Assign Attributes to Design Data

To access this screen:

  • Using the Planning ribbon, click Design.

More About Attributes

Attributes are extra "fields" which get added to the end of the points table in the project. They are used to give scheduling activities extra information which can be used during the scheduling process, including, for example, level information, rock type, panel numbers etc. Traditionally, attributes were simply placed onto the design item strings by editing them in the 3D window. Experience has shown that it is easy to make mistakes using this method, and hence improved methods were devised to streamline the attribute application process, and reduce the risk of error.

Adding attributes to a design allows filtering of the schedule, and reporting in Studio UG. This improves the usefulness of the information derived from the final schedule. Attributes provide 'pointers' to different areas in the mine, so they can be easily located during the scheduling process. They are used to create the naming convention for each activity (mining activities and derived activities).  It is the naming convention which imports the attribute information into your application.

The Design Task

You can either load your design files into the 3D window, or unload them if already loaded, using the controls in the top left corner of the screen:

  1. Load design files: all design files for the currently selected design type tab (FXS, OUT, CXS or WFM) will be loaded. This mode remains active and, depending on the commands that are subsequently run, may cause the loaded data to be updated automatically.

    • You can also Load and Flag Designs. This will load the design data as normal, but will automatically apply attributes to data that has not yet been processed (or processed successfully). This will also automatically update legacy data files so they are compatible with Studio UG v3.1 or later. This information is displayed in the Output window.

      Once data is loaded, the following additional Filter options are available:

      Failed Designs: filter to show any data that could not be processed previously. This can be useful to isolate and resolve problematic design inputs.

      New Designs: show only data that has been added since the last processing run.

  2. Unload design files: this will unload any currently displayed objects from the 3D window. Whilst data on disk is unaffected, unsaved changes can be lost, so you will need to confirm your decision to unload data. This mode remains active - panel actions cannot not enforce the loading and display of design type data.

Apply Manual Attributes and Filter Data

Manual attributes are applied using the Manual Attribute Assignment panel - design data must be loaded first (see above). Only attributes defined with an Application Method of [Manual] can be applied in this way.

To apply manual attributes to loaded design data:

  1. Define the attribute(s) you wish to apply, using the Attributes panel, if required.
  2. Load your design data into the primary 3D window.
  3. Select the data you wish to update, or Filter the data you don't wish to update.
  4. Optionally, manually design one or more ramps using the Interactive Ramp Tool.
  5. Optionally, make design string changes using the Edge Editor tool.
  6. Use Apply to Selected or Apply to Visible to inject the attribute and value into your design data.
  7. Save your design data:

You can either choose an existing attribute value to apply to your data or define a new value. Enter a New Value and apply it to some data (any method) so that it appears in the list above (the list will only show existing/used attribute values for the currently loaded design data).

You can also define automated design rules that will prepare your design data (attribute, deplete) according to a set of instructions that will be applied to all qualifying (unfiltered data). More...

To Filter Data to Show Only Selected Attribute Values:

  1. Load your design data. See The Design Screen.
  2. Select an Attribute containing the value(s) you wish to select and (optionally) display without other data in the 3D view.

  3. Select one or more values in the Current Values table.

    Tip: select concurrent rows using <SHIFT>and left click, or select separated rows using <CTRL> and left click.

  4. Select and highlight data in the 3D view that has the selected attribute value(s) by checking Select 3D entities by selected attribute values.

  5. Using the Filter drop-down list, choose <selected attribute value>.

    Only selected data displays in the 3D view.

New vs. Existing Attributes

Studio UG lets you define your own scheduling attributes and can also detect qualifying attributes that already exist within your design data for further application (say, you wish to extend a drive finger and apply an existing location flag attribute to the new data):

  • Creating New Attributes– attributes can be added to the design by defining the desired attribute using the Attributes panel (making sure design data is unloaded first, and applying it using one of the available functions in Studio UG. The attributes panel is accessible with this icon in the top right of the panel:

  • Using Existing Attributes- carries existing attributes from project design files to activities.Studio UGwill add its own attributes to the design files as you progress through the advanced processes. For this reason,Studio UGwill prevent any unnecessary attributes from being carried across from the design files to the activities which are generated from the design files.

    If attributes are to be carried across from the design to their subsequent activities, they must be listed in the Attributes panel.

Display Data Labels

You can review the current values of an attribute for your design data using the Labels tools. You can show values for any attribute within your design data, including automatically-generated data. You can show one attribute value at a time.

To apply labels to loaded design data:

  1. Load your design data (see above).
  2. Enable the Labels check box at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Choose between displaying the attribute listed in the Manual Attribute Assignment group above, or a different attribute.
  4. Choose an attribute from the drop-down list. The 3D window will update automatically to show the values throughout the file.

Show and Edit Design Directions

Once design data is loaded (see above), you can visualize design strings with their corresponding string segment directions. This indicates the order in which precursor and successor activities will be applied during processing.

The Show Arrows check box is used to enable or disable the use of arrow symbols on Fixed Cross Sectional string data (complex solid and outline strings do not require a direction to be defined, and so are unaffected by this visual option.

If you wish to reverse the direction of a design string, it is recommended to enable the Show Arrows check box first. Then, select Reverse Strings and click on one or more FXS design strings in any 3D window to reverse the direction of the selected data.

Note: Changing FXS design string direction can have a significant impact on the results of solids and activity point calculations.

Save your data (using the Save button at the top of the form) for these changes to be applied to your data, and used during subsequent processing.

Reverse Design Strings

String direction is important in Studio UG as it determines the direction of mining. You can reverse loaded design string data using the Reverse Strings button in the bottom right corner of the Design panel:

Related topics and activities: