3.1. Main Menu

Menu Overview

The Main Menu banner provides access to MINEDW functions through menus organized by workflow stage (see Figure 3.12):

Figure 3.12 Main Menu banner

Menu Reference Guide

Click to expand detailed information about specific menu functions.

The File Menu

The File menu provides project management functions for creating, opening, saving, and exchanging MINEDW projects and data (see Figure 3.13).

Figure 3.13 “File” drop-down menu

Project Management

• New Project - Creates a new project with default settings

• Open Project - Opens an existing project file (.PRJ)

• Save Project - Saves the current project (active only when changes exist)

• Save Project As - Saves project with new filename, preserving the original

• Close Project - Closes project with save verification

• Quit - Exits MINEDW with save verification. Options: Save/Discard changes/Cancel

Data Exchange

• Import Model From… - Imports external models in multiple formats

  • .PRJ files - Version 3 MINEDW files

  • .FEL files - Complete MINEDW models (all data except results)

  • .PST files - MINEDW geometry and geologic zones (from v2.10 mesh generator)

  • .STL files - 3D geometry from CAD software (e.g., Rhinoceros 3D)

  • .FEM files - FEFLOW ASCII data files

  • .DAC files - FEFLOW ASCII result files

  See Importing Data Sets for detailed import procedures

Figure 3.14 The MINEDW “Quit” dialog box

The Project Menu

The Project menu provides model configuration and setup (see Figure 3.15).

Figure 3.15 The “Project” drop-down menu

Model Configuration

• Project Properties - Simulation parameters including units, simulation type, closure criteria, solver type and parameters, output names ( Project Properties)

• Time Steps - Time step information including maximum steps and simulation intervals for transient models (Time Steps)

• Zone Properties - Hydraulic properties for each geologic unit ( Zone Properties – Hydraulic Parameters)

• Initial Head - Initial hydraulic head conditions throughout the model domain (Initial Conditions)

Data Import/Export

• Import Elevations from Node File - Imports node elevation file (node.fem) for models modified in other tools or MINEDW versions ( Model Geometry)

• Import Zones from Parameter File - Imports zone parameter file (para.fem) for hydraulic properties modified externally ( Zone Properties – Hydraulic Parameters)

The Mesh Menu

The Mesh menu provides tools for mesh generation and modification (see Figure 3.16). Detailed information is available in Model Geometry.

Figure 3.16 The “Mesh” drop-down menu

Mesh Construction

• Define Main Layer - Creates main layers throughout the model domain

• Define Pinch-Out - Refines vertical discretization in selected areas

• Modify Mesh - Refines or extends mesh for selected areas using boundary line files (.BLN)

The BCs Menu

The BCs (Boundary Conditions) menu provides tools for defining model boundary conditions and sources/sinks (see Figure 3.17). Detailed information is provided in Boundary Conditions.

Figure 3.17 The “BCs” menu

Fixed Boundaries

• Constant Head - Specified head boundaries including constant/variable with time and drain nodes

• Variable Flux - Time-variant boundary fluxes and semi-infinite aquifer connections

Sources and Sinks

• Pumping Well - Pumping wells, specified head wells, lowest pumping elevation (LPE) wells

• River - Rivers and tributary networks with groundwater exchange

Surface Processes

• Recharge - Precipitation recharge zones across model domain

• Evaporation - Evapotranspiration and bare soil evaporation losses

The Mining Menu

The Mining menu provides specialized tools for simulating mining operations (see Figure 3.18). Note: This menu is not active for steady-state simulations. Details are in Mining Plan.

Figure 3.18 The “Mining” drop-down menu

Open-Pit Mining

• Open Pit - Complete open-pit mining simulation including mine plan import, pit-lake setup, ZOR creation, and backfilling operations

• Create Mining Plan - Creates progressive excavation files for open-pit mines

Underground Mining

• Dewatering and Underground Mining - Simulates underground operations with time-varied hydraulic conductivity, post-mining recovery, and backfilling

• Zone of Relaxation for Caving - Creates input files for caving-related ZOR analysis

The Run Menu

The Run menu provides model validation and execution functions (see Figure 3.19). Details are in Model Execution.

Figure 3.19 The “Run” drop-down menu

Simulation Workflow

• Validate - Verifies that the groundwater model is correctly defined and ready for simulation

• Create Data Set - Creates ASCII format data files required for MINEDW calculations

• Execute - Starts the simulation process

The Results Menu

The Results menu provides comprehensive post-processing and analysis tools for model output visualization and data export (see Figure 3.20). Details are provided in Model Output.

Figure 3.20 The “Results” drop-down menu

Results Input/Output

• Read Results - Load simulation results from .PLB files ( Read Results and Export Results as Text File)

• Export Results As Text File - Convert binary .PLB to ASCII .PLT format

Monitoring and Analysis

• Observations - Define monitoring borehole/piezometer locations

• Hydrograph - Create time-series water level plots

Flow Analysis

• Particle Tracking - Simulate groundwater flow paths

• Section Flux - Calculate flow through user-defined planes

• Seepage Component to Pit - Analyze seepage by geologic unit

• Pit Node Elevation and Water Table - Track pit evolution over time

Data Export

• Export State - Export 2D/3D results (heads, drawdown, pressure)

• Export Pore Pressure - Export 3D pore pressure distributions

• Export Cross-Section Pore Pressure - Export 2D cross-section pressure

• Export Pore Pressure to FLAC3D - Export for geomechanical analysis

Reference Settings

• Drawdown Base Time Step - Set reference time for drawdown calculations

Edit Menu

The Edit menu provides undo and redo functionality for model changes (see Figure 3.21).

Figure 3.21 The “Edit” drop-down menu

Edit Operations

• Undo - Reverse recent model changes (except node modifications)

• Redo - Restore previously undone changes

The Tools Menu

The Tools menu provides interface configuration and layout options (see Figure 3.22).

Figure 3.22 The “Tools” drop-down menu

Tool Operations

• Options - Opens MINEDW Options dialog for display settings, movie options, and startup preferences (see Options Dialog for detailed configuration settings)

• Generate Movie Frames - Creates image sequence of current view for animation

• Disable Tooltips - Turns off pop-up descriptions for interface tools

The Help Menu

The Help menu provides documentation, support information, and software details (see Figure 3.23).

Figure 3.23 The “Help” drop-down menu

Documentation & Support

• Help and Documentation - Access to user manual and technical information

• Itasca AI Assistant - Opens AI chat for user questions and guidance

• Contextual Help - Opens documentation to current topic

• Examples - Access to example projects and tutorials

• Licesnses - View software license information

• Request Technical Support - Opens form to contact Itasca support

• About - About MINEDW, Software version, and Credits