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Created: 06 May 2025

We developed a QGIS plugin which facilitates the data preparation for the rockfall simulation model Rockyfor3D. Based on a digital elevation model (DEM) and a polygon or line input (terrain / forest / rockfall nets), the plugin rasterizes the attributes from the vector layer, ensuring alignment of all output rasters with the DEM grid, and the correct output format of all data (ASCII grid). Further, the plugin performs internal checks for invalid geometries, mismatched coordinate reference systems (CRS), and missing values. The user is informed if any values fall outside expected ranges or if data types do not match.

In addition, we improved the tool Eline and finalised a manual in english.

Go to the tools for members section of our website to get the tools you need.

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Created: 06 May 2025

We developed a new interface of our BankforNET web app (version 3.7.0) with a "Basic" and "Advanced" mode for easier user interaction. Calculation of stream sediment transport now includes both fluvial bedload sediment transport and debris-flow transport with an improved parameterization of stream bed surface roughness. The large wood transport capacity model remains empirical but has been improved. A new User Manual is now available and can be downloaded directly from the web app and is also available here. In addition, a minor new release of SlideforMAP GUI version 0.0.2 is now available which fixes several issues and adds a geographically-dependent species. Betula pendula (birch) root reinforcement data is now available for the Alps and for Norway as independent options. Lastly, our updated SlideforNET web app version 0.2.0 has an improved interface. The updated user manuals can be downloaded here.

Go to the tools for members section of our website to get use the new tools.

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Created: 20 December 2024

This changelog records the changes in the 3D rockfall trajectory model Rockyfor3d since the beginning of development.

Launch of version 6.1 (expected April 2026)

• We are currently optimising the parameters of the friction function Ff and the scaling function Sf, which were reintroduced in version 6.0, to provide a robust and realistic version of Rockyfor3D for the years to come. This optimisation process is based on over 260 mapped blocks (with volumes ranging from 0.05 to 450 m3) from recent rockfall and rock mass fall events at 38 different sites in Europe and North America. These blocks represent the extremes of the runout zones in relation to block volume observed at those sites.  

 Changes in version 6.0.2 (December 2025)

• Adapted the scaling function Sf = 1 / ((Vn1/15.24)^2 + 1); This results in less conservative tangential energy loss during the rebounds and therefore much less optimistic trajectories than in v6.0.1

Changes in version 6.0 / 6.0.1 (December 2024)

• Corrected occurrence of NaN values in the calculation screen (net output) .txt files (v6.0.1)  
• Adapted the Logfile to the v6.0
• Correction of cell corner problems that led to excessive velocities/energies
• Reintroduction of the friction and scaling function in the energy loss (rebound) calculation during ground impacts
• Introduction of the total kinetic energy correction based on the total apparent kinematic coefficient of restitution proposed by Noël et al. (2023)
• Introduction of the maximum rotation velocity based on Caviezel et al. (2021)
• Added the option “cliff area weighted” number of simulated trajectories from each start cell to account for the difference in productivity of start cells with different slope angles 
• Added the option rapid automatic simulation with low and medium roughness
• Added new options in the command line version
• Corrected errors in the tree impact detection
• Adapted the function that controls energy loss due to the impact height on the tree stem
• Corrected errors in the net impact detection

Changes in version 5.2 (March 2016)

• Adapted the class values of the energy and passing height output rasters
• Added the propagation probability output raster (called Propag_probability.asc) for providing the area specific spatial occurence probability for risk calculations

Changes in version 5.2 (2014)

• Revision of the Graphical User Interface – adding user-friendly simulation options

Changes in version 5.1 (2014)

• Added E_50.asc, E_90.asc, E_95.asc, E_98.asc, E_99.asc and Ph_50.asc, Ph_90.asc, Ph_95.asc, Ph_98.asc, Ph_99.asc as output rasters to provide different percentiles of total kinetic energy and passing height per cell

Changes in version 5.0 (2011)

• Translation of the Matlab code into C/C++
• Adapted the Rn value for asphalt roads
• Adapted the rolling/small rebounds condition for blocks moving upslope
• treefile.txt needs to be provided without a header

Version 4 (2007 - 2011)

• First stand-alone version of Rockyfor3D based on Matlab (using the MCRInstaller)
• Formalisation of the calculation of the reach probability in Rockyfor3D v4 by L. Dorren (in 2010) using: number of passages * 100  /  (number of simulations per source cell * number of source cells) [in %]

Version 3 (2004 - 2007)

• First Matlab-based version using 3D vectors called RockyFor published by Dorren et al., (2006)

 Version 2 (2001 - 2003)

• First simplified, Matlab-based version of Rockyfor (see Dorren et al., 2004)

 Version 1 (1998 - 2001)

• ROCKY3: Matlab-based predecessor versions of Rockyfor (see Dorren et al., 2003)
• Slope profile based Matlab simulations and spatially explicit variants leading to ROCKY3