Simulation & Digital Twins

The 3DEXPERIENCE GEOVIA platform is Dassault's next-generation cloud-based mining solution providing a comprehensive, real-time view of mine business activity and operations. It hosts specialised roles covering the full mine lifecycle: Geology Modeler, Pit Optimizer, Strategic Mine Planner, Surface and Underground Mine Designer, and a full suite of caving roles including Cave Footprint Finder, Cave Planning Manager, Cave Scheduler, and Cave Management System.

Akselos Integra creates sensor-calibrated, physics-based digital twins of complex engineering structures. For mining, this means creating digital replicas of stackers, reclaimers, and shiploaders — the critical bulk materials handling equipment that operates continuously at mine sites and ports and represents enormous capital investment.

AnyLogic provides virtual environments for analysis, testing, and optimisation of mining activities. The Fluid Library simplifies simulation of bulk material logistics and mining processes. Users model everything from excavation plans and equipment utilisation to load-and-haul operations, processing plant logistics, and mine-to-port supply chains across commodity types.

AVEVA Dynamic Simulation (formerly known as DYNSIM) models real-time, time-dependent behaviour of industrial processes using first-principles equipment models with rigorous thermodynamic and fluid flow calculations. It supports engineering validation, control system testing, and operator training by replicating dynamic plant conditions during startup, shutdown, normal, and emergency operations.

AVEVA Process Simulation features a rigorous equation-oriented matrix solver that continuously solves with new inputs, enabling significantly faster performance than legacy sequential-modular simulators. Engineers can reuse one simulation across all engineering phases and switch modes between flow-driven steady state, pressure-driven rating, and dynamics at any time. It includes built-in Python scripting and can automatically integrate real-time operations data from the AVEVA PI System.

Aura is Emesent's point cloud processing and visualisation software, included with all Hovermap deployments. It handles the complete workflow from raw LiDAR data to processed, georeferenced point clouds ready for analysis, reporting, and integration into mine planning systems.

HAULSIM is RPMGlobal's flagship discrete event simulation software purpose-built for mining haulage. Its 3D DES engine connects fleet assets, mining operational plans, and people to build a digital twin of any mining operation — both open pit and underground. The software models the complex, dynamic nature of a mine site in its entirety, capturing the variability, interactions, and dependencies that occur across haulage systems.

Hovermap is Emesent's flagship smart mobile LiDAR scanning system combining advanced collision avoidance and autonomous flight technologies to map hazardous, GPS-denied environments. It deploys via drone, robot (Boston Dynamics Spot), vehicle, handheld, or backpack. Hovermap uses world-class SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) to deliver high-density, shadowless point clouds of underground workings, voids, and infrastructure.

HSC Chemistry stands for H (enthalpy), S (entropy), and Cp (heat capacity). The software combines versatile chemical, thermodynamic, and mineral-processing features in a single package with 24 calculation modules connected to 12 integrated databases. Key modules include equilibrium calculations, heat and mass balance, Eh-pH diagrams, phase stability diagrams, and mineral processing simulation.

HxGN MinePlan 3D is Hexagon's comprehensive mine planning platform enabling geologists and engineers to collaborate across workflows within a single connected package. It provides drillhole management, geological modeling, block modeling, resource estimation, mine design for open pit and underground operations, and survey data processing.

Launched in 2023, HxGN MinePlan Block Model Manager enables users to simultaneously design, populate, manage, and share block models while centrally managing massive volumes of sample points, variables, and outputs. It provides version-to-version comparisons, support for all major block model types regardless of origin, background conversion and synchronisation, API access for custom analytics, and integration with MinePlan 3D, Datamine, Vulcan, and CSV sources.

MinePlan Schedule Optimizer uses optimisation algorithms to determine the best mining sequence for maximum value extraction, supporting both long-term strategic scheduling and detailed tactical planning. It enables simulation of different operational scenarios — testing equipment configurations, processing capacities, and market conditions to identify robust schedules.

The iTwin Platform is Bentley's foundational digital twin infrastructure built on open APIs and libraries. It federates and continuously synchronises data across repositories in native formats — BIM models, reality models, LiDAR, IoT sensor data, and geospatial data — providing a single integrated view of an asset's engineering, physical, and operational state.

JKSimFloat is a general-purpose flotation simulation package integrating data analysis and circuit simulation for minerals processing. Models developed from extensive flotation research at the JKMRC have been applied to over 100 flotation operations worldwide across base metals and precious metals processing.

JKSimMet integrates data analysis, mass balancing, model fitting, optimisation, design, and simulation within one package for comminution and classification circuit analysis. It includes validated models for crushers, autogenous (AG) and semi-autogenous (SAG) mills, ball mills, rod mills, screens, and hydrocyclones — all built on decades of JKMRC research into comminution fundamentals.

METSIM accurately simulates a wide variety of inorganic chemical, hydrometallurgical, and pyrometallurgical processes with over 200 unit operations. It supports both steady-state and dynamic simulation modes and operates through a modular architecture: Base Module (mass balance, flotation, leaching, SX/EW); Mine Module (import drill-hole data and block models); Comminution Module (crushing, screening, grinding, classification, dense media, coal preparation); Heat Balance Module (pyrometallurgy, thermodynamics); Dynamic Simulation and Heap Leaching Module (time-dependent modeling, PID controllers, heap leaching with chemical reactions and weather modeling); Equilibrium Module (OLI Systems electrolyte integration); Costing Module (OPCOST capital and operating costs); and Engineering Module (equipment sizing, process control simulation, operator training interfaces).

Simio is a general-purpose DES and digital twin platform where users build models by positioning objects in a 3D facility layout without writing code. It includes OptQuest optimisation, risk analysis, and production scheduling functionality built into the core platform. Models are object-oriented, meaning reusable components can be built once and deployed across multiple projects.

SimMine is a purpose-built DES platform for end-to-end mining operations simulation. It directly imports mine layouts from CAD formats (.dwg/.dxf), Mine2-4D, or Deswik mine designs, automatically extracting section names, development sequences, dependencies, rock types, and face profiles — eliminating the complex setup required by general-purpose DES tools when adapted to mining.

SIMULATE is RPMGlobal's DES platform specifically designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers. Where HAULSIM serves mining companies directly, SIMULATE is the OEM-facing counterpart — enabling equipment manufacturers to build digital twins of mining operations to demonstrate their equipment's quantified value to prospective customers.

SkyVerse automates the entire visualisation pipeline for mining environments — processing data from drones, LiDAR, and other sensors, creating 3D meshes from 2D images using NVIDIA pretrained neural networks, converting them to USD (Universal Scene Description) format, and bringing them into NVIDIA Omniverse for live-synced digital twin creation. SkyVerse uses NVIDIA Jetson edge devices to process terabytes of data per day into kilobyte-size analytics for frontline users.

SysCAD simulates everything from simple processing circuits to complex full-plant operations, solving mass and energy balances of connected unit operations in a graphical flowsheet interface. It applies chemical process engineering principles including heat and mass transfer, chemical reactions, vapour-liquid equilibrium, and particle size distribution across a wide range of industrial processes.

TALPAC-3D investigates fleet options, builds fleets, and accurately forecasts future productivity for open pit mining operations. It is the modern evolution of RPMGlobal's legacy TALPAC product — originally released in 1979 and now updated with a game-inspired 3D user interface that makes fleet productivity modeling significantly more accessible.

USIM PAC performs mass balancing, simulation of all streams and unit operations, data reconciliation, equipment sizing, economic and environmental calculations, and off-line process optimisation in a single interface. It includes a built-in library of 150+ unit operation models covering comminution, classification, heavy medium separation, gravity and magnetic separation, flotation, solid-liquid separation, hydrometallurgy, and more.