Aquaveo & Water Resources Engineering News

Hardware Guidance for XMS

By aquaveo on July 27, 2022

Are you wondering about what computer system to use with GMS, SMS, or WMS (collectively known as XMS) to get the best performance? The hardware you select will certainly make a difference in how XMS performs. This blog post intends to give some guidance for selecting hardware for use with XMS.

What hardware is required will depend very much on which models you choose to run and how large the projects are. Many lower power systems will technically run the software, but the interface may be slow and the simulation may take a very long time to run. In the end, the computer components you choose will depend on what you intend to do and the budget you have to work with. To help in the decision-making process, we have included some recommendations and explanations on how different components will affect the performance of the software. Look at your budget and see what is reasonable; it is recommended that you get the best you can afford.

Example of System Hardware for XMS

For some basic system requirements, you can check out this page on our wiki. Note that these requirements will change over time as technology evolves. The system requirements will change as future advancements are implemented into XMS.

The CPU is the component that will make the most difference in how fast the software runs. When comparing CPUs, we recommend looking at single-core rather than multi-core performance. The reason for this is that many of the models in our software do not take full advantage of multiple CPU cores at the same time. That being said, we do recommend that the CPU have at least 4 cores to give everything the power that it needs. Remember that it should be the best that you can afford

For RAM, 16 GB is usually sufficient, but some very large projects have required more. You may also want to get more RAM if you plan to have more than one project open at the same time. Our office computers have 16-32 GB of RAM, depending on the machine.

For a graphics card, we recommend getting a current low to mid-range dedicated card designed for gaming. Large projects can require multiple gigabytes of VRAM, but our cards with 4GB have yet to run into issues needing more. The speed of the GPU will particularly affect how smoothly the pan, zoom, and rotate tools work.

For storage, we usually recommend having an SSD with plenty of space. Projects can end up taking quite a bit of disk space, especially if the Save As function is used frequently. Having faster storage will reduce project load times and how long it takes to save a project. Note that storing projects on external/network drives have been known to cause issues, so we recommend storing any project files you plan to open on a local drive. Again, it is recommended that you get the best you can afford.

Having the right hardware will increase the usefulness of XMS for your modeling projects. Check out the XMS software applications today!

Blog tags: 
XMS

Specifying Arc Lengths in SMS 13.2

By aquaveo on July 20, 2022

Imagine yourself trying to get an arc in an SMS map coverage just the right length. You keep on moving around the endpoint, but that often moves its azimuth as well. What’s more, measuring the arc would require using the Measure tool, and maybe that’s not precise enough for you. Fortunately, the most recent release of SMS has a solution. Today, we take a closer look at the Specify Arc Length tool, a tool designed for helping you be detailed in creating arcs. This tool, which was released as part of the beta of SMS 13.2, enables you to extend or shorten an arc by a specified length.

Let’s say that you have drawn an arc, and it’s pretty close to what you wanted, but you would prefer it just a little longer. You could manually adjust it, but using the Specify Arc Length tool, you can make it exactly the length you prefer.

Here’s how:

  1. In the Map module, select the Select Feature Arc tool.
  2. Select the arc you want to modify.
  3. Right-click and select the Specify Arc Length command.
  4. In the Specify Arc Length dialog, specify the desired arc length in the New Arc Length section.
Example of the Specify Arc Length in SMS

If the desired arc length is longer than arc’s current length, then the arc extends to match the entered length. If the desired arc length is shorter than the arc’s current length, then a new node is created to shorten the arc. Shortening an arc results in the creation of two arcs.

There are some important things to keep in mind when using this new tool.

First, the arc can only be adjusted relative to the arc direction, which is usually the direction the arc was drawn (e.g. right to left) when it was created. This means extending the arc moves the end node of the arc in a straight line in the arc direction until the whole arc is the desired length. Shortening the arc adds a node the specified distance along the arc in the arc direction. This can be seen in the image below. The beginning of the arc (usually the node drawn first) never moves as a result of the Specify Arc Length tool.

It’s also important to be aware of the arcs attached to the arc you’re modifying. If the arc is attached to another arc, then extending the arc also modifies the length of the arc it is attached to. Be sure that adjusting both arc lengths is desirable before using this tool.

Furthermore, when extending an arc with many segments, note that only the segment at the end of the arc gets extended. The final segment extends in a straight line as shown below until the arc is the specified length. The rest of the segments are left untouched.

This is just one of the many tools that SMS13.2 makes available to enhance your water modeling capabilities. Try out using the Specify Arc Length tool in SMS 13.2 today.

Blog tags: 
SMS

Adding Multiple Screens to Well Points

By aquaveo on July 13, 2022

Do you have multiple screens to add to your MNW2 wells? Adding multiple well screens can be an important part of modeling what a well situation looks like in real life. But you might be frustrated trying to figure out how to get multiple screens on your well points. Today, we detail how to add multiple screens on MNW2 wells.

While wells with singular screens can be imported using the GMS import wizard, adding more than one screen to a well necessitates a different workflow.

To add multiple screens, add them one at a time to each well:

Example of setting multiple well screens
  1. Create a coverage with MNW2 wells enabled.
  2. Use your TXT or CSV file to add the well points to your coverage through the import wizard.
  3. Once the points are in GMS, right-click on that coverage and choose Attribute Table.
  4. Make sure that your Show dropdown is set to "all", so that each well point is visible.
  5. If needed, uncheck the checkbox in the Use screen column.
  6. In the column labeled Boreline, click on the ... to open up the z screen table for one of your points.
  7. In that table, you can list (or copy/paste) all of the well screen values applicable to that well point.
  8. Repeat steps 5–7 for each well.

Since adding multiple screens is a manual task, staying organized is an important part of it. Consider keeping track of which wells you have already added screens to. You could keep track in a spreadsheet or in a notes application of your choice. This is especially important with a large number of wells because it is not obvious in the Attribute Table which wells already have screens assigned to them.

Again, adding multiple screens is specifically for MNW2 wells. So, if you have multiple screens to add to your wells, then you might consider changing them to MNW2 wells. This would allow the wells to accommodate adding multiple screens.

If you have a project needing multiple well screens, use GMS today!

Blog tags: 
GMS

Rebuilding an SRH-2D Restart File

By aquaveo on July 6, 2022

Have you ever needed to rebuild an SRH-2D restart file for a project you were working on? Perhaps you lost the restart file or maybe you made modifications to your mesh, so the restart file is no longer valid for the model you have. Regardless of the cause, rebuilding a restart file can be a vital step in completing the model you're working on.

To start rebuilding your restart file, see if you can do a dry run of your simulation:

Example of the SRH-2D Model Control Set to Use a Dry Run
  1. Right-click on the simulation in the Project Explorer and select Duplicate.
    2. This ensures that the original simulation is preserved if needed.
  2. In the newly-created simulation, right-click and select Model Control to open the Model Control dialog.
  3. In the dialog on the General tab, for the Initial Condition drop-down select "Dry".

Every run of SRH-2D creates restart files for the model. Initially, it creates a restart file for every time step as determined by the Output Frequency in the Model Control dialog. However, when the solution is loaded into SMS, the software only saves the restart file for the final time step. If a restart file for a different time step in the simulation is desired, then please complete the following before clicking Load Solution in the Simulation Run Queue dialog:

  1. Browse to where the project is saved.
  2. Double-click on the folder with the same name as the SMS project.
  3. Double-click on the SRH-2D folder.
  4. Double-click on the folder with the same name as the simulation run.
    5. This is where restart files were written for every time step. The file that ends in "_TSO.dat" is a text file with information about which restart files correspond to each time step. Open it in a program that can read plain text files to make sure that you select the restart file with the desired time step. The restart files end in "_RST" followed by the time step number (e.g. "Standard_Run_RST12.dat").
  5. Once you have determined the restart file you want to save, copy and paste it in a different folder on your hard drive.
  6. Then click Load Solution in SMS.

SMS loads the results into SMS and keeps only the restart file for the final time step. It's important to remember that changing anything in the mesh necessitates the creation of a new restart file. Restart files should only be used with a model that uses the exact same mesh as the simulation that generated the restart file. Using the restart file with a slightly modified mesh might yield inaccurate results.

SRH-2 with SMS provides powerful tools for surface-water modeling. Use SMS today!

Blog tags: 
SMS