SMS

Using SRH-2D Initial Conditions

By aquaveo on September 19, 2023

Are you wondering which initial hydraulic condition to use for your SRH-2D model in the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS)? Setting the initial condition for how each cell is to be treated in an SRH-2D simulation is an integral part of the model. This blog post will explore each of the five options for the initial conditions of a simulation that SMS provides. The settings for the initial conditions are found in the SRH-2D Model Control of the simulation on the General tab.

Example of SRH-2D initial conditions in SMS

The "Dry" initial condition is the default in SMS. This condition means that there is no water in any of the elements. This selection works well for almost any simulation and is recommended as a good option for the base of an SRH-2D project if you are not certain which condition will suit your project best. The dry condition is also commonly used to create a restart file, which will be covered later.

The "Automatic" condition begins the simulation with water at the outflow depth specified in the boundary condition coverage, which fills the domain. The outflow depth is assumed to be anything lower in elevation than the elements marked as containing backwater. Anything above the backwater elements are marked as dry. Dry and automatic are the best options to use to prepare a restart file condition.

The "Initial Water Surface Elevation" condition takes a water surface elevation dataset and applies one elevation value to all elements. If the starting elevation of an element is higher than the assigned water surface elevation, SMS automatically marks that element as dry. The Initial Water Surface Elevation condition is similar to Automatic in this way, but it can be useful if the water surface elevation value you want to use for your project is different from the elevation at the outflow boundary.

The "Water Surface Elevation Dataset" condition takes the values from a dataset at a single time step to determine the water surface elevation value for each element at the start of the simulation. Unlike the Initial Water Surface Elevation condition, the elevation value at each element will vary. In order to use a water surface elevation dataset condition, a simulation will need to have already been run.

The "Restart File" condition allows you to upload a file from a previous run that contains the initial conditions. This is a quick way to split a particularly long simulation into smaller chunks, which will cut down on run time. Each time SRH-2D runs with any of the initial conditions listed above, a restart file is written and saved to the data files folder outside of SMS. It should be noted that a restart file has to have been generated from a mesh that exactly matches the mesh in the simulation, otherwise it will not work. The slightest difference in the restart file mesh and the simulation mesh will generate an error during the model run.

When a restart file is used to denote the initial conditions, the hydraulic conditions that were computed during the run that created the restart file will always be applied starting at the very first time step in the simulation. More in depth information on the usage of a restart file in SRH-2D can be found in this blog post.

Head on over to SMS and explore the different ways these initial condition options can help you with your SRH-2D project today!

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SMS

Understanding Software Graphics Mode

By aquaveo on September 5, 2023

You may have noticed that GMS, SMS, and WMS software (collectively known as XMS) executables in your Start Menu offer a "Software Graphics Mode" option.The software graphics mode was created to help troubleshoot certain issues that might arise when using XMS. This blog post will explore the reasons for using software graphics mode.

Example of the software graphics mode executable for SMS 13.3

The software graphics mode was specifically designed to address compatibility issues that may arise when there is a mismatch between the XMS software and the graphics card on your computer. While we aim to have XMS function smoothly on a variety of graphics cards, some cards may not be able to support the latest versions of XMS software.

When such a mismatch occurs, you may encounter difficulties while running the software. Some common issues that have been reported include:

Objects disappearing from the Graphics Window when attempting to draw new objects.
Complete disappearance of objects in the Graphics Window when changing views, even though they should remain visible.
Appearance of objects in the Graphics Window that cannot be hidden or removed.
Failure to successfully import specific graphics files.
In certain cases, the XMS application fails to start.
In other cases, the XMS application abruptly closes without warning.

To overcome these challenges, utilizing the software graphics mode allows the XMS application to bypass the graphics card, effectively acting as a "safe mode" for XMS. It's important to note that this places a heavier burden on your machine's memory and processor. But this mode typically enables the XMS application to function without the issues caused by the graphics card. To access the software graphics mode, simply navigate to your Start Menu and select the desired XMS executable that has "Software Graphics Mode" in its title.

If utilizing the software graphics mode successfully resolves the issue you were experiencing, there is an additional step to consider: updating your graphics card drivers.

Updating your graphics card drivers often proves to be an effective solution for resolving compatibility issues between the XMS application and your graphics card. Follow the standard procedure for updating the graphics card drivers on your operating system. In some cases, you may need to visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer to obtain the latest drivers.

Once you have updated your graphics card drivers, you can typically continue using the XMS application without relying on the software graphics mode.

We hope this information proves valuable in understanding the purpose of software graphics mode and troubleshooting any related issues. Should you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.

This article is an update for a previous version found here.

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SMS

New Color Ramp Options for SMS

By aquaveo on August 29, 2023

The contour options in the Surface-water Modeling System have been overhauled and expanded in SMS 13.3. It includes many new color palettes to apply to a selected mesh or grid, making it so you can customize your project more than ever before.

SMS's color palettes are accessed by clicking Color Ramp… on the Contours tab in the Display Options dialog. When you right-click on a color palette in the Choose color ramp dialog, two options appear: "Make favorite" and "Make editable copy". If you select "Make favorite" a new folder will appear at the top of the dialog with your favorites. This is a good option if there is a specific color palette you want to keep track of for use in future projects. If you select "Make editable copy", you’ll see more options in the right-click menu. The new options in the right-click menu for the newly editable color palette are edit, rename, duplicate, and remove from project.

Example of the Choose Color Ramp dialog in SMS 13.3

There are five sections on the Choose color ramp dialog:

Favorites: this folder will appear when you designate a color palette as a favorite. This is a great option to keep track of your favorite color palettes, and save any color palettes that you've customized so you don’t lose them if you want to use them later.
This project: includes every color palette selected for use in the current project. SMS allows you to customize the contours of any mesh or grid in the project, or even every mesh or grid, if that is something you want.
Aquaveo: we took note of the palettes that are most commonly used, and we put a pre-generated version of those palettes under the Aquaveo folder so it is easy for you to access.
Colorcet: this includes various additional folders that categorize specific color palettes. These folders consist of:
- Categorical: Contains color palettes where colors are assigned to specific values or categories.
- Colorblind: Contains color palettes designed for individuals with color blindness.
- Cyclic: Contains color palettes optimized for cycling through the colors in a seamless manner.
- Diverging: Contains color palettes that primarily consist of two colors separated by white or black.
- Linear: Contains monochromatic or dual chromatic color palettes.
- Rainbow: Contains color palettes with a full spectrum of colors.
- Relief Shading: Contains color palettes specifically optimized for use with relief shading.
FHWA: contains a list of FHWA specified color palettes. We worked with the Federal Highway Administration to develop specific palettes for use with their two-dimensional hydraulic modeling technologies. The use of these palettes isn't limited to FHWA models, but you should definitely check them out if you’re working with models developed by FHWA on a regular basis.

There is a "Reverse color ramps" button next to every color palette. This button does exactly what it sounds like. It reverses the color gradient so that the color the color palette previously ended with is now the starting color, and vice versa.

A Legacy options… button is in the Choose color ramp dialog, which will take you to the Color Ramp Options dialog that you may be more familiar with from previous versions of SMS. If you're used to the way that the color ramp options used to work and prefer to stick with that, we've got you. This dialog has everything you knew and loved about customizing color ramps from the older versions of SMS, and will work the same way.

There are many color palettes and contour options to explore, download SMS 13.3 and see how they can enhance your project today!

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SMS

Utilizing SMS's Gravity Waves Tools

By aquaveo on August 8, 2023

Are you working with a coastal model in the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) that includes a representation of how particles move through a mesh or grid? Did you know that the toolbox has Gravity Waves tools, which can help you visualize and find data about those particles more easily? This blog post will give you an overview of both the Gravity Waves Courant Number tool and the Gravity Waves Time Step tool and how they can help you with your ocean models such as ADCIRC.

The Courant number is a value that represents the amount of time a particle stays in the cell of a mesh or grid. The purpose of the Gravity Wave Courant Number tool is to help maintain the stability of a numerical engine and, potentially, to help choose the most suitable time step measurement. If the methods used to solve numerical problems are restricted by the Courant condition, things can become unstable if the Courant number goes beyond the allowed limit. By looking at the highest Courant number in the dataset, you can get an idea of how stable the mesh is with respect to the chosen time step.

There are three necessary input parameters for the Gravity Waves Courant Number tool, the first being a dataset. This tool requires a dataset that represents the particle’s velocity magnitude. Second, you need to enter a gravity value. Lastly, you’ll enter a computational time step value. For the output parameters, you’ll choose a name for the new dataset. It should be something short and easily recognizable, possibly referencing the input dataset.

The Gravity Waves Time Step tool functions as somewhat the opposite of the Gravity Waves Courant Number tool. The purpose of the Gravity Waves Time Step tool is to calculate the time step needed to achieve the desired Courant number, based on the provided mesh and velocity field. You can then choose a time step for analysis that is equal to or greater than the highest value in the resulting dataset of time steps.

The required input parameters for the Gravity Waves Time Step tool are first, an input dataset, which should be set for depth. Note that it is important that the dataset is specifically for depth, not elevation. Second, enter a gravity value. Lastly, enter the Courant number you’re searching for. Choosing a value for the Courant number under the maximum threshold may increase the stability of the computation because the resulting computation is approximate. The output parameters are where you’ll specify a name for the new dataset. As with the Gravity Waves Courant Number tool, the name should be something short and descriptive.

Try out the Gravity Waves tools for yourself, and see what they can do for your SMS project today!

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SMS