Draw activity areas

Drawing an activity area is the most direct way to model new work in XECUTE. Use this method when you need full control over the shape, size, and location of the area, such as when grade control data isn’t available or you’re responding to operational changes.

Before you draw an activity area, you select its initial properties – controlling the default mining level, pit, activity, and resource assignments.

Drawing activity areas

Refer to these steps when drawing a new activity area.

1. Initiate the drawing

In the 3D scene of Client, select Draw Activity Area on the right-click menu.

2. Enter the property inputs

Before you draw an activity area, you prepare its initial properties – which affect how you draw it, its geometry, and other factors. Some of these properties can be changed after you draw the activity area.

Draw Activity Area
Vertex Mode	Controls how points snap when drawing the polygon. Snap to: Cursor snaps to existing objects (surfaces, points, edges). Free draw: Places points freely. Z values are taken from the first digitised point projected to the topography.
Overlaps	Defines how the software handles overlapping areas. Remove From New Area: Trims the new area where it overlaps existing ones. Remove From Existing Areas: Trims existing areas where they overlap the new one. If the existing area is locked, the mode automatically switches to Remove From New Area to preserve the locked area shape. Allow: Permits overlap. This option applies only if one of the activities doesn’t move material (in Activities, Moves Material is set to No). If both activities move material, the software will remove the overlap portion from the new activity area. If using a trim option, and the overlap portion entirely divides the activity areas, a new activity area is created in one of the divided areas.
Pit	Defines which pit from the material flow diagram the activity area will be assigned to. The activity area will be confined to the pit’s pit limit. Additionally, the activity area’s reserves and scheduled quantities will contribute to the pit’s totals.
Mining Level	Assigns the activity area to a mining level, which controls the depth of the activity area. When drawing an activity area, you define its XY extents by drawing a polygon. To make it a solid with depth, the software projects the polygon from the topography to the specified mining level. For information about deriving an activity area solid, refer to Forming a solid. You can change the mining level assignment later.
Activity	Assigns the activity area to an activity type (for example, Mining, Drilling, Charging). The activity determines: Whether the area moves material. Which quantity fields are evaluated for reserving and reporting. The default number of slices for scheduling. Dependency behaviour (for example, which activities must precede or follow). How the area contributes to activity-level totals in reports. You can change the activity assignment later if needed.
Resource	Assigns the activity area to a resource (such as a shovel or drill). When you create the area, it’s added to the selected resource’s task list and appears in the Gantt chart. Resource assignment affects: Scheduling feasibility: Only assigned resources can work on the area. Durations: Based on the resource’s production rate and time usage model. You can change the resource assignment later, including assigning multiple resources.

3. Draw the activity area polygon

In the 3D scene, you create an activity area by drawing a polygon.

The software will extrude the polygon to form the activity area solid. The polygon must be drawn on the topography and within the assigned pit limit.

Prepare the plot view

Draw polygon

Click points on the topography to define the polygon vertices. Each point uses the XY location you click and snaps to the Z value of the topography.

• As you add points, the software previews the polygon (auto-closing the shape).

• Rotate or zoom the camera as needed for accuracy.

• Double-click to close the polygon and finish the drawing. Use Backspace to remove the last point or Esc to cancel.

Quick Estimates panel

While drawing, the Quick Estimate panel displays real-time metrics:

• Mining level: The selected level for the area.

• Average thickness: Vertical distance between the topography and mining level.

• Plan area: Horizontal footprint of the polygon.

• Volume: Estimated volume based on plan area and thickness.

These estimates help validate the size and depth before committing. Final values update after reserving.

4. Set mining direction

After you finish drawing the polygon, define the mining direction. This determines the order in which the resource works through the activity area during scheduling and animation.

• The mining direction runs along the centre of the polygon, from a start point to an end point.

• During scheduling, the area is mined in horizontal slices, progressing along this direction.

How to set the direction

A direction arrow appears on the polygon:

• Green triangle = start point.

• Red square = end point.

Drag either end of the arrow to rotate it. The arrow stays centred on the polygon while you adjust its angle.

When you’re satisfied with the direction, click anywhere outside the polygon to confirm. The software then creates the activity area solid.

Align the direction with the actual mining approach on site (e.g., toward the ramp or away from a wall).
Use plan view for precise alignment, then rotate the scene to check orientation.
If you need to change the direction later, use the Edit mining direction option from the right-click menu.

5. Forming the activity area solid

After you confirm the mining direction, XECUTE automatically creates the activity area solid. This process converts your 2D polygon into a 3D volume by projecting it from the topography down to the selected mining level.

During this step:

• The polygon is extruded vertically to form a solid.

• The solid is trimmed to respect:

  • Topography (roof of the area).

  • Pit limits (boundary constraints).

  • Overlapping areas that move material or share the same activity type.

• The software evaluates reserves and updates the Reserve status to Evaluated when complete.

If issues occur:

• XECUTE will display an error if the solid cannot be formed (for example, if the polygon crosses invalid geometry or the mining level is missing).

• Common causes:

  • Polygon extends outside the pit limit.

  • Mining level not defined or incorrectly assigned.

  • Overlap conflicts with locked areas.

• To resolve, adjust the polygon (refer to Editing activity areas below) or activity area properties (such as its assigned mining level)

For information about forming a solid and troubleshooting steps, refer to Forming a solid.

6. Validate the activity area solid

After the solid is created, review it in the 3D scene to confirm it reflects the intended shape and constraints (topography, pit limits, and overlaps). Validation ensures the area is schedulable and reserves are calculated correctly.

Change the display style

On the Activity Areas tab, use the Display Style property to switch between visualisation modes:

Display style	Description
Polygon	Shows the original design polygon before it’s fully processed. Useful for checking the drawn outline, but does not account for trimming by topography or pit limits.
Solid	Displays the full 3D solid, projected from the mining level to the topography and trimmed by constraints. Best for validating the true shape.
Slice	Shows the solid divided into slices (based on the Number of Slices property). Each slice is aligned perpendicular to the mining direction and represents how the area will be mined over time.
Roof	Displays only the top surface of the solid.
Floor	Displays only the bottom surface of the solid.

On the Activity Areas tab, you can enable Wireframe mode with any display style to show only the outline, making it easier to see underlying geology or adjacent areas.

Use Solid or Slice view to confirm the final geometry, as these reflect all trimming rules (topography, pit limits, overlaps).

If the shape is incorrect, you can:

• Edit the polygon (move or add vertices).

• Change the mining level or activity type.

• Redraw the area if necessary.