SMS

Converting an RMA2 Project to SRH-2D

By aquaveo on August 15, 2018

Do you have an older RMA2 or FESWMS project that you want to convert to an SRH-2D project in SMS? Older model lack the support and many of the features of newer models. In some cases, older models will no longer run with newer operating systems. So converting older projects over helps ensure the accuracy and stability of your results.

Converting projects from an older model is not automatic. Typically, portions of the model will need to be rebuilt. Here is an example of how to convert an older RMA2 model to an SRH-2D model.

Start with creating the SRH-2D mesh.

  1. Load the RMA2 project into the current version of SMS.
  2. Right-click on the RMA2 mesh, and select Duplicate. The duplicated mesh will be used for SRH-2D. The existing RMA2 mesh will be needed, so do not delete it.
  3. Select the duplicated mesh to make it active.
  4. Select the Data | Switch Current Model menu command.
  5. In the Select Current Model dialog, select the Generic Mesh option. The is the mesh type that SRH-2D supports. Be careful to not confuse the Generic Mesh option with the Generic Model option.
  6. Click Yes when warned that there may be data loss.
  7. Click Yes when warned that you are changing from a quadratic mesh to a linear mesh.

Next, you’ll need to define the boundary conditions.

  1. Select the RMA2 mesh to make it active.
  2. Select the Data | Mesh → Map menu command.
  3. In the Mesh → Map dialog, select the Nodestrings → Arc options.
  4. Select the Create New Coverage button.
  5. In the New Coverage dialog, select SRH-2D Boundary Conditions for the Coverage Type.
  6. When done, a new coverage will appear in the Project Explorer with feature arcs in the location of the nodestrings from the RMA2 project.
  7. Select each feature arc in turn and set boundary condition parameters that approximate those in the RMA2 model. Review the RMA2 boundary conditions if needed. Additional boundary conditions can also be added if desired.

You need to define the materials next.

  1. Select the RMA2 mesh to make it active.
  2. Select the Data | Mesh → Map menu command.
  3. In the Mesh → Map dialog, select the Material Regions → Polygons options.
  4. Select the Create New Coverage button.
  5. In the New Coverage dialog, select SRH-2D Materials for the Coverage Type.
  6. When done, a new coverage will appear the Project Explorer with polygons on the assigned materials in the RMA2 project.
  7. Review the material properties and the assigned materials for each polygon to make certain they converted correctly.

Finally, build the SRH-2D model simulation.

  1. Right-click in an empty space in the Project Explorer and select New Simulation | SRH-2D
  2. Link the SRH-2D mesh, boundary condition coverage, and material coverage to the new simulation.
  3. Right-click on the new simulation and select Model Control.
  4. Set the SRH-2D model control to approximate the conditions in the RMA2 model. Review the RMA2 model control if needed.

At this point, the RMA2 mesh could be removed and the SRH-2D model should be ready to run, though some tweaking may be necessary. Refer to the SRH-2D Troubleshooting Guide if needed.

Converting other models, such as FESWMS, follow a similar process to that described above. Try out this conversion process with your older projects in SMS today!

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SMS

5 Ways to Make Projects Work Faster

By aquaveo on July 25, 2018

Have you ever noticed your SMS project taking a long time to open or running slow when you’re working in it? Does the project seem to lag when zooming or panning? Perhaps it is time to clean up your project so it runs faster.

While not every project can be made to load or work faster, there are some items that can be done to speed things up. In general, a project that takes a long time to open or operates slowly is usually a larger project with many large components. Having a detailed mesh or large raster files will often slow down SMS on many machines.

To get things going faster, here are five tips for making your project work faster.

1. Change Display Options

Having more objects visible in the Graphics Window will impact how quickly SMS can operate. When SMS is trying to display a lot of data, it will slow down. By reducing the amount of visual information in the Graphics Window, SMS can process faster. This can be done in two ways.

The first method is to hide items in the Project Explorer, such as images or map coverages that are not being currently used. Having several images and rasters showing can particularly slow down a project.

The second method is to open the Display Options dialog and turn off options that are not needed. Contours and vector displays and displaying mesh elements can particularly slow down SMS. Keeping the total number of active display options to a minimum when working with large projects can speed things up for you.

Finally, when opening a large project or file, turning off all or nearly all of the display options can reduce the time it takes to open.

2. Remove Unnecessary Files

Does your project have a lot of data in it? There is a chance that this is slowing things down. Removing files that are no longer needed from the project can help.

If you have already interpolated your elevation data to your mesh or grid, then that data can be removed. If you have a dynamic image in your project, SMS will update the image every time you zoom or pan. Replacing the dynamic image with a static image and removing the dynamic image will speed things up. Shapefiles can also be removed from the project once you’ve interpolated or converted their data.

3. Resample Rasters

Having a large raster or lidar file is not really that unusual. However, having a 10 gigabyte (or larger) file loaded into your project will make SMS run slower. In many cases, all of the data contained in these large files isn’t necessary for the model to run and obtain accurate results.

Resampling the raster to a lower resolution can help. If the raster has already been loaded into SMS, right-click on the raster in the Project Explorer and select Export to resample it. When done resampling and adding the resampled image, remember to remove the original file from the project.

SMS uses a simple resample process. For more controlled application of rasters, other software can be used.

4. Refine the Mesh or Grid

Are you working with a detailed mesh or grid with a lot of elements? While fine detailed meshes and grids are sometimes needed, only certain parts of the mesh or grid may need those details. The rest of the mesh or grid can have larger elements without affecting the accuracy of the project.

For example, when using a mesh for a riverine model, fine elements are generally only needed around the channel and structures. The mesh will often still be suitable using larger elements further away from these key areas.

5. Keep the Number of Simulations Small

Having a lot of simulations in one project file is tempting. For models that use the simulation process, such as SRH-2D, there is no limit to the number you can create.

However, for each simulation in your project file, SMS has to load that instance of the simulation. While all of your simulations may use the same geometry, items such as the model parameters will have been duplicated and increase the file size.

Therefore, when possible, it is best to limit the number of simulations in the project. You may want to create copies of your project then only include simulations in each project that share a particular variable. For example, one project file might have simulations with 10 year predictions while another project file has simulations with 100 year predictions.

Try out any of these tips with your SMS projects today!

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SMS

Using Software Graphics Mode

By aquaveo on July 11, 2018

Have you ever noticed in your Start Menu that GMS, SMS, and WMS all have a version of the software executable that says "Software Graphics Mode"? Do you wonder what this is used for?

The software graphics mode was created to help resolve issues when there is a mismatch between the XMS software and the graphics card on a computer running the software. While we work to have XMS function on a wide range of graphics cards, some graphics cards do not support current versions of XMS.

When there is a mismatch, you might experience difficulty running the software. Issues we’ve seen happen include:

  • Having objects disappear from the Graphics Window when drawing new objects.
  • When changing views, objects in the Graphics Window disappear completely when they should still be visible.
  • Objects that appear in the Graphics Window that cannot be hidden or removed.
  • In some cases, the XMS application will not start.
  • In other cases, the XMS application will close suddenly.

Using the software graphics mode causes the machine running the XMS application to bypass the graphics card. Think of it as “safe mode” for XMS. Doing this places a heavier burden on the machine’s memory and processor, but it typically allows the XMS application to be used without the problems being caused by the graphics card.

To access the software graphics mode, go to your Start Menu and select the desired XMS executable with "Software Graphics Mode" in the title.

If using the software graphics mode resolves the issue you were experiencing, there is still one more thing to do: update your graphics card drivers.

Updating your graphics card drivers often resolve the issues being caused by the mismatch between the XMS application and the graphics card. Follow the standard procedure for updating the graphics card drivers for your operating system. In some cases, you will need to go to the graphic card manufacturer's website to update the drivers.

Once the graphic card drivers have been updated, you can usually continue to use the XMS application without using the software graphics mode.

And if updating the graphics card drivers doesn’t work, do not hesitate to contact Aquaveo Support for additional help.

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GMS
WMS

Viewing Mesh Quality and ARR Plots

By aquaveo on June 27, 2018

After generating a mesh in SMS, we hope the mesh has everything you need for a project and nothing else needs to be done for the mesh. While this is often the case, some meshes do not generate as nicely as we would like. There might be small areas where solution variables change rapidly or spots with too many connecting elements.

Quality issues in a mesh can cause issues with the model results, so you can save a lot of time by reviewing the mesh quality before running your simulation.

SMS provide a number of tools for evaluating the mesh quality. Two of these tools are the Mesh Quality Display Options and ARR Plots.

Mesh Quality Display Options

After you’ve generated your mesh, one of the fastest ways to see the quality of the mesh is to turn on the Mesh Quality Options in the Display Options menu. To do this:

  1. Open the Display Options dialog
  2. Go to the Mesh tab and turn on the Mesh Quality option
  3. Click the Options button to change how the various mesh quality checks are displayed

After turning on the mesh quality option, you will be able to more clearly see where there are potential quality issues. Each quality issues has its own color or symbol which is displayed in the legend. Looking over the mesh, it can become clear where there are potential issues.

ARR Plots

An Area Representation Region (ARR) plot can help you assess the overall quality of the mesh. To create an ARR plot:

  1. Select the mesh you want to review
  2. Open the Plot Wizard
  3. Select the ARR Mesh Quality option from the list on the left and click Finish

When the ARR Plot has been generated, you can use the plot to see the mesh quality.

The plot has a point for each element. Points above the green line are good elements. Points below the red line are elements that should be reviewed and fixed. Points between the green and red line are elements that should be reviewed to see if they should be fixed.

Clicking on a point in the ARR plot will highlight the corresponding element on the mesh in the Graphics Window.

Try these options out in the SMS today!

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