Mine blocks graphically

You can use this function to find out quickly which blocks you could mine in a scheduling period, while not exceeding tonnage and mass limitations, and achieving a target grade (or other attribute value).

Note: However, BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS does not take account of minimum slope angle for a pit, or any other practical mining limitations.

Prerequisites: A block model is open and displayed in Graphics. For this function to be useful, apply a block model constraint to show blocks that have not yet been mined, and then colour the block by an attribute of interest such as a grade attribute.

To run this function: Choose Block model > Block model > Mine blocks graphically, or

In the Function Chooser, type BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS, and press ENTER.

Fields on the Select Mining Attributes form

You use the Select Mining Attributes form to define how often the Mining Block Results form appears, to specify target volume, mass, and grade (or other attribute value), and to specify the names of the constraint files to create.

Field	Description
Display results	After you click Apply on this form, you click on blocks in Graphics. After a period of time determined by the Display results setting, the Mining Block Results form is displayed and shows you how much tonnage and mass you have selected, and the average value for the attributes you specified. Never. The Mining Block Results form will appear only when you press ESC. Over Target Volume. The form appears when the total volume of the blocks you have clicked on is greater than Target Volume. Over Target Tonnage. The form appears when the total mass of the blocks you have clicked on is greater than Target Tonnage. Mass is calculated as volume multiplied by SG Attribute. Every 1 block. The form appears each time you click a block. Every 5 blocks. The form appears every 5th time you click a block. Every 10 blocks. The form appears every 10th time you click a block. Every 20 blocks. The form appears every 20th time you click a block. Every 50 blocks. The form appears every 50th time you click a block.
Target Volume	The total volume that you intend to mine in the scheduling period. For example, if a processing plant can process 50000 cubic metres in the scheduling period, and this is the volume limitation for your mining operation, you would enter a Target Volume of 50000.
Target Tonnage	The total mass that you intend to mine in the scheduling period. For example, if your mining equipment allows you to mine a maximum of 50000 tonnes in a scheduling period, and this is a tonnage limitation for your mining operation, you would enter a Target Tonnage of 50000.
SG Attribute	The attribute, in the block model, that holds the density for each block. Note: In this function, you can use only a single density attribute.
[Attribute table]
Attribute Name	The name of an attribute for which you want to achieve a target value. Typically, Attribute Name is a grade attribute. Tip: You can add multiple rows for multiple resources of interest.
Display Name	The name that will appear in the form for this attribute. If the attribute name is not sufficiently descriptive, you use Display Name to replace the attribute name with a more descriptive label.
Average Calculation	When you click on blocks, an average or aggregate value is calculated for each of the attributes you specified. This setting determines how the average or aggregate is calculated Volume Weighted Average. The average is weighted by volume. For example, imagine that there are two blocks of 100 cubic metres each, one with a grade of 4, and the other with a grade of 5, the average is 4.5. Mass Weighted Average. The average is weighted by mass. For example, imagine that there are two blocks of 100 cubic metres each, one with a grade of 4, and the other with a grade of 5. The first block has a density (SG Attribute) of 2.4, and the other has a density of 2. Therefore, the mass of the first block is 240 tonnes, and the mass of the second block is 200 tonnes. The average grade is 4.45, which is the result of the calculation [(2404)+(2005)]/(240+200) Aggregate. The values of the attribute are added, that is aggregated. No average is calculated.
Target	The target value you want to achieve (average or aggregate depending on the Average Calculation setting) for the attribute.

Save mined blocks to	The constraint file to create that holds the blocks you clicked on. The constraint file allows you to easily display only the blocks you intend to mine in a scheduling period. This field is optional.
Save resulting mine shape to	The constraint file to create that holds all the blocks that were displayed in Graphics except the ones you clicked on. The constraint file allows you to see which blocks would remain after you had mined the blocks you have selected using BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS in this scheduling period. This field is optional.

When you click Apply, you are prompted to select the blocks to mine in Graphics. At any time, you can press ESC to display the Mining Block Results form.

When you click a block in Graphics, the block appears transparent to show that you have selected it.

Tip: You can also press F1 to start Viewer mode in which you can zoom, pan, and rotate the block model. Viewer mode helps you see the specific blocks you want so you can click them. Press ESC to exit Viewer mode.

Fields on the Mining Block Results form

Field	Description
Selection
Volume	The total volume of the blocks you have selected since the last time you click Accept.
Tonnage	The total tonnage of the blocks you have selected since the last time you click Accept. Tonnage is volume multiplied by SG Attribute.
Cumulative
Volume	The total volume of the blocks you have selected since you started running BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS.
Tonnage	The total tonnage of the blocks you have selected since you started running BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS.
Target
Volume	The target volume that you entered on the Select Mining Attributes form.
Tonnage	The target tonnage that you entered on the Select Mining Attributes form.
Attributes
Value Name	Each row shows the name of an attribute that you chose to report on.
Total Value	The total value for the attribute for all the blocks you have selected since you started running BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS. Typically Total Value is the average grade, but it depends on what you entered in the attribute table in the Select Mining Attributes form.
Selection Value	The total value for the attribute for all the blocks you have selected since the last time you click Accept.

Cumulative Volume/Tonnage	A chart that shows the cumulative volume and tonnage you have selected since you started running BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS. If each column displays red (on target) and a small amount of green (less than the target), it is an ideal situation where the values are close to, but not greater than, the volume and mass limitations. Usually, this situation indicates that the processing plant and mining equipment would be fully used, instead of overused or underused.
Attribute Values	A chart that shows the cumulative average or aggregate values (depending on the settings you chose) for the attribute or attributes of interest. These values are calculated since the last time you started running BM GRAPHICS MINE BLOCKS.
Accept	Saves the values for the blocks you have selected so far, and allows you to select more blocks so that you can add to the volume and tonnage to make them closer to the target values.
Reject	Clears all values for Mining Block Results so you can start again.
Finished	Saves the constraint files if you specified any constraint files on the Select Mining Attributes form. Also closes the Mining Block Results form.

Output

If you specified the names of the two constraint files, the constraint files are created. The first constraint file (the Saved mined blocks to file) contains the blocks that you selected, that is the blocks that most closely meet your volume, tonnage, and grade limitations. The second constraint file contains the blocks that were displayed, and which you did not select.

For example, the following image shows the Saved mined blocks to constraint file for a period where the target volume is 10000 tonnes, and some blocks were selected using the training.mdl block model.