A few bug fixes and improvements were made to the latest version: Version 1.2.4 had an bug when loading some DXF-files which was fixed. Small incremental memory improvements were made across the code base, and GEM4D is now very stable. Let me know if you find any combination of actions that still results in an error. When clipping objects coloured on elevation or polygon dip, the colours where not previously transferred to the clipping. This functionality is now completed, an

Many smaller additions were made to GEM4D in the latest version: A DXF-file can now be dragged-and-dropped from Windows Outlook. Trajec3D path strings can be loaded whilst retaining the colours assigned in Trajec3D (see previous post). Multiple DXF-files could always have been be dragged-and-dropped from Windows Explorer, and multi-select is now also possible from the File Dialog form. Points support was added to the DXF-importer. Surpac STR-files can now be read directly wit

Reconciliation of achieved slopes against the design are time consuming, as comparisons are typically made on individual sections. To create a visual representation of the catchment capacity, triangulations then need to be created from the selected toe and crest points. GEM4D now has an easy way for this analysis, just colour the polygons by their dip-angle, and the catchment capacity on each berm is obvious. The full pit can be assessed in a single pass, and multiple berms e

Mine design software typically has simple DXF-importers that only support a small subset of the information and attributes contained in the file. Some DXF- importers are limited to the extent that they crash when attempting to load information types that are not supported. GEM4D currently use DXF as the native format, and support many data types and attributes. A file saved from GEM4D will again load with the same layer names and attributes. This extensive DXF support unfortu

The changes to GEM4D Version 1.2.0 makes it even easier to select files in a scene, objects can be moved and copied, and a few new file formats are supported: Object selection was initially done from the "File" and "Layer" list boxes, with multiple selections supported. From Version 1.1.3, single objects could also be selected from the scene by clicking on the object while the i-button is toggled to "Continuous Information Display ON". The Shift and Ctrl buttons are now suppo

GEM4D Alpha Version 1.1.3 contains the following new features and a correction: New expiry date is 1 April 2013. An elevation filter was added that colour a mesh according to mRL (see picture below). The elevation filter is available from the bottom menu button on the right, where existing objects are changed. The colour mode can be toggled between the elevation filter and selected colour by right clicking on the layer in the Layers list box, and selecting "Toggle colour mode

In my previous post, I mentioned that Trajec3D-files should consist of triangular polygons and to use the "Triangulate meshes" function in GEM4D. Then I realised that this functionality is not available in the available Version 1.1.1, as this was only added during the past month. Version 1.1.2 has the following added functionalities: A function that triangulate meshes where any quads or strips are broken up into triangular polygons - required for Trajec3D topography shells. A

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am working on the loading of larger pit shells in Trajec3D, but it will take a while to complete. There is an interim solution though, as GEM4D (next to Trajec3D on the website menu bar) is capable of both cutting a mesh, as well as decreasing the vertice count without affecting the overall geometry. Reducing the vertice count could result in the loss of detail, but not necessarily, as some vertices could be redundant. The GEM4D procedure

I am very exited about the potential uses for GEM4D. As the GEM4D webpage describes, this will eventually be the geotechnical software package that I could not find to date. Many tasks can be accomplished between Vulcan/Surpac/Minesight/Datamine, Leapfrog, Voxler, and REM3D; but it is time consuming and I sometimes use custom code to convert information between packages. GEM4D is planned as a single package that encapsulates the relevant functionality in an easy manner. It is