MineSight 3D: Subcell Count

WHEN GRIDDING SURFACE GEOMETRY TO A GRIDDED SURFACE FILE

n MineSight 3D, triangulated surfaces can be created using multiple methods including importing the
surface from a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) or a 3D Triangle File. This article will describe how the subcell
count affects the computed elevation when gridding surface geometry to a Gridded Surface File (GSF)
item, and will provide some general guidelines for adjusting the subcell count for different applications.
The subcell count describes how many vectors are used to calculate the elevation value of a grid cell from
a triangulated surface. The more vectors you use, the more accurately the GSF cell elevation will represent
the average value of the surface. However, larger subcell counts take longer to process. How do you balance
processing time and accuracy?

HOW TO SPECIFY THE SUBCELL COUNT

Assuming you already have a GSF (file 13) and a
triangulated surface, open the Model View Editor
for the GSF. The subcell count is accessed through
the Grid Surface tab. In Figure 1, the model item to
be gridded is TOPOG and the subcell count is 1 x 1.
In this case, the resulting GSF cell value will use one
central vector per grid cell to define the elevation
of the entire surface.

Fig. 1 Settings and illustration of a subcell

count of 1 x 1 (one vector per grid).

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Fig. 1

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If the subcell count is changed to 10 x 10, then each grid cell elevation
will equal the average elevation value of 100 evenly spaced vectors
(Figure 2).
Obviously a GSF cell value calculated from a subcell count of 10 x 10
(100 vectors) will be a much more accurate representation of the
entire cell than a subcell count of 1 x 1 (1 vector). However, as the
number of vectors used to calculate a cell value increases, so does
the processing time. For grid cells created with a subcell count over
25 x 25 (625 vectors), processing time may be greatly increased with
little increase in the accuracy of the cell value.
What is the best subcell count to use? The answer to these questions
depends upon what you are trying to accomplish.

Fig. 2 Settings and illustration for gridding

a GSF with a 10 x 10 subcell count (100
vectors per grid).

Fig. 2

HINT

1 x 1 subcelling should be used for viewing, contouring, and with any interaction with other
1 x 1 gridding, for example in MSBasis procedures pdhgrd.dat and grdrat.dat. A higher subcell
count should be used for MSEP and topo% coding if youre not using a solid.

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VIEWING TOPOGRAPHIC SURFACES

For basic viewing of topographic surfaces, a 1 x 1 subcell count
provides a good representation of your topographic data in a
relatively short amount of time. Additionally, when the display
style is changed from Filled polygons to Smooth contours, the
result is a continuous surface as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.
Both are created with a 1 x 1 subcell count and can be used for
dramatic visualization purposes.

Fig. 3

Fig. 3 Illustration of
topographic surface viewed
as Filled polygons.

Fig. 4 Illustration of
topographic surface viewed
as Surface/Slab.

Fig. 4

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S U R FA C E S F O R A N A LY S I S O R P I T D E S I G N
If you are using the GSF for analysis or designing a pit using MSOPIT, you may consider using a higher subcell
count in order to increase the accuracy of the overall grid value. Although your values may not change
significantly at each cell, the cumulative result of your entire study area may be very large.

Fig. 5 Grid elements located

in the middle of the 20 x 20
meter cell using one vector
(subcell count of 1 x 1).
The yellow star represents
the center of the cell.

Fig. 5

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Figures 5 (previous page) and 6 illustrate the difference

between using 1 x 1 vs 10 x 10 subcell counts. The blue
lines represent the outline of each GSF grid cell draped on a
triangulated (brown) surface. The yellow stars represent the
point where one central vector would intersect the cell. In
Figure 5, the GSF cell value is identical to the elevation of the
triangulated surface elevation at the cell center. Alternatively,
in Figure 6, the average cell value is not necessarily the
value at the center (the position of the yellow star). Instead,
increasing the subcell count results in the GSF cell elevation
representing the average of 100 vectors within the cell. Both
interpretations are valid depending upon what you want to
do with the surface.

CONCLUSION
In general, for most visualization purposes we suggest using
a subcell count of 1 x 1. This will result in a good overall
illustration of the surface elevation. However, where more
detailed analyses are necessary, we suggest using between
10 x 10 (100 vectors per grid cell) with an upper limit of
25 x 25 (625 vectors per grid cell).

Fig. 6

Fig. 6 Grid elements placed in the average

location of the 20 x 20 meter cell based on 100
vectors (subcell count of 10 x 10). The yellow
star represents the center point of the cell.

SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FROM MINTEC, INC.

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