Core PDF

MINEX
Minex 5 Core Tutorial

Version – 1.0
April 2008
Copyright © 2008 Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd (A Gemcom Company). All rights
reserved.
This software and documentation is proprietary to Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd.
Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd publishes this documentation for the sole use of Minex licenses.
Without written permission you may not sell, reproduce, store in a retrieval system, or transmit
any part of this documentation. For such permission, or to obtain extra copies please contact
your local Surpac Minex Group Office.
Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd

Level 8 190 St Georges Terrace
Perth, Western Australia 6000
Telephone: (08) 94201383
Fax: (08) 94201350
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, we assume no
responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damage resulting
from the use of the information contained herein.
All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.
About This Manual
This manual has been designed to provide a practical guide to the many uses of the software.
The manual describes one way of using the software; these instructions are by no means
exhaustive. However, it provides a starting point for new users and a good overview for
existing users by demonstrating how to use many of the functions in Minex. If you have any
difficulties or questions while working through this manual, please contact your local Surpac
Minex Group Office.
Contributors
Katherine Kelso
James Willoughby
Some sections of this tutorial were copied from the Minex online help. The contributions of the
help authors are also gratefully acknowledged.
Surpac Minex Group

Perth, Western Australia
Product
Minex v5.3
Core Tutorial i
Table of Contents
About This Document ............................................................................................................. 5

Overview ................................................................................................................................ 5
Requirements ......................................................................................................................... 5
Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 5
Document Conventions .......................................................................................................... 6
Overview of Minex ................................................................................................................... 8
Getting Started ......................................................................................................................... 9

Installing Minex ...................................................................................................................... 9
Starting Minex ...................................................................................................................... 10
Licensing Minex ................................................................................................................... 12
Loading Data Sets................................................................................................................ 14
Exiting Minex ........................................................................................................................ 14
Starting a New Project ......................................................................................................... 14
Setting a Project Directory ................................................................................................... 15
Setting Local Origin .............................................................................................................. 16
The Minex Interface ............................................................................................................... 20
Menu Bar .............................................................................................................................. 20
Toolbars ............................................................................................................................... 20
3D Design Tab and Drafting Tab ......................................................................................... 21
Status Bar ............................................................................................................................ 21
Project Folder ....................................................................................................................... 21
Minex Explorer ..................................................................................................................... 22
Graphics Window ................................................................................................................. 23
Output Window..................................................................................................................... 24
Getting Help ........................................................................................................................... 24
Concepts ................................................................................................................................ 25

Geometry Data ..................................................................................................................... 25
Plan and Section Mounts ..................................................................................................... 27
Grids ..................................................................................................................................... 28
Triangles .............................................................................................................................. 30
File Types ............................................................................................................................. 31
Viewing and Saving Data ...................................................................................................... 32
Opening Files ....................................................................................................................... 32
Clearing Graphics and Hiding Data ..................................................................................... 34
Rotating, Zooming and Panning .......................................................................................... 36
Saving Geometry ................................................................................................................. 37
Saving and Getting Parameters ........................................................................................... 37
Performing Queries .............................................................................................................. 42
Properties ............................................................................................................................. 43
Geometry Data ....................................................................................................................... 43
Primary and Secondary Geometry Files .............................................................................. 43
Digitising ............................................................................................................................... 43
Task: Plot Survey Data ........................................................................................................ 44
Core Tutorial ii
Task: Import Survey Data .................................................................................................... 45
Task: Create a Mask to Show an Area for Exploration ........................................................ 47
Plan and Section Mounts ...................................................................................................... 51
Mounts Control Panel........................................................................................................... 51
Task: Create a Section Showing a Seam Cross-section ..................................................... 52
Task: Create a Plan Showing Contours for Topography ..................................................... 62
Grids ....................................................................................................................................... 65
Task: Create a Topographic Grid Using Borehole Collars................................................... 65
Task: Create a Weathering Grid .......................................................................................... 70
Triangles ................................................................................................................................. 71
Task: Volume Calculation .................................................................................................... 71
Summary ................................................................................................................................ 78
Appendix A – Minex Shortcut Switches .............................................................................. 79
Core Tutorial iii
About This Document
Overview
This document is designed to give you an overview of Minex computerized mine planning software. It
explains basic concepts that you must understand in order to use the more advanced features of
Minex.
This tutorial uses a set of files contained in a data set that is copied to your computer when Minex5
software is installed.
More detailed training information is available within the software and from your local Surpac Minex
Group Support Office. When the software has been installed you can see additional training
resources and help documentation in the Help menu.
Contact Minex support as follows:
• Call the help desk: +61 2 4872 6003
• Send a message to minexhelp@surpac.com
Requirements
Before proceeding with this tutorial, you should ensure you have the following items:
1. Minex 5.2 software, and the tutorial data provided on the installation disc, installed on your
computer.
This is usually installed from a CD.

2. A sentinel inserted into an appropriate port on your computer, and a Minex Token number.
You should place the sentinel in an appropriate port. You can enter the token number when you
license Minex (See Licensing Minex).
Objectives
By working through this document, you should be able to:
• Install and start Minex.
• Identify the main areas of the Minex interface.
• Know how to get more help about Minex.
• Rotate, pan and zoom in to 3D objects.
• Perform queries.
• Digitise a string.
• Save and get parameters in any dialogue box.
• Understand and work with plans and sections.
• Understand and work with geometry data.
Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 5 of 79

• Understand and work with grids.
• Understand and work with triangles.
Document Conventions
Typographical Conventions
Some text in this manual has special formatting to identify it as a particular element of information.
The following list describes the different formats and their meanings:
Text Format Meaning

<Bold Italic> Text or data that varies with each input is shown in italic font and enclosed in
angle brackets. Some examples are installation directories, dates, names and
passwords When you substitute the text for the variable, do not include the
brackets. For example: <password> requires you to substitute a password in
place of ‘<password>’.
Italics A words or phrase to which the author wants to give emphasis.
Bold This typeface indicates one of the following:
• A file name, path or URL.
• Strongly emphasized text.
• Text that a procedure has instructed you to type.
• A menu option, tab, button, check box, list, option button, spin box, text
box or icon.
UPPER Keystrokes. When a keystroke is described, the key is shown in this font. For
CASE more information on keystroke conventions, see below.
Mouse Conventions
The mouse is the pointing device you use to select objects and menu items, and to click the buttons
that you see on screen. If a particular mouse button is not specified, use the left button. When a
different button should be used, this is specified in the text. You can rotate or press the wheel button
on the mouse. In this manual, the following terms are used to describe actions with the mouse.
Action Description
Click Quickly press and release the left mouse button without moving the mouse.
Right-click Press and release the right mouse button without moving the mouse.
Double-click Without moving the mouse, click the left button twice rapidly.
Drag and drop <an With the pointer over the object, press and hold down the left mouse button
object> to select the object. Move the mouse until the pointer is in the position you
want and then release the mouse button.
Drag Press and hold down the left mouse button. Then move the mouse in the
direction that the text specifies.
Right-drag Press and hold down the right mouse button. Then move the mouse in the
direction that the text specifies.
Rotate Use your finger to make the wheel button roll. Move it forward, that is in a
clockwise direction, or backward, that is in an anticlockwise direction.

Keyboard Conventions
Key Combination Meaning

<key>+<key> Press and hold down the first key, then press the second key. For
example: CTRL+O means hold the CTRL key down, then press O.
Windows and Dialogue Boxes
Windows and dialogue boxes contain several elements that enable users to carry out particular
operations. Here is an example of a dialogue box.
Elements of Windows and Dialogue Boxes
Windows and dialogue boxes can contain the following elements.
Element Description Example

Name
Check box Square box that you select or clear to turn
an option on or off. You can select more
than one check box.
Button Rectangular or square button that initiates
an action. Buttons have text labels to
indicate their purpose.
Drop-down Arrow associated with a drop-down list. You
arrow can view a list by clicking the arrow.
Drop-down Closed version of a list box with an arrow
list next to it. Clicking the arrow opens the list.
Icon A graphical button that you can click to

initiate an action.
Label Text attached to any option, box, button, or

to any other element of a window or
dialogue box.
List box Any type of box containing a list of items, in
table format, that you can select.

Menu A set of options or actions that you can
perform.
Option Round button you can use to select one of

button a group of mutually exclusive options.
Spin box Text box with up and down arrows that you
click to move through a set of fixed values.
You can also type a valid value in the box.
Tab Labelled group of options used for many

similar kinds of settings.
Text box Rectangular box in which you can type text.
If the box already contains text, you can
select that text and edit it.
Title Title of the dialogue box. It usually, but not
always, matches the title of the command
button that launched it.
Tree A graphical representation of a hierarchical
structure. A plus sign next to an item on the
tree indicates that you can expand the item
to show subordinate items; a minus sign
indicates that you can collapse the item.
Overview of Minex
Minex is a mine planning software package for coal and other stratigraphic deposits such as
phosphate, zinc, bauxite, iron ore and platinum.
It is designed to allow surveyors, geologists and engineers to work together effectively throughout the
life of a mine.
Minex’s mine design functions are integrally linked to a geology model so that mine designs can align
with economic or geological considerations such as depth, strip ratio or optimum pit limits. The
reserves and quality data are stored in a database for fast access, editing, manipulation, and
reporting.

Getting Started
Installing Minex
Do these steps to install Minex for the first time or to install a newer version of the software.
If Minex is already installed, you will see an icon on your desktop similar to this:
If you already have an older version of Minex installed, it is your choice whether you uninstall it before
installing the new version; you can run both versions. If you do uninstall Minex, any data files that you
created will remain stored on your computer.
Task: Install Minex
1. If you have a Minex installation CD, insert it into your disc drive; if you have a Minex installation
file, double-click it in Windows Explorer.
The Minex setup file runs.

2. Continue clicking Next and Yes until you see the page that prompts you for a destination
location.
3. Unless you have a good reason to do otherwise, click Next to accept the default location.
Otherwise, click Browse, and navigate to the new location.
4. Click Ok.
5. Continue clicking Next until you see the installation progress bar.
When installation is complete, a new Minex icon appears on the desktop, similar to this:
Starting Minex
The first time you start Minex, you may have to answer several prompts to successfully start the
program. After you have started Minex for the first time and then made sure that you have licensed it
correctly, you can start Minex just by double-clicking the icon and clicking Accept.

Task: Start Minex
1. Double-click the Minex icon on the desktop.

2. If you see the Windows Security Alert dialogue box, click Unblock.
3. If you see the Licence Request dialogue box, leave None selected and click OK.
Note: See Licensing Minex for information about recording licence details in Minex. You can do
this after Minex has started.
4. Click Accept in the Minex licence dialogue box.

Minex starts.
Licensing Minex
If you have no licence, you can run Minex, plot geometry data and display grids, but you cannot save
any data. This enables you to gain a general impression of Minex if you have a demo CD, for
example. However, to access the full functionality of Minex, you must licence it.

Your organisation might have a network licence to run Minex or you might have a “local” licence. If
you have a local licence, you should have a token number and a “sentinel”. You might have a sentinel
designed to be plugged in to a USB port or to a parallel port. Your sentinel might appear similar to this
USB sentinel (on the left) or this parallel port sentinel (on the right).
This task explains how to set Minex to use a local licence. For advice on setting up a network licence,
ask your system administrator.
Note: If you need to get a licence, contact the Minex Support Office.
Note: If you have to licence Minex on several computers, the fastest way to do it is to licence Minex
on one computer by doing the following steps and then copy the <Minex install
folder>\etc\license\tokens.dat file from that computer to all the other ones.
Task: Set Minex to Use a Local Licence
1. Insert the sentinel in a USB or parallel port on your computer (depending on the type of
sentinel).
2. Start Minex.
3. From the File menu, select Licensing.
4. Select Local and click Ok.

5. Enter the token number and click Validate.
The modules that your licence allows you to use are selected.
6. Click Ok.
Loading Data Sets

Minex tutorials instruct you to do tasks on a set of data. The data set that this tutorial uses as an
example is the Ashes data set. The data sets are stored in <Minex install
folder>\tutorials\data_sets. For example, if you install Minex to C:\Minex52, the data sets are in
C:\Minex52\tutorials\data_sets.
Tip: If you change the data and you want to start again, you can copy the data sets directly from the
Minex installation CD.
Exiting Minex
To exit Minex, click the red cross in the top right corner or, from the File menu, select Exit.
If you have changed any files without saving them, you see a prompt to save those files.
Starting a New Project

To begin using Minex5 you must start a project and then set the project directory to the location of the
data files you will work with.

Task: Start a New Project
1. From the File menu, select Project and then Project Manager.
2. Click New.
3. Type the name of the project, for example intro_tutorial and then click OK.
You have now created the project but you have not yet set it to use the data files in a specific
directory.
Setting a Project Directory
Task: Set the Project Directory
1. On the left side of the Minex window, click the Filesystems tab.

2. In the Filesystems tree, navigate to the Ashes folder by clicking the symbol beside C: drive.
3. Right-click the Ashes folder and click Set Project Directory.
Tip: If, at any time, the Minex Explorer indicates that the link to the project folder is broken, view the
“broken link” property and open Windows Explorer to check whether the folder exists. The
folder might have been renamed or moved.
Setting Local Origin

The Local Origin is a geographical point of reference that Minex uses to improve accuracy when it
performs mathematical functions on coordinates.

The important thing to know is that, after installing Minex, you should set the local origin to a point
near the centre of your deposit. By doing so, you enable Minex to display geometry with negligible
loss of accuracy.
If you do not set the local origin, and the true coordinates of your geometry data contain seven digits
before the decimal point (as they do in the Hunter Valley in Australia, for example), the coordinates
could be incorrect by one metre — a significant amount in blast plans.
The distance of the coordinates of your geometry data from the local origin determines the magnitude
of the error:
When the distance is more than…. there is a loss of accuracy on the…

10,000 M third decimal place.
100,000 M second decimal place.
1,000,000 M first decimal place (that is, +/- 0.5 M).
If the local origin is more than 99,999.99 metres away from the data, Minex will display the message
“warning local origin(x,y) is far from your local origin”.
Task: Set the Local Origin
Before you set the local origin, you should choose some coordinates that are close to your data.
Therefore this task includes some steps for finding some nearby coordinates.
1. On the left side of the Minex application window, right-click the file THEDON.GM3 and click
Open.
2. Click Toggle Black/White
The background of the Graphics window will become white when you show some string data.
In some situations, white provides a better contrast for the data; in other situations black is
more suitable. Many if the images in this tutorial are shown with a white background to make
them easier to read in a printed copy of the tutorial.
3. Right-click THEDON.GM3, and click Display.
Note: The first time you do this step, you might have to wait a few moments before the
geometry data appears.

The Graphics window displays all the geometry data in the file. Do not worry about the detail.
All you want to do at the moment is to find out the coordinates of a location that is near your
data and set your local origin to the same, or similar, coordinates.
4. Click Query and then click a location, within the Graphics window, in the centre of the geometry
data.
The Output window displays the coordinates of the location where you clicked.
5. Right-click to cancel the query that you started.

6. Write down or mentally note the X and Y coordinates shown in the Output window.
7. From the Tools menu, click Options.
8. Expand the tree so that it shows the Local Origin row.

9. Select the Local Origin row and enter the same coordinates that you noted from the Output
window when you ran a query.
10. Click Close and then click OK in the Information message box.
11. Exit Minex and restart it.

The Minex Interface
The image below shows the standard Minex5 interface with some important areas highlighted.
These areas are:
1. Menu bar.
2. Toolbars.
3. 3D Design tab and Drafting tab.
4. Status bar.
5. Project folder.
6. Minex Explorer.
7. Graphics window.
8. Output window.
Menu Bar
The menu bar contains menus that show a list of commands. You can activate those commands by
clicking them. Using the menu bar is one way of activating commands.
Toolbars
A toolbar is a group of icon buttons. If you move the pointer over the double lines to the left of a group
of icons, you see the name of the toolbar. For example, the Plot Modes toolbar contains 6 icons.

You can move the pointer over an icon to see which command it activates. By clicking the icon, you
activate the command.
3D Design Tab and Drafting Tab

The 3D Design and Drafting tabs indicate which “workspace” you are using. A workspace is a 3D or
2D view of the Minex files.
This workspace… is a view of Minex files that allows you to display…

3D Design map data in real-world X, Y, Z coordinates.
Drafting 2D data such as plans and sections that already exist. This data has
sheet coordinates and a defined scale.
Note: You use the Visualisation tab for advanced tasks that are beyond the scope of this tutorial.
Only one of the tabs is active at any time.
If a menu command is unavailable, it might be because the incorrect tab is active. For example, to
create a plan or a section, you start with 3D data and make the 2D plan or section from it. Therefore,
you need the 3D Design tab (rather than the Drafting tab) to be active when you start creating the
plan or section.
Status Bar
The status bar displays interaction instructions, system status messages, questions and warnings
when you are using Minex.
These messages can prompt you for the next action to perform and give an indication of the mode
you're using.
If Minex does not perform the way you expect, there might be a message in the status bar that
explains the reason.
Project Folder
This folder contains the data files in your project. Any data files that you create are saved to this
location.

Minex Explorer
The Minex Explorer is a window that lists files and folders in a similar way to Windows Explorer. You
can quickly open files from the Minex Explorer, and perform other commands on those files. When
you right-click a file, a menu displays the commands you can perform. This type of a menu is
sometimes called a “contextual menu”.
There are three tabs at the bottom of the Minex Explorer. Only one of the three tabs is active at any
time.
Tab Contents
Filesystems All the files on your computer’s hard drive and all the
files that are currently “mounted”. See the Minex help
for more information about mounting a file system.
Project <name of Minex project> All the files in the current project directory.
Runtime All the files currently open in Minex. Also lists all the
grid folders, the Mounts Control Panel and the Object
Control Panel. These concepts are explained later in
this tutorial.
If you want to work with files that are currently open (or to find out which files are currently open), the
Runtime tab is very useful. If you want to open a new file that is in your project, the Project <project
name> tab is very useful.
Tip: If you move the cursor over the project’s folder in the Minex Explorer, a ToolTip displays the
project’s path (excluding the drive, which is typically C:).

Graphics Window
Minex displays all its graphical data (including geometry data, grids, triangles, plans, sections and
textured images) in the Graphics window. In the example below, the Graphics window displays a
textured image (registered onto a triangle) and also some geometry data (fences and walls).
When you want to select existing strings, edit them and create new strings, you work in the Graphics
window (see Digitising).
If you create plans or sections on different “mounts” (see Plan and Section Mounts), each plan is
displayed on a different Graphics tab. In the example below, a Line Contour – Grid and a Shade
Contour – Grid are displayed. They appear on the Graphics 2 tab and the Graphics 3 tab
respectively. To work on a different plan or section, click its Graphics tab.

Output Window
The Output window is the area that displays results of queries and reports (see Performing Queries).
The example below shows the output from clicking on two fences to find the distance between them.
Note: If the output window is not visible, select Output Window from the Windows menu.
To save the results of a query, right-click in the Output window, and click Save All Text to File.
To clear the output, right-click in the Output window, and click Clear Output.
Getting Help
The following types of help are available in Minex.

Name How to Access It Type of Help
Minex help From the Help menu, select Contents Reference help
Context- Press F1 Help specific to the dialogue
sensitive help box that is currently open
Tutorials Open them from <Minex install Task-based help
folder>\tutorials
“Hover help” (or Move the pointer over an icon, field, or Tips or hints about how to
ToolTip) other windows feature and pause use the feature
Concepts
Geometry Data
Geometry data is data that relates to geographical positions of interest, including physical features —
such as fences, contours and bodies of water — and intangible concepts such as boundaries and
“masks”. Geometry data is displayed in the Graphics window.
The following image shows an example of some geometry data, specifically water bodies and
contours.
Note: In the image below the contours are shown in orange to make them stand out. Contours might
appear in a different colour on your computer.

All geometry data consists of lines, known as “strings”, and each string consists of a series of “points”.
A point is a location in 3D space, identified by its northing, easting, and elevation co-ordinates. Points
can be imported survey data or points created in Minex. The following image shows a string and the
points within the string. The string appears black because it is selected. The circles are the points.
In Minex, geometry data is stored in a geometry file. Geometry files have the .GM3 extension.
Geometry data has many uses. For example, you can convert survey data (a type of geometry data)
of a pit to a triangulated surface to calculate the volume of waste and coal between the triangulated
surface and the topography.
Structure of the Geometry File
A geometry file contains many different types of data, stored in a hierarchy. If you display all the
geometry data in a file, the Graphics window might appear cluttered. When you understand the
hierarchy and you plot geometry data, you can choose the type of data you want to show and hide the
rest.

The storage hierarchy might be similar to this one:
GM3
Data type Blast 2D Base Map Mask Structure Title Block
Group (e.g. pits) NORTH SOUTH WEST
Map FAULTS CADAST SURVEY
Ident BREAKLIN CREEK RAIL SCONTOUR
The Minex data administrator at your site defines the groups, maps and idents; they are not
hardcoded in Minex. For example, the Ident that you use for contours is not necessarily SCONTOUR;
its name might be CONTOUR or a different name.
Note: For more information about data types within geometry files, see the topics The Geometry File
and Geometry Data Types in the Minex help
Plan and Section Mounts

Plans and sections are both two dimensional representations of data. A plan is a horizontal
representation of data, like a map. A section is a vertical “slice” through the data.
A mount is a frame around the area of interest in the Graphics window. It has a size, such as A1,
coordinates that tie it to a location in the world, and a scale, such as 1:10,000, but it does not display
any data by itself. There are two types of mount: plan mount (for drawing plans) and section mount
(for drawing sections).
You could think of a mount as a template, or a frame, that is in a specific geographical location. You
might use the same mount to show 50 different plans, each plan showing something different about
the seams or topography in that area. In Minex, you create plans and sections on mounts; you cannot
create the plan or section until you have a mount to place it on.
The following image shows an empty mount for a plan and then the same mount with a plan,
specifically a “line contour – grid” plan, drawn within it.

The following image shows a section mount, and a seam cross-section plotted on it.
Grids
A grid is a virtual surface that represents a geological interface, such as a seam floor or roof
(geological grid), or a geological quality such as ash or sulphur or any other variable that changes
over the X,Y plane (quality grid). Minex uses grids to model ore bodies.
In Minex you can use grids to represent topography, seam roofs, seam floors, seam thicknesses and
also to represent “quality” attributes like ash, sulphur, volatile matter and moisture.
When you “display and open” a grid that is a representation of a surface, it appears as a sheet. For
example, this image shows the TOPS (that is topographical) grid with three grids for the floors of
specific seams beneath it.

You can display a grid as solid, lines, or contours. When you display a grid as lines, and you look
closely at the grid, it consists of a series of squares. The z attribute (elevation values in the example
below) is stored at the centre of each square of the mesh. This centre point is often called the grid
node, or centroid.
In Minex, each grid is stored as a file with the extension .grid in a grid folder. This folder has an
extension of .grd. One grid folder can contain several grids — each grid representing an attribute like
thickness, floor, or roof for a specific seam.
Naming Conventions for Grids
Grids are commonly named using the format <seam name><suffix>. The most common suffixes are:
Suffix Meaning
SF Seam floor
SR Seam roof
ST Thickness
IB Interburden
OB Overburden
AS Ash
RD Relative density
MO Moisture
SE Specific energy
Using this convention, the seam for the seam floor of seam F would be named FSF.

MODEL.grd and STRUCTUR.grd
In the Ashes data set, you can see two folders that store grids: MODEL.grd and STRUCTUR.grd.
When you use the gridding commands, you must usually decide whether to work on a grid that is
stored in STRUCTUR.grd or in MODEL.grd.
This folder… contains grids that are…

STRUCTUR.grd created from borehole data. These are conceptual grids that do not take
account of weathering or topography. Therefore they can extend into the
weathering and topography layers and beyond into the atmosphere above
topography.
MODEL.grd structure grids “cut” on topography or weathering. They are used for
reserves reporting and represent the actual deposit. A geologist creates
the model grids from the structure grids during the modelling process.
Note: For more information about grids, see the About Modelling topic in the Minex help.
Triangles
In Minex, a “triangle” is a file that contains a series of adjoining three sided polygons which collectively
represent a surface. Triangles show surface data well; they are suitable for displaying open-pit bench
surfaces where there are sharp discontinuities or breaks in the surface.
For example, in a road cut, a surveyor would survey break lines. This is shown in a section below.
The break lines are A, B, C, D, E, and F.
A representation in a triangle file might look like this.

A surveyor might collect X, Y and Z coordinates for points J, K, and L. These define a triangle shape.
The collection of all triangle shapes is stored in a triangle file.
Here is an example of a triangle file that shows a pit and the surrounding area.
Triangles are useful for volume calculations. One way in which triangles are created is when a
surveyor uploads point data to maintain a pit triangle for use by other people at the mine site. You can
also create triangles from geometry data (or from grids by converting grids to triangles).
Triangles are stored with the .tr5 extension in the Minex project directory.
File Types
You can work with several types of file in Minex. Some that you might use are:

Icon File Type Extension Relevant Modules Brief Description
Geometry .GM3 Used Throughout Used for working with points
Minex and string data.
Computer .cgm Used Throughout A “graphics capture” output file
Graphics Minex of a plan or section (other file
Metafile formats are also used for this
purpose).
Grid .grid Structural Modelling Used to represent topography,
seam floors, seam roofs and
Used Throughout
also to store seam thickness
Minex
and quality attributes like ash or
moisture.
Triangle .tr5 Used Throughout Used for pit surfaces so
Minex engineers can design on them.
Texture .trn Used Throughout Used in texture mapping to link
registration Minex an image to a triangle.
Parameter .mpf Used Throughout Holds the settings that you
Minex entered into dialogue boxes and
wish to keep.
Borehole .b31 Borehole Seam/Vein Minex borehole database.
database Modelling
Reserves .DBR Open Cut Pit Design Holds data about the reserves
database and Reserves of mineable resource at your
site.
Seam model .sml Borehole Seam/Vein Holds a model of all the seams.
Modelling
n/a Mount n/a Used Throughout A “template”, tied to a
Minex geographical location, in which
you create a plan or a section
with a scale.
A mount file is not represented by a file; instead you select the plan mount, or section mount, you
want to work with in the Mounts Control Panel (see Mounts Control Panel).
Viewing and Saving Data

Whatever you are using Minex to do, you will need to know some basic skills such as how to open a
file and view the data.
Opening Files
To view the data (such as geometry, grids, triangles, or boreholes) and work with it, the first thing you
need to do is to open the data file. The quickest way to open a file is, with the Project <project
name> tab active, right-click the file in Minex Explorer and select Open.
Minex has different commands to display a file depending on its type and how you want to represent
it. However, for most types of file, you can show it in the Graphics window by right-clicking it and

selecting Display. Some file types also have a Display and Open command on the menu, which
performs both commands in a single operation to save you some time.
Note: A situation where you would open a geometry file but not display it, is when you create a plan
or section (see Plan and Section Mounts).
Tip: Dragging some types of file (such as grids and triangles) into the Graphics window is equivalent
to clicking Display.
It is true that you can show geometry files with the Display command. However, if you use the Plot
Geometry Data button on the Plot Modes toolbar , you have more control over which data is
displayed and so you can reduce clutter.
There is no Display command for borehole databases. You can use the Plot 3D Boreholes
command instead.
After you open a file, a red, blue or a black tick icon appears beside the file. If it is a geometry file, you
can choose to open it as a primary file (Open command) or as a secondary file (Open as Secondary
command).
This icon… indicates that the file is …

a geometry file that is open as a primary file. “Primary” means that you can
save changes that you make.
a geometry file that is open as a secondary file. It is read-only.
an open file that is not a geometry file (for example a parameters file, triangle
file, or reserves database).

Task: Open THEDON.GM3 as a Primary File and Display All the Geometry Data
1. If the background for Graphics is not already white, click the Toggle Black/White button.
2. In Minex Explorer, click the Project intro_tutorial tab.

3. Right-click THEDON.GM3 and click Open.
4. Right-click THEDON.GM3 and click Display.
Clearing Graphics and Hiding Data

If you open several data files, you might find that there is too much data showing in the Graphics
window. You can close or hide the data in several ways:
• By clicking Clear Graphics .
All objects are removed from the Graphics window and all the files that were displayed are
closed. This is useful when you want to start designing again with an empty Graphics window.
• By double-clicking Visibility for an object in the Object Control Panel to turn off its visibility.

The object is removed from the Graphics window and its file remains open. This is useful when
you have several grids, or other files, open at the same time and you have forgotten which grid
is which — you can identify each grid by turning the visibility of each grid on, one by one.
Note: Press CTRL+3 to show the Object Control Panel. For more detailed information about
the Object Control Panel, refer to the Minex help.
Tip: Try changing the transparency of an object to 50 instead of turning its visibility off. This
technique is useful for reducing the prominence of an object without completely hiding it.
• By right-clicking an object in the Object Control Panel and clicking Remove.
The object is removed from the Graphics window. This is useful when you have finished
working with one of the objects that are open but not the others.
• By closing the object in the Minex Explorer.
The object is removed from the Graphics window and its file is closed. This effectively does the
same thing as removing an object from the Object Control Panel.

Rotating, Zooming and Panning
To make the Graphics window show data from the angle and magnification you need, you can
“navigate” the view by rotating, zooming or panning the view (that is moving it up, down, left or right).
Task: Open a File, Rotate, Zoom and Pan
1. Open the file AIRPHOTO3PT.trn.
2. Click Navigate to make sure you are in Navigate mode.

3. Drag in the Graphics window (that is, press and hold down the left mouse button and move the
mouse).
The image rotates.
4. Drag with the middle mouse button to pan the image.

5. Rotate the mouse wheel forward to zoom in towards the pointer.
6. Rotate the wheel backwards to zoom out.
7. Click Normal above the Graphics window to return to a “top down” view of the image.
The task in this section explained how to navigate using the mouse. Alternatively, there are several
navigation buttons above the Graphics window that you can also use to navigate.
Experiment with these now if you wish.
Refer to the topics View Toolbar and 3D Navigation in the Minex help for more information about the
navigation tools.

Saving Geometry
When you are creating or editing a string, or making any other changes or additions to a geometry
file, you must save the geometry data file to keep the changes. When you try to exit Minex, and there
are unsaved changes in the geometry file, Minex prompts you to save.
In addition, when there are unsaved changes Minex displays a disk icon on the geometry file in the
Minex Explorer .
To save a geometry file, right-click it and select Save Geometry File.
Saving and Getting Parameters

When you use the same dialogue box repeatedly with the same, or similar, parameters you can save
time by saving the parameters and “getting” them each time you need to reuse them. This is
particularly useful for dialogue boxes with a large number of parameters.
If you understand how the parameters are saved, you can distribute them to other computers
effectively. Parameters are stored in a file with the .mpf extension, for example you might have a file
called Parameters.mpf or ParamsSiteStandards.mpf.
When you have a dialogue box open and you save its parameters, it is stored as an item within the
parameters file. In the example below, the parameters for six dialogue boxes are stored in the
parameters file.
If you right-click an item in a parameters file you see Cut, Copy and Delete commands. You can use
these to move parameters between files. When you right-click a parameters file you see the same
commands and some additional ones such as Rename.
If you do not already have a parameters file, you can create one using the New Wizard as the
following task demonstrates.
Task: Create and Save Parameters
Let us say that it is standard practice at your site that when you show numerical data for boreholes,
you rotate the numbers by 20 degrees and also that you show values for borehole seam floors in
orange and seam thickness values in red. You can make it easy for everyone at the site to use these
display standards by saving them in a parameters file and then distributing the parameters file to
those people.

Note: This task uses the example of mounting a plan and showing borehole data in the plan. Plans
are described in more detail in section Plan and Section Mounts; boreholes are described in the
seam modelling / borehole database tutorial.
1. From the File menu, select New to open the New Wizard.
Note: You can also use the New Wizard to create a new empty borehole database, geometry
file, reserves database or seam model.
2. Select Parameters.mpf and click Next.
By default, the file name is Parameters.mpf and it will be stored in your project folder. If you
already have a parameters file, the name of the new parameters file is parameters_<next
available number>.mpf.
3. Click Finish.
You have now created a new empty parameters file. Notice that there is a black tick beside the
new parameters file in Minex Explorer indicating that it is open.
Next, show some geometry data so that you know where to create a plan. You will show the
borehole data on the plan.
4. If the 3D Design tab is not already active, click it.
5. Open THEDON.GM3 if it is not already open (that is, if it does not show a tick beside it).
6. Right-click THEDON.GM3 and click Display to show the data in the Graphics window.
Next, mount a plan.

7. From the Mounts menu, select Plan and then Create.

8. Click Dig (beside the Y coordinates) and then drag a box around the geometry data from
bottom left to top right.

9. Change the scale to a round number such as 5000 or 10000 and click OK.
10. Click in the Name field, type the plan name, for example A1pit10K, and click OK.
11. Click Cancel in the Plan- Create dialogue box.
Now draft on the mount.

12. From the Mounts menu, select Mounts Control Panel.
13. Expand the Plans item, right click A1pit10K and click Draft on Mount.
14. Open the borehole database file THEDON.B31 in the Minex Explorer.
15. From the Mounts menu, select Plan and then Borehole Locations.
16. Select the seam SW1.
17. Click Select Variables and select the variables BASERL (the seam floor) and SEAMTH
(thickness).

18. Click the colour box for BASERL and change the colour to orange.
19. Change the colour for SEAMTH to red.

20. Click the Plotting Params tab.
21. Click to clear the Annotation Direction check box and then change the angle to 20 degrees.
Now save the parameters.

22. Right-click the Borehole Plan Locations tab and click Save Parameters.
23. Enter the name BoreholeSS (SS is a naming convention you could use to indicate that the
parameters are site standard parameters) and click OK.
24. Click OK and then Cancel in the Borehole Plan Locations dialogue box.
25. Zoom in.

26. Expand the parameters file in the Minex Explorer and notice that it now contains the
BoreholeSS parameter.
27. Right-click BoreholeSS and notice that there are commands available to copy or cut the
parameter; you use these when you need to copy or move it to another parameters file.
Note: If you need to move an entire parameters file to another computer, you can copy and paste the
parameters file in Windows Explorer, or in the Filesystems tab.
Performing Queries
The Query tool is located on the Graphics toolbar. You use to answer questions like:
• What are the coordinates of a point?
• What is the accumulated distance between two or more points?
• What is the bearing and slope between two points?
• What is the area of a polygon?
The results of queries are shown in the Output Window.
To experiment with the Query tool, open and display a geometry file, click the Query tool button and
then click several times in the Graphics window.

Properties
The lower left pane in Minex is the Properties pane. It shows the properties of the file that is selected
in the Minex Explorer.
Red text indicates a property whose value you cannot change; blue text indicates a property that you
can change.
Tip: To show properties in a separate window, right-click a file, and click Properties.
Geometry Data
Primary and Secondary Geometry Files

In many companies, people share geometry files in a scenario where the surveyors have a primary
geometry file that they can change. The surveyors share this geometry file with the engineers and
geologists who open it up as a secondary file. The geologists have their own primary geometry file
that they change and then share with surveyors and engineers (who open it as a secondary file).
Digitising
The term “digitising” means creating string data. The “digitising options” are the modes you can use
when you create strings.
By becoming familiar with the digitising options you will be able to create strings quickly and
accurately. Often the most efficient way to create a string is to switch between the digitising options
while you are creating the string. For example, if you are creating a “mask” you might use Snap to
Line for part of the string, and then XY and Z to complete the mask.

Choose this option… to create a string…
Snap to Point on a point that already exists in the graphics window.
Snap to Line on a line that already exists in the graphics window.
Snap to Solid that rests on a surface that is displayed in the graphics window.
XY + Z "free hand". You can specify the Z (elevation) value in a text box.
This is useful when most or all of the points have the same Z value.
You can think of this as the “standard” digitising option.
XY + Grid that rests on a "current" grid (to specify elevation).
XY + Triangle that rests on a "current" triangle.
XY + Grade "free hand" with the Z value calculated based on the elevation of the
last point and the grade defined in the Grade field.
XY + Plane on a plane in the field of your choice.
XY ? Z "free hand". Minex prompts you to enter a Z value when you create
each point.
Specify Point by specifying the X, Y and Z values of each one. This is useful when
you need absolute precision.
Cogo using Coordinate Geometry. (This option is not available for the first
point of a string).
Task: Plot Survey Data

Usually when you plot geometry data you only want to view some of the geometry data in the
geometry file. Using the Plot Geometry Data (PGD) dialogue box, you can specify which data to show.
1. Make sure the 3D Design tab is active.

2. Open THEDON.GM3.
3. Click Plot Geometry Data.
4. In the Data Type list, select Structure.

Note: Notice the asterisks in the Group, Map and Ident cells. An asterisk stands for “everything”.
When Data Type is set to Structure, and the other cells have asterisks, you will show all the
“Structure” geometry data.
5. Click Map, select Survey and click Ok.
When you select a map, or a group, you are filtering the geometry data to show only the data
that is in that map or group and in the idents and classes that are below it in the storage
hierarchy (see Structure of the Geometry File).
6. Click Ident.
7. Holding down the CTRL key, select BREAKLIN (break lines) and SCONTOURS (contours).
8. Click OK.
9. Click F to do a “final plot” and then click Cancel in the Plot Geometry Data dialogue box.
Note: For more information, see the topic Plot Geometry Data in the Minex help.
Task: Import Survey Data

If you are a surveyor, you will often need to import survey data into Minex. You can use the
commands on the Import submenu of the File menu to do this. It has commands for importing data

from DXF/DWG (Autocad) files, and from ASCII ZYZ files, which might be output from a global
positioning system (GPS) device.
1. Open THEDON.GM3.
You need to have a geometry file open so that you have a place where you can store the
imported survey data.
2. From the File menu, select Import and then Import DXF/DWG.
3. Click and navigate to THEDON_SURVEY.Dwg.
4. Click beside the Map box, and select the SURVEY map.
5. Edit the Map box so that the text is SURVEY2.
6. Click Scan File.
The text box should now appear similar to the following image.
7. Click Ok.
8. Click Cancel to close the Import DXF/DWG dialogue box.

It might take a few moments to load all the data.
9. Clear graphics.
10. Click the Plot Geometry Data icon on the toolbar.
11. F Plot all the SURVEY2 data.
Task: Create a Mask to Show an Area for Exploration

In this example, you will create a “mask” which identifies an area for mining exploration.
A mask is a type of string that is a closed polygon. You can use a mask to represent a dam, lease
boundary or a rehabilitated area or to report volumes and tonnages within the mask.
Note: The topic “The Geometry File” in the Minex help has more information about Structure data
type and masks.
Note: Minex is “measurement-unit independent”. You can enter numbers either in metres or in feet,
as appropriate to your organisation. The following example uses metres as the unit of
measurement.
1. Click Clear Graphics to clear the Graphics window.

2. Open THEDON.GM3.
You have to open a geometry file because the mask that you will create is a string, and you
have to store each string in a geometry file.
You will create the mask so that it follows some features of a topography grid. Therefore the
next step is to show the topography grid
3. Display and open the TOPS_AIR grid, which is in the STRUCTUR.grd folder.

The next step is to create the mask to define the area of exploration. The mask is a string.
You will store the mask in a location (Group, Map, Ident or Class) within the geometry file.
Therefore, before you create the mask, you must specify where to store it.
4. Click GM3 Definition .

5. In the Map text box, type MASKS (to specify that you will store the string in a “container” called
MASKS).
6. From the String menu, select Create.

7. Select the Masks data type and the Mask string type, and then click Ok.

Notice the yellow “Digitise” prompt that indicates Minex is ready for you to create a string. Now
make the string follow a fence line and then form a closed polygon.
Note: If you see the Digitise prompt at any time when you have finished digitising, right-click
and click Cancel. If Minex is in Digitise mode and you select other commands, you might
see unexpected results.
8. Make sure your digitising options are set to XY + Z.
The topography in this data set has an elevation of about 730 metres. So that you can see the
mask above the topography, in this exercise you will specify an elevation of 800.
9. Enter an elevation of 800.
10. Continue clicking along some of the features of the topography, and then click in any two other
locations.
11. Right-click, and click Accept.

12. Click Cancel in the String – Create dialogue box because you do not want to create another
string.
Notice that THEDON.GM3 has a disk icon on top of it in the Minex Explorer to indicate
that you have made changes to the geometry (specifically, you have created a string) but not
yet saved it.
13. Right-click THEDON.GM3 and click Save Geometry File to save it.
You might decide that the exploration area can extend on the left side.
14. Use the Plot Geometry Data dialogue box to plot Masks data only (that is, everything that has
the data type Masks).
15. Click Navigate and zoom in to the bottom of the mask you created.
16. Click the Select icon to enter Select mode.
17. Right-click the point at the bottom of the mask and click Go Point mode.

18. From the shortcut menu, select Move, and then Drag XY.
19. Click a location to the left of the point.
20. Right-click THEDON.GM3 and click Save Geometry File.
Plan and Section Mounts
Mounts Control Panel

The Mounts Control Panel presents a list of the plan mounts and section mounts in your project. You
open it when you want to select a plan or section mount to work on.
The red tick indicates the mount that you are currently working with, that is the one on which you are
drafting.

You can display the Mounts Control Panel by selecting Mounts Control Panel from the Mounts
menu or by pressing CTRL+4.
Task: Create a Section Showing a Seam Cross-section

By doing the steps in this task you will learn how to work with sections in Minex.
1. Clear the Graphics window.
Next open a topography grid to give you some visual reference points when you create the
section line. This time, you will use a menu command so that you can easily specify the colour
of the grid.
2. Open the TOPS_AIR grid:
a. From the Grid menu, select Display.
b. Select the Solid plot style.
c. Select Single colour.
d. Click the colour box and select a light blue colour.
e. Click Ok.
Next create a mount.
3. From the Mounts menu, select Section and then Create.

4. In the Section - Create dialogue box, click Digitise.
5. Leave the A1 sheet size selected.
This is the sheet size you will print the section on.
6. Type 300 in the Lower Z text box.
This is the lower limit of the seam cross-section.

7. In the Graphics window, click on the left side of the pit, and then the right side of the pit, to
create the section line.

8. Right-click and click Accept to indicate that you have finished defining the section line.
9. Change the scale to a “round figure” such as 2000, 5000 or 10000.
10. Click Apply to see the section limits in the graphics window.
Note: It is generally true throughout Minex that the Apply button “previews” an operation, and
the Ok button commits the operation.
11. Click Navigate on the toolbar above the Minex Explorer and rotate the view so you can
see the section limits better.
12. Click Ok in the Section – Create dialogue box.
The Mount Save dialogue box prompts you to enter a name for the mount.
13. Enter a name and click Ok.
This example uses a name in the format pit<sheet size><scale>. However, your organisation
might use a different naming convention. You can use eight characters or less for the name.
You have now created the mount.

14. Save the geometry file to save the section mount.
a. Right-click THEDON.GM3 in the Minex Explorer.
b. Click Save Geometry File.
Note: By saving the geometry file you save the section mount but you do not save the section.
You can save the section by archiving it or by doing a graphics capture. Both methods
are described later in this task.
15. Click Cancel in the Section – Create dialogue box.
Notice that the 3D Design tab is currently active. To plot a section you must work on the
Drafting tab. This will happen when you use the Draft on Mount command.

16. From the Mounts menu, select Mounts Control Panel to show it.
17. Expand the Sections item, right-click the section mount and click Draft on Mount.
The Drafting tab becomes active and the Graphics window is ready for drafting.
In some situations you might want to see a coordinate grid on top of the section. You can do
this by selecting the Mounts menu, Section and then Coordinate Grid. However, you can
save time by using the icons on the Section toolbar.
18. To show the Section toolbar, right-click in the empty area beside the toolbars that are currently
displayed and click Section, in the list of toolbars, so that it is ticked.
The Section toolbar appears beside or underneath the other toolbars in the toolbar section.
Note: You can use the same technique to display or hide other toolbars. You can see that there
are toolbars for all the activities you can do in Minex.

19. To show a coordinate grid, click the Section - Coordinate Grid button.
20. Enter a grid interval of X:300 Y:300 and Z:50 and click Ok.
Note: You can change the grid intervals if the grid appears too compressed or too widely
spread.
Now show the topography and the seams in cross-section.
21. Click the Grid – Cross Section button .

22. Select the TOPS grid from the Model folder and click Ok.

It might be useful to compare the TOPS grid with a TOPS triangle in section.
23. To show a TOPS triangle:
a. Click Triangle Cross-Section .

b. Click the ellipsis button for the first row and open AIRPHOTO3PT.tr5.
c. Change the colour to blue.
d. Click Ok to show the TOPS triangle, as well as the grid, in cross section.
Next show the seams from the borehole. You use the Borehole Seam Cross Section icon to do
so . However, this icon is unavailable and when you click it nothing happens. This is
because you must have a borehole database open to do this operation.
24. Open THEDON.B31 in the Minex Explorer.

25. Click Borehole Seam Cross Section (which is now available) .
26. On the Seams tab, click Load Seams.
27. Click Ok and then click Cancel.
At any stage, you can create a permanent copy of the section for later viewing or printing by
using the Graphics Capture command.
28. From the Graphics menu, select Graphics Capture.
29. In the Graphics Capture dialogue box:
a. Select a file type for the saved file, for example PDF.
b. Enter the file name.
c. Remember the location where the file will be saved, that is the folder shown in the Save
in box.
d. Click Save.

Next show a title block.
30. In Minex Explorer, open TITLEBLOCKS.GM3 as a secondary file.
31. From the Mounts menu, select Plot Title Block.

32. In the Tile Block Plot dialogue box:
a. Load the variable file TITLE1.var by clicking the ellipsis button, navigating to TITLE1.var
and then clicking Select and then Load.
b. Select a title block by clicking Select, selecting TITLE1 and clicking OK.
c. Edit the Value cells so that the variables hold the information you want to see in the title
block.
d. Clear Clip underlying data.

e. Click Ok.
The title block appears below the section.
33. Zoom the display so that you can see all of the cross-section, and then use the Graphics
Capture command to save the cross-section as seamxsection2.cgm.
Note: CGM is a file format for vector images that has a good capacity to retain its scale and
level of detail.
34. In Minex Explorer, right-click seamxsection2.cgm and click Preview.

35. In the ECSPreviewer, click the Rendering menu and select Negative to make the background
white.
If you intend to print the seam cross-section, you will use much less ink if you have a white
background.
Another way of saving a section or a plan is to archive it.
36. On the Graphics toolbar, click the Archive All icon .

37. Save it as seamXsection.
The archive file has the .ecsarc file extension.

38. Clear graphics.
39. Right-click the archive file and click Import to see it again in the graphics window.
Task: Create a Plan Showing Contours for Topography

A colour shade of topography provides a quick overall impression of the relative levels of the
topography in any area; the line contours help when you need to know the levels more precisely. You
can use both methods in the same plan.

2. Click the 3D Design tab to make it active.
3. Open THEDON.GM3 and plot all the structure geometry data.
4. Begin creating a plan mount from the lower left corner of the geometry to the upper right corner:
a. Press CTRL+SHIFT+P (the shortcut for Mounts > Plan > Create).
b. Click Dig.
c. Click in the lower left corner of the geometry and then click in the upper right corner.
d. Enter a scale such as 10000.
5. Click Apply to see, in the graphics window, where the limits of the plan will be.
Later, you might decide to change these parameters slightly. Therefore it might be a good idea
to save the parameters now.
6. Open or create a parameters file:
• If you do not have a parameters file already open, open the one you created in Task:
Create and Save Parameters.
• If there is no parameters file, create a new one using the File New wizard.

7. Right-click the Plan – Create tab and click Save Parameters.
8. Click Ok in the Plan – Create dialogue box and save the plan mount with a name that indicates
its sheet size and scale such as Pit10KA1.
9. From the Mounts menu, select Mounts Control Panel.
10. Right-click the plan and click Draft on Mount.
11. Right-click beside the toolbars and select Plan so that it is ticked.
The Plan toolbar appears.
12. Click the Plan – Coordinate Grid button .

13. Enter X and Y grid intervals of 1000 and click Ok.
Next, show shade contours for topography.

14. From the Mounts menu, select Plan and then Shade Contour – Grid.
15. Set up the shade contour parameters as shown below and click Ok.
Note: Press F1 for help on the shade contour parameters.

The shade contours appear similar to this in the Graphics window.
16. From the Mounts menu, choose Plan > Line Contour > Grid.
17. Set up the Line Contour parameters as shown below and click Ok.

18. In the Graphics window, zoom in to see the annotations on the contours.
19. Save the geometry file.
Next, save the plan.

20. From the Graphics menu, select Graphics Capture.
21. Select CGM as the file type and enter a file name such as toposhades.
Grids
Task: Create a Topographic Grid Using Borehole Collars

This task shows one way of creating topographical grids. It also introduces you to the Grid – Compute
function and the concept of how to display grids.
1. Clear graphics.
2. Select the 3D Design tab if it is not already active.
3. Open the borehole database THEDON.B31.

4. Plot 3D boreholes:
a. Right-click THEDON.B31.
b. In the shortcut menu, select Plot and then Plot 3D Boreholes.
c. Click Ok.
5. Compute a grid from the borehole collars:

a. From the Grid menu, select Compute.

Note: The Grid Compute topic in the Minex help explains the parameters in this dialogue box.
The X and Y origin and extent are particularly important parameters because they define
the size of the grid in the X and Y axes.
b. Click Dig.
c. Drag from the lower left corner of the graphics window to the upper right corner so that
the box you create includes all the boreholes.

d. Click Update (in the Grid – Compute dialogue box).
e. Click Ok.
f. In the Grid Compute Data Selection dialogue box, clear Use Geometry.
g. Select Use boreholes and Borehole Collars so that they are ticked.
Note: If you wanted to create a grid from a geometry file (rather than from borehole collars),
you would select the Use Geometry box.
h. Click Ok and then click Cancel.
i. When you see the prompt to proceed with gridding, click Yes.
j. When you see the prompt to save the grid, click Yes.
k. Save it as NEW-TOPS.

6. Clear graphics.
7. Display the NEW-TOPS grid:
a. From the Grid menu, select Display.
b. Select the NEW-TOPS grid.
c. Select the options to display it as a solid in a colour of your choice, for example blue.
d. Click Ok.

Task: Create a Weathering Grid
In this task you will use the Grid Manipulate function to create a weathering grid.
1. Clear graphics.
2. From the Grid menu, select Arithmetic.
3. Select the TOPS grid from the MODEL folder.
4. Enter an Add Constant value of -10
The premise is that the weathering grid is 10 meters below the topography.
5. Click Ok.
6. Click Yes in the prompt to save the grid.

7. Save the grid as WSF_NEW and enter a description if you wish.
8. Click Cancel to close the Grid – Manipulate dialogue box.

9. Display the TOPS grid and the WSF_NEW grid.
Triangles
Task: Volume Calculation

You can use triangles to calculate volumes effectively. For example, you can use them to calculate
the volume of material removed from a pit during a specific period.
If you do not already have a triangle file for the topography you will need to create one. You can
create one from the topography grid.
Tip: Alternatively, if you have survey data of the topography, you can triangulate the survey strings
in the geometry file.

2. To create the topography triangle file:
a. From the Grid menu, select Grid to Triangle.

b. Select the TOPS grid, either from the MODEL DD Name or from STRUCTUR.
c. Click Ok.
d. Save the triangle as tops when you see the save prompt.
e. Click Cancel to close the Grid to Triangle dialogue box.
3. Display and open tops.tr5 to see what it looks like.
Next create the triangle file for the pit (unless you already have a pit triangle).
4. To create the pit triangle file:
a. Clear the Graphics window.
b. Open THEDON.GM3.
c. F Plot the contours.

For the pit triangle you only need to include the area around the pit. One way of achieving this
is to create a string to represent the pit boundary, and then compute a triangle, clipping to that
boundary.
d. Zoom in so that you can see the pit clearly.
e. Use the String Create function to create a string around the pit to represent the pit
boundary.

f. From the Triangle menu, select Compute.
g. In the Triangle – Compute dialogue box, select Clip on boundary and click Pick.
h. Select the boundary.
i. Click Ok in the Triangle – Compute dialogue box.

j. Save the triangle as Pit.
k. Click Cancel in the Triangle Compute dialogue box to close it.
6. Display and open pit.tr5.
7. Reset the 3D Area if you cannot see the pit triangle.
Next, calculate the volume.

8. From the Triangle menu, select Volumes.

9. Set the parameters to calculate volumes between the tops and pit triangle.
10. Click Ok.
The Output window shows the Nett volume the Positive volume and the Negative volume.
The Positive volume is the total volume that is below the tops triangle but above the pit triangle.
However, in some locations the pit triangle is above the tops triangle — this is the Negative
volume. The Nett volume is the difference between the positive volume and the negative
volume.
11. To see where the pit triangle is above the tops triangle, display both triangles.

In the preceding image, the purple area is the tops triangle and the blue area is the pit triangle.
Blue areas are those where the pit is higher than the topography used to be. This might
indicate that some waste material has been piled around the pit.
To get a more accurate volume calculation we will have to define the pit boundary more
precisely.
12. From the Triangle menu, select Edit.
13. Load the pit triangle, select Edit Outside and click Digitize.
14. Digitise around the pit boundary so that the boundary is defined more accurately.
Note: This is an approximate method of defining the pit boundary. When you are working with
your data you would either have a pit boundary already defined or you would spend more
time on defining the boundary precisely.
15. Click Ok.

16. When you see the save prompt, save the new pit triangle as pit2.
17. From the Triangle menu, select Display.
18. Set the parameters to show pit2 in red and click Ok.
19. Similarly display the tops triangle in orange.
20. From the Triangle menu, select Volumes and calculate the volume again.

Summary
Congratulations on completing this tutorial. You should now understand the basic elements of Minex
that you are likely to use repeatedly. You have learnt a broad cross-section of concepts and tasks
including:
• How to start Minex and work with a project.
• What the elements of the Minex interface are and what they are for.
• How to get help about Minex.
• How to control the view of graphical data, including how to zoom and pan.
• How to save geometry data.
• What queries are and how to perform them.
• How to create a string (that is, how to digitise).
• How to create plans and sections and save them as graphics captures, or as archives.
• How to do a seam cross-section.
• How to create a grid from borehole collar data (using the grid compute function).
• How to create a weathering grid (using the grid arithmetic function).
• How to do a volume calculation with triangles.

Appendix A – Minex Shortcut Switches
This section contains some additional information about the changes you can make to the Minex
“shortcut” icon on your desktop. To show the properties of the shortcut, right-click it and click
Properties.
Your desktop icon and its properties may look similar to the following image.
A Minex shortcut switch is text that follows minex.exe in the Target field. In the preceding example,
the switch is –java_version 1.6
The switches that are most frequently-used are:
Switch Description
-java <path> Points to the location of the java runtime environment
on your computer.
-java_version <version_number> Indicates the desired version of Java. For example: -
java_version 1.6
-ecshome <path> Points to the installation directory on your machine.
-user_dir <path> Points to your private user directory.
-lm <licence_manager name> The name of your SSILM licence manager.
-class <class name> The class of your Minex licence. Some classes that you
might use are: Core, Drill&Blast, Survey, Engineering
and Geology.
-Xmx <buffer_size> Specifies the maximum size, in bytes, of the Java
memory allocation pool.
This value must a multiple of 1024 greater than 2MB.
Append the letter k or K to indicate kilobytes, m or M to
indicate megabytes.
The default value is 64MB. Example: -Xmx 128m

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MINEX

Minex 5 Core Tutorial

Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd

About This Manual

Surpac Minex Group

About This Document ............................................................................................................. 5

Getting Started ......................................................................................................................... 9

Concepts ................................................................................................................................ 25

Appendix A – Minex Shortcut Switches .............................................................................. 79

Contact Minex support as follows:

• Call the help desk: +61 2 4872 6003

• Send a message to minexhelp@surpac.com

This is usually installed from a CD.

• Install and start Minex.

• Identify the main areas of the Minex interface.

• Know how to get more help about Minex.

• Rotate, pan and zoom in to 3D objects.

• Save and get parameters in any dialogue box.

• Understand and work with plans and sections.

• Understand and work with geometry data.

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 5 of 79

• Understand and work with triangles.

Text Format Meaning

• A file name, path or URL.

• Strongly emphasized text.

• Text that a procedure has instructed you to type.

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 6 of 79

Key Combination Meaning

Windows and Dialogue Boxes

Elements of Windows and Dialogue Boxes

Windows and dialogue boxes can contain the following elements.

Element Description Example

Icon A graphical button that you can click to

Label Text attached to any option, box, button, or

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 7 of 79

Option Round button you can use to select one of

Tab Labelled group of options used for many

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 8 of 79

Task: Install Minex

The Minex setup file runs.

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 9 of 79

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 10 of 79

1. Double-click the Minex icon on the desktop.

4. Click Accept in the Minex licence dialogue box.

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 11 of 79

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 12 of 79

Task: Set Minex to Use a Local Licence

4. Select Local and click Ok.

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 13 of 79

Loading Data Sets

Starting a New Project

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 14 of 79

Setting a Project Directory

Task: Set the Project Directory

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 15 of 79

3. Right-click the Ashes folder and click Set Project Directory.

Setting Local Origin

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 16 of 79

When the distance is more than…. there is a loss of accuracy on the…

Task: Set the Local Origin

2. Click Toggle Black/White

Core Tutorial 1.0 Page 17 of 79

5. Right-click to cancel the query that you started.