Hexagon MinePlan 2025 Release 1 is now available!

By Kerina Taylor

The mining industry relies heavily on mine planning software to maximise the value of projects throughout the lifecycle of an asset. These software solutions handle everything from drillhole management and geomodelling to resource estimation, scheduling, optimisation, and even fleet management. Hexagon MinePlan 3D is a comprehensive platform that enables geologists and engineers to collaborate seamlessly across their workflows, all within a single connected package. By simplifying complex tasks, ensuring auditability of critical numbers like resource estimates and net present values, and enabling iterative improvements across the mining value chain, MinePlan helps operations unlock hidden value. From optimising schedules to improving ore recovery with blast movement tracking, these incremental gains add up to significant extensions in mine life and profitability.

As the mining industry continues to evolve, Hexagon remains at the forefront of innovation. With a strong focus on customer success, Hexagon delivers customer-centric solutions that empower mines to make better decisions, maximise resource extraction, and minimise their environmental footprint. By bridging the gap between the digital and physical environments, Hexagon’s software ensures that mines can adapt to modern challenges while maintaining efficiency and sustainability. This commitment to advanced technology, trusted partnerships, and exceptional support makes Hexagon a leader in the field and a reliable partner for mines around the world.

Whats new?

1. Block Model Manager integrations with MP3D tools

2. Enhanced drillhole coding in MP3D viewer

Unlock the future of mining: introducing MinePlan Block Model Manager

Mining operations today are more complex than ever, with decisions relying heavily on accurate, up-to-date data. At the heart of these operations lies the block model—a digital twin of your mineral resources and the single source of truth for both operational and strategic planning. But managing block models has long been a challenge, plagued by inefficiencies, limited version control, and cumbersome data transfers.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce MinePlan Block Model Manager, a game-changing solution designed to revolutionise how mining professionals manage, access, and utilise block model data.

The problem: challenges in Block Model Management

Traditional approaches to block model management have significant limitations that can hinder productivity and decision-making:

• File inefficiency: Block model files are notoriously large and cumbersome to work with.
• Version chaos: Tracking changes and managing multiple versions is a manual and error-prone process.
• Data silos: Transferring data between systems often requires manual CSV exports, introducing inefficiencies and risks.
• Limited auditing: Without robust version control, auditing changes and maintaining a clear history is nearly impossible.

These challenges slow down workflows, increase the risk of errors, and make it harder to extract the full value of your data.

The solution: MinePlan Block Model Manager

MinePlan Block Model Manager is purpose-built to address these challenges head-on, offering a modern, scalable, and integrated approach to block model management. Here’s what makes it stand out:

• Modern architecture: A three-tier client-server setup with a new storage format and service layer ensures scalability and performance optimisation.
• Version control: Track every change with full audit trails, restore previous versions, and publish updates effortlessly.
• Seamless integration: Connect with MinePlan, Datamine, Vulcan, and CSV sources, while integrating into BI platforms and Hexagon’s solution ecosystem.
• API access: Securely query only the data you need, enabling custom analytics and applications.

By combining cutting-edge technology with user-focused design, MinePlan Block Model Manager empowers mining teams to work smarter, not harder.

Key capabilities that drive results

MinePlan Block Model Manager is packed with features that deliver real value across your mining operation. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Version-to-Version comparisons: Effortlessly compare block model versions to understand changes and impacts.
• Enhanced metadata and UX: Experience intuitive tools and rich metadata for better decision-making.
• Support for all major model types: Work seamlessly with any block model, regardless of its origin.
• Background conversion and synchronisation: Keep your data up to date without interrupting workflows.
• Scalable storage: Handle large datasets with ease, ensuring performance never slows you down.

Delivering value across roles

MinePlan Block Model Manager is designed to meet the needs of diverse roles within your mining operation. Here’s how it makes life easier for everyone:

• Visualisation: Always access the latest data, filter attributes, and visualise changes in real time.
• Reserves: Compare reserve outputs across model versions to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Grade control: Integrates with Blast Movement Intelligence for faster markouts and analysis.
• Mid/Long range planners: Accelerate imports and directly integrate with Schedule Optimiser.
• Short range planners: Improve scheduling workflows with Activity Scheduler integration.

Whether you’re a geologist, planner, or engineer, MinePlan Block Model Manager delivers the tools you need to make better decisions faster.

Empowering Business Intelligence and Developers

In addition to improving operational workflows, MinePlan Block Model Manager unlocks new opportunities for business intelligence and developer innovation:

• Custom dashboards: APIs enable dashboards for tracking grade, distribution, and reserve depletion, providing a clear view of your operation’s performance.
• Developer enablement: Developers can build custom applications using block model data, creating tailored solutions for unique challenges.

With these capabilities, MinePlan Block Model Manager goes beyond traditional software—it becomes a platform for innovation.

Why it matters: a smarter way to mine

MinePlan Block Model Manager isn’t just a tool—it’s a strategic enabler that helps mining operations overcome inefficiencies, reduce risks, and unlock new levels of performance. By addressing long-standing challenges in block model management, it empowers teams to focus on what matters most: delivering value from the ground up.

Check out the tech tip on Block Model Manager integrations below!

Streamlining geological modeling: new features in Drillhole Viewer for 3D object coding

In resource modeling, precision and efficiency are everything. Coding 3D shapes—such as solids, polygons, and surfaces—to drillhole data is a cornerstone of subsurface geological analysis, enabling geologists to define ore zones, estimate resources, and optimise mine plans.

With the latest updates to Drillhole Viewer, we’ve made the coding process faster, more accurate, and more flexible, empowering geologists to achieve better results with less effort.

What’s new in Drillhole Viewer?

1. Code by surface
   Skip the extra step of creating solids—now you can code drillholes directly from surfaces.
   • What’s changed: Previously, drillhole coding could only be performed using solids or polygons. This update allows users to work directly with surfaces, simplifying workflows and saving time.
   • Why it matters: Surfaces are often used to represent geological boundaries, such as stratigraphic contacts or fault planes. By coding directly from surfaces, geologists can more quickly and accurately model these features without needing to generate additional 3D objects.
2. Honor polygon intersection for drillhole interval creation
   Create new drillhole intervals based on polygon intersections for greater resolution.
   • What’s changed: Previously, only existing intervals could be coded. If a polygon intersected an interval halfway, the resolution of the coding was limited. Now, new intervals can be created wherever polygons intersect drillholes, ensuring higher accuracy.
   • Why it matters: This feature increases the precision of resource modeling by capturing finer details of mineralisation boundaries. Geologists can now delineate ore zones more accurately, reducing uncertainty and improving confidence in resource estimates.
3. Spear 3D object intersections
   Pinpoint exact intersection points of 3D objects with drillholes using Torque downhole point coverage.
   • What’s changed: Instead of coding an entire interval, users can now spear the intersection points of 3D objects to a downhole point coverage in Drillhole Manager.
   • Why it matters: This feature offers unparalleled precision by recording the exact intersection points of 3D objects with drillholes. It’s especially valuable for communicating important geological boundaries.

How these features enhance geological modeling and deliver value across the mining workflow

1. Increased Accuracy
2. Improved Efficiency
3. Enhanced Flexibility

The benefits of these new features extend far beyond the coding process. They empower geologists to deliver better results at every stage of the mining workflow:

• Exploration targeting: By identifying precise intersections and boundaries, geologists can refine exploration strategies and focus on high-potential areas.
• Resource estimation: Higher accuracy in coding means more reliable estimates of volume, tonnage, and grade.
• Geological interpretation: Improved precision allows for better visualisation and understanding of complex geological features.
• Mine planning: Accurate 3D models enable mining engineers to design optimised extraction plans, maximising profitability.

Check out the tech tip on drillhole coding below!

Throughout 2025 we’ll be blogging about the challenges facing the mining industry. Drawing upon insights from thought leaders in our customer community and from within Hexagon, we’ll share how trusted partnerships and proven technology are addressing those challenges, helping to improve safety and cut costs while balancing the demands of productivity and sustainability.