Data Exchange & Interoperability

BlastCAD is engineered to operate as a seamless hub between major mining software suites. Data is never locked into a proprietary format — BlastCAD reads and writes industry-standard file types used by Surpac, Datamine, Micromine, Deswik, and AutoCAD.

Table of contents

  1. Import Center
    1. Supported Import Formats
    2. CSV Column Mapping
    3. Surpac DTM Import
    4. DEM Surface Import (ASCII Grid and GeoTIFF)
    5. LandXML Import
    6. IREDES XML Import
    7. Datamine Block Model Import
    8. LAS Point Cloud Import
    9. XYZ / XYZI Point Cloud Import
  2. Coordinate Transformation
  3. Export Center
    1. Supported Export Formats
    2. Drill Plan CSV Export
    3. DXF Export Details
    4. IREDES XML Export
    5. Selection-Based Export
  4. Native Project Format (.bcp)
  5. Live Sync (PWA File Handle API)

Import Center

Open the Import Center from the top bar or press Ctrl + I. Each import type has its own tab with format-specific configuration options.

Supported Import Formats

Format Extension(s) Source Software Description
BlastCAD Project .bcp BlastCAD Full project restore — layers, holes, CAD entities, charges, settings
BlastCAD 3D Model .b3d BlastCAD Binary mesh geometry (Surpac/DXF-derived 3D CAD)
Surpac DTM .dtm + .str GEOVIA Surpac Triangulated surface mesh pair (both files required)
Surpac String .str GEOVIA Surpac / Micromine 2D/3D polyline strings (drive boundaries, stope outlines)
Surpac MDL .mdl GEOVIA Surpac Surface and solid model geometry
AutoCAD DXF .dxf AutoCAD, MicroStation 2D/3D LINE, POLYLINE, LWPOLYLINE, CIRCLE, ARC entities
CSV Drill Data .csv Universal Drill hole collars, surveys, or toe coordinates with custom column mapping
Deswik CSV .csv Deswik Suite Drill pattern export with _wg_* column convention
Datamine Block Model .dm, .mdl, .csv, .txt Datamine Studio Grade, lithology, lode, and geocat attribute block models
IREDES XML .xml Drill rig control systems IREDES blast design files (Sandvik iSURE, Epiroc RCS compatible)
LandXML .xml Civil survey software Surface triangulations and alignment polylines
LAS Point Cloud .las Survey / lidar scanners LAS 1.0–1.4 uncompressed point clouds
XYZ Point Cloud .xyz, .xyzi Universal ASCII Space / tab / comma / semicolon delimited point clouds
ASCII Grid DEM .asc GIS software ASCII Grid elevation rasters → triangulated DTM surface
GeoTIFF DEM .tif GIS software GeoTIFF elevation rasters → triangulated DTM surface

LAZ note: Compressed LAZ point clouds are not supported. Convert LAZ to LAS 1.4 using CloudCompare (free) before importing.

CSV Column Mapping

When importing CSV drill data, BlastCAD presents a Column Mapping dialog. You assign each CSV column header to the appropriate BlastCAD field:

BlastCAD Field Typical CSV Headers Notes
Hole ID HoleID, Name, Hole Required
Collar Easting X, East, Easting, CollarX Required
Collar Northing Y, North, Northing, CollarY Required
Collar Elevation Z, RL, Elevation, CollarZ Required
Toe Easting ToeX, ToeEasting Optional (calculates from dip/azimuth if absent)
Toe Northing ToeY, ToeNorthing Optional
Toe Elevation ToeZ, ToeRL Optional
Length Length, HoleLength, Depth Optional
Diameter Diameter, Diam, Dia Optional
Dip Dip, Inclination Optional
Azimuth Azimuth, Bearing, Az Optional
Delay Delay, Timing, ms Optional
Ring Ring, RingName Optional
Explosive Explosive, Product Optional

BlastCAD remembers your last column mapping for each source file header set, so repeat imports from the same software require no reconfiguration.

CSV Preview: Before applying the mapping, BlastCAD displays the first 5 rows of your file alongside the mapping configuration so you can verify the column assignments are correct.

Surpac DTM Import

DTM surfaces come as a pair of files — .dtm (mesh topology) and .str (vertex coordinates). Both must be uploaded simultaneously.

  1. In the Import Center → DTM tab, click Select Files.
  2. Select both the .dtm and .str files in a single file picker operation.
  3. BlastCAD parses the pair and constructs a triangulated mesh.
  4. The surface appears in the Explorer Panel as a new DTM layer.

The DTM is immediately available for selection as a Collar, Target, Drive, or Stope surface in the Ring Workflow.

DEM Surface Import (ASCII Grid and GeoTIFF)

BlastCAD can build a triangulated DTM surface directly from elevation raster files:

ASCII Grid (.asc):

  • Standard GIS export from ArcGIS, QGIS, or Surpac.
  • File must contain: ncols, nrows, xllcorner / yllcorner, cellsize, and row-by-row elevation data.
  • BlastCAD auto-reads the header and triangulates the grid into a mesh.

GeoTIFF (.tif):

  • Single-band GeoTIFF elevation rasters.
  • Requires the projected CRS to match your project’s coordinate system (UTM zone, local grid, etc.).
  • Internal decoding uses the geotiff library — no external plugin required.

Import steps:

  1. Import Center → DEM tab.
  2. Select your .asc or .tif file.
  3. BlastCAD triangulates the raster into a surface mesh and assigns it as a new DTM layer.
  4. Set the Global Origin in Project Settings to match the raster’s coordinate extents before importing to avoid floating-point precision loss.

The DEM is assumed to be in the same projected coordinate reference system (CRS) as your project. BlastCAD does not perform CRS reprojection.

LandXML Import

LandXML (.xml) files are produced by civil survey software (Trimble Business Center, MineScape, 12d Model) and contain:

  • <Surface> elements — Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs) with <P> point lists and <F> face indices. Imported as DTM surfaces.
  • <Alignment> elements — 3D drive centreline polylines. Imported as polyline CAD entities.

BlastCAD’s LandXML parser is namespace-agnostic and handles multiple vendor variants. Coordinate convention: <P> points are parsed as (Northing, Easting, RL) — the standard LandXML convention — and automatically converted to BlastCAD app coordinates (X=Easting, Y=Northing, Z=RL).

IREDES XML Import

IREDES (International Rock Excavation Data Exchange Standard) blast design files can be imported directly from drill rig control systems or other blast design software.

BlastCAD’s IREDES parser:

  • Handles multiple vendor XML variants (namespace-agnostic).
  • Reads hole collar and toe positions, diameters, lengths, ring groupings, and delay assignments.
  • Imports all holes into the current project layer.

Datamine Block Model Import

Block model import is handled client-side via a Web Worker — the file never leaves your browser. This means:

  • Zero upload time for multi-GB block models.
  • Zero server load — processing runs on your local CPU.
  • HMAC token verification for the resulting indexed data provides server-side security.

Supported Datamine formats: .dm, .mdl (binary), and .csv / .txt (ASCII export).

Import steps:

  1. Import Center → Block Model tab.
  2. Select your file. BlastCAD auto-detects X, Y, Z centroid columns.
  3. Map attribute columns (Grade, Lithology, Lode, Geocat) to the visualization controls.
  4. The model appears in the DTM Block Browser in the Explorer Panel.

Visualization options (VoxelAnalyzer):

  • Color blocks by any attribute (grade, lithology, etc.)
  • Set min/max thresholds for grade filtering
  • Filter by lithology or lode code
  • Apply a slice plane to see a cross-section at any orientation
  • View PPV-mapped color gradient over the block model

LAS Point Cloud Import

BlastCAD supports uncompressed LAS format versions 1.0 through 1.4, parsed entirely in a background Web Worker (no server upload).

Supported data:

  • Point XYZ coordinates (required)
  • Intensity values (optional — used for XYZI visualization)
  • LAS 1.0–1.4 public header and point data record formats 0–6

Import steps:

  1. Import Center → Point Cloud tab.
  2. Select your .las file.
  3. BlastCAD imports the point cloud and renders it as a colored point set in the 3D canvas.

LAZ: Compressed .laz files are not supported. Use CloudCompare (free, open source) to convert LAZ → LAS before importing.

XYZ / XYZI Point Cloud Import

ASCII point cloud files with space, tab, comma, or semicolon delimiters are supported:

Format Columns Notes
.xyz X Y Z Plain coordinates
.xyzi X Y Z I With intensity value

BlastCAD auto-detects the delimiter. Files with more than 2 million points are automatically sub-sampled to 2M points during import to maintain rendering performance. All processing runs in a background Web Worker.

Coordinate Transformation

Mining software typically stores coordinates as Easting (X), Northing (Y), Elevation (Z) in a geographic reference system. BlastCAD’s 3D engine uses a right-hand OpenGL coordinate system where:

Mine coordinate BlastCAD internal Why
Easting (E) Local X Same
Elevation (RL) Local Y OpenGL Y = up
Northing (N) Local Z (negated: −N) OpenGL right-hand rule

The Global Origin in Project Settings defines the local 0,0,0 point. All imported mine coordinates are automatically offset:

local_X = Easting  − origin_Easting
local_Y = Elevation − origin_Elevation
local_Z = −(Northing − origin_Northing)

This offset prevents floating-point precision loss that would occur when rendering coordinates like 7,350,000 in a single-precision GPU shader.

Setting the Global Origin:

  • Go to Settings → General → Global Origin.
  • Enter the Easting, Northing, and Elevation of your project reference point.
  • Auto-detect: When importing a CSV or STR file, BlastCAD offers to auto-detect the global origin from the centroid of the imported data — useful when starting a new project.

All exported files (DXF, STR, IREDES, CSV) automatically apply the reverse transform — coordinates are converted back to world space before export.

Export Center

Open the Export Center from the top bar or press Ctrl + E.

Supported Export Formats

Format Extension Target Software Contents
BlastCAD Project .bcp BlastCAD ZIP archive: JSON metadata + holes.csv + charges.csv
AutoCAD DXF .dxf AutoCAD, Civil 3D Holes as 3D LINE entities; polylines and circles preserved
GEOVIA Surpac STR .str Surpac Polylines and hole vectors as string file
Drill Plan CSV .csv Universal All hole parameters in tabular format (Excel-compatible)
IREDES XML .xml Drill Rig Control Systems Direct upload to Sandvik iSURE, Epiroc RCS
Deswik CSV .csv Deswik Suite Deswik-compatible drill pattern export with _wg_* columns
Datamine CSV .csv Datamine Studio Collar and geometry data in Datamine column format
KML .kml Google Earth, GIS software Hole positions and geometry as KML placemarks
Charge Plan PDF — Print / PDF Formatted charge plan report via the Charge Plan modal

Drill Plan CSV Export

The CSV export includes all HoleData fields per row:

Column Description
id Hole identifier
ring Ring name
hole Hole number within ring
collar_x/y/z Collar coordinates (world space, Easting/Northing/RL)
toe_x/y/z Toe coordinates (world space)
length Drilled length (m)
diameter Hole diameter (mm)
dip Dip angle (°)
azimuth True azimuth (°)
delay Firing delay (ms)
explosive Primary explosive name
explosive_amount_total Total explosive mass (kg)
charge_length_total Total column length (m)
detonator Detonator type
comments Free-text comments

DXF Export Details

Exported DXF files contain:

  • Holes: Rendered as 3D LINE entities, collar to toe.
  • Polylines: Exported as LWPOLYLINE (2D) or POLYLINE (3D).
  • Circles: Exported as CIRCLE entities with correct radius.
  • Layer information: DXF layers match BlastCAD layer names.
  • Colors: Entity colors are preserved using the AutoCAD color index (ACI).

Coordinates are automatically reverse-transformed from local space back to world space (Easting, Northing, RL) before export.

IREDES XML Export

The IREDES format transfers drill patterns directly to underground drill rig control systems (e.g., Sandvik iSURE, Epiroc RCS).

BlastCAD generates a valid IREDES XML document containing:

  • Hole collar and toe coordinates (in world space, Easting/Northing/RL)
  • Hole diameter and planned length
  • Ring and hole numbering
  • Delay assignments

The exported file can be uploaded directly to compatible drill rig navigation systems without further conversion.

Selection-Based Export

If no entities are selected when you click Export, BlastCAD exports all visible holes and entities across all visible layers.

If specific holes, rings, or CAD entities are selected in the viewport before opening the Export Center, only those items are included in the export. This allows you to export individual rings, partial blast patterns, or specific surface boundaries.

Native Project Format (.bcp)

The .bcp (BlastCAD Project) file is a ZIP archive containing:

File Contents
project.json Version, globalOrigin, blastSettings, layer definitions
holes.csv One row per hole — all geometry and explosive parameters
charges.csv One row per charge segment — startDepth, endDepth, explosive, quantity

The .bcp format is the only format that preserves the complete project state — geometry, charges, CAD entities, layer structure, and settings. All other export formats are partial representations for data handover to external software.

Save often. BlastCAD also maintains an automatic recovery snapshot in IndexedDB, but an explicit .bcp save is the only permanent record of your work.

Live Sync (PWA File Handle API)

BlastCAD supports Live Sync — a Progressive Web App feature that keeps a .bcp file open in the background:

  1. Open a .bcp file using the PWA file handler (associate BlastCAD with .bcp in your OS file associations).
  2. BlastCAD monitors the file for changes on disk (e.g., from another engineer saving over it externally).
  3. When a change is detected, the project is automatically re-imported from the updated file.

Live Sync is useful for simple collaborative workflows where two engineers share a .bcp file on a network drive. Changes are one-way: BlastCAD reads the latest version from disk on each detected change.

Browser support: The File Handle API is supported in Chrome, Edge, and Brave. Safari does not support it — Live Sync will not function on macOS Safari.

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