Create and Import the Section

1. Choose File > New.
2. Choose File > Import Section > DXF and open Case3_GroundModel.dxf from Case_3A_water_crest.
3. Select Meters under Import as, then click OK.
4. Click the South face of the view cube and expand Cross-Sections > Case3_GroundModel1 in Navigation.

Groundwater Exercise Section Expand

Alternatively, open Case3A_starter.cbf. Check the materials, groundwater assignment, and slope inputs below before running the analysis.

Define Bench and Material Properties

Select each rock-material layer in Navigation. Use the following bench values for all five rock layers:

Bench Input	Value
Bench height	15 m
Bench face angle	90°
Minimum berm width	7.5 m

Set the strength model to Mohr-Coulomb and enter:

Material	Cohesion (kPa)	Friction Angle (°)	Unit Weight (kN/m³)
Granite_1	1430	27.62	25.1
Granite_2	732	16.68	24.5
Porfirite_1	971	20.01	26.3
Porfirite_2	727	16.61	23.6
Vulcanite	700	33.6	26.4

Rock-Layer Input Fields Expand

If minimum berm width is left blank, 4.5 m + 0.2 × 15 m gives the required 7.5 m.

Assign the Piezometric Line

The DXF includes an open polyline named water. Classify it as groundwater rather than a rock-material layer:

1. Select water in the imported layer list in Navigation.
2. Under Entity Type in Properties, enable Piezometric line (open polyline).
3. Confirm that the water entity is classified correctly before continuing to the cross-section geometry.

Assigning the Water Entity Expand

See Water Table for details about imported and manually drawn groundwater lines.

Set the Slope Geometry

Select Case3_GroundModel1 and enter:

Section Input	Value
Bench definition	Bench height
Target FoS	1.3
Slope Anchor > Prescribed point	Crest
Horizontal Crest Position	1150 m
Failure Direction	Right to left
Target slope height	330 m

Case 3a Crest Anchor Expand

Case 3a Slope Height Expand

The specified height fits 22 full benches × 15 m = 330 m. Check the green OSA search region and the water line together after setting the geometry.

Save and Run the Simulation

1. Choose File > Save As and save the project as Case3A_final.cbf in the exercise folder. Use a separate working folder if you want to keep the supplied reference project for comparison.
2. Select the Simulation tab beside Visualiser, at the bottom of the main workspace, then select Case3_GroundModel1.
3. Set Simulation results location to Automatic. A section simulation folder is created beside the saved .cbf project when the simulation starts.
4. Click Start. If Simulation Check lists an issue, use Fix to open the affected field, correct it, and select Check Again.
5. Once the check passes, click Start again. Review any later geometry or groundwater warnings and select your configured account if prompted. If the folder belongs to another account, cancel and choose a separate Custom folder to keep its existing results.
6. Monitor the Node status summary and use Fetch results to retrieve the output.

For more detail, see Running Simulations. If the analysis does not start, use Simulation Does Not Start.

Review the Results

The workbook’s example reports:

Result	Example Value
Target FoS	1.3
Achieved FoS	1.323
Target slope height	330 m
Bench-compatible slope height	330 m

Case 3a Example Result Expand

Check the prescribed crest at 1150 m, the 330 m height, the water line, and each rock layer’s properties. Review the failure mechanism and achieved FoS in the output plot and logs.

Keep the completed Case 3a project for the next exercise. The supplied Case3A_final.cbf can also be used as the starting point for Case 3b, which changes the fixed endpoint to the toe.

Export and Reuse the Output

1. On the Simulation page, expand Output Tools.
2. Choose the required DXF export format, then click Export DXF.
3. To bring the optimised geometry back into the project, click Create project section from output.
4. Open Visualiser and find the new section in Navigation.

Export option	When to use it
Rocscience	Prepare a 2D DXF for Rocscience software. The orientation is converted to the required import plane and the closed external boundary is generated automatically.
Global	Keep the original global coordinates for comparison with the source model.
Local XZ	Align the section with the XZ plane, with a fixed Y coordinate.
Local XY	Flatten the section onto the XY plane, with a fixed Z coordinate.

Exporting the Optimised Profile Expand

Creating a Project Section from Output Expand

For a Rocscience RS2 workflow, follow Importing Output into Rocscience RS2 and check the imported boundary assignments.

To export optimised slope angles as a block model CSV, follow Exporting the Section Block Model.