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Overview
In the Block Model step you will be prompted to load your block models from CSV, Surpac (.mdl), Vulcan (.bmf), MineSight (.dat) or Micromine (.DAT) and convert it to Alastri Block Model format (which is .resmodel).
Within Alastri’s resmodel we can take multiple block models and convert them to a common structure, common framework, with same number of fields and same fields in terms of their names, what makes it a lot easier to store the information.
A Reserve Model (file “.resmodel”) is a collection of block models.
Each project loads a single ".resmodel" file at a time.
The New and Open buttons create and load Reserve Model files.
The Edit button is where Block Models may be added or removed from the Reserve Model.
Creating Reserve Model
Block Models used to build a Reserves Model can be imported into a project from different formats of various third-party software. Below are examples of importing Block Models in the most common formats: csv and .dat.
Loading Block Models
Importing from CSV
Press the New button to open the Reserve Model Generator.
In the Block Models panel, press blue plus icon and import CSV file “.myblockmodel.csv”.
In the Import CSV window, set the green Header Line to match the header text.
Set the yellow Data Offset to match the first row of data.
Press OK to finish.
When importing Block Model CSV, you’ll see a preview of the first 100 rows of this CSV. It's a good time-saving feature, as your site Block models CSVs can be of a very large size and take a long time to open.
Importing from Micromine
To import a block model in .dat format created in Micromine, select the option “Micromine block Model” and populate Configure Micromine Block Model Settings form.
Specify path to the block model file.
Map block coordinates and sizes fields to the Micromine fields accordingly.
Note
If in the Reserves Model Generator the name of a block model appears red, it means the absolute path to the file can’t be found. The path to the blockmodel must be relinked in order to use it.
Press the folder icon and specify path to the folder where block model file is stored.
Mapping
Once the block model has loaded, its header fields are listed in the Variables panel on the right.
Numeric fields use the N(“field”) syntax, and text fields use the T(“field”) syntax.
Drag and drop the variables to the appropriate field (or double click to map to the selected field).
The Parcel field is used to categorise the material type in each block model cell.
Most block models contain a material type field, such as “MatType” or “IDProduct”.
If there is no material type field in the block model, see the Block Model Formulas section to write your own.
For the Volume field use the formula N("DX")*N("DY")*N("DZ").
For the DryTonnes field use the formula N("DX")*N("DY")*N("DZ")*N("Density"), or N("Density") > 0 ? N("DX")*N("DY")*N("DZ") * N("SG") : 0 to exclude negative values.
For the WetTonnes field use the formula N("DX")*N("DY")*N("DZ")*N("Density")/<moisture>.
Be careful to use the text T(“material”) syntax so that the parcel is read as text, not as a number.
Note for Micromine Block Models
When importing Block Models in .DAT format, in the list of Available Variables on the right you will see a new variable MetaN(“Rotation”), which you do not see when working with a CSV file.
Map this variable to the “Bearing” field. This value pulls in rotation data from the Micromine block model, adjusted for Alastri rotation.
Fields
New reserve model fields can be created by clicking the Sum, Weighted, and Class icons located in the top button ribbon. These add new rows into the field list.
Field type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
Additive | Additive fields are summed together, such as volumes, tonnes, and gold ounces. |  |
Weight Averaged | Weighted fields are weight-averaged by their parent field, such as iron percent or gold ppm. | |
Text | Text (class) fields create subtotals of their parent fields, such as tonnes of Indicated / Inferred / Measured. |
Block Model Formulas and Logical Operators
There are a number of expressions available to use in the Reserve Model Generator.
Block Model formulas
| Add A and B |
|---|---|
| Subtract B from A |
| Multiply A and B |
| Divide A by B |
| Convert all upper case text (HG, Hg, hg) into lower case (hg) |
| Return the minimum of A and B |
| Return the maximum of A and B |
| If density is less than or equal to zero, return zero volume, else return the volume field |
| Return the first three letters of A |
| If material is waste1 or waste2, then return "waste", else return the "material" |
Logical operators
And | && | If A is "true" and B is "true" and C is "true", then return "true", else return "false" |
|---|---|---|
Or | || | If A is "true" or B is "true" or C is "true", then return "true", else return "false" |
Equal to | == | If A is equal to B, return "true", else return "false" |
Not equal to | != | If A is not equal to B, return "true", else return "false" |
Greater than | > | If A is greater than B, return "true", else return "false" |
Greater than or equal to | >= | If A is greater than or equal to B, return "true", else return "false" |
Less than | < | If A is less than B, return "true", else return "false" |
Less than or equal to | <= | If A is less than or equal to B, return "true", else return "false" |
Custom Variables
If required variable is not available, you must create/edit it in the Script Editor window, which can be accessed via the Custom Variables button.
Press the Custom Variables button.
In the Script Editor window, customize the formula code.
You can copy sample scripts from the Block Model Custom Variables section and paste them into the Editor window (for easy access: press the Help icon (Question mark) and navigate Rapid Reserver Documentation > RR. Block Model > Block Model Custom Variables).
Change the required values, such as the parcel and thresholds.
Verify that the code is correct by pressing the Compile button.
If there are no errors, click OK.
The new custom variable will appear in the Variables list on the right in bold. Drag and drop it to map it to the applicable field.
Reserve Field Value Clamping
Use Minimum and Maximum columns to clamp numbers by block to be >= Minimum and <= Maximum.
This functionality can be used to help with data hygiene by ensuring that values are somewhat sensible.
Recommendation
If the value in the Minimum column is set to a negative value, the Reserves Summary and subsequent data may incorrectly display the material contents or other inputs as negative values.
To prevent showing negative values, in the Minimum column, limit the lowest values to zeros. This way, even if minus values (-99 or -∞) are used in the Block Model fields, you will not have negative values displayed for reserves during further setup and scheduling.
Exporting Mapping
To facilitate the matching of fields of similar block models, the filled fields of one model can be copied and pasted into the other. The Copy Mappings and Export Fields buttons are used for this purpose.
Find and Replace
You can also use the Find and Replace button to speed up the filling of similar parameters in copied mappings.
Errors List
If the Errors panel is blank, and all relevant fields are mapped, press Generate to build the reserve model.
Recommendation on files storing
Always save reserve model files locally (or on the same server on which Rapid Reserver is running). When sharing work with a colleague, the Rapid Reserver file and the Reserve Model file should be shared together.
As such, a good rule of thumb is to save the Reserve Model file in the same folder as the Rapid Reserver project, to reduce confusion when sharing or backing up files.
Note when updating Reserves Model
Each time after updating Block Models and introducing a new parcel you will need to check your Mappings in ATS/APS to make sure that each parcel is mapped correctly.
You may also need to check Fields to make sure that field(s) for new parcel(s) exists.
Reserves Summary
Once the Reserve Model file has been generated, a summary is displayed for each loaded Block Model.
Use the Min/Max toggle to inspect the data for missing or rubbish values.
Check the material types, tonnes and grades for ballpark accuracy.
Export
You can export the entire Reserves Model to a CSV file. To do this, click the Export button on the top line and specify the path to the destination folder.
The new CSV file will contain all Block Models, with all the blocks and all the fields existing and added by the user.
You can also narrow your Block Model Data export by selecting which parcels and fields you wish to export from the Reserves Summary.
Selected parcels and fields of the Reserves Model can be exported to Excel or to Text/CSV formats.
Recommendation for APS users working with large Block Models
Depending on the volume of data stored, some Block Models can be quite large, resulting in the generation of very large Reserve Models as well (several GB), which can take considerable time to download/transfer and read. When working with a short-term plan in APS, you may not need inventory data for the benches not being mined, therefore, when generating a Reserve Model, you can limit the data to the certain Z-coordinates. This will significantly reduce the number of blocks within the Reserves Model, and consequently the size of the generated file for easy storage and transfer.
For example, the block model you are using is in coordinates (2,000 | 297 | 600) x (2,808 | 1, 697 | 900), but you know that only the upper benches will be mined in your schedule, so the data for the lower benches will not be applicable to you. Therefore, you can constrain the data included in the Reserves Model by the Z coordinate, using the formula like "if the benches of interest are above or at 750 meters along the Z axis, report the volume according to the dimensions, otherwise return zero" - "N("Z") >= 750 ? N("DX")*N("DY")*N("DZ") : 0".
Generate a new Reserve Model and review the Block Count data, and compare the size of the Reserve Models before and after zeroing in on the unused benches - the values will be significantly lower. Also note that in the Phase Details step, part of the pit will be outside the green box of the Block Model, and the Gap Filling template will be used to calculate its reserves.
