INFODRAINAGE STANDARD VS ULTIMATE

A drainage design software platform called InfoDrainage makes it possible to create Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), Green Infrastructure, and traditional drainage systems. Both storm and foul networks are supported, permitting 1D and 2D simulations of multiple storms simultaneously.

InfoDrainage comes in two distinct tiers: Standard and Ultimate. InfoDrainage Ultimate offers all the features of the Standard edition in addition to 2D analysis and integration with Civil 3D. These features are discussed in this blog, along with some of the restrictions of the Standard version and, if available, any alternative workflows.

2D ANALYSIS

INFODRAINAGE ULTIMATE

A 2D analysis that shows the depth and speed of the exceedance flows in a plan view can be used to assess the flood danger to property or people during an extreme event.

INFODRAINAGE STANDARD

InfoDrainage Ultimate is the only product that offers this functionality.

CIVIL 3D INTEGRATION

INFODRAINAGE ULTIMATE

Using a special ribbon, which is available for Civil 3D 2020 and later versions; pipe networks, surfaces, and catchments from Civil 3D can be easily exported to InfoDrainage. Parts mapping can be used to choose the InfoDrainage connections and junctions that will substitute the Civil 3D pipes and structures after the network has been exported from Civil 3D as a storm or foul network. If there are numerous iterations between InfoDrainage and Civil 3D, this mapping will be remembered, and templates of this correlation can also be saved for use in other drawings.

In Civil 3D, the import procedure can build a new pipe network or update an existing one, making it easier to synchronise any changes made to the design. If the network in InfoDrainage includes any elements (such as ponds, swales, cellular storage, or open channels) without an equivalent structure or pipe in Civil 3D, those elements will be included in Civil 3D using polylines, feature lines, corridors, and surfaces. Multiple barrel connections are also supported and will appear in Civil 3D as multiple pipes.

INFODRAINAGE STANDARD

InfoDrainage Standard does not include a dedicated ribbon in Civil 3D. Although some InfoDrainage objects can be transferred using an intermediate file format, like AutoCAD, LandXML, or a shape file, it is frequently necessary to manually update and even model those objects in Civil 3D. Additionally, the Standard edition of Civil 3D only allows for manual updating of Civil 3D items (such as pipe diameters or slopes).

Using the Standard version necessitates exporting each object from Civil 3D to an intermediary file format and then importing that file from InfoDrainage, whereas the Ultimate version will export all the objects (pipe networks, surfaces, and catchments) and their properties simultaneously.

For pipe networks and surfaces, it is possible to use the LandXML format. A small inconvenience is that the Pipe and Structure names differ slightly between Civil 3D and InfoDrainage (e.g., "MH1" in Civil 3D vs. "MH1 (SWS)" in InfoDrainage, with "SWS" standing for the network name. Exporting to a CAD format is an option if LandXML does not produce the desired outcomes for the pipe network. This will result in the pipe network being exported to AutoCAD as a 2D polyline, requiring the creation of the pipe network in Civil 3D and the manual entry of the appropriate levels, pipe, and structure sizes.

InfoDrainage Standard does not allow straight import of civil 3D catchments. The Civil 3D model must be exported to an AutoCAD format prior to importing the catchments from that file. Since the catchments will be generated in InfoDrainage from polylines, the catchment names and runoff coefficients must be manually edited to match the values of the Civil 3D catchments.

It is possible to create new objects or change existing ones when importing an InfoDrainage file into a Civil 3D drawing that already exists. The diameters, slopes, and other dimensions of current pipes and structures can all be updated using this. A Civil 3D network can be modified to match the InfoDrainage file by adding new branches or removing old ones. This is not feasible with the Standard version; you would have to manually compare the two networks to look for those changes.

Similar to how you would export them, pipe networks and surfaces can be imported into Civil 3D using the LandXML file. The LandXML file does not contain stormwater controls (such as ponds, swales, cellular storage, etc.) or non-pipe connections (such as channels), so they must be imported separately. They can be imported as 2D polylines from Civil 3D using a shape file. The objects would then need to be modelled using Civil 3D tools. They are brought immediately as 3D objects using feature lines and surfaces by the InfoDrainage Ultimate ribbon.

Using a shape file, catchments can be imported into Civil 3D as 2D polylines. You then need to create each catchment from a polyline, rename them, assign a structure, and update the runoff coefficient using the values from InfoDrainage.

This video provides a quick comparison of these tasks performed in InfoDrainage Standard and Ultimate, or just in InfoDrainage Ultimate if no other workflows are available for the Standard version.

 

Do you need more help in Civil 3D? Take a look at our wide range of Civil 3D courses here. Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact SYMETRI  on 0345 370 1444 or email us at info@symetri.com for more information.