ELLIPSE Process

To access this process:

Estimate ribbon >> Estimate >> Ellipse
View the Find Command screen, select ELLIPSE and click Run.
Enter "ELLIPSE" into the Command Line and press <ENTER>.

See this process in the Command Table.

Process Overview

Note: This is a superprocess and running it may have an effect on other Datamine files in the project.

This process can be used to generate an ellipsoid wireframe and/or an ellipsoid point file.

The lengths of the axes and the orientation of the generated ellipsoid (point- or wireframe-type) can be defined either through a search volume parameter file, as used for input to the ESTIMA process, or by parameter. Although the description here is in terms of a search volume ellipsoid, the ellipsoid could also represent the anisotropic ranges of a variogram model.

Output ellipsoid data can be loaded into a 3D window and used to verify that the lengths of the axes and the orientation are as expected, in reference to other data. This is true for either the output wireframe (pt/tr) or the ellipse data point file, if one is generated.

There are three components to the wireframe, each with a different value for field ZONE in the triangle file:

1 - The outside surface of the ellipsoid;

2 - The three planes parallel to the axes of the ellipsoid;

3 - A set of axes for the world coordinate system.

If wireframe data is generated, each octant of the ellipsoid is created using a different field (1 to 8), and the axes are 13. Therefore you can use the filter-wireframe-triangles (fwt) command or similar filtering mechanisms to select components of the wireframe.

The coordinates of the centre of the ellipsoid can be defined using the @XCENTRE, @YCENTRE and @ZCENTRE parameters. The default values of these parameters are zero.

Generating an Ellipsoid With SRCPARM Input

If a search volume parameter file (SRCPARM) is specified, then the definition of the ellipsoid will be taken from this file. If the file contains more than one definition, then the required definition can be selected using the @SREFNUM parameter. If the file only contains one definition, and @SREFNUM is set to absent data (the default), then that definition will be used. Details of the search volume parameter file and its fields can be found in the Reference Manual entry for the process ESTIMA.

If SRCPARM is specified, VMODEL is not permitted.

If SRCPARM is specified, an output ellipsoid data object is generated and *WIRETR and *WIREPT are ignored.

Generating an Ellipsoid With VMODEL Input

As an alternative to SRCPARM input, a variogram model file can be used to create an ellipse of the sum of the valid variogram ranges (up to a maximum of 10). Ellipsoid calculation will only consider ranges (STnPAR1 as Length Y; STnPAR2 as Length Y, STnPAR3 as Length Y) including those where STn is set to 1. Essentially, an ellipsoid will be created to enclose the shape of the variogram model.

If VMODEL is specified, SRCPARM is not permitted.

If VMODEL is specified, an output ellipsoid data object is generated and *WIRETR and *WIREPT are ignored.

Generating Multiple Ellipsoids

ZONE is an optional attribute field (numeric or alphanumeric) in input search volume parameters or variogram model. This creates an output ellipse for each record in the SREFNUM and VREFNUM, and ZONE is assigned to the output wireframe or ellipsoid. If ZONE is set, parameters SREFNUM and VREFNUM are ignored.

When multiple ellipsoids are generated, CENTRE determines where each ellipsoid is positioned in 3D space. If multiple ellipsoids are created and no CENTRE file is specified, all ellipsoids are generated with the same centroid location.

CENTRE is used with SRCPARM or VMODEL is defined and a field ZONE is specified. It must contain a ZONE field matching SRCPARM or VMODEL contents. If set, parameters XCENTRE, YCENTRE and ZCENTRE are ignored as the midrange position of coordinates in that file (for the designated ZONE) is used for the corresponding ellipsoid, if multiple coordinate records per ZONE exist. An example input could be a table of coordinate positons for each ZONE where ellipsoids are centred or a drillhole file where each ellipsoid is centred at the midrange of the sample positions.

Input Files

Name	Description	I/O Status	Required	Type
SRCPARM	Input search volume parameter file, as used in the ESTIMA process. This file must contains the fields SREFNUM, SANGLE1, SANGLE2, SANGLE3, SAXIS1, SAXIS2, SAXIS3, SDIST1, SDIST2, and SDIST3, which define the orientation and dimensions of the search volume. If SRCPARM is specified, VMODEL is not permitted.	Input	No	Undefined
VMODEL	Input search volume parameter file, as used in the ESTIMA process. This file must contains the fields SREFNUM, SANGLE1, SANGLE2, SANGLE3, SAXIS1, SAXIS2, SAXIS3, SDIST1, SDIST2, and SDIST3, which define the orientation and dimensions of the search volume. If VMODEL is specified, SRCPARM is not permitted.	Input	No	Undefined
CENTRE	Optional input file for the centre position of each ellipsoids. Only used with SRCPARM or VMODEL and field ZONE. CENTRE must contain a ZONE field matching SRCPARM or VMODEL. If set, parameters XCENTRE, YCENTRE and ZCENTRE are ignored. If multiple coordinate records per ZONE exist, the midrange coordinate is used. An example input could be a table of coordinate positons for each ZONE where ellipsoids should be centred or a drillhole file where each ellipsoids is centred at the midrange of the sample positions.	Input	No	Undefined

Output Files

Name	I/O Status	Required	Type	Description
WIRETR	Output	No	Wireframe Triangle File	Optional output wireframe triangle file. If this file is not specified a file with the name ELTR will be created. The wireframe will be created to enclose the limits of the input search or variogram model.
WIREPT	Output	No	Wireframe Points File.	Optional output wireframe points file.
ELLIPSE	Output	No	Ellipsoid File.	Optional output ellipsoid file. The wireframe will be created to enclose the limits of the input search or variogram model. Also see "Generating Multiple Ellipsoids", above.

Fields

Name

Description

Source

Required

Type

Default

ZONE

An optional attribute field (numeric or alphanumeric) in the input search volume parameters or variogram model.

This creates an output ellipse for each record in the SREFNUM and VREFNUM, and ZONE is assigned to the output wireframe or ellipsoid.

If ZONE is set, parameters SREFNUM and VREFNUM are ignored.

If input file CENTRE with matching ZONE is set, ellipsoids are positioned at midrange of input data

SRCPARM or VMODEL

Any

Undefined

X/Y/Z

Field in input CENTRE file that defines the X/Y/Z coordinate.

CENTRE

Any

Undefined

Parameters

Name	Description	Required	Default	Range	Values
SREFNUM	If a search volume parameter file (SRCPARM) is specified, then it must include a field SREFNUM which defines a unique reference number for each search volume. The SREFNUM parameter then defines which search volume will be used. If the SREFNUM parameter is set to absent data (the default), then the first search volume in the file will be used.	No	-	Undefined	Undefined
VREFNUM	If a variogram model (VMODEL) is specified, then it must include a field VREFNUM which defines a unique reference number for each variogram model. The VMODEL parameter then defines which variogram model will be used. If the VREFNUM parameter is set to absent data (the default), then the first variogram model in the file will be used.	No	-	Undefined	Undefined
SANGLE1	First rotation angle clockwise in degrees, around axis SAXIS1 . It must lie between -360.0 and +360.0. A value of zero indicates no rotation.	No	0	-360,360	Undefined
SANGLE2	Second rotation angle clockwise in degrees, around axis SAXIS2 . It must lie between 360.0 and +360.0. A value of zero indicates no rotation.	No	0	-360,360	Undefined
SANGLE3	Third rotation angle clockwise in degrees, around axis SAXIS3 . It must lie between -360.0 and +360.0. A value of zero indicates no rotation.	No	0	-360,360	Undefined
SAXIS1	Axis around which first rotation angle will occur. 0 for no rotation, 1 for X axis, 2 for Y axis, 3 for Z axis.	No	3	0,3	0,1,2,3
SAXIS2	Axis around which second rotation angle will occur. 0 for no rotation, 1 for X axis, 2 for Y axis, 3 for Z axis.	No	1	0,3	0,1,2,3
SAXIS3	Axis around which third rotation angle will occur. 0 for no rotation, 1 for X axis, 2 for Y axis, 3 for Z axis.	No	3	0,3	0,1,2,3
SDIST1	The length of the first axis of the ellipsoid. Initially, before any rotation, SDIST1 is along the X axis.	No	10	Undefined	Undefined
SDIST2	The length of the second axis of the ellipsoid. Initially, before any rotation, SDIST2 is along the Y axis.	No	10	Undefined	Undefined
SDIST3	The length of the third axis of the ellipsoid. Initially, before any rotation, SDIST3 is along the Z axis.	No	10	Undefined	Undefined
XCENTRE	The X coordinate of the centre of the ellipsoid. Not used if file CENTRE and field ZONE specified.	No	0	Undefined	Undefined
YCENTRE	The Ycoordinate of the centre of the ellipsoid. Not used if file CENTRE and field ZONE specified.	No	0	Undefined	Undefined
ZCENTRE	The Z coordinate of the centre of the ellipsoid. Not used if file CENTRE and field ZONE specified.	No	0	Undefined	Undefined
PRINT	Print flag: =0 for minimum output. =1 for runtime information messages.	No	0	0,1	0,1

Example

Create a wireframe ellipsoid corresponding to search volume reference number 7 in file SPAR1:

!ELLIPSE &SRCPARM(SPAR1), &WIRETR(WTR1), &WIREPT(WPT1), @SREFNUM=7, @PRINT=0.0

Create a wireframe ellipsoid which is rotated 30o around axis 1 (X), followed by 60o around axis 3 (Z). The lengths of the axes are 100m along axis 1, 50m along axis 2, and 20m along axis 3.

!ELLIPSE &WIRETR(WTR1), &WIREPT(WPT1), @SANGLE1=30, @SANGLE2=60,

@SAXIS1=1, @SAXIS2=3,

@SDIST1=100, @SDIST2=50, @SDIST3=20,

@PRINT=0.0

THE WIREFRAME ELLIPSOID HAS BEEN CREATED
----------------------------------------

Wireframe WTR1 , WPT1 contains the ellipsoid for display in GUIDE

The following parameters were used:
Length of X,Y,Z axes: 100, 50, 20
Rotation angles: 30, 60, 0
Rotation axes: 1, 3, 3

There are 3 components to the wireframe, each with a different
value for field ZONE in the triangle file:

the outside surface of the ellipsoid
the three planes orthogonal to the axes of the ellipsoid
a set of wireframed axes for the world coordinate system

Each octant of the ellipsoid is displayed in a different
(1 to 8), and the axes are 13.

Therefore you can use the filter-wireframe-triangles (fwt) command
in GUIDE to select components of the wireframe:
eg NOT =1 will filter out the first octant.
> ZONE=2 will show only the outside of the ellipsoid

Error and Warning Messages

Message	Description
ERROR: SRCPARM file FFFFFFFF does not exist.	Search volume parameter file FFFFFFFF has been specified, but it does not exist.
ERROR: No records in SRCPARM file FFFFFFFF.	Search volume parameter file FFFFFFFF has been specified, and it exists, but it does not contain any records.
ERROR: SRCPARM file FFFFFFFF does not include field SREFNUM.	Search volume parameter file FFFFFFFF has been specified, and it exists and contains records, but it does not contain field SREFNUM .
ERROR: file FFFFFFFF does not contain SREFNUM=SSSSSSSS.	Search volume parameter file FFFFFFFF has been specified, and it exists and contains records and has a field SREFNUM, but none of the values for field SREFNUM are equal to SSSSSSSS.
ERROR: one of the following fields is missing from FFFFFFFF. SDIST1, SANGLE1, SAXIS1 SDIST2, SANGLE2, SAXIS2 SDIST3, SANGLE3, SAXIS3	Search volume parameter file FFFFFFFF has been specified, and it exists and contains records, but one or more of the fields shown above are missing.
ERROR: SANGLEn is specified as NNNNNN.NN.	It must lie between -360 and +360.The SANGLEn parameter has been specified with an invalid value.
ERROR: Rotation axis n has been specified as R.	Only values 0, 1, 2 or 3 are permitted.
An invalid value for parameter SAXISn has been specified. ERROR: parameter SDISTn is missing or is less than zero.	All three SDISTn parameters must be specified and must be greater than zero.
ERROR in Process ELLIPSE >>> PRESS <RETURN> TO CONTINUE (OR ! TO TERMINATE) >	An error has occurred. An unidentifiable error has been encountered.