PCSWMM 2010 Version 3.9 Update NOW AVAILABLE!
In the latest version of PCSWMM 2010 Standard and Professional, we have released some significant new
features, some of which are highlighed below. For a complete list of updates, please see our
product updates
page. Read on for an introduction to some of the new improvements that keep coming for PCSWMM 2010.
We recommend that all PCSWMM 2009, 2010 and .NET licensees with a valid support contract
download and install this latest update to PCSWMM.
Visit PCSWMM Product Page |
Download PCSWMM Update
Catalog and share your project documentation
I am very excited to introduce the documentation panel, one of the newest features of PCSWMM. The purpose of this panel
is to keep an ongoing inventory of all the files that are frequently used in the construction of a PCSWMM model. From
my own experience I can say that the addition of the documentation panel has made my work flow much more efficient and
organized, in fact my first steps in any new PCSWMM model is the creation of a documentation catalog.
One huge advantage to having a documentation panel is to ease the stress of organizing and accessing files that are
associated with a particular project. Large projects can have hundreds of files including site photos, CCTV video,
Excel worksheets, GIS layers, as-built drawings, time series files, meeting notes, reports, and more.
Another practical application for the documentation panel is to keep track of files that have been provided by a client.
This ensures all provided files are accounted for and have been properly identified, tagged and time stamped with the
date the file was received.
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PCSWMM supports multiple profiles and AutoCAD profile exporting
Viewing and animating multiple profiles/HGLs simultaneously can aid in the analysis and presentation of many modeling projects. One prime example is in dual drainage (major/minor) system analysis, where the simultaneous plotting of both major and minor system HGLs allows the user to see the dynamic interaction of stormwater between both systems.
We are happy to announce that the latest update to PCSWMM supports plotting multiple HGLs in the same panel, with support for copying/printing and exporting the multiple profile layout to AutoCAD.
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Map rendering improvements in PCSWMM 2010
In version 3.9 of PCSWMM 2010 Standard and Professional, we have release some
significant new features which are documented in other posts. However, we
often do not mention the small changes that improve the aesthetics of the
maps, graphs and profiles that PCSWMM produces. In this newsletter I wanted to
highlight a few of these.
Subcatchment connectivity lines
The most recent map feature change relates to the way the subcatchment conductivity is presented. Until recently the
subcatchment links were subtle dashed lines that were often difficult to see.
Now when a subcatchment is selected in the map panel, a clear dashed line which leads to, and encircles the subcatchment's
outlet node is displayed.
Map charting
A fantastic feature of PCSWMM entity labeling is the ability to display clear and concise bar and/or pie charts
directly on the plan view. Charts can be a compelling technique for displaying different attribute information
than is displayed in the thematic rendering for the layer, providing multiple ways to visually convey information.
In the example below, the map indicates the imperviousness of each subcatchment through a pie chart (the fraction
of impervious area is shown in red). Other useful applications of label charting include subcatchment land use
fractions, runoff coefficients, width factor and much more.
Map labeling
I also would like to highlight the incredible flexibility we have for clear map labeling. As you can see in the
subcatchment connectivity image, the PCSWMM map is displaying subcatchment labels that indicate the name, area
and runoff coefficient. Any number of input, results and/or user-defined attributes can be displayed simultaneously,
with options to include units and/or acronyms.
The labels can be enclosed in a box (as shown above) or rendered as
stand-alone text in any color. They can be centered, justified, rotated or even flow along the path (as shown below)
with beautiful legibility thanks to crisp anti-aliasing and placement optimization.
Many of these labeling and charting display options can be found in the advanced settings in the Layer Properties editor,
it is highly encouraged that users experiment with the endless map display possibilities. Remember that custom layer
properties can be saved for quick recall via the Options menu of the Layer Manager.
Map exporting
With PCSWMM, you are not limited to viewing beautifully rendered maps in the application only. Maps can be exported to
many different GIS and CAD formats, including ArcGIS, AutoCAD, MapInfo, OpenGIS, GML, Google Maps/Earth (KML), and more.
In addition, complex, multi-layered maps can be exported as high resolution georeferenced raster files (with transparency),
including PNG, JPG, TIF and BMP.
In fact, PCSWMM can also provide some compelling animations to impress your clients. In the video below, PCSWMM has dynamically
rendered radar rainfall (processed by PCSWMM 2010 Professional) in a extruded "thermometer" type plot and outputed
the results to a PCSWMM Google Earth presentation. PCSWMM makes professional visualizations a snap - this presentation was
created from PCSWMM Professional with a single button click.
Tips & Tricks
Calculating Junction Depth & Rim Elevation
A recent feature that has been added to the Junctions entity type in PCSWMM allows the user to
define the depth of a junction using either a known Rim Elevation or the Depth attribute.
When one of these parameters are defined along with the junction invert elevation, the other
attribute (rim elevation or depth) is automatically calculated.
This feature is useful when either the depth or rim (ground) elevation is unknown.
When importing GIS/CAD data into PCSWMM ensure that the variable to be imported (either Rim Elev. or Depth)
is editable as only one of the two can be imported (the other being calculated once imported).
This can be done by clicking on the Options button in the Attributes panel and choosing Edit Depth or Edit Rim.
This mode can also be switched under the General tab of the Preferences editor (toggle the Edit Node Rim
Elevation checkbox on or off). If checked the Rim Elev. can be imported, if unchecked the Depth can be imported.
The attribute that is not importable/editable will appear disabled (gray) in the Attributes and Table panels.
Editing Timeseries
Recently PCSWMM has changed the way timeseries are edited and saved. Originally a user could zoom into a section of a
graphed timeseries and edit or export only the section of the timeseries being displayed.
This created a problem if a user was not aware of this feature and accidently edited only a small portion of the timeseries.
PCSWMM has been changed to apply edits and changes to either the entire timeseries, or to the selected portion only (i.e. the
portion of the time series highlighted with the right mouse button selection box function). This change seemed very intuitive as edits
to timeseries generally apply to the entire time series.
If a user needs to view a specific portion of a timeseries quickly, events can be created. Events are created in the
Events tab located in the Graph panel. PCSWMM can highlight events in the graph (grey bands) and provides an event statistics table (as shown below).
There are two methods to add an event: manually selecting events, and having the software automatically detect and select events.
- The first method involves manually selecting time period by holding down the right
mouse button and dragging the mouse to the end of the time period and then clicking on the Add Event button
- The second method is to select the Options drop down menu
located in the Events tab and choose Auto Select Events.
Once an event has been added, the starting and ending dates and times can be manually edited in the Options menu.
Sharing a Project Among Multiple Users
A new feature was added to PCSWMM that allows users to be notified when opening a project if there is a more up-to-date version of that project available.
This feature is especially useful when there are multiple users all working with the same project.
To receive notifications:
- In the Project panel select the Package project
button.
- In the Package project window select the Browse... button and choose to save the packaged project to a common drive that other users can access.
- In the package project dialog, select what is to be included in the package, as well toggle on the option to Notify Me of Updates to this Packaged Project.
- Click the Package button to create the packaged project.
Now when you next open your locally stored project, PCSWMM will check for updates to the packaged project and let you know if there are any. At that point you can
choose to conveniently update your local project from the packaged project.
When working with a group, remember to package up your project at the end of your editing session to make your changes available to the team. PCSWMM will remember
the name and location of the packaged project to make it quick to repackage it.
Note that normally we don't recommend including other non-SWMM5 layers in the packaged project that is shared among a project team, as this can greatly increase the size
of the packaged project. Rather, this option is useful when delivering a project to the client.
Documentation Panel Tip
One new exciting addition to PCSWMM is the documentation panel. A huge advantage to having a documentation panel is to
ease the organization of, and access to, the many files that are associated with a particular project.
One way to ensure a team working on the same PCSWMM project has access to all the associated project files in an
instant is to set up the documentation catalog for multiple user access.
To set up a shared document catalog file:
- Ensure all of the project related files reside in a location (or locations) accessible to all the members of the project team.
- From the Documentation Panel, create a new documentation catalog in a commonly accessible location (i.e. network drive).
If you already have a local document catalog open, click the Options >> Save Catalog As... command to save the document catalog to the network.
- Add the project related files to a new document catalogue (via drag-and-drop, or through the Add Document button).
- Add relevant tags and comments to the files as you go, or select multiple documents to add tags to multiple documents simultaneously.
Note that if you a tag filter turned on (i.e. you have filtered the list of displayed documents with an existing tag), adding new documents will automatically have that tag applied.
Greetings and welcome to my first edition as the Editor of the PCSWMM User's Newsletter. My name is Karen Finney and I have been working
for CHI for 10 months. During this time, I have been lucky to be involved in some of the development process of PCSWMM as well as some
exciting modeling applications. I've worked on software documentation, workshop workbook updates, conference papers, LID studies,
flood forecasting model development and, most recently, a wetland restoration project. I am happy to say that I love using PCSWMM.
