Digitizing in 3D

Digitizing (drawing) point and string data is one of the key activities used in creating geological models, designing open pit or underground workings and scheduling.

3D windows offer advantages and the ability to separately control section and view parameters during these processes, a useful feature when dealing with complex 3D modelling and design scenarios. These display types evolved from legacy display ports which were predominantly 2D in nature.

See 3D Design for more information on the history of 3D windows in Studio products.

Listed below are a number of short procedures, introducing point or string data creation in a 3D window. Although each procedure lists a single method, other options, alternative methods and variations are also possible, in order to achieve the desired result.

Digitizing new data and editing existing objects in the 3D window can both involve generating new data. Data is defined by registering 3D locations.

Note: when digitizing the first points for new data e.g. points or strings, in a new project which does not yet have other data displayed and in memory, the current section may seem to disappear and then reappear as the second and subsequent point(s) is digitized. This behaviour is expected as the current section is automatically fits to the extents of the data hull. With a single digitized point on the screen, this hull then initially has zero width; as the additional points are digitized, the data hull no longer has zero width and the section should appear as normal.

Clicking & Snapping

Data points are added either by left-clicking with the mouse (or tapping with the stylus) to register a data location on the current 3D section. The 3D section is, essentially, the canvas upon which data is created, unless you choose to snap data points to other existing data, typically achieved with the right click of the mouse, or the corresponding behaviour with a smart stylus.

Left-clicking, or 'free' digitizing, relies on the current 3D section being oriented in such a way that all clicks hit the section plane. Placing points by right-click (snapping) does not require this as a data point is added to be coincident to the nearest data (within reason, if there's no data anywhere nearby, right-clicking results in nothing).

See Snapping to Data.

The Section Grid

The easiest way of seeing the position, extents and orientation of the current 3D section is by displaying the section indicator grid.

The current section is indicated by a set of grid lines. Depending on the orientation of the view, these grid lines (and hence the current section) may fully or partially fill the extents of the 3D window.

In the image of the drillhole and geological section strings data below, the current section is horizontal and the view direction is set to 'Plan'. In this case, any data which is digitized or edited, being placed with a left-click, will intersect and be placed on the plane of the current section.

In the image of the drillhole and geological section strings data below, the current section is still horizontal but the view direction is has been changed to 'East'. Note that the current section does not fully fill the view.

Here, any attempts to digitize or edit data, placed with a left-click, where the placement click falls outside of the grid (as shown in the above image), will result in a warning tone and the warning message 'No hit with active section!' being displayed in the Status Bar at the bottom of the main window, shown below.

Use the Section Indicator grid to:

Visually confirm the position, extents and orientation of the current section
Aid in digitizing new data when NOT snapping to other objects
Aid in positioning data (points, string points, strings, wireframes, etc.) when editing existing objects WITHOUT snapping.

Digitizing onto a Wireframe

Use this method to:

Interpret a mapped geological feature exposed on the surface or on the face of an excavation
Define a new grade control or mining limit, in plan, on a exposed pit bench
Create a drive path for a simulation object, for example, to simulate the haul route for a dump truck.

Load and display the reference wireframe and other relevant data.
Toggle on the Axis Indicator.
Make sure your snap settings are configured to permit snapping to wireframe data.
Rotate, pan and zoom the view as required.
In the Current Objects toolbar, create a new strings object, make it current.
Run new-string.
In the Current Objects toolbar, define the required attribute parameters.
Using the right-mouse (i.e. snapping), draw string points on the wireframe's surface.

Digitizing onto a Section

Use this method to:

Interpret geological features on a fixed section through a line of drillhole or blasthole data.
Define an ore waste boundary, along a vertical, inclined or horizontal section through a mining block model.

Load, display and format the reference data.
Toggle on the Axis Indicator.
In the Section toolbar, select Default Section; select Clip Outside and adjust the section width, set the vertical section’s position and orientation, click Align View.
Toggle off Perspective View; rotate, pan and zoom view as required
In the Current Objects toolbar, create a new strings object, make it current.
Run new-string.
In the Current Objects toolbar, define the required Attribute parameters.
Using the left-mouse (i.e. no snapping), digitize string points on to the section.
Disable clipping

Digitizing onto a Background Image

Use this method to:

Interpret geological features displayed in an imported seismic data image
Use an aerial photograph as background reference data when planning the layout of general mine infrastructure, stockpiles and dumps.

Import the section image. More...
Load, display and format any additional reference data.
Toggle on the Axis Indicator.
In the Sheets control bar, 3DWireframes sub-folder, right-click on the image's background wireframe, select Look At.
Rotate, pan and zoom view as required .
In the Current Objects toolbar, create a new strings object, make it current.
Run new-string.
In the Current Objects toolbar, define the required Attribute parameters.
Using the left-mouse (i.e. no snapping), digitize string points on to the section.

Digitizing by Snapping

Use this method to:

Interpret an ore horizon along a line of drillholes; a geological feature represented by mapped data points
Create Tag Strings between geological section strings, prior to generating wireframes.
Create grade control limits using blast hole, sampling points or grade control holes.

Load, display and format the relevant data.
Toggle on the Axis Indicator.
In the Sheets control bar, 3D sub-folder, right-click on the relevant object, select Look At.
In the 3DView toolbar, spin, pan and zoom the view as required.
Check that the required snap mode is set. You must choose the data type that can be snapped.
In the Current Objects toolbar, create or select an existing strings object, making it current.
Run new-string.
In the Current Objects toolbar, define the required Attribute parameters.
Using the right-mouse (i.e. snapping), consecutively digitize string points along the line of drillholes, connecting the displayed geological feature.

Digitizing Outside Section Limits

The selection of the Use Dimensions option and the setting of the associated Width and Height parameters in the Section Properties screen does not restrict the drawing of data (e.g. points, strings) on the section plane to within the section limits if the Clipping group Outside option is selected. The image below shows a new string (highlighted yellow) which has been digitised on the current section plane (indicated by the grid lines) and which lies outside of the width and height limits of the section plane extents (indicated by the dashed red lines):