Knowledge Base Overview

How can I model joints in RS3?

At the moment, in RS3 version 2.0 you cannot model explicit joint boundaries. However, you can model joints in three other ways:

• Ubiquitous joints can be modeled using the Jointed Material option in Define Material Properties
• Sliding interfaces can be modeled using Liners
• Assigning a thin material layer

To loft a set of parallel cross-sections, do they need to have the exact same number of data points?

No, this is not required.

Can I import 2D models into RS3?

In general you can import 2D geometry into RS3 2.0. These can then be extruded, swept, lofted, or revolved, to create 3D surfaces and volumes.

Right now you cannot directly import RS2 files into RS3.

1. You can import an RS2 file into RS3 1.0, save it, then import that RS3 1.0 file into RS3 2.0.
2. You can export the polylines from your RS2 file into a dxf, then import that into RS3 2.0. You can also import the material and support property data from your RS2 file directly into RS3 2.0.

How do I create a model with complex soil strata?

You can import open surfaces, and closed volumes. But once you’ve defined all your surfaces and volumes, the program will use them to cut your External volume into smaller volumes. If you’ve used our 2D software like RS2, this is analogous to the polylines in that software:

• a single closed External polyline;
• a set of open or closed Material polylines;
• a set of closed Excavation polylines; and
• a set of open or closed Stage polylines.

RS2 will automatically cut up the External region into smaller regions using the other polylines.

In RS3, you create:

• a single closed External volume;
• a set of open Geological surfaces and/or closed Geological volumes; and
• a set of open Excavation surfaces and/or closed Excavation volumes.

RS3 will then cut up the External volume into smaller volumes using the other surfaces and volumes. You can assign a material to any volume, at any stage of this “cutting up”; RS3 will do its best to preserve the assignments through the cutting.

For a model with several soil layers, you would ideally import or create the surfaces that separate the layers. If you have a pocket, like an ore body, you would import or create the closed volume defining that pocket. The previously-described process will then divide the External volume into layers and pockets using these other surfaces and volumes.

If you import the layers as volumes, instead of as separating surfaces, it is not guaranteed to create a usable model. Also note that a surface or volume with self-intersections will not result in a usable model. Again, this is analogous to RS2: you do not explicitly create the 2D regions, you instead create the polylines, and leave it up to RS2 to create the 2D regions; in RS3, you create the cutting surfaces and volumes, and leave it up to RS3 to create the final closed volumes. If you only have a set of volumes, you can do the following for each pair of adjacent volumes:

1. Import the volumes as Construction volumes. “Construction” means that you are only using the geometry as a starting point to create the final Geological and Excavation geometry.
2. Extract a copy of the separating surface from one of the volumes. There will then be exactly one surface, regardless of how well the one volume interacts with the other. You can make this surface a Geological surface.
3. RS3 will use that surface when it divides the External volume into layers.

If two pieces of geometry are not intended to be physically connected, then you can import them separately, or from the same file. But let’s say you have an open pit surface: you should be importing this entire surface from one source. Or if you have an ore vein, you should import that entire volume from one source.

FAQ: Collapse options.

There are two collapse options.

1. Collapse by (small) volume. As the name suggests, it does glue volumes together with "volume" as the only metric in consideration, regardless of the material assignment. The function should remain this way, without cluttering other types of logic in there. This does not care the role of the geometry pieces.
2. Collapse Material Boundary: this one doesn't concern volume or anything else but material. It would automatically find and union all adjacent volumes of identical "role" and "material assignment per stage".