GEOVIA Industry Process Expert @CL for Australian Mining.
GEOVIA’s Underground Designer is bringing aerospace-grade automation and parametric precision to underground mine planning.
In underground mining, where time is money and precision is paramount, even minor design errors or delays can have costly consequences.
But what if redesigns could take minutes instead of months?
That’s the promise of Dassault Systèmes’ new GEOVIA Underground Designer role.
At the core of this innovation is parametric modelling – a powerful design methodology long trusted by industries like aerospace and automotive. Now, Dassault Systèmes is applying the same precision and flexibility to the mining sector.
Dassault Systèmes GEOVIA industry process expert Christina Ludwicki has been deeply involved in developing and adapting this technology for underground mine planning.
“I come from underground mining and have spent months on a single design, only for it to be changed and thrown away,” Ludwicki told Australian Mining.
“That’s why I fell in love with this technology – it’s fast, flexible and completely parametric. You change one element, and everything updates automatically. That’s a game-changer.”
Traditional mine design is notoriously time-consuming, involving manual updates and often disconnected workflows.
GEOVIA Underground Designer leverages CATIA, an engineering and design program behind Boeing’s 777 and 787 aircraft, to offer a dynamic, parametric design environment.
“Everything is connected,” Ludwicki said. “If I change the length of a heading or the position of a point, all the related infrastructure – stopes, drives, raises – update in real time. That ability alone cuts weeks off design timelines.”
This isn’t just about speed, it’s about enabling mining engineers to explore multiple strategic options quickly.
“You can now test 10, 20, even 30 design scenarios in the time it used to take for one,” she said. “That flexibility enables better decisions based on real constraints like changing cut-off grades or unexpected geological structures.”
While the role’s capabilities are advanced, Ludwicki said ease-of-use remains front of mind.
“It does require a mindset shift from traditional workflows,” she said. “But once users grasp the parametric logic – that everything’s an input or output – it becomes intuitive.”
The visual scripting engine adds further customisability for power users, allowing teams to build automated workflows tailored to their specific methods, whether it’s longhole, block caving or cut-and-fill.
“You don’t need to go deep into scripting if you don’t want to,” Ludwicki said. “There are simple tools for everyday use. It just depends on what problems you want to solve.”
GEOVIA Underground Designer doesn’t just build static plans, it creates fully parametric models, so any updates – whether due to a new fault, changed production targets, or updated geotechnical data – can be incorporated instantly.
“This is the foundation of a virtual twin,” Ludwicki said. “A design that evolves with your mine, and that reflects real-time decisions and inputs.
“And because it’s cloud-based, everyone – from engineers to analysts – can collaborate on the same up-to-date model.”
The cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows teams to work together globally. Permissions can be set, changes tracked, and visualizations shared instantly across the value chain.
While the Underground Designer role was only officially released in July, its technology has been stress-tested through years of development and internal use.
“This is aerospace-grade technology being tailored for mining,” Ludwicki said. “If you can model a jet engine, you can model a stope.”
She points to a recent block cave model built entirely using the new tools.
“It took under two weeks, and everything – every ring, every access point – was parametric and simulation-ready. In the past, that could’ve taken months.”
As the industry embraces automation, virtual twins, and ESG-driven efficiencies, Ludwicki sees Underground Designer as the logical next step.
“We’re helping clients get from strategy to operation faster and more accurately,” she said. “We can simulate, evaluate, and adapt before committing millions of dollars underground.”
While still in early deployment, Dassault Systèmes is actively seeking strategic partners to adopt and refine the technology in real-world environments.
“We don’t expect everyone to jump in blindly,” Ludwicki said. “This is new tech for mining, and we want to work hand-in-hand with clients to build the right models for their challenges. Once the framework is there, it’s yours to tweak, update and evolve as needed.”
For mines navigating tighter margins, ESG requirements, and shifting production targets, GEOVIA Underground Designer offers a rare combination of speed, accuracy and adaptability.
“This is just the beginning,” Ludwicki said. “We’ve built the foundation. Now, it’s about seeing how the mining industry takes it forward.”
With GEOVIA Underground Designer, the age of reactive mine planning may soon be behind us.
For those ready to embrace parametric tools and digital collaboration, the future is already here.
Source - Australian Mining, September 2025
