numbers of our strings, which means, when we are in graphics, we have to use id point or draw strings. From the Display menu, select Strings, then With string numbers. In this case the string numbers for our backs are 2 and 2002 and for our floor is 1 and 1001.


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Save the File as shown below:

This will make a string file containing just the back string.

Save the file as floor1.str in the same way but containing just strings 1 and 1001.

Clear the graphics area and open back1.str into Graphics. String direction for an entire file can be set using the string direction function in the File tools menu. You should have string 2 and 2002 being displayed. Setting up your spot height strings to display as markers in the styles file will force Surpac to treat the data as points when creating a DTM in Graphics. The next step is to check the direction of the strings in the file. This is an important step to ensure that when we clip our DTM we get the desired result. From the Inquire menu, select Segment Properties, and click on each segment to check its direction.

From the Edit menu, select Segment, then Reverse, to ensure that each pillar segment is anti-clockwise within an enclosing outer boundary segment that is clockwise

Save the file again, overwriting back1.str. We can now create a DTM of the backs.


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From the Surfaces menu, select Create a DTM from layer, and click Apply

From the Surfaces menu, select Clip or intersect DTMs, then Clip DTM with string. You will be prompted to select a string. Click anywhere on string 2 (ie. pillar and wall pickup string). The following form will appear. Click Apply.


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You should see a clipped DTM of the backs as shown below.

As we can see from the DTM, the DTM has been clipped correctly due to the string directions of the wall and pillar.

Save the DTM and Reset Graphics using the icon Now that we have completed this step we must go through the exact same process for our floor string file floor1.str. Open floor1.str. From the Surfaces menu, select Create DTM from layer, and Apply the following form.

From the Surfaces menu, select Clip or intersect DTMs, then Clip DTM with string. You will be prompted to select a string. Click anywhere on string 1. The following form will appear. Click on Apply to continue.


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You should see a clipped DTM of the floors as shown below.

As we can see from the DTM, the DTM has been clipped correctly due to the string directions of the wall and pillar.

Save the DTM and Reset Graphics

Note: To fully understand the concept of inside and outside, the direction of a boundary segment must also be taken into consideration. Generally, boundary segments are clockwise in direction and a point which is physically inside the boundary segment can be considered to be logically inside it also. If the direction of the boundary segment is anti-clockwise, then the logic is reversed, meaning that a point which is physically inside the boundary is considered to be logically outside. Once both clipped DTMs have been created, the aim is to stitch together the sides to create a closed validated Solid model. Open and append back2.dtm and floor1.dtm into Graphics and view the result. We are now at the stage where we can begin the process of stitching our two DTMs together, in effect creating the walls of our drives. To do this we can use the Between Segments function in the Solids Triangulate menu. First make both DTMs the same trisolation number... The number trisolation for each DTM will depend on the order in which they were Opened into graphics. The first will have an object number of 1, with a trisolation number of 1, while the second will have an object number of 1 but a trisolation number of 2. From the Edit trisolation menu, select Renumber, and select both DTMs. You will be prompted for a new object and trisolation number.


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Fill in and Apply the form as follows

This will ensure that both DTMs are named Object 1 trisolation 1. Remember to change the direction of the pillar segments in floor1.str to anticlockwise and resave the file. Save the file as drives1.dtm.

Plot strings 1 and 2. These represent the wall and pillar pickup for the floors and backs.

From the Triangulate menu, select Between segments, and create Object 1 trisolation 1 for all subsequent operations.

Select first the outer back string then the outer floor string as prompted from the function line. Your data should now look something like the following:

If you have problems selecting points and/or segments near triangles that are drawn on the screen, it may be because the triangles are being selected in preference to the points themselves. Symptoms of this problem may be the function cancelling unexpectedly or an inability to select the correct point. If this occurs you are advised to remove the triangles from the screen using the Edges Off, and the Faces Off functions, and then perform the function as normal. You must have the strings drawn on the screen to be able to select them. With the triangles temporarily removed from the screen, you will find that point selection becomes much easier.


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Ensure you have the display set to Faces On, and Edges On, and use the viewer to rotate the file around. You will see that the outside walls of the drives have now been stitched together by triangles. Notice however that the pillar segments are not yet triangulated. To triangulate between the pillar segments, the Between Segments function will have to be repeated (in this case only once for each pillar). Window in on the pillar area. Choose Between segments for each of the pillars in turn, selecting the back string then the floor string and escaping after each iteration. A different Object number was used in the picture below in order to show the pillar surface. You may wish to use Object 1, trisolation 1 when stitching the floor and back string of the pillar.

The Between segments function is a continuous function, ie. if you keep selecting points, the function will continue to triangulate. To halt this operation, hit the Esc key and the function will be terminated. View the data with Faces On and Edges Off. You should now have an image something like this:

Note that the results produced by any of the Triangulation functions depend on the particular value of the triangulate stitch algorithm you are using (this may be 0,1,2,or 3).


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If you do not obtain satisfactory results with the current stitch algorithm, you can change it by using the Toggle Algorithm function on the Solids Create 3DM menu. See the Online Help Manual for more details.

We will now validate and set the directions of this object. From the Validation menu, select Validate object and Apply leaving the form blank. This will validate all objects in the current layer. Object 1 Trisolation 1 should be stated as Closed and Valid in the message window. A validation note file called valid1.not is created by default and shows that there are no errors with the newly created 3dm. This file can be extremely useful in identifying specific triangle numbers that are invalid, allowing corrective editing to be performed. The invalid triangles can be displayed alone by clearing the screen and Drawing the Object with a specified triangle range. From the Validate menu, select Set object to solid or void, and fill in the form as follows.

Note that a blank form, in this instance, indicates all objects in the current layer will be set to Solid indicating that an Object Report will assign a positive volume to this Object.

From the Solids tools menu, select Report volume of solids, to create a volume report file called drives1.not.

This file records the volume, surface area, number of triangles, solid/void status and validity. It is in effect the final check that you have created a valid Solid model.


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_15_create_underground_model.tcl


Summary

You have now gained some practice in a range of techniques that may be used to create Solid models with particular emphasis on Underground Modelling. This is simply one method for creating underground drive Solid models. If you are unclear about any of the concepts raised in this section please refer to the Online Help Manual or the relevant sections contained within this manual. You have a choice of triangulation algorithms to use for Between Segments and many other Triangulate functions. You can switch between algorithms using the Triangulate Algorithm function.


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Triangulation Algorithm Overview

This section provides an explanation of the Triangulation Algorithm function and how it can be successfully applied in different circumstances. From the Triangulate menu, select Triangulation algorithm, to change the triangulate stitch algorithm while Surpac is running. The stitch algorithm is the algorithm used by the Triangulate functions to create triangles to stitch segments together. You will find that different stitch algorithms will give you better results in different geometric situations. You have four options, which are represented by the integers 0-3 on the Triangulation Algorithm form. The options are shown below:

• 0: old algorithm • 1: new algorithm • 2: old algorithm with transforms • 3: new algorithm with transforms

The default value of the option in the defaults.mst file is 3. We will now demonstrate the effects observed on a particular string file of using each of the different toggle stitch algorithms.


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Triangulation Algorithm Open File bifurc2.str into graphics. Change the view of the data to easily see strings 1 and 2. ie. View by bearing & dip bearing = 0 dip = -15

From the Triangulate menu, select Triangulation algorithm, and on the form displayed select new algorithm with transforms. This is the default setting that is suitable for most data sets. This option uses a recently developed algorithm and has a step which transforms the segments so they are parallel and have aligned centroids before performing the stitching and then removing the transform. This is particularly successful when the data is coplanar but segments are at a high angle to one another. From the Triangulate menu, select Between segments, and create object 1 trisolation 1. Select string 1 then the right most segment of string 2 as shown:

Note the resultant surface triangulation.

Open File bifurc2.str without saving the result from the previous exercise and choose a similar view. From the Triangulate menu, select Triangulation algorithm. On the form select old algorithm with transforms. Select the same segments and observe the result. Note that the old algorithm with transforms also achieved a successful result but took significantly longer. This demonstrates the principal difference between the New and Old algorithms, ie. That the new one is much faster.


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Open File bifurc2.str without saving the result from the previous exercise and choose a similar view. From the Triangulate menu, select Triangulation algorithm, and on the form displayed select new algorithm. Select the same segments and observe the result.

Due to the nature of triangulation algorithms it is sometimes possible for the object to have the minimum surface area but display an unacceptable geometry. In this case the segments are too far apart geometrically for either the old algorithms or new algorithms (options 0 and 1 respectively) to work and the options with transforms should be chosen in preference. From the Triangulate menu, select Triangulation algorithm, then new algorithm with transforms on the form displayed. The principle example where the algorithms without transforms are preferable (ie. options 0 and 1) is when the centroids of the triangulated segments do not approximately align. This happens most often with elongate or lensoid segments or with extremely irregular segments. If you want to see all of the steps performed in this chapter, either run or edit:

_16_triangulation_algorithm.tcl Note: When ever macro pauses, displaying “Click in graphics to continue” in the message window. You will need to click in graphics each time to allow the macro to continue. Also, you will need to Apply the forms presented.

Summary

You should now have gained some practice in using the Triangulation algorithm. Note also that the algorithm that best suits your particular data can be set in the Defaults.ssi file as the default algorithm. This completes the Introduction to Solid modelling Manual.


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Documents

Surpac Solids Tutorial