All Blog Articles
Marker Style Updates
The upgrade to mXrap version 5.16 introduced a variety of changes and improvements to marker styles. The changes can be separated into general updates which are relevant to all users and developer updates which are relevant to app developers who create and customise...
Some mXmas Fun
With the holidays approaching we thought we would send everyone some mXmas presents! And obviously what everyone wants for mXmas are mXrap videos 😊. These videos are not geotech related but come from various games, generative art, or physics simulations that we have...
Energy–moment relationship
Energy and moment are two independent measures of the strength of a seismic event. Their physical meaning and how they are calculated was described in a previous blog post. Analysis of the relationship between the energy and moment of events can provide insight into...
mXsync updates
For users who have upgraded to mXrap version 5.16+ you may have noticed the new mXsync button at the bottom left of all the windows. This button allows users to open mXsync from within mXrap to apply patches and complete backups of the root folder. When this button is...
Caving Suite updates
The Caving Suite is a set of applications that provide tools for the analysis and interpretation of cave monitoring data sources. Currently, four apps are included in the Caving Suite: Caving Sandbox, Fragmentation, Open Hole Dipping, and Caving Hydraulic Radius (see...
Rock Mass Data Analyser updates
The Rock Mass Data Analyser (RMDA) application allows a user to import various types of geotechnical data (rock mass quality, structural, stress and intact rock strength) into mXrap, creating a geotechnical database which may be visualised and analysed in 3D, on...
Reset variables and filters
Have you ever been using mXrap and wanted to reset your filters or reset all your variables to the defaults? We have a button for that! Simply open up the Workspaces menu in the top left of the Viewer window, then press the 'Reset Variables to Defaults' button. This...
New Tool – Datamine file converter
If you use Datamine at your site, we now have a tool to help you batch convert the Datamine TR and PT files into mXrap-readable dxf files. To get access to this tool, please contact support@mxrap.com.
Update to Paste Backfill Design app
We have made a couple of changes to the Paste Backfill Design application since the original release. See the previous blog post for the main details of the app. Since the first release, we have modified the paste volume calculations to allow for multiple pouring...
NEW APP – Paste Backfill Design
We have developed a new app to aid in the design of paste backfill in stoping operations. The app has tools to help you to: Calculate paste fill volumes and bund capacities, Assess the fill stresses and stability for vertical and horizontal exposures, Analyse UCS test...
Rock Mass Data Analyser
The rock mass data analyser (RMDA) application allows a user the ability to input various types of geotechnical data into mXrap, creating a geotechnical database of borehole and mapping data, which may be easily visualised and analysed in 3D, on charts and in...
Updates to Large Event Analysis
The Large Event Analysis app has receieved a number of upgrades recently. These upgrades focus on analysing seismicity in the immediate time before/after a large event. A new window, called 'Plane Based Analysis', allows the user to investigate the source parameters...
Updates to the Grid Based Analysis App
There are a number of updates to the Grid Based Analysis App. The first is the ability to use multiple planes for analysis instead of just a single plane. You can also now choose up to 2 dynamically generated planes, instead of just the saved planes. There is a...
Grid Based Analysis Parameters
The Grid Based Analysis application can be used to evaluate the spatial distribution of various seismic parameters. There are a range of source parameter options available, and they can give indications to the rock mass behaviour. Some parameters can be considered as...
Updates to Hazard Assessment App
A few new features have been added to the Hazard Assessment application, aiming to improve usability, understanding and investigation. The first addition is a chart in the Hazard Setup window to indicate the current date range settings. Usually the date range for...
Deswik Survey Support
The mXrap survey import tool now supports files saved in Deswik's VDCL and DCF formats. There is also preliminary support for the Deswik Unified File format (DUF), but currently only for DUFv1. We recommend either VDCL or DCF as the most reliable formats for use with...
Mine Geometry Model – Minode Generator
Mine Geometry Model Minode Generator is a new utility app which enables you to generate your own new minodes from a mine geometry model. If you're not sure what minodes are or why you would want to generate them, see What are minodes? (note: that post describes the...
Plane Based Analysis
The Grid Based Analysis now has a plane based function. The user can select a plane (defined in the Plane Editor Window) and display cumulative or average parameters on that plane. Like the grid, the average and cumulative parameters are calculated differently. For...
Analysing seismicity around large events
A new window has been added to analyse seismicity in the Large Event Analysis application. In a similar approach to the Short-term Response Analysis app, events are assigned to large events based on a spheroid volume and a time range before and after the large event....
New hazard charts in General Analysis
Two new charts have been added to the General Analysis application related to assessing hazard with the frequency-magnitude relationship. The new charts plot various hazard parameters over time, or, by time of day:...
Background filters in the hazard app
The new background filters have been added to the Hazard Assessment application. The time of day filter can be used to see the effect of removing events during blasting/shift change on the hazard results. You can either view the results in raw or normalised form. The...
Stochastic Declustering Explained
As mentioned in the last blog post, a stochastic declustering algorithm has been implemented in mXrap to separate events into ‘clustered’ and ‘background’ components. It can be useful when designing seismic exclusions and re-entry procedures to separate seismicity...
New Background Filters
We have added some new event filter options to General Analysis related to ‘background’ activity. ‘Background’ events are generally defined as having low variability in space and time. The new background filters aim to identify events that are clustered in space and...
CheX
CheX is mXrap's new system for setup and support. It is a checklist-based website which helps users to follow step-by-step instructions to complete tasks such as setting up a root folder, applying a patch and doing a default backup. The login details for CheX are the...
New Videos Website
mXrap.com has a new training videos website! The new website has an improved interface and revamped training programme, along with some new videos (including event density isosurfaces and system design). The new login system allows us to show you which videos you've...
Video Creation
mXrap now has a video creation panel! To create your videos, simply open the 'Video Export' panel. You can then choose whether you want to take a video of just the General Analysis 3D view, or of any other tool in General Analysis. To make a video of the General...
Moment Tensors – A Practical Guide
Moment tensor analysis is a topic that carries a decent level of uncertainty and confusion for many people. So I’m going to lay it out as simply as I can. For this post, I’m not going to go into too many details on how moment tensors are actually calculated. But, I’m...
New b-value isosurfaces
The isosurfaces for b-value have been upgraded in the latest root. There is now much more control over the isosurface levels. Up to 5 iso's can be plotted for user defined ranges. A linguistic name can be assigned to each level and displayed in the legend. A new video...
Moment Tensors in General Analysis
Moment tensors have been added to the General Analysis application in the recent update. Beach balls and principal axes can be viewed in the General Analysis 3D view. There is also a separate Moment Tensor window with a number of stereonets and mechanism charts. Two...
Survey Format Converter
A simple utility app has been added to the main root that can be used to export surveys loaded in mXrap. Possible reasons to use this app include: Switch between file formats Export a decimated survey Export a survey with translated or swapped coordinates Combine...
Seismic Activity Rate Monitor
The seismic monitoring applications have been modified in the latest root update. There are now two seismic monitoring applications and a third app for setup. The two different monitoring apps are required because not all sites wanted to use exclusion procedures. The...
Short-term Response Analysis Application
Another new app has been added to the Seismic Suite for the general analysis of short-term seismic responses. There are multiple features to analyse the short-term response to different triggers (events or blasts) in time and space. In later versions, this app will...
Mine Geometry Models Application
The root upgrade that coincides with the software upgrade beyond v5.9 includes a new app for creating and exporting models of mine geometry. Stope, cave and development geometry is a fundamental aspect of most geotechnical analysis. Mine geometry also varies over time...
mXrap Interface Upgrade
We have started rolling out a new version of the mXrap software and root folder. Software versions 5.9 and above include a few interface changes. The new version is available on the download site but DO NOT download it until someone from the mXrap team has upgraded...
Survey Decimation
Are your surveys really slow to load? Are you having difficulty rotating your 3D view? The problem might be the level of detail in your survey files. If the level of detail of survey files is unnecessarily high, it will slow down the 3D view for no reason. This is...
Survey Input Configuration
Are you unable to see your surveys, but can’t work out why? Are some of your surveys located a long way away from the rest of your mine when they shouldn’t be? This could be due to the input configuration of your survey files. The order of the co-ordinate components...
Hazard Assessment App – Excavation View
The grid-based hazard calculations in the Hazard Assessment app were discussed in a previous post. The Iso View describes the hazard at all locations within the mine but when you are considering the seismic risk for a particular work area, large events and strong...
Strong Ground Motion Relationship
The Strong Ground Motion (SGM) relationship is used to calculate the Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) generated by a seismic event. You may also hear this referred to as a Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE), but only the maximum velocity is estimated, i.e. the...
Damage Mapping Application
As part of the ACG’s Ground Support Guidelines for Rockburst Prone Conditions research project, we have developed an application for damage mapping. It is a web-based application design for use with a tablet. This allows users to do their damage mapping offline while...
What do the Hazard Iso’s mean?
The Iso View in the Hazard Assessment application expresses the seismic hazard in two ways. The current yearly hazard within the chosen grid volume. This is shown in the footer of the 3D view, as the probability of an event exceeding the design magnitude. The spatial...
What are minodes?
Minodes are what we use in multiple places in mXrap if we want to assign information to development. They are just point locations, dotted along your development, in roughly 5m intervals. Things like ground support and PPV hazard are really only relevant for...
Seismic Source Parameters – Quick Guide
As mentioned in the last blog post, Energy and Moment are independently calculated based on the displacement and velocity spectra of the recorded waveforms. Another spectral parameter is the corner frequency. The figure on the left shows the corner frequency (f0) on...
Seismic Energy and Moment
You know that energy and moment are parameters to describe seismic events. But what exactly is their physical meaning for a seismic event source and how are they calculated? Moment and energy are both separate (but related) measures of the strength of a seismic event....
Download a root in mXsync
Did you know you can download root folders from mXsync? We have uploaded root folders for Tasmania and Big Bell mines. These sites have closed and the data has been made available for research. Have a look at the "Download a component" training video for a guide to...
Track Seismic Hazard over Time (per volume)
We have added some new features to the Hazard Assessment app to calculate the minode hazard for filter volumes. This works just like the current minode calculations, where you can select minodes and compute the probability, P of exceeding your design magnitude, within...
Seismic Hazard – Sensitivity to b-value
Probabilistic seismic hazard calculations are dependent on the number of events (N) and the b-value. But which has more effect on the hazard result? The chart below shows how seismic hazard varies with b-value for N = 1,000, N = 10,000 and N = 100,000. The...
What on Earth is MUL?
Yes, this is a frequently asked question.... MUL or MUpper-Limit refers to the truncating magnitude of the Gutenberg-Richter distribution. We used to refer to this as Mmax in the Hazard Assessment app and on the Frequency-Magnitude chart but we found there was...
Training Video Programme
We started making training videos about 12 months ago and feedback has been quite positive. At the last AGM, a suggestion came for a training programme aimed at new users to mXrap. The training videos are currently stored by app but a specific programme would help new...
Chart Tips – View Controls
Charts usually auto-adjust their ranges to the input data. This is often what you want, but occasionally it does make it harder to compare charts with different filters applied. A handy tip is to enable the "Zoom and Pan" option in the top-left. This disables the...
Quick Reference Guide
Most users are probably aware of the Quick Reference Guide in the Cheat Sheets. It lists all the mXrap shortcuts and hotkeys but it is spread over a few pages and can be a bit tough to find what you're looking for. Below is a one-page Quick Reference Guide for more of...
To a/b, or not to a/b
The a/b value is sometimes used as a measure of seismic hazard but there are some common mistakes made with this analysis and interpretation. What is a/b? The Gutenberg-Richter distribution is a statistical model that describes a log-linear relationship between the...
3D Distance Measuring Tool
You can now measure distances in any 3D view in mXrap (version 5.6.0 or later) with the ruler tool in the Annotations tab. The "Annotations tool" training video goes through all the features and the operation. Most operations will probably be for the distance between...
Changes to mXrap interface – right hand side panels
There have been some interface changes made to the mXrap software in versions 5.6.6 or later. The right-hand-side controls have had a bit of a face-lift and now there are separate coloured tabs for exporting, selections, annotations and clipping. The 3D Controls...
Updates to Survey Importing
If you have updated your software to 5.4.0 or higher, you may have noticed some changes to the Survey Import tool. The Survey Setup training video has been updated. The main changes have been to support additional properties from DXF files. DXF text Text objects from...
What survey formats can be imported into mXrap?
mXrap supports the following survey formats to be used in 3D views: DXF (AutoCAD .dxf) DTM / STR (Surpac .dtm/.str) PNT (.pnt) INP (Map3D Geometry .inp files) Regarding DXF files, this is a complicated format that AutoCAD often updates with new specifications. Our...
Frequency-Magnitude Chart Anatomy
When you are using the Frequency-Magnitude chart, it can be easy to forget it is log scale and this can distort a few things. Consider the chart below, have you ever thought the Gutenberg-Richter distribution doesn't look right? Think it isn't matching the large...
Fun and Games with mXrap
If you were wondering what a bored Xman does in their free time, this might give you an indication..... You should know by now that mXrap is very flexible and apps can be developed to perform a very wide range of functions. If you were doubting that, this might change...
What’s the difference between updating the mXrap software and updating the root folder?
Some things you see in mXrap are properties of the software, while other things are properties of the root folder. We often use the software Excel as an analogy. Excel has many built-in capabilities with endless possibilities for creating specific calculations....
Why aren’t my events updating?
If you notice that you are not getting updated events in mXrap, there are a few possible explanations. In order to troubleshoot the problem, it is good to know exactly how your events are transferred from your seismic database, into mXrap. The first thing to check is...
Event Tags and Comments
There are many reasons you might want to store a short snippet of text associated with an event. There are two ways to do this in mXrap; event tags and event comments. Event tags can be used to group events into categories. Example tags might be “suspected blast”,...
Where is the cumulative energy line on the Omori chart?
In early versions of MS-RAP, the "Omori" chart included the cumulative energy as a function of time after blasting. You won't find that line anymore in the default Omori Analysis Tools app. Although the total energy released has a value, the shape of the cumulative...
Image Capturing
You can capture or save any 3D view, chart or table using the "Clip" or "File" options at the top-right of the mXrap window. There are additional image capturing controls available to increase the quality and to adjust what is captured in the image. For capturing...
Why are the event magnitudes different in mXrap?
People often notice that the local magnitude of an event in mXrap is different from the magnitude shown in their other seismic software. This is usually because the local magnitude equations do not match. Local magnitude is a calculated (derived) parameter. Normally...
Using selections in the event filter
You can use selections to filter events in General Analysis. This gives you a lot more freedom than being restricted to the traditional min/max range filters. Follow the steps below to see how you can use this feature to plot the Frequency-Magnitude chart for events...
Switch between solid surface and wireframe mode
Did you know that any 3D survey or surface can be displayed in Solid or Wireframe mode? Hit "W" in the 3D view to switch to wireframes, hit "S" to switch back to solids! Remember there is a Quick Reference guide in the cheat sheets for all the shortcuts in mXrap.
mXsync
By now most of you have probably heard of mXsync. It has been installed at all the current sponsor sites and we did explain briefly as we went but there might still be some uncertainty about it. mXsync is a piece of software installed separately to mXrap that...
Why can’t I see this event in mXrap?
There are a number of quality filters applied to the event database before they are displayed in mXrap. This does sometimes cause confusion because a particular event is visible in your other software, but not in mXrap. The most common cause is the location filter but...
How do I change my event magnitude marker?
The default event local magnitude marker might not suit everyone. After all, a ML+1.0 might mean something completely different to you compared with the site next door. The “Change event marker style” video will run you through how to make a site specific event...
New Monitoring/Control Room App
We previously created a Basic Seismic Monitoring app but it didn’t get widely used. We’ve taken another swing at a new version released late in 2017. The new app is intended for mine control room operators to monitor the latest seismicity and communicate event alerts...
Seismicity vs. Distance to Surveys – New Charts in General Analysis
The distance to survey filter has been around for a while but now we have added a couple of new charts to further investigate the relationship between seismicity and your input surveys. The charts have been added to the General Analysis application, under the Charts...
mXrap Training Videos!
If you want to learn more about mXrap, we don't have a user manual to read. Who would want to read through one of those! We have been writing "cheat sheets" to show new users the main features of mXrap. We're still going to try and keep the Cheat Sheets updated, but...