Expanding the Rocscience Software Ecosystem with New ShapeMetriX Integrations

From Digital Mapping to Engineering Analysis

ShapeMetriX provides a powerful workflow for creating detailed, high-resolution 3D models from digital imagery, LiDAR scans, and other survey datasets. Using photogrammetry and advanced mapping capabilities, engineers can generate accurate representations of rock slopes, tunnel excavations, and exposed rock surfaces – as well as the discontinuities present in them – without relying solely on traditional manual mapping methods. 

With ShapeMetriX, users can: 

• Generate high-resolution 3D models from drone imagery, handheld cameras, or laser scanner data.  

• Perform detailed, contact-free geological mapping of discontinuities and structural features.  

• Measure joint orientations, locations, and geometric properties.  

• Export 3D geometries and mapped discontinuity data for direct use in DIPS, RocSlope3, RocFall3, and RocTunnel3.

  

By connecting ShapeMetriX with RocFall3 and RocTunnel3, this field information can now move directly into analysis environments, reducing manual data handling and preserving the accuracy of the original survey data.
 

ShapeMetriX and RocFall3: Bringing Real-World Geometry into 3D Rockfall Analysis 

Rockfall assessments depend heavily on accurately representing the terrain and rock surfaces where failures may originate. Traditional workflows often require engineers to simplify complex slopes into idealized geometries, which can introduce uncertainty into hazard predictions.

With the new integration with ShapeMetriX, engineers can directly import detailed 3D surface models generated from field data into RocFall3 – enabling them to perform rockfall simulations using realistic slope geometries captured from the site.

The workflow enables engineers to: 

• Import ShapeMetriX-generated 3D surface geometry into RocFall3.  

• Analyse rockfall trajectories on realistic terrain conditions.  

• Evaluate potential impact zones and hazard areas.  

• Model more representative rockfall barrier designs for complex rock slopes.

By shrinking the gap between field reality and analytical models, engineers can perform rockfall assessments based on actual site geometry rather than simplified assumptions.
 

ShapeMetriX and RocTunnel3: Building More Realistic Underground Excavation Models 

The ShapeMetriX–RocTunnel3 integration allows engineers to import detailed as-built excavation geometries and mapped geological structures directly into RocTunnel3. This creates a more representative model of actual underground conditions, helping engineers assess structurally controlled block failures and evaluate support strategies. 

 With this workflow, engineers can: 

• Import as-built excavation geometries generated from photogrammetry or LiDAR.  

• Bring in mapped joints, including their orientations, locations, and sizes. 

• Model excavation stages and evaluate potential block instability.  

• Evaluate support requirements and stabilisation strategies for potentially unstable blocks.   

Instead of recreating excavation geometries manually or using multiple software workflows, engineers can move directly from field conditions to 3D block stability analysis. 

One Connected Workflow from Capture to Analysis 

The expansion of ShapeMetriX’s integration arsenal to RocTunnel3 and RocFall3 reflects a broader shift toward connected geotechnical workflows, where data collected in the field can move seamlessly into engineering analyses.