Configure Stope Smoothing Settings

Stope Smoothing is a post-processing operation in MSO, designed to improve the spatial continuity of stope boundaries by adjusting the position of stope segments to reduce irregular shapes or jagged geometries. This step is applied after the initial optimization and does not change the economic or geometrical parameters used in the optimization run. Instead, it improves visual quality, operational practicality, and mine planning consistency.

Smoothing Methods

Smoothing operates by evaluating neighbouring stope shapes and adjusting their contact zones, primarily along a selected axis or direction. It is especially useful when producing more regular stope layouts for scheduling, development planning, and reconciliation.

Fast Anneal	The default and recommended method. Fast and honours geometry conditions, investigating solutions within the specified gap range. Produces similar or better results than the full anneal method but with reduced runtime. Tip: Use this method for efficiency with generally reliable outcomes.
Anneal	The most accurate but slowest method. Honours all geometry constraints. First minimizes the gap between corners, then tries to improve the adjusted shape. Can increase runtime by over 500%. Recommended to start with a single pass. Tip: Use this method if shape validity and precision are critical.
Average	Moves the corners to the average of the two adjacent ones (on the W-axis). Fast, but ignores geometry rules, so may result in invalid shapes. Use with caution.
Outer Limit	Extends stope corners to the farthest of the two adjacent corners (on the W-axis). Maximizes size but also ignores geometry rules. Also fast, but riskier in terms of shape validity.

Tip: Average and Outer Limit are useful when prioritizing speed and when small geometric errors are acceptable.

Match Direction Options

	Description	Usage
U	Matches stopes across sections (strike direction).	For ensuring alignment along the strike.
V	Matches stopes vertically across levels (dip direction).	For vertical continuity in level-based stoping.
UV	Matches both directions simultaneously.	For maximizing 3D continuity across sections and levels.
U Near / Far	Matches only near or far wall corners across sections.	For localized control over specific side continuity.
V Near / Far	Matches only top or bottom wall corners across levels.	Useful when vertical walls vary significantly.
UV Near / Far	Combination localized smoothing across both planes.	Use for fine-tuning in complex geometries.

Activity steps

Create an MSO scenario and define a block model.
Configure other settings as required.
Display the Post Processing screen.
Check Use Stope Smoothing.
Choose a Smoothing Method. See "Smoothing Methods", above. Depending on your selection a selection of the options below display:
- Match Direction – Defines the directional axis across which shapes are evaluated for smoothing. These options allow directional control over how smoothing is applied, which is crucial in cases where geometric continuity needs to be preserved only in specific directions (such as in sublevel stoping where vertical continuity is prioritized).
  
  Available options:
  - U, V, or UV – Smooth along the main design axes.
  - U Near, U Far, V Near, V Far, UV Near, UV Far – Limits smoothing influence to the selected side.
  See "Match Direction Options", above.
- Maximum Gap – The maximum allowed offset between adjacent stope shapes. Shapes exceeding this threshold are considered for adjustment.
- Multi-Pass Limit – Displayed for the Anneal Smoothing Method (see above), this sets th maximum number of passes the algorithm should perform. Set to 0 for unlimited passes within the time limit.
- Time Limit – Displayed for the Anneal Smoothing Method (see above), this sets the maximum time in seconds to spend on smoothing iterations. Prevents excessively long runs during optimization.
Save your settings and continue defining other post-processing options.