GMS

New Selection Functions in GMS 10.5 Beta

By aquaveo on December 16, 2020

With the release of GMS10.5 Beta, a few changes were made to how some selection functions work to make selecting objects in a project easier. A couple of the existing functionalities were improved and a new selection tool was added. This article discusses some of these changes.

The Invert Selection tool existed in earlier versions of GMS. The tool switches which objects are selected so that the objects that were selected are no longer selected and any object that was not selected is now selected. In earlier versions, this tool could be launched from the Edit menu. Starting in GMS 10.5 beta, the command to invert the selection can be found by right-clicking in the Graphics Window after selecting one or more objects.

Zoom to Selection is a new tool introduced in GMS 10.5 beta. This tool works by selecting an object in the Graphics Window. Then right-click the object to find the Zoom to Selection command. Using this command will zoom in on the selected object so that it fills the Graphics Window.

To go along with the change of having the Invert Selection and Zoom to Selection commands as part of the right-click menu for map tools, a change was made to what happens when the right-click menu was invoked. Previously, invoking the right-click command with a map tool by clicking in an empty part of the Graphics Window caused any selected objects to become unselected. In GMS 10.5 beta, map objects are not unselected when right-clicking in an empty spot of the Graphics Window. Instead, the new right-click menu will appear.

Previously, when an object was selected and you held down the Shift key, if you selected an empty part of the Graphics Window, your selected object would become unselected. In GMS 10.5 beta, objects no longer become unselected.

These are a few of the changes to selecting objects in GMS 10.5 beta. Try out the GMS 10.5 beta today.

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GMS

Troubleshooting Model Executables

By aquaveo on December 9, 2020

GMS, SMS, and WMS (collectively known as XMS) all make use of numerical models for the final simulation run. These numerical models include MODFLOW, ADCIRC, SRH-2D, GSSHA, HEC-RAS, etc. These numerical models are not developed by Aquaveo, but the XMS software does provide an interface for using these models. This article will discuss more about how the XMS software integrates with these numerical models.

XMS will allow you to import all of the starting data and define all the parameters for a numerical model simulation. After the project has been built in XMS, XMS will export all of the files needed for the model run. XMS will then access the numeric model executable and launch the numerical model to run your simulation.

If the numerical model fails to run, there sometimes can be an issue with the numerical model executable. Typically, you will receive a warning message stating the model executable can’t be found. When this happens there are two ways to resolve the conflict.

The first is to click the browse button on the warning dialog and browse to the location of the model executable. Select the model executable and simulation will start running. In most cases, the model executables are located in a folder called models located in the locations where the XMS software has been installed.

The second method is to make certain the path to the model executable location has been correctly in XMS. This is done by going the Preferences dialog (use the Edit | Preferences command). In the Preferences dialog, there is a tab call either Files or File Locations. On the Files tab is a list of the available numerical models and where XMS is accessing that executable for the model. From here, you can change the file path to point to the correct location of the model executable.

File Locations tab in the Preferences dialog

Often when the model executable cannot be found the cause is one of a few common issues. One is that the path location was not correctly set when XMS was installed. Another is that the numerical model was not installed correctly. And another is that you may have been using a custom installation of the numerical model software with the model executable in a location where XMS is not looking.

Also note that some numerical models require multiple executables. Often this is a pre-processor that has its own executable. Make certain that the file path is correct for all executables used by the numerical model.

Making certain the correct model executable can be found by XMS can make running your model simulation a lot easier. Check out all the available numerical models availing in XMS today!

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Working with Units in GMS

By aquaveo on November 25, 2020

For any groundwater modeling project, having the correct units is essential in creating a valid project. When working with GMS, make certain that the project units are correct. To help you with having the correct units, here are some tips for working with units in GMS.

Check Input Units

Before importing data into GMS, check units of the data. Ideally, all of your data will be using the same units. So, for example, if you are working in meters then make certain all the data you will be importing is in meters.

It is recommended that you convert the data into the correct units before importing it into GMS. GMS will not change the units of your data during the import process. That said, it is recommended to check the units of imported data to make certain the data imported correctly. This is done by checking the data’s projection.

Please note that GMS also does not perform unit conversions when writing values to input files for models, such as MODFLOW or MT3DMS packages, but writes the values to input files as they are shown in their respective package dialogs.

Converting Units

Instead of converting the units of your data before importing it into GMS, you can convert some data inside GMS. GMS does not do automatic conversion of units for data. So if all of your data is in meters and you bring in one set of data that is in feet, GMS will not automatically convert the data from feet to meters.

Instead, after importing the data, you have two options for converting the data into the correct units.

The first of these options is to reproject the data. This is done by right-clicking on the data in the Project Explorer and selecting the Reproject command. This option can quickly change the units of the data in GMS.

The other option is to create a new dataset with the correct units. This is done using the Data Calculator. In the Data Calculator, you would select the dataset with the wrong units then enter the equation to convert the dataset units into the calculator. Once the new dataset is calculated, make certain that dataset is being used in the project and not the older dataset.

Using the Data Calculator to convert units

Check Output Units

After completing your model and running it, it is recommended that you check the units of the output data. In most cases, the units in the output data will be correct. If the units are not correct, this often indicates an issue with the input values of the model. GMS does not change the units of data during the model run.

Having correct units will make your groundwater modeling in GMS run smoother. Check out GMS today!

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GMS

Batch Running MODFLOW Files

By aquaveo on November 4, 2020

Do you have several MODFLOW simulations that you have created using GMS and would like to set all of the simulations to run overnight or over a weekend? Running a batch of MODFLOW simulations can be accomplished using a batch file. A batch file allows using the Command Prompt to run several commands in a sequence of actions. Therefore, a batch file can be used to run multiple MODFLOW simulations.

To do this, you will need to create a batch file that references the MODFLOW executable and the name file for each MODFLOW simulation you intend to run. To create a batch file, you can create the file from scratch, or you can use GMS to generate a batch file for a single simulation which can then be edited to add additional simulations.

When using GMS to create a single simulation batch file, do the following:

In the Global/Basic Package dialog for the simulation, turn on the Use Custom Run Dialog option.
Run the MODFLOW simulation.

Among the simulation files, you will have a *.bat file. To use this file to run multiple MODFLOW simulations, do the following:

Create multiple simulations in GMS and export the MODFLOW files for each simulation.
Using a text editor, open the custom run *.bat file.
Edit the file include the name files for additional MODFLOW simulations.
Use the Command Prompt to run the edited batch file which will then run the MODFLOW simulation sequentially.

Once the simulations have run to completion, you can load the results into GMS by creating a GMS MODFLOW results file (or MFR file) for each simulation. The file name of the MFR file should match the MODFLOW name file.The format for an MFR file can be found by examining an existing GMS MODFLOW solution set.

It is recommended that you use the GMS model check for each simulation and resolve any issues found before including the simulation in the batch run. However, if the simulation does include a problem, it will not stop the following simulations from running. In this way, MODFLOW can be run for multiple GMS projects.

Try creating a batch run for multiple MODFLOW simulations using GMS today!

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