Specify Additional Orientation Settings

Note: These settings allow you to define fixed slice angles or use dynamic orientations derived from a control surface. This is especially useful for complex deposits where planar assumptions don’t hold true across the entire orebody.

Activity steps

Create or select an MSO scenario.
If not already defined, specify a block model.
Set up the run economics.
Display the Orientation screen.
Define your Slice, Prism or Boundary orientation settings.
Define Framework Extents.
Expand the Additional Settings command group.
Choose a Default Dip. This is The angle between the horizontal plane and the slicing plane (0° = flat; 90° = vertical). For example, for a steeply dipping vein at 80°, use 80.
Define the Default Strike. This is the compass direction of the horizontal trace of the plane, measured clockwise from the north (0° to 360°). For example, a north-south striking orebody would use 0 or 180.
If the Optimization method is Slice, check Dynamic for local control of slice orientation. When checked, MSO overrides the default dip/strike using one of these values:
- Source – The source of the value to use, which can be either:
  - Control Surface – Use the orientation of a surface wireframe to define local dip and strike across slices. This is also referred to as "using a control surface".
    - Select a Wireframe triangles file.
  - Model Fields – Use specific fields in the block model containing dip and strike values per block. This could be useful if your model has already been estimated using a slope model to include anisotropic values.
    - Select the Dip Column in the block model, and the Strike Column. You can only select numeric attributes.
For any optimization method you have the option to Preanneal. This is enabled by default, which enables a pre-processing step that smooths the optimization space before the main algorithm runs. This helps prevent local traps and improves convergence, especially in complex geometries or dynamic orientations.

Note: If Preanneal is selected,

Note: In the majority of cases, preannealing significantly improves solution quality and stability in most scenarios. It’s especially important when using dynamic dip/strike or wireframe-constrained orientations. This is why it is enabled by default.
Save your settings