Calculations and Filters on Block Models

Calculations and Filters use estimators and data to derive new values, resource classifications and more. A powerful and versatile tool, it offers a simple and intuitive editor so you do not need to be an expert programmer to make use of its pure functional language to define calculations. Even complex calculations can be developed with ease.

This topic describes how to define calculations and filters for block models. It is divided into:

• The Calculations Window
• Creating a New Calculation or Filter
• Understanding Errors Reported in the Errors Pane
• Building Calculations and Filters
• Null Values

The Calculations Window

Once you have defined a block model (see Block Models), you can define a set of calculations and filters for it by right-clicking on the block model in the project tree and selecting Calculations and Filters:

When the Calculations window is first opened, the Insert list is pinned to the right-hand side. You can untick the Pin Window box to get more screen space:

You can then select items by clicking on the Insert menu:

Items in this list are divided into Existing items and Syntax and functions. Existing items include handy metadata items you can use immediately, e.g. block size and volume measurements. It also includes evaluations that can be selected, such as estimators. Syntax and functions contains mathematical operators and other calculation elements, along with special values such as 'blank' and 'outside' and pre-made functions such as unit conversions and log(n).

If the Calculations window is docked as a tab, you can tear the tab off to form a stand-alone window. You might do this when arranging your windows so you can see the Calculations window at the same time as the scene. The detached window can be docked again by dragging the tab back alongside the other tabs, as described in Organising Your Workspace.

The toolbar in the Calculations window has three buttons that relate to copying, importing and exporting calculations and filters between block models and projects:

To copy calculations and filters from another block model, click the Copy button () and select which model to copy from.

To export calculations and filters, click the Export button (). You will be prompted for a file name and location. The information is saved in *.lfcalc format, which is a binary file format. This format cannot be read or written by any other program.

To import calculations, click on the Import button () and select a calculations file to import.

The arrow buttons ( and ) allow you to quickly expand or collapse all calculations and filters. You can also individually expand or collapse a calculation or filter by clicking on the ⇒ symbol next to the calculation or filter name.

Creating a New Calculation or Filter

Click the New Item button to add a calculation to the Calculations window:

The New Item windows gives you the choice of creating a variable, a numeric calculation, a category calculation, or a filter. Select one of these options, enter a name for the new item and click OK.

The item will appear in the list on the left-hand side of the Calculations window:

If you want to delete an item, click on it in the list, then select Delete:

Variables

A Variable is an expression that is given a name to make it simple to refer to the expression in other parts of the Calculations window. Note that ‘variable’ is a homonym/homograph that in a different context has a different meaning; ‘variable’ is at times used to refer to a mineral such as gold or silver. In the context of calculations and filters, the meaning is aligned with the use of the word in mathematics and scripting languages.

Using a variable in calculations can make the calculations easier to read and understand. It also makes it simple to reuse an expression multiple times in different places. Any time you find the same expression appearing in different calculations, or in different parts of a calculation, split that expression out into a variable. You can even use a variable to represent a constant value, such as a particular density measure. You can use it to hold a value you want to change as you experiment. If the value is used in multiple places in other expressions and calculations, using a variable in those places means you only need to change the value in one place instead of many.

Numeric Calculations

A Numeric calculation is an expression that evaluates to a number, or a number for each block evaluation used as input. A numeric calculation can be viewed in the 3D scene as a block model.

Category Calculations

A Category calculation is an expression that evaluates to text, usually used to label a category or classification such as a lithology or grade description. If a block evaluation is used as input, each block will be assigned a text label to categorise it according to the evaluation value. A category calculation can be viewed in the 3D scene as a block model.

Filters

A Filter is an expression that limits the data to specified constraints. When viewing a block model in the scene view, filters can be selected in the properties panel's Query filter option to constrain which blocks are displayed.

Understanding Errors Reported in the Errors Pane

Items in the Existing items list or in the Syntax and functions list can be selected and added to the Calculations pane. While a calculation or filter is incomplete, the Error pane will identify what is needed to make the calculation valid.

While you are in the process of constructing an expression, errors will be reported when the incomplete expression cannot be validly interpreted:

The messages provide the reason the expression is not valid or complete, but it cannot tell you how to complete or correct the equation.

Other errors will be displayed when the type of result doesn't match the sort of calculation selected when it was created. A numeric calculation needs to produce numbers, a category calculation needs to produce text results, and filters need to produce true or false (boolean) results.

Text needs to be identified by enclosing it with quotation marks, so it is not mistaken by the calculation engine as some sort of unspecified constant.

A processing error indicates a problem executing part of the calculation, for at least one of the blocks. The function may be syntactically correct, but the calculation cannot be performed for one or more blocks for some other reason. In the example below, number will not be able to be calculated if the Y index is ever below 3, as that will result in a divide by zero error. Because the Y index ranges from 1 upwards, this does indeed cause a processing error. Not all processing errors will be divide by zero errors. The list of problems that will be reported as processing errors includes:

• divide by zero
• log of zero or a negative number
• log base of 1
• raising a negative number to a fractional power
• sqrt of a negative number
• numeric overflow, producing a number outside the range -1e308 to 1e308
• a null value (blank, outside, without_grade) in a set
• multiple instances of the same value in a set
• referencing a column that has been deleted
• referencing a column that contains processing errors

Some processing errors will report that the problem is due to 'above errors', referring to errors higher in the errors list.

Processing errors will include a count of the number of affected blocks.

You may have more than one error shown. As a rule of thumb, address the errors at the top first, as this corrective action may address the subsequent error.

Building Calculations and Filters

Items in the Existing items list or in the Syntax and functions list can be selected and added to the Calculations pane. Wherever a dotted box appears in the Calculations pane, you can add items and operators. Select an insertion point by clicking the dotted box where the item is required. You will see that the colour of the dotted box turns from black to orange to indicate that it is the currently selected entry box. Insert an item from one of the lists by clicking on it.

Select additional operators, constants, evaluations or other items as required, or type in values:

Some items you insert include placeholders that need to be replaced. For example, here, a value needs to be entered at the cursor position and the terms ‘lower’ and ‘upper’ need to be replaced with other items:

The if (::) conditional statement can have additional rows added to it. Insert the cursor where you want to insert a row and then click the Add Row button () and a row will be added above the selected line:

You can hold the Shift key to add the row below the cursor. To delete the selected row, click the Delete Row button ().

A calculation or filter can be renamed after it has been created. Click on its name and select Rename from the menu that appears:

Examples of Variables

Variables can produce numeric, boolean, or text results. You may create a variable because using a variable in other expressions can make them easier to read and understand, or it can let you change a value in just one place, even though it is used in many expressions.

While producing results similar to numeric calculations, category calculations or filters, variables cannot be viewed on the block model in the 3D scene.

Example of a Numeric Calculation

Numeric calculations must produce numeric results, or an error will be reported.

The results of the numeric calculation for the block model can be viewed in the 3D scene by right-clicking on the numeric calculation entry in the project tree and selecting View Object.

Example of a Filter

In this example, one of the selectors from the Complex Comparisons options has chosen from the insert list. The value that will be tested is to be added at the insertion point between the comparators, and the placeholder words ‘lower’ and ‘upper’ need to be replaced with constants.

Here the RBF estimator has been specified as the value that will be tested, and lower and upper limits for the processable ore have been specified.

When you select View Object for the filter in the project tree, the block model will be displayed with the Query filter set to the selected filter in the shape properties panel.

Example of a Category Calculation

This example use a category calculation to classify ore into one of several categories using the if(::) conditional statement.

The if(::) conditional statement contains two lines by default. Note the guiding cues within the dotted entry boxes. The first line describes the test to be performed that, if it evaluates as true, will produce a specified result. The ‘otherwise’ condition on the second line captures all the tested conditions that did not evaluate as true in the test on the first line, and these all produce an alternate result:

In this case, all the values outside of the range of the filter we have created are to be considered waste. We add the filter as the ‘test’ condition, and specify the label ‘Ore’ as the first result, and use the label ‘Waste’ in the bottom line for the ‘otherwise’ condition. So the labels are not mistaken by the calculation engine as some sort of unspecified constant, make sure labels are identified using quotation marks:

To extend this trivial example to make it more practical, we can nest if(::) conditional statements. Replace the ‘Ore’ label with a new if(::) item:

Now if values pass the filter in the first test, they then get to be sorted using the second if(::) block. This time we will test a declustering object from the sample geometry. If the Declustering value is more than 65, we will classify this as ‘Measured’:

Shift-click the Add Row button (), and a new conditional row is added below the current one, where we can specify that a Declustering value greater than 36 will be classified as ‘Indicated’. Only values between 65 and 36 will be classified as ‘Indicated’ as the first line will have already classified all the values over 65 as ‘Measured’. This leaves the ‘otherwise’ row in the nested if(::) block to catch data density values below 36, which are labelled 'Inferred':

The new Classification calculation we have added under the block model can be added to the scene view.

Null Values

Leapfrog Geothermal can differentiate between different types of invalid or null values, which are shown in the Calculations window:

You can see how many blocks of each normal or invalid status occur in an evaluation by right-clicking on the evaluation in the project tree and selecting Properties:

When a block model is displayed in the scene, you can choose between displaying evaluation values or the block status. Highlighted below is a Kriging evaluation, shown displayed on the block model. Next to the Kriging evaluation in the dropdown list is a Status option:

When the status option is selected, the model is displayed by block status. Click Edit Colours to change what status values are displayed.

 

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