Importing Block Models

You can import the following types of block models into Leapfrog Geo:

• Regular block models
• Octree sub-blocked models
• Fully sub-blocked models

The formats supported depend on the type of block model you are importing.

• Surpac *.mdl format:
  • Regular block models
  • Octree sub-blocked models
• CSV + Text Header (*.csv, *.csv.txt) and CSV with Embedded Header (*.csv) formats:
  • Regular block models
  • Octree sub-blocked models
  • Fully sub-blocked models

Regardless of the file and model type, start importing by right-clicking on the Block Models folder and selecting Import Block Model.

In the window that appears, select the file you wish to import, then click Open. Leapfrog Geo will open the file and step you through the import wizard, which is different for Surpac and CSV files. See:

• Importing Surpac *.mdl Block Model Files
• Importing CSV Block Model Files

Importing Surpac *.mdl Block Model Files

If you are importing a regular block model or an octree sub-blocked model from a Surpac *.mdl file, the following Import Block Model window will appear:

By default all data columns will be in the Selected list, but you can choose to move some out to the Available list if you do not wish to import them. Click OK and the *.mdl file will be imported.

Importing CSV Block Model Files

Leapfrog Geo can import CSV block models with regularly sized blocks or with sub-blocks that conform to multiples of a defined minimum cell size. This includes block models produced by Leapfrog, as well as by other mining GMPs (e.g. Surpac, Datamine, Vulcan, Minesight). If you are importing a block model in CSV format, the Import Block Model window will prompt you to select the type of block model you are importing:

If Leapfrog Geo is able to detect what sort of block model was stored in the file, that option will automatically be selected.

This window also includes a preview of the file to aid in selecting the type of block model.

Once you have selected the model type, there are two steps to finishing the import:

• Selecting Attributes
• Defining the Grid

Selecting Attributes

After selecting the block model type and clicking Next, you will be presented with a window to Select Attributes to import. Here you can make sure all the columns you want to import are selected and have appropriate Column type and Import Name settings.

Click Next when you have completed selecting the attributes to import from the file.

Defining the Grid

In the Grid Definition window, data from the CSV will be used to define the model’s block size, position and extents.

For sub-blocked models, the Blocks section has some additional details relating to sub-blocking:

The source data is displayed on the right to help you in setting these properties.

The Metadata tab on the right side of the screen will contain additional information extracted or processed from the file content, including the minimum and maximum grid corners were the grid not rotated.

The grid definition is divided into:

While the grid definition does not align with the block centroid points, a message will warn that none of the blocks in the file match the grid you’ve defined.

When the grid definition provides a match with some but not all the blocks, the message changes to a warning that without further changes, the file may not import properly. This usually indicates that the grid definition is close to correctly matching the data in the file, but there may be a small change required to improve the definition.

When the grid definition aligns with the data in the file, the message changes to inform you that all the blocks in the file match the grid you’ve defined.

If no grid definition header is apparent for the file you have selected, check the source folder to see if there is another file that contains the grid definition information.

If Leapfrog Geo can identify the sidecar file, it will be displayed in a tab on the right side of the window.

If the naming conventions used in the block model definition data can be interpreted by Leapfrog Geo, those values will be automatically imported into the appropriate grid definition fields. Here is an example showing how fields for a regular block model have been automatically populated:

Here is an example showing how the fields for a sub-blocked model have been automatically populated:

It is possible to manually populate the details in the grid definition, and this may be necessary if Leapfrog Geo cannot determine the correct location for the model definition data in the file. To make the process easier, the grid definition window lets you select and drag data from the right side of the window onto grid definition fields on the left side of the window.

1.  Select a number or a series of numbers from the file data on the right side of the screen.

You can include other text such as the data labels or separator symbols.

2.  When the data is highlighted, click-and-drag the highlighted text toward the left side of the screen.

As the cursor passes over fields that can accept the data, the fields that can accept the data will be highlighted with a blue box. If you have selected several numbers, you will see several adjacent fields being highlighted with a blue box at the same time.

3.  Release the mouse button to drop the data into the highlighted field or fields.

If you cannot drop the selected data into the current location, the mouse cursor will indicate that this is not possible, showing a red circle with an oblique line through it.

Drag the grid definition window aside to see the scene and you will see points representing the block model centroids, along with an outline for the current grid definition. This may assist in manual entry of the grid definition.

When you have successfully specified the grid definition to align with the file data, click Finish. The block model will be imported from the CSV file and will appear in the Block Models folder.