Minescape projects

Understanding and managing Minescape projects

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Minescape projects
About projects
Within a project, related mining data is grouped in such a way that it can be
effectively managed, manipulated and analysed. Generally speaking, a project
corresponds to an operating mine site or exploration prospect.
All work within Minescape must be carried out within a valid Minescape project.
The project can be selected prior to starting Minescape or during Minescape
startup.
New projects can also be created during startup.
See: Setting up projects
Minescape permits only one project to be open at any one time. This project is
known as the current project. The current project name is displayed in the Title
Bar of the GTi window.
Data from another project can be viewed (i.e. read-only) from within Minescape
using the GDS Manager or it may be selected from other projects.
Each project has a separate directory known as the project directory. The
project directory contains a predefined directory structure for Minescape
information (i.e. a .mnscreate file, and data, designs, environ, logfiles, reports,
and specs directories etc). This structure is automatically created in the project
creation sequence.
The project location is automatically generated as a subdirectory under the site
project root directory as specified in the MIN_ROOT environment variable. The
project directory must have the same naming rules as the project name and
must be in lower case .
See: Example MIN_ROOT definition (UNIX)
Example MIN_ROOT definition (NT)
If the project location does not match these requirements, ask your System
Administrator to set up linkages or an alternate MIN_ROOT.
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Units of measure
All Minescape measurable numeric data requires an associated unit of measure.
Minescape must know whether that value is a length or area measurement, and,
if it is a length, whether it is to be stored in Metres or Feet. This is vital if these
values are to be numerically manipulated.
For example:
Length (Metres) * length (Feet) = area (acres)
or
Mass (Tonnes) * percent ash = Ash (grams)
Minescape allows the classification of all numeric data into a unit category,
current and associated decimal places for display as illustrated in the following
figure.

Units of measure hierarchy example

UNIT
DATA UNIT DECIMAL
CATEGORY
ITEM NAME PLACES
e.g. Length e.g. Metres e.g. 3
e.g. Drill hole 1
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Unit categories
Data items are categorised according to their unit category:

Category Description
angle mathematical angles and rotations
area area in plan
bearing angle in plan
date date display
density relative density of material
depth vertical distance
duration measurement of time
energy derived energy from a mass
grade vertical angles
length horizontal distance
mass weight of material
pct percent of material
plotter distance in plotter units
ppm part per million
sizing small distance measurements
temp temperature
time time display
volume volume of material
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Unit names
Each unit category has an associated unit name. The following standard unit
names are defined for the respective unit categories:

Unit names

Category Unit Name

angle DMS, Degrees, Gradient_Decimal, Gradient_Degrees, Gradient_Grads, Gradient_Percent,
Gradient_Radians, Grads, Radians,
area Acres, Hectares, Sq. Centimetres, Sq. Feet, Sq. Inches, Sq. Kilometres, Sq. Metres, Sq.
Miles, Sq. Yards
bearing DMS, Degrees, Gradient, Grads, Percent, Positive Degrees, Radians
date %d/%h/%y
d—day of month as a decimal number (01-31)
h—locale’s abbreviated month name
y—year as a decimal number (00-99)
density Grams/cc, Kg/Cu. Metre, Kg/Litre, Tonnes/Cu. Metre, Tons/Cu. Yard, lbs/Cu. Foot, lbs/Cu.Yard
depth Centimetres, Feet, Inches, Kilometres, Metres, Miles, Millimetres
duration %H:%M:%S
H—24-hour clock as a decimal number (00-23)
M—minute as a decimal number (00-59)
S—seconds as a decimal number (00-61), allows for leap seconds
energy MJ/kg, %, BTU/lb, MJ/kg, Kcal
grade DMS, Degrees, Gradient, Grads, Percent, Positive Degrees, Radians
length Centimetres, Feet, Inches, Kilometres, Metres, Miles, Millimetres
mass 1000 Short Tons, 1000 Tonnes, 1000 Tons, Grams, Kilograms, Ounces, Pounds, Short Tons,
Tonnes, Tons
pct %
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Unit names (contd)

plotter Centimetres, Feet, Inches, Metres, Millimetres, Yards
ppm %, Grams
sizing %, MM, In
temp %, DEGC, DEGF
time %H:%M:%S
H—24-hour clock as a decimal number (00-23)
M—minute as a decimal number (00-59)
S—seconds as a decimal number (00-61), allows for leap seconds
volume 1000 Cu. Metres, 1000 Cu. Yards, Cu. Centimetres, Cu. Feet, Cu. Inches, Cu. Kilometres, Cu.
Metres, Cu. Miles

You can create your own unit names to supplement the standard Minescape set.
A valid conversion factor is required when specifying a user-defined unit name.

Creating new unit names

New units can be created for a Unit Category via the following form. When new
units are created, the conversion factor from the internal base unit must be
entered so the units are displayed correctly in Minescape. For example, if the
internal base unit is Metres and you are creating a new unit of Kilometres, the
conversion factor is 1000.
To create a new unit name:
❏ From within any page, open the Minescape Explorer (by selecting
Page➤Current➤Minescape Explorer from the Menu Bar or the Minescape
Explorer button from the Tool Bar.)
❏ Expand the Environment hierarchy .
❏ Open the Unit Categories folder. The unit category types are displayed
in the Unit Categories panel.
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❏ Select the unit Category for creating a new unit e.g. length from the pull-down
selection list .
❏ Select the Create button—the following form opens:

Select
from the
pull-down
selection
lists

❏ Current unit names are displayed in the Available Units panel. Enter a new
unit by entering the name in the Units field and the conversion factor in the
Factor field.
❏ To submit the changes and exit the form, select OK. By selecting Apply, the
form remains for other unit definitions.
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Decimal places
Each Unit Name has an associated number of decimal places for display and
output purposes.

Current and internal units

Current units
Current units are used to input and output data to the current project. The current
unit name and decimal places settings for each unit category is known as the
current units for the project. Although defaults are provided, you can set the
units for a project to your own preferences.

Internal units
Minescape stores data in the internal units set during project creation. These
can differ from the project’s current units. If no special units are specified, current
units are used by default. When created, the file’s units are referred to as its
internal units.
Note: Once set, the internal units of a file cannot be changed.

Using multiple units of measure

Minescape data can have different units of measure For example, data can be
entered in feet and reported in metres. The units for entering data are internally
maintained by Minescape and usually reflect the measurement system of the
country.
The following examples demonstrate Minescape’s ability to manage multiple
units of measure:
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Example 1
You need to input a Length data item containing a Feet value that has an
internal unit of Metres and a current unit of Metres:
❏ Specify a Unit Category Length and Unit Name Feet for the data item.
❏ Change the current units for Unit Category Length to Feet. Whenever that
particular Length data item is referred to, it is assumed to be in Feet; however
the data remains stored in Metres.
Note: Any files subsequently created with Unit Category Length have an internal unit of
Feet. To work in metres, reset the current units for Unit Category Length to
Metres.

Example 2
You need to output a Length data item in Yards value with an internal unit of
Feet and a current unit of Feet:
❏ Change the current units for Unit Category Length to Yards. The output data
is converted to Yards, however the data remains stored as Feet.
Note: Any files subsequently created with Unit Category Length, have an internal unit of
Yards. To work in Feet, reset the current units for Unit Category Length to
Feet.

The importance of static current units

The previous example describes conversion between different internal and
current units. Where possible, the same current units and internal units should
be used—this eliminates continual conversion and maximises performance.
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Changing a current units definition

To change a specific current unit category:
❏ Open the Minescape Explorer by selecting Page➤Current➤Minescape
Explorer from the Menu Bar or by selecting the Minescape Explorer
button from the Tool Bar.
❏ Expand the Environment hierarchy .
❏ Open the Unit Categories folder. The unit category types are displayed
in the Unit Categories panel.
❏ Select the unit category to edit by selecting its label, e.g. length.
❏ Select the Edit button. The following form showing the current unit
definitions opens:

❏ The form displays the current unit definition applying to the project in the
Current Definition panel. The available unit names are displayed in the
Available Units panel.
❏ To select a new unit name, select an item from the pull-down selection list in
the Current Unit field.
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❏ An alternative number of decimal places is set by selecting the Decimal

Places field.
Select
from the
pull-down
selection
lists

❏ To submit the changes and exit the form, select OK. By selecting the Apply
button, the form remains for other changes.
See also: Setting global unit preferences.

Base unit
The Base unit is set to be the first unit listed in the Units pull-down selection list
in the Available Units panel. The Base unit field cannot be edited—
modifications are made in the Units field. Select OK when you have made the
necessary changes.
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Project origin
Specifying a project origin consists of:
■ Specifying the global origin (see below)

■ Specifying the project quadrant

Specifying the global origin

Data source files in Minescape store XYZ coordinates as offsets from a
reference point, known as the global origin. For example, if the global origin of a
project is (651000,7404000,0) and a coordinate is entered at
(651800,7414000,-10) Minescape stores that coordinate as (800,10000,-10)—
the offset from the global origin.
Offsets are stored in single-precision floating point format, allowing storage of
XYZ offsets with seven digits. For example, if the unit of measure is metres,
Minescape can store coordinate data up to a radius of 10km from the global
origin with millimetre precision.
A project’s global origin is specified by:
■ Easting—the west/east coordinate (X coordinate).

■ Northing—the south/north coordinate (Y coordinate).

■ Elevation—the depth/height coordinate (Z coordinate).

Making the global origin central

The global origin should be close to the project’s geographic centre (the
centroid) to maximise precision within the project. For example:
A mining prospect covers a rectangular area of 9km x 18km. There are two
options for the project’s global origin:
■ the southwest corner of the project.

■ the centre of the project.

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The following figure shows that if the global origin is specified in the southwest
(or any) corner of the project, millimetre precision cannot be maintained over the
entire project.

A SW global origin in a 9km x 18km project

10
8 Area of cm
Kilometres

6 precision
Project Area
4 Area of mm
2 precision
0

Global 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
origin Kilometres

Area of mm precision

Figure shows that if the global origin is specified in the centre of the project,
millimetre precision can be maintained over the entire project.
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A central global origin in a 9km x 18km project

Area of mm
10 precision
8
Project Area
Kilometres

6
4 Global
origin
2
0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Kilometres

Figure provides a real-world example of where you should place the global
origin.
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Placing the global origin in the centre of a project

7412000

centroid
7404000

SW 7396000
648000 651000 654000

The global origin of the project in Figure is:

■ Easting—651000.00

■ Northing—7404000.00

■ Elevation—0.00 (Elevation is typically 0.00)

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Specifying the project quadrant

The quadrant where the global origin is located must be specified. The quadrant
determines the direction in which X and Y coordinates increase in plan (top)
view.
The first quadrant (Quadrant NE) is the most commonly used, where X
coordinates increase to the right and Y coordinates increase upwards.
Note: Only one quadrant can be defined for a project.

Figure shows the different quadrants.

Quadrants

Y axis

NW NE

SECOND FIRST
Quadrant Quadrant

X axis
THIRD FOURTH
Quadrant Quadrant

SW SE
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Managing projects
How the current project is set
The current project is set when starting Minescape. The project displayed in the
Minescape initialisation form is, by default, the last project in use before
Minescape was last exited.

Changing the current project

Changing projects is not permitted at run-time. To change projects, exit
Minescape, select a new or existing project and restart Minescape.

Simultaneous Projects
Minescape does not permit work on multiple projects in the same GTi window.

Accessing files from other projects

Although the current project cannot be changed at run-time, data files from other
projects can be accessed.
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Project directory conventions

Minescape automatically creates a set of subdirectories and files when creating
new projects. The regimented directory structure and file naming conventions
ensure that files of particular types are stored together and are similarly named.
To do this, Minescape allocates each file type a unique suffix and stores them in
a default directory.
When file names are entered without an extension or directory path, Minescape
adds the default extension and directory path. The primary purpose of the
default directory structure and file naming convention is to ensure that files are
easy to locate and identify.
Note: Entering file names with an extension or directory path is dangerous. If the
extension or path is different to the default, Minescape may not recognise the file or
be able to find the file later.
How Minescape searches directories
You will normally need to specify only the name (without extension or directory)
for file selection and input. This allows Minescape to search for the required file
using the default directories and extensions within project, site and tables paths.
See also: Minescape search path

Minescape file names

For Unix
A Minescape file can consist of the follow components:
❏ Name—name of file
❏ Suffix—file suffix
❏ Qualifier—optional addition to sub-directory
❏ Directory—project sub-directory
❏ Project—project name ([CAT]project%)
❏ Path—full path name (replaces all of the above)
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The individual components are designated by special characters:

❏ .extension—suffix supplied
❏ [qualifier]—qualifier (embedded directory)
❏ direct/—override directory
❏ [CAT]project%—project provided
❏ /path or ./path—full path provided (replaces all of the above)

Examples of a design file where the default extension is .dgn and the defaults
directory is designs.
blocks = designs/blocks.dgn
blocks.old = designs/blocks.old
survey/blocks = survey/blocks.dgn
[survey]blocks = designs/survey/blocks.dgn or designs/blocks.dgn
./blocks = ./blocks.dgn
/usr/project/xx = /usr/project/xx.dgn
survey%blocks = $MIN_ROOT/survey/designs/blocks.dgn
survey%latest[crest/toe]blocks.new
=$MIN_ROOT/survey/latest/crest/toe/blocks.new or
$MIN_ROOT/survey/latest/blocks.new
See also: Example MIN_ROOT definition (UNIX)
For NT
A Minescape file can consist of the follow components:
❏ Name—name of file
❏ Suffix—file suffix
❏ Qualifier—optional addition to sub-directory
❏ Directory—project sub-directory
❏ Project—project name ([CAT]project%)
❏ Path—full path name (replaces all of the above)

The individual components are designated by special characters:

❏ .extension—suffix supplied
❏ [qualifier]—qualifier (embedded directory)
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❏ direct/—override directory
❏ [CAT]project%—project provided
❏ \path or .\path—full path provided (replaces all of the above)
Examples of a design file where the default extension is .dgn and the defaults
directory is designs.
blocks = designs\blocks.dgn
blocks.old = designs\blocks.old
survey\blocks = survey\blocks.dgn
[survey]blocks = designs\survey\blocks.dgn or designs\blocks.dgn
.\blocks = .\blocks.dgn
\usr\project/xx = \usr\project\xx.dgn
survey%blocks = MIN_ROOT\survey\designs\blocks.dgn
survey%latest[crest\toe]blocks.new
=MIN_ROOT\survey\latest\crest\toe\blocks.new or
MIN_ROOT\survey\latest\blocks.new

See also: Example MIN_ROOT definition (NT)

File conventions
Minescape uses standard file naming conventions. File names are limited to 256
characters. All file names created are saved in lower case—this ensures that
case-sensitive UNIX-based sort order problems do not occur.
File lists are always sorted alphabetically. If file names are a cross-product of two
or more components, only an underscore (_) should separate the components.
Underscores always precede alphanumeric characters in sorting.

Do not use spaces to separate the components of a cross-product file

name as Minescape only recognises the first component of the name (i.e.
WARNING the characters preceding the space) when writing the file name to disk.
Statement separators and special characters such as:
!, ., @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), |, \ , /, etc.
should not be used as they have special meaning in the UNIX environment.
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Default directories and file suffixes

All Minescape file types have default file extensions and directories to simplify
file searching.
The following tables contains the default suffixes and directories. The default
directories listed are subdirectories of your project.

Project default file types

Project default file types

Default Default
File Type Description
Directory Suffix
adobe ps font DPSfonts Contains descriptions of the font types used in Minescape.
app_defaults app_defaults .ad Contains the application default files used when starting
Minescape.
as2482 as2482 .dat Contains information for the Australian standard for interchange
of feature-coded digital mapping data.
datfile data .dat Data file
dbsfile database .dbs.dat Database files
bmodfile tables .tab Block model files
dgnfile designs .dgn Design files
dmpfile dumps .dmp Dump files
grdfile grids .grd Grid files
logfile logfiles .log Contains module log files from a module execution. These files
contain an echoed audit of a module’s execution including input
Spec details, feedback messages and errors
mdsfile mdserver .batch Mdserver saved files
mxlfile mxl .mxl MXL files
pltfile plots .plt Plot files
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Project default file types (contd)

Default Default
File Type Description
Directory Suffix
rptfile reports .rpt Report files
reserves tables .rsv Reserves table files
tabfile tables .tab Table files
triafile triangle .tfl Triangulation files
quality tables .tab Quality table files
qualdef specs .qualdef Quality Defaults
specfile specs .{cat} Contains general Minescape Spec files (typically user-defined)
survey tables .tab Survey table files
textures textures Texture mapping for graphics e.g. aerial photos etc.
stratfile tables .tab Stratmodel table files
washfile tables .wsh Wash table files

WARNING Do not alter these files or directories in any way.

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Directories used for site and project customisations (UNIX and NT)
For NT Platforms The pathnames used in the table below are UNIX-specific.
IMPORTANT
For the NT platform, substitute the / in the pathnames with \.

Directories used for site and project customisations

Default Default
File Type Description
Directory Suffix
acsfile actions .acs Contains action files. Subdirectories of the actions directory
are organised according to the following convention:
./actions/<application>/<logical grouping>/
bitmap bitmaps .xbm Contains X11 bitmap files used for icons and cursors
envlist environ/specs .enumerated Contains Spec definitions for Minescape objects (.object),
display definitions (.displaydef), enumerated lists (.enumer-
ated), default path names and other environment Specs. This
directory and its files are often referred to as the Environment
database.
form forms .uid Contains UID form definition files according to the following
convention:
./forms/<application>/<logical grouping>/
For example:
./forms/stratmodel/strat_sch_rename.uid
disdef environ/specs .displaydef Display definitions
gdsfile gdsdata .gds Graphical data files
helpfile help .html, .pdf Contains Minescape help files in the following subdirectories
actions—Contains action help files organised according to
the ./<application>/<logical grouping>/ convention.
Each action has an associated help file.
error—Contains information for building error message files.
forms—contains form help files organised according to the
./<application>/<logical grouping>/ convention
gps—Contains field help files (i.e. Minescape parameter
help.
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Directories used for site and project customisations (contd)

Default Default
File Type Description
Directory Suffix
helpfile (contd) help .html, .pdf manuals—Contains a separate directory for each on-line
manual. For example, the custom directory contains .pdf
files for the Minescape Customisation Guide.
modules—Contains help files for each module.
mpl—Contains general reference help for MPL and
ActionMPL functions and variables.
mxl—Contains general reference help for MXL functions and
variables.
menufile menus .mmu
messfile messages .msg Contains files for Minescape warning and error messages.
mmsfile source/menus .mms Contains menu definition files organised according to the
./<application>/<logical grouping>/ convention.
module moldfile .mod Contains information files used by Minescape when starting
modules.
object environ/specs .object Graphical object definitions
page pages .page Contains page configuration files defining the default
configurations for the Minescape page, the Monitor page, and
other product-specific pages.
pixmap pixmaps .xpm Contains pixmap files used for icons and cursors.
render render .map Contains files containing rendering instructions for graphic
output devices such as plotters and the CAD window.
repdeffile repdef .rdb Contains definition files for creating reports.
sccfile source/forms .scc Contains form definition files organised according to the
./<application>/<logical grouping>/ convention
server server .module Contains server definition files for each of the servers defined
for Minescape. These files contain a list of the verbs armed
by the server. Each server has a dedicated subdirectory
(named after the server) where the verb definition files reside
smffile menus .smf Simple menu format files
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Directories used for site and project customisations (contd)

Default Default
File Type Description
Directory Suffix
sqlfile sql .sql Sql statement files
ucsfile usercoms .ucs Contains user command files organised according to the
following convention:
./usercoms/<application>/<logical grouping>/
units environ/specs .units Unit categories settings
verb server .verb Menus
pathname environ/specs .pathname Pathname overrides

For NT Platforms The pathnames used in the table above are UNIX-specific.
IMPORTANT For the NT platform, substitute the / in the pathnames with \.
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The project creation process creates the following subdirectories.

Subdirectory Description
data Local project data files
database Surface and blocks database files
designs Project design files
dumps Local dump files
environ/specs Environment configuration and definitions
formspec Previous values for all forms
gdsdata Graphics data files
grids Grid files
logfiles Module execution logfiles
mdserver Module batch control files
mxl MXL expression files
plots Generated plots
reports Generated reports
specs Configuration and saved Specs
tables Table file include wash, reserve etc.
triangle triangle files

Customisation directories are only created as required.

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Minescape search path

For file selection and input, you need only specify the name of the file, without
extension or directory—this allows Minescape to search for the required file
using the default directories and extensions within the PROJECT, SITE and
TABLES paths.
When Minescape searches for a file where the PATH or PROJECT is not
specified, the following environment variables are used in the order listed below.
The Minescape3 environment variables and their Minescape4 equivalents are
listed below:

Minescape3 Minescape4
Description
Variable Equivalent

1. MINENV MIN_ENV usually set to ‘.’, which specifies the current work
project and/or local project set.

2. SITE_DIR MIN_SITE specifies the location of any site customisation.

3. MINTABLESSL
or MIN_APPS specifies the location(s) of the installed Minescape
MINTABLES products.

See also: Searching Directories in the Minescape Customisation Guide.

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Naming conventions
Minescape does not impose any naming conventions. However, it is
recommended to establish a naming system for the project entities. It is
important that the naming conventions are suited to:
■ the mine site where Minescape is used

■ the project where Minescape is used.

Sound naming conventions are critical for organisation, searching and

referencing information.

Establishing a naming convention

There are no rules for naming conventions. The requirements of minesites are
the greatest factors of the naming conventions used.
The following questions should provide a general guide for establishing a naming
convention.
■ Is the entity time related i.e. is it updated on a monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc.
basis, as in Example 1.
If so, consider including a date component in the name.
■ Does an entity have a logical parent e.g. the design file and group
relationship?
If so, decide whether to include or exclude the type designator in the naming
convention. If not, consider including a type designator.
■ Are the names produced by a logical cross-product e.g. seams against
roof and floor, as in Example 2.
If so, establish a naming convention to suit the cross-product. For example,
<seamname>_<attribute> where <attribute> is roof or floor or may be
thick or another quality name.
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Example 1
An airborne mine survey is performed monthly. The contractor supplies an
AutoCAD DXF file depicting the current crest and toe positions. The DXF file is
imported into Minescape and the digital terrain model updated and a series of
volumes run against the previous month’s terrain model.
What should the file where the DXF data is imported be called?
As the file contains topographical data, it could be called topo.dat. However, as a
topographic data file is supplied monthly, a file with this name could easily be overwritten.
As the file is time related (i.e. monthly), add a date component e.g. topo_nov_94,
topo_dec_94 etc—this ensures files are not overwritten. Other users can also easily identify
the file names and housekeeping of old data is easier.
Note: If a file has a cross-product name and there may be multiple related files, it is better
to use a common first component (i.e. TOPO_NOV_94 is better than
NOV_TOPO_94) as the files are always grouped, both in Minescape and in the
directories.

Example 2
Five coal seams named A, B, C, D and E. The top and bottom of each seam
requires contouring. The contours will be in the same design file. In order to
individually view and manipulate each seam, they should be assigned a unique
design file layer.
What are good design file layer names?
A simple cross-product naming convention could be used to assign the layer names as
A_ROOF, A_FLOOR, B_ROOF, B_FLOOR etc. However, as each layer represents a
contour, a contour component could be included as part of the name, for example
A_ROOF_CONT, A_FLOOR_CONT etc.
If this convention is followed and surface meshes of the coal seams are also required, the
convention adapts easily to allow the design file layers A_ROOF_MESH, A_FLOOR_MESH
etc. in the same design file,
Another alternative is to send the output to two different design files, CONTOURS and
MESHES, both containing layers A_ROOF, A_FLOOR etc.