Latest release of Gemcom Surpac saves time, increases productivity

Surpac 6.3 Provides Innovative Solids Repair Capability, Delivers Block Modelling Performance up to 100 Times Faster

VANCOUVER, Canada –  Gemcom Software International Inc., the largest global supplier of mining software solutions, today announced that it has released the latest version of Gemcom Surpac™, the world’s most popular geology and mine planning software. Suitable for every commodity and mining method, Surpac drives efficiency and productivity through ease-of-use and workflow automation; addressing the requirements of geologists, surveyors and mining engineers. Surpac 6.3 significantly increases efficiency for users by providing enhancements in the areas of solids validation, pit design, block modelling, efficient CAD import, and support of third party file formats.

A key feature of this release is its innovative new solids repair functionality, which reduces manual solids validation time from days to minutes. New auto correction repairs invalid solids, while manual repair allows for a detailed examination of each problem area within spatial context.

“Solids repair is the most exciting enhancement in this release,” said Leon Dickinson, technical product manager for Surpac. “This functionality was requested by the market. We heard from Surpac users that they valued the way Surpac is strict in solids and surface validation, but that they wanted a tool to identify, visualise and fix problem areas within solids, particularly when obtaining solids from third party packages. Our Research and Development team looked to the gaming and medical imaging industries for ideas. The result is new functionality that substantially exceeds user requests. This is an industry leading advancement that has been extremely well received by our geology and engineering customers who have already tried and tested the software.”

“When developing underground mine designs and schedules, it is often necessary to combine stopes. However, depending on how they are generated, it can be a challenging and time consuming process to go back to the original solids,” said Dustin Smiley, mining engineer, Prairie Creek Mine, Canadian Zinc Corporation. “With Surpac 6.3 and its new solids repair function, the process is now fast and very intuitive as the software proceeds step-by-step to identify and correct problem areas. Thanks to Surpac, all the solids I generate are now valid and water tight.”

Additional benefits of the solids repair function include:

• New solids repair panel enables easy visualisation of problem areas.
• Autocorrect feature locates invalid triangles and repairs on a case by case basis.
• Manual repair includes the same functionality as autocorrect with the ability to examine problems in more detail.
• Validation report generation documents any corrections performed.

Surpac 6.3 also features many developments that will greatly enhance the user experience, including improved distance estimation that is up to 100 times faster, and a 15% performance increase in all block modelling estimation techniques. Pit design functionality has been enhanced to allow the creation of pit designs using block models for slope angle and berm width, in order to better cater to variation in rock type and geotechnical characteristics. Alternative pit designs can be rapidly generated using the new multi bench design function. Additionally, improved digitising and point snap features, along with more efficient CAD import, and increased support for third-party file formats such as AutoCAD^®, all contribute towards a significant increase in productivity and time savings.

For more information about Surpac 6.3, including an overview video highlighting the new features, visit www.gemcomsoftware.com/products/surpac/product-news.

About Gemcom

When mining companies seek to increase mine productivity, they turn to Gemcom for technology and services. The Company is home to world-renowned mining solutions like GEMS, Surpac, Minex, Whittle, and InSite, and to industry thought leaders who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in mining.  Established in 1985, Gemcom has a global reach delivering comprehensive solutions in all major mining centres in more than 130 countries. Every major mining company, including BHP Billiton, Codelco, De Beers, Newmont and Vale is a Gemcom client. Through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, the Company has become the largest global supplier of mining software solutions. For more information, visit www.gemcomsoftware.com.

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Gemcom, the Gemcom logo and combinations thereof, and Gemcom Surpac are trademarks of Gemcom Software International Inc. All other names are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective owners.