3D Well Trajectory, Well Placement, and Geosteering Visualizer

A lightweight VS Code Extension for real-time 3D visualization of well trajectories, well placement, and geosteering insights.

🚀 Overview

I recently built a tool, “3D Well Trajectory, Well Placement, and Geosteering Visualizer”, entirely as a lightweight VS Code extension.

It addresses a key operational bottleneck caused by bloated legacy software. In Real-Time (RT) drilling environments, waiting for heavy applications to load is simply not practical.

By inputting standard survey data (MD, INC, AZI) and loading target pay zones, the tool instantly computes the full survey matrix and renders an interactive 3D environment.

🛠️ Key Capabilities

1. Multi-Well Toggling

Instantly overlay and toggle multiple wells to:

• Compare Planned vs. Actual trajectories
• Perform rapid anti-collision analysis

2. Geosteering & Surface Integration

• Visualize Top and Base of target formations in 3D
• Evaluate well placement and reservoir contact
• Support real-time geosteering decisions

3. Trajectory Optimization

Automatically calculates and visualizes:

• Dogleg Severity (DLS)
• Vertical Section (VS) Ensures smoother drilling and helps mitigate torque & drag risks

4. Full 3D Interactivity

• Rotate, pan, and zoom freely
• Hover on nodes to view detailed parameters
• Toggle wells and surfaces on/off for clarity

5. Exportable Data

• Download fully computed survey data as CSV
• Useful for reporting and further analysis

⚡ Practical Viability & Cost Impact

Traditional directional drilling and 3D modeling software are powerful but:

• Expensive (high per-seat licensing cost)
• Complex and time-consuming

This tool democratizes access to critical data by enabling:

• Fast visualization
• Real-time decision support
• No dependency on heavy commercial software

It empowers:

• Drillers
• Geologists
• Rig Supervisors to perform high-level spatial analysis and validate trajectories within seconds.

▶️ How to Use

🔹 Step 1: Install Extension

• Install from VS Code Marketplace

🔹 Step 2: Load Wells

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P)
2. Search:

   Open 3D Well Trajectory Viewer
   

Then:

• Select all of your .CSV/.txt survey files (with only MD, INC, and AZI) and click Open
• The trajectory and other parameters will be computed and displayed instantly

🔹 Step 3: Load Formation / Surface Data

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P)
2. Search:

   Load Formation Surfaces (.dat)
   

Then:

• Select all of your surface files (.dat format) and click Open
• The surfaces will be displayed instantly in 3D environment
• This allows visualization of:
  • Pay zones
  • Formation boundaries

🔹 Step 4: Analyze in 3D

• Rotate, zoom, and pan
• Hover on trajectory points to view parameters
• Toggle:
  • Wells
  • Surfaces

🔹 Step 5: Export Data

• Use export option to download computed data
• Output format: CSV

📸 Preview

👨‍💻 Author: Mohd Ashir Khan

⚖️ License

This software is proprietary and confidential. See the LICENSE file for details.