The latest release of Studio UG 4.1 introduces a redesigned Mineable Shapes Optimizer (MSO) 5.0, major improvements to scheduling and haulage dependency workflows, expanded validation options, and several new or enhanced commands that streamline underground design and planning processes.
MSO 5.0 has been completely rebuilt with a new guided workflow, making it easier to set up models, define economic and framework parameters, configure shape control, and generate reports. This intuitive wizard improves usability while maintaining the detailed control MSO is known for, making the stope optimisation process more accessible and efficient. The new version supports Slice and Boundary framework types, with Prism support expected soon. During this transition phase, both the legacy and updated MSO tools remain accessible from the Report ribbon. MSO 5.0 is also supported by a brand-new help file, including screen overviews and learning activities.
A major highlight in scheduling is the introduction of the new ‘Network’ dependency rule for haulage activities. This rule automatically interprets design string configurations to create dependencies, significantly reducing the effort and time required to set up complex schedules. String direction validation options have been added to support this feature, ensuring design elements such as declines, level drives, ore drives, and cross-cuts are correctly represented. The system can also automatically generate realistic interactions and road connections based on configurable tolerances, helping you produce more consistent and repeatable schedules.
In addition to these improvements, Studio UG now displays dependency data during animation playback, helping you better understand activity sequencing as it occurs. The new Preparation Panel consolidates design and definition tools into one streamlined area, allowing you to attribute and assign design definitions more efficiently without reloading data. New outline validation options now flag design strings with excessive changes in azimuth or dip, further improving the integrity of your input data.
Other updates include enhancements across several commands: COPYMOD, REBLOCK, and WIREFILL now support retrieval criteria; INTEXT can work with or without data or settings files; smooth-gradient supports full-string smoothing; and a new digitise-doughnut command has been added for modelling enclosed internal structures. This release also includes early access enhanced digitizing functions for new-string and extend-string, offering even more capability to refine your underground mine planning workflows.
About Studio UG
Studio UG is an integrated underground design and scheduling solution that provides mine engineers a streamlined experience from data preparation to scheduled activities. Its intuitive workflow supports long- and short-term planners, offering powerful tools for stope/reserves optimisation, mine design, planning, evaluation, and reporting. Studio UG features a unique single-step process for generating all scheduled activities from source data, ensuring efficiency and robustness for underground operations. Studio UG incorporates mine standards into templates, allowing multiple mine planners to work simultaneously and avoid redundancies, while synchronised block model views and point cloud representations help them visualise all aspects of the underground mine. Integrated scheduling features enable rapid updates with design changes, preserving manual interventions and enhancing productivity.
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