Converting Solids into Surfaces in GEOVIA GEMS

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Have you ever accidentally imported a surface into GEOVIA GEMS as a geology or excavation solid? As the surface option is listed just below the solid option, it can be easy to select the wrong option when importing data.

If this happens, don’t worry – it’s easy to convert solids into surfaces.

Once a triangulation has been saved to a GEMS workspace, it is possible to convert a surface into a solid, or vice versa.

A triangulation workspace contains two integer data type fields in the Header table, which tell GEMS the triangulation type for the object: VARIANT and VARIANTEX. The values listed in these fields are summarized in the table below:

To change the triangulation type in GEMS, you can follow these steps:

  1. On the Workspace menu, select Start Data Editor.
  2. In the Select Workspace dialog, choose the workspace and click Select.
  3. In the Data Editor, locate the triangulation in question and scroll over to the VARIANT and VARIANTEX fields in the Header table.
    Data Editor – Triangulation as Excavation Solid
    Data Editor – Triangulation as Excavation Surface
  4. Edit the VARIANT and VARIANTEX fields to match the object type you wish it to be. For example, to convert an Excavation Solid into an Excavation Surface, change the VARIANT from 1 to 2 and the VARIANTEX from 1 to 2.
  5. On the File menu, Close Data Editor.

A word of caution: Any changes made in the Data Editor are permanent (there is no Undo function), so be careful when making these changes.

An alternative method that does not involve making changes within the Data Editor would be to export the solid to *.dxf format, then import the file back into GEMS.

During the import process, make sure to import as the desired object type (e.g. ‘One Solid’ or ‘One Surface’). Once complete, you can delete the original triangulation if required.

Looking for more GEMS tips? Read our recent posts on Displaying Linked Files in GEMS and Image Draping in GEMS.

 

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Stephanie Mair

Stephanie Mair

Mining Knowledge Consultant, GEOVIA at Dassault Systèmes
Stephanie Mair delivers consulting services and training to the mining industry in North America, focusing on geological modeling, resource evaluation and grade control operations. She has worked in the mining industry for four years on regional exploration projects in northern Canada and western Africa. Stephanie is based in British Columbia, Canada and speaks English and French. She specializes in GEOVIA GEMS, Surpac, Minex and SQL Server Management.