LAYOUT Process

• LAYOUT Process
• • Process Overview
  • Laying Out Blast Holes
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Stopping and Restarting
  • Patterns
  • Input Files
  • Parameters
  • Example
  • Error and Warning Messages

To access this process:

• Enter "LAYOUT" into the Command Line and press <ENTER>.

• Display the Find Command screen, locate LAYOUT and click Run.

See this process in the Command Table.

Note: This process is not actively developer, and has been superseded by Datamine's Ore Controller solution. Contact your local Datamine office for details.

Process Overview

Lay out a blast pattern.

You pick a blast from the input file to work on; this defines both the Bench and Blast numbers which will remain in force until a new blast is chosen.

If the blast specified is not on file (for example, blast 0) then all holes on the input file will be read, and a dummy rectangular outline constructed around them. The program automatically works out the co-ordinate limits of this blast, and will compute a rotation angle to align the major axis of the blast along the screen X axis; the user may override this if required. The blast is then shown on the graphics screen.
A set of grid lines in the original co-ordinate system is also shown, rotated if the blast was rotated. Different colours may be chosen (under user control) for the two axes, to give an indication of which axis is which. A suitable grid size is chosen automatically, but the user may change or suppress this if required (DEFAULTS [/CF] command).

If there are any existing blast-holes on file, these may be read in (GET HOLES [/FO] command) and displayed. A set of colours is automatically chosen to display blast-hole grades in, based upon the first grade field found in the blast-hole file (if any). The user may choose different fields, colours, grade ranges etc. by use of the BLASTHOLE DISPLAY [/CD] command.

A title is automatically generated giving the Bench and Blast numbers; again, this may be substituted by use of the TITLE [/DT] command.

Laying Out Blast Holes

The LAY DOWN PATTERN [/BP] command is used to place one of the defined blast-hole patterns into the Blast outline. The orientation of the blast rows is chosen either by defining two points with the cursor, or by selecting an existing line. The position of the first hole is chosen by cursor and an optional offset may also be entered. The chosen pattern is then laid down within the Blast outline.

Because different parts of the blast often require different patterns, a perimeter may also be defined (DIGITISER [/CD] or NEW PERIMETER [/EN]) before the holes are laid out. The pattern will then be laid within this perimeter as well as within the Blast Outline.

Perimeters may also be used to selectively remove holes either inside or outside any defined region (the CUT HOLES IN PERIM [/DC] command). These perimeters may be stored on the OUTLINES file for future use.

Individual holes may be entered or removed as required through the DEFINE HOLE [/BD] command. A useful feature here, especially when joining two patterns which are at an angle to each other, is the ability to define a new hole halfway between two existing holes.

All holes for the current Blast are stored in an internal working array. These may be written to the HOLES file at any time by the WRITE BLAST HOLES [/FL] command, or retrieved by the GET HOLES [/FO] command. There is no limit to the number of holes that may be defined in a Blast.

Holes may be sequentially numbered by the NUMBER HOLES [/BN] command. If the automatic method of numbering is chosen, then holes are numbered from the top row (as displayed on the screen) to the bottom, on the assumption that the user has oriented the Blast appropriately. A manual method of numbering is also supplied. A third method allows holes to be numbered according to distance from a user-supplied line or string.

Coordinate Systems

LAYOUT can handle either a conventional right-handed co-ordinate system, or the inverted LO co-ordinate system as used in many parts of Africa. If the LO system is used, then all co-ordinates (for perimeters, blast-holes and geology) must be input in this system. The optional parameter COORDTYP is set to 1, and the parameters LOYORIG and LOXORIG must be set to provide a reference point for the system to use for internal data transformation. This internal system is completely transparent to the user, who does not need to use it; all input/output is in the LO system.

Stopping and Restarting

Because most files are keyed by Bench, Blast and Composite number, many different blasts may safely be dealt with in a single set of files. Since LAYOUT will set up any output files with all the appropriate fields if they do not exist on input, there is no need to worry about the format of the output files the first time around. The system has been designed to use these files for both input and output, so that a blast layout can be halted (and LAYOUT exited) mid-way through; re-entry into LAYOUT with the same files and parameters as before will allow the blast layout to be restarted from exactly where it stopped.

Patterns

Up to 12 blast-hole layout patterns may be defined and stored in the PATTERNS file for use as required. These patterns are defined by row and column spacing and row offsets for up to 5 different rows. For a simple rectangular pattern, only a single row is required. These patterns may be stored in the PATTERNS file and selected as required. The SELECT PATTERN [/BS] command selects a particular pattern, while the UPDATE PATTERN [/BU] command updates patterns. Both commands show all available patterns on the graphics screen, at the scale currently selected.

Input Files

Parameters

Example

!LAYOUT  &IN(BLASTLAY), &TEXT(BLASTTXT), &OUTLINES(OUTL), 
         &PATTERNS(PATTERNS), &COLLARS(COLLARS), &HOLES(BLSTHOLE), 
         &GEOL(GEOL),@COORDTYP=0, @HAXISCOL=8, @VAXISCOL=10, @CHARSIZE=3

Error and Warning Messages