SMS

Zooming with Annotations

By aquaveo on January 13, 2021

Do you have a location in your GMS groundwater project that requires you to zoom in and out of a particular location frequently? It sometimes can become tedious to constantly have to locate the same area in the project and manually zoom in on that area using the Zoom tool. The annotation tools provide a way to make this process easier.

Zooming using the annotation tools requires the use of the Zoom to Layer command. This is done by doing the following:

  1. Create a new world space annotation layer. It is important that the annotation layer be set to use the world space which makes use of the project projection. Using annotation layers set to screen space will not work.
  2. Create annotations that mark out the zoomed in area. Using the Create Rectangular Object tool often works best for this task. Make certain that all objects added to this annotation layer are within the zoom in area.
  3. In the Project Explorer, right-click on the annotation layer and select Zoom to Layer. This will frame the project to the extent of the annotation objects.
Zoom to Layer command with Annotations layer

Following this method, you can zoom or pan to other locations in the project and quickly return to the area marked by the annotation layer by using the Zoom to Layer command. If there are multiple areas of interest in the project, create a separate annotation layer for each area you want to zoom in on. Doing that can make navigating around the locations of your project easier.

While we discussed doing this in GMS, it can also be done in SMS for surface-water projects. The annotation tools are similar in SMS and the Zoom to Layer is available for annotation layers in the Project Explorer.

Try out using annotations to navigation your groundwater project in GMS today!

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GMS
SMS

Reviewing Aquaveo Licensing Information

By aquaveo on January 6, 2021

In order for your Aquaveo software (GMS, SMS, WMS) to function correctly, it must be licensed correctly. It also must have all the correct components licensed for you to run the packages you have purchased. When you encounter an issue with your license, you can review your license information in order to know what to do.

To see your license information, do the following:

  1. Go to the Help menu and select the Register command.
Example of the Register Dialog

In the register dialog you will see your license information, including your license number, license expiration date, and maintenance expiration date. The license number will often be needed when contacting Aquaveo for support. The license expiration date shows when your license will expire, after which you will no longer be able to use the software without a new license. The maintenance expiration date is different from the license expiration date. The maintenance expiration date is the date after which you will no longer be able to receive technical support or access newer versions of the software including bug fixes.

In the register dialog you will also see a list of components enabled with your license. Components include numerical models, interface options, and tools that can be purchased with a license for our software. Review this list to make certain that you have all of the components you expect to find with your license. There is an option at the top of the dialog that can be turned off to see components that have not been enabled.

Often when a component is not enabled, this is because that component was not part of the license package that you purchased. Components can be purchased as part of a license package or purchased individually. To add a component to your license, contact our sales team at: sales@aquaveo.com

If you find that a component is not enabled that you believe should be enabled, contact Aquaveo’s licensing team at: licensing@aquaveo.com

If you are experiencing trouble registering your license or accessing a component of your license, contact our technical support team at: support@aquaveo.com

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GMS
SMS
WMS

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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XMS
GMS
SMS
WMS

Using the Cross Section Tools in SMS 13.1

By aquaveo on December 2, 2020

With the release of SMS 13.1 beta, a significant number of tools have been added for working with cross sections. These tools allow you to have more control over importing cross section databases and how you can work with cross sections in SMS.

Earlier versions of SMS have allowed you to import a cross section database and provided the cross section and centerline coverages. This lets you create a basic 1D model in SMS. SMS 13.1 expands on this functionality.

The new cross section tools in SMS 13.1 include:

Extract cross sections from shapefile
  • Cross section databases can be created from a text file.
  • Cross sections can be interpolated along the centerline.
  • Cross sections can be trimmed to annotation types.
  • A surface (TIN) can be created by matching annotated points on cross sections.
  • A centerline coverage can be created from annotated cross sections.
  • HEC-RAS cross section data can be used.

When working with these new tools in SMS 13.1 beta, there are a couple items to keep in mind.

The first is that when interpolating cross sections, check for overlapping cross sections after the interpolation process is complete. If you trim your cross sections before interpolating your cross sections, you may prevent some overlapping.

The next item to keep in mind is that before converting cross sections to a TIN, it is recommended that you manually clean up the cross sections. Cross sections that have overlapping sections, unnecessary segments, or poor location can cause errors in the TIN.

Finally, converting a shapefile to a centerline coverage can be slow. It is recommended to convert the shapefile to an area property coverage first. After converting the shapefile to an area property coverage, clean up the arcs on the area property coverage then convert the area property coverage to a centerline coverage.

Tutorial for using the new cross sections tools will be made available in the coming months. Until then,our technical support team can help provide guidance in using these new tools. Try out the new cross section tools in SMS 13.1 beta today!

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