HI. Draw a network
- iarmstrong
Using our overlays as reference, we are going to draw in a road network upon which the truck fleet will run.
Movement and Rotation
Pan: |  | or middle click and drag |
|---|---|---|
Zoom: |  | or mouse scroll |
Rotate: | or right click and drag |
Snap Mode
The snap mode dictates what we can connect segments to while drawing. The shortcut keys <Q>, <W>, <E> can be used to switch between the three modes.
Snap to points on the network | |
Snap to surface model | |
Snap to constant elevation |
Draw Tool
Press the pencil icon and left click on the surfaces to draw roads that connect the pit and dump. The shortcut key <D> can be used to start and stop drawing.
Tip 1: To draw a ramp, display your pit blocks from below. This way you will immediately see how the isolated blocks become connected (painted green in viewport and marked with green tick in the Blocks panel on the left). Tip 2: Show Mouse Text (from the toolbar) and when drawing networks on ramps check a tooltip and make sure the slope is not too big.
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Draw Assistance
These features may be used to draw roads when there is no existing design.
Adds a vertical offset to the drawn segments. | |
Adds a gradient to the drawn segments. | |
Draw+Ctrl+Left click | Open a coordinate menu for absolute and relative coordinates. |
Define Sources and Destinations
Nodes are fixed load points (or dump points) that we manually connect to the network. Typically these represent pit centroids, dump centroids, stockpiles and crusher bins.
Types of Nodes
Node | Source | Destination |
|---|---|---|
Bench Exit | Yes | - |
Lift Entry | - | Yes |
Stockpile | Yes | Yes |
Crusher | - | Yes |
Waypoint | - | - |
Promoting a Node
Creating a node is as simple as right clicking a point on the network and selecting "Promote Point to Node".
Creating nodes example
Find the toe of the pit ramp and promote to a "Bench Exit". The corresponding node centroid will appear at the selected point.
Find the crest of the dump ramp and promote to a "Lift Entry". The corresponding node centroid will appear at the selected point.
Speed Limits and Traffic Rules
Road signs can be dragged and dropped onto the network to reproduce the site road rules.
Maximum speed | Trucks are restricted to this maximum speed | |
|---|---|---|
Slow point | Trucks slow down approaching this sign, then speed up | |
Stop and wait | Trucks stop and wait at this sign for the number of seconds | |
Do not enter | Trucks cannot enter from this direction (but may exit) |
The Road Signs menu can be found in the top right panel with the Overlays and Flags menus. Additional signs are available in the To Show dropdown box.
There are two sign types:
Speed limits dictate the maximum allowable speed across the segment.
Slow points and stop signs dictate the maximum exit speed from the segment.
No Entry signs have a speed limit of zero, which prevents trucks travelling along that segment.
Set Road Rules
Drag and drop some signs onto the network to create safe intersections and appropriate speeds.
Select some segments > Right click > "Set Speed Limits on Selected Segments".
Select some points > Right click > "Set Final Speed on Selected Points".
Remove Road Rules
Stop signs and slow points can be removed from segments via the right click menu.
Speed signs are never "removed" because all segments have a speed. Speed signs will be visible whenever there is a change in speed: at a terminal point, at an intersection, or anywhere on the road you have dropped a sign. To make a sign invisible, change the speed limit to be equal to the neighboring segments.
Example
Find a road with a 40 km/h speed limit.
Drag a 20 km/h sign onto the road. The sign is visible because there is a speed change from 40 to 20 km/h.
Drag a 40 km/h sign over the top of the 20 km/h sign. The sign will disappear, because there is no speed change along the segment.
Segments have forward and backward speed properties. Enable them in Tools > Project Settings > General > Segment Direction Indicator.
Query a Haul
In order to make cycle time calculations, Haul Infinity needs to know the material type, loader and truck type.
Enter route parameters:
Find the Route Selections panel to the left of the viewport.
Set material to "High Grade".
Set loader to EX2500.
Set truck to CAT 785D.
Set operating condition to "Normal".
Select Destination from Node. To do this: right click on a node > Show Path to > Loaded > Crusher > crusher required.
Show Return Route Between Nodes, as shown below.
You can also Select a node from Nodes panel tree.
Choose from History.
Hauls can be reactivated by selecting them from the History menu in the Route Selection panel.
Animations
Haulage animations can be turned on or off from the Animations button.
Animations can slow down some calculations times. If you are using an older computer, turning animations off may help conserve performance.
Press the blue cross button to stop the animation and clear displayed haul route. Alternatively, press <X> key.
For better understanding of Haul Infinity functionality go to the HI. Exercises page and complete the suggested tasks.