Significant enhancements to the import and export of AutoCAD DXF and DWG Files make MineSight 3D (MS3D) Version 7.7, which has just been released, even more powerful according to the developer and supplier, mining software group Mintec. The company states: “3D graphics are integral to MS3D, which provides interactive display and editing of all types of data, including drillholes, 3D block model, geologic interpretations, topographic contours, and gridded or triangulated surfaces.”

Mintec continues: “Geologists and mine planners enjoy MS3D’s sophisticated interpretation tools, full 3D design for underground mine layout, CAD editing of polylines and solids, and visualisation of all types of geological and mining data.” Upgrades to Version 7.7 include full read and write capability of native DWG™ and DXF™ file formats into MS3D, using the Autodesk RealDWG toolkit. Users can also import AutoCAD file formats ranging from R12 through AutoCAD 2013;  and export DWG or DXF files in R15 (AutoCAD 2000) format for compatibility with older AutoCAD versions.

Version 7.7 consolidates the improvements already made to MS3D in Mintec’s annual update DVD, released in December 2012. The DVD features new plug-ins, including a Surface Resloping Tool – described as “an invaluable addition to MS3D’s Engineering Open Pit CAD, enabling engineers to reduce a shape [such as a waste dump] to a desired final slope while balancing cut and fill.” MS3D also includes plug-ins for Auto Cut Generation – used to create cuts starting from polygons, polylines, or solids – and Digline Generator, used to assign a mining sequence for cuts on every individual bench of each phase.