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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Speaker: Chris Maeder, M.S., P.E.


Assistants: Tim Olson, M.S., Bolton & Menk, Inc.
Chakri Gavini, M.S., Autodesk, Inc.
Steve Stamatoplos, Autodesk, Inc.

CV220-1L The Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis Extension for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® is an
advanced, powerful, and comprehensive modeling package for analyzing and designing urban drainage
systems, stormwater sewers, and sanitary sewers. This class is designed to provide a comprehensive
overview of Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis Extension capabilities. This class will show you how
to use this new engineering application that comes with AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Map 3D, and
will concentrate on demonstrating how to apply the software to everyday stormwater and sanitary sewer
projects. This class is appropriate for all experience levels.

About the Speaker:


Chris has worked as an Industry Marketing Manager and a Product Manager at Autodesk. Prior to
working with Autodesk, Chris was the CEO at BOSS International and provided primary oversight of the
water resource engineering department with principal responsibility for management and completion of
complex engineering projects related to hydraulics, hydrology, and urban infrastructure. In addition,
Chris was the chief software architect at BOSS International, with over 25 years of civil engineering
water resource computer software development experience. Chris received his Bachelor and Master’s
degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is a registered Professional
Engineer. Chris has taught numerous water resource engineering training courses worldwide, with
consistently high reviews from attending students.
Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Introduction
Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis is an advanced, powerful, and comprehensive modeling
package for analyzing and designing urban drainage systems, stormwater sewers, and sanitary
sewers.

Capabilities
The software can simultaneously model complex hydrology, hydraulics, and water quality. Both
US units and SI metric units are supported.

This software can be used for designing and analyzing:

· Highway drainage systems (including curb and gutter inlets)


· Stormwater sewer networks and interconnected detention ponds
· Subdivision drainage systems
· Sizing and designing of detention ponds and outlet structures
· Bridge and culverts, including roadway overtopping
· Water quality studies
· Sanitary sewers, lift stations, CSO’s, and SSO’s

Typical Applications
The software has been used in numerous of sewer and stormwater studies throughout the
world. Typical applications include:

· Design and sizing of drainage system components for flood control


· Design and sizing of detention facilities for flood control and water quality protection
· Floodplain mapping of natural channel systems
· Designing control strategies for minimizing combined sewer overflows (CSO)
· Evaluating the impact of inflow and infiltration on sanitary sewer overflows (SSO)
· Generating non-point source pollutant loadings for waste load allocation studies
· Evaluating the effectiveness of BMPs for reducing wet weather pollutant loadings

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Lesson 1 – Basic Urban Stormwater Model


This lesson demonstrates how to use the software to define and analyze a small urban
watershed for Madison County, GA. This stormwater model will use the SCS TR-20 hydrology
method.

1. Launch Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis Stand-Alone 2011.

2. From the menu, select Input | Project Options. Alternatively, double click on the Project
Options icon shown in the Data Tree. This will display the Project Options dialog box.

3. In the General tab, Units & Element Specifications frame, select the following options:

Unit System: US Units


Flow Units: CFS
Elevation Type: Elevation

Also make certain the checkmark option Compute Lengths and Areas While Digitizing is
selected. This will cause the software to determine the subbasin areas and pipe lengths as
they are digitized.

For the Hydrology Runoff Specifications frame, select the following options:

Hydrology Method: SCS TR-20

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Time of Concentration (TOC) method: SCS TR-55


Minimum Allowable TOC: 6 minutes

For the Hydraulic Routing Specifications frame, select the following options:

Link routing method: Hydrodynamic

When finished, click on OK to close the dialog box.

4. From the menu, select File | Import | Layer Manager. The Layer Manager dialog box will
be displayed.

From the Layer Manager dialog box, click on the […] browse button and navigate to the
directory where the background image is located:

Program Files\Autodesk\SSA Stand-Alone 2011\Samples\Residential Project\


Lesson-2 Tutorial-1\Post Dev.tif

Select the image file to load, as shown below.

After selecting the image file, make certain the checkmark option Watermark Image is
selected. This will cause the background image to be shaded back slightly so that the
defined stormwater model is more visible as it is created.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

When finished, click on OK to close the dialog box.

5. Next, right-click on the Plan View and select Zoom from the displayed context menu. Then
drag a box to zoom into the upper-left area of the model area, as shown in the below figure.

This zoomed-in area represents the region in which we will define our stormwater model.

6. Next, we will define the drainage subbasins.

From the Elements toolbar, choose the Add Subbasin tool. Then, digitize two separate
subbasins, similar to what is shown below.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

While digitizing, draw a polygon representing the subbasin. Double click to close the
polygon (or right-click and select Done from the displayed context menu). If you make a
mistake during digitizing, press the Backspace key to delete the last segment. Press the
Esc key to cancel the command.

7. After the subbasins have been created, choose the Select Element tool and double click
on one of the subbasins you created (click on the displayed subbasin icon). The
Subbasins dialog box will be displayed, similar to below.

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In the Subbasins dialog box, select the SCS TR-55 TOC tab to define the subbasin time of
concentration.

7.1. Sheet Flow Definition

The following parameters will be used for defining sheet flow data:

· The sheet flow Manning’s roughness for both subbasins will be assigned as 0.30.
Select the […] browse button to lookup the corresponding Manning’s roughness
values for sheet flow.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

· Sheet flow length will be assumed to be 30 ft, the average distance for sheet flow to
reach sidewalks, driveways, and other paved surfaces.

· The average slope for the drainage area is approximately 1.0%. The same value will
be used for sheet flow.

· Select the […] browse button to look up the 2yr-24hr rainfall for Madison County,
GA.

7.2. Shallow Concentrated Flow Definition

The following parameters will be used for defining sheet flow data:

· Choose the […] browse button adjacent to the Flow Length entry. The dialog will
temporarily disappear to allow you to measure the shallow concentrated flow
distance.

One method for determining this value is to measure the entire drainage flow
distance for the subbasin, as shown in the following figure, and then subtract the
sheet flow distance. For example, if the total measured flow distance is 287 ft, then
subtract 30 ft for the sheet flow and the remaining distance of 257 ft can be
considered the shallow concentrated flow distance (assuming no channel flow
distance).

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

· The drainage slope of 1.0% will be used for shallow concentrated flow.

· From the Surface Type drop-down list, select Paved to consider residential roofs,
driveways, sidewalks, and other impervious surfaces. This provides us with a
conservative assumption.

7.3. Channel Flow Definition

Channel flow is defined only where there is an actual stream channel or roadway gutter
to route the water when defining a drainage area’s time of concentration. In this model
the two drainage areas do not have any channelized flow. Hence, no data is defined in
the Channel Flow tab.

7.4. TOC Report

The TOC Report tab shows the computations performed, and provides a SCS TR-55
TOC computations report based on the data defined. Right-click and select copy, print,
or export from the displayed context menu. These computations are also included in the
analysis output report.

7.5. Repeat this process to define the time of concentration for the other subbasin.

8. Next, we will define the curve numbers for each subbasin.

In the Subbasins dialog box, select the Curve Number tab.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

For both subbasins, assume the following soil group and land use for determining the
corresponding CN values:

C Soil Group
70% of the area is 1/2 acre lots, 25% impervious
30% of the area is paved roads with curbs & sewers

For the first row in the Curve Number tab, enter 70 for the Area (%) field. Then, choose the
[…] browse button to display the Select Curve Number lookup table. Select the appropriate
land use and soil group from this table, as shown in the following figure, and then select OK.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Repeat this process for the 30% paved roads area contained within in the subbasin.

After entering this information, the Curve Number tab should look similar to the following (it
may vary by the acreage shown). Notice that the software automatically computes the
composite curve number for the subbasin.

In the event that too much area is specified in the Curve Number tab, the software will flag
this by coloring the Total Area field as RED.

Repeat this process to compute the composite curve number for the other subbasin.

When finished, close the Subbasins dialog box.

9. Next, we will define the storm drain inlets (catchbasins) along the edge of the roadway.

From the Elements toolbar, choose the Add Inlets tool. Then, place two storm drain inlets
along the edge of the roadway gutter, similar to what is shown below.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

After the inlets have been placed, choose the Select Element tool and double click on
one of the inlets you placed. The Inlets dialog box will be displayed, similar to shown below.
Define the inlet elevation data as shown in the previous figure.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Define the following properties for the inlets, roadway, and gutter:

Inlet Manufacturer: FHWA HEC-22 Generic


Inlet Type: Combination Inlet
Inlet Location: See previous figure
Combination Inlet Type: Curb Opening & Grate
Curb & Grate Type: Equal Length Inlet
Grate Type: Curved Vane (for on-grade inlet)
Tilt Bar 45° (for on-sag inlet)
Grate Length: 36 inches
Grate Width: 24 inches
Curb Opening Length: 36 inches
Curb Opening Height: 5 inches
Roadway Long Slope: 0.01 ft/ft
Roadway Cross Slope: 0.02 ft/ft
Roadway Manning’s: 0.016
Gutter Cross Slope: 0.03 ft/ft
Gutter Width: 2 ft
Gutter Depression: 0 inches
Ponded Area: 100 ft² (for on-sag inlet)

There will be additional data that will need to be defined later to describe the bypass
properties for the on-grade inlet. When finished, close the Inlets dialog box.

10. Next, we will connect the subbasins to the storm drain inlets.

Choose the Select Element tool, and right click on one of the subbasin icons in the
Plan View. Select Connect To from the displayed context menu. A rubber banding line from
the subbasin icon will be displayed. In addition, a help tip dialog box may be displayed,
as shown below.

With the rubber banding line, click on the storm drain inlet that the subbasin drains to.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Repeat this procedure with the other subbasin. The Plan View should like the following.

11. Next, we will define the stormwater discharge outfall.

From the Elements toolbar, choose the Add Outfall tool. Place the outfall on the other
side of the roadway, adjacent to the downstream outlet of the roadway culvert as shown
below. Discharging the flow to the downstream side of the road prevents having to size the
culvert for the additional runoff from this contributing area.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

After adding the outfall, choose the Select Element tool. Double click on the Outfall
structure on the Plan View (or right click on the Outfall and select Properties from the
displayed context menu) to display the Outfalls dialog box.

Define the following properties for the outfall:

Invert Elevation: 967.8 ft


Boundary Condition: Normal

When finished, close the Outfalls dialog box.

12. Next, we will define the stormwater sewer collection piping.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

From the Elements toolbar, choose the Add Conveyance Link tool. Starting at the
upstream inlet, click on the inlet. A rubber banding line will be shown, showing the
construction of the stormwater pipe. Click on the downstream inlet. A stormwater pipe will be
drawn on the Plan View.

Next, click on the downstream inlet and connect a stormwater pipe to the outfall by clicking
on the outfall. The stormwater network should look like the following.

After adding the stormwater pipe, choose the Select Element tool. Double click on the
upstream stormwater pipe to display the Conveyance Links dialog box.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Note that the pipe inverts elevations were set to match the bottom of the storm drain inlet
catchbasin structures and the outfall structure. Hence, there is no need to define the pipe
invert elevations.

Make certain that the stormwater pipe is defined as a 12 inch diameter circular pipe with a
(conservative) Manning’s roughness for concrete of 0.015.

When finished, close the Conveyance Links dialog box.

13. Next, we need to define the stormwater gutter link for any flow that bypasses the upstream
storm drain inlet and runs alongside the roadway to the downstream storm drain inlet.

From the Elements toolbar choose the Add Conveyance Link tool. Starting at the
upstream inlet, click on the inlet. Digitize the gutter drainage flow path, similar to the
following figure. Note that you can click to add intermediate points along the flow path.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

After adding the stormwater gutter link, choose the Select Element tool. Double click on
the stormwater gutter link from the Plan View to display the Conveyance Links dialog box.

Rename this link to Gutter-01.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Then, change the link shape from a Pipe to Open Channel. Then, from the displayed drop-
down list, choose User-Defined.

Next, we need to revise the invert elevations of the gutter link to match that of the storm
drain inlet rim elevations. Note that if the link has an open channel shape, the software will
automatically assist us in performing this task. Next to the invert elevation fields click on the
Match Elevation [<] button. The software will change the gutter link invert elevations to
match that of the storm drain inlet rim elevations.

Similarly, when working with a pipe link, clicking on the Match Elevation [<] button will cause
the software to match the invert elevation of the structure.

Next, we need to define the roadway and gutter cross section geometry. Click on the […]
browse button adjacent to the Cross Section ID field in the Properties frame. The software
will display the Irregular Cross Sections dialog box.

From the Irregular Cross Sections dialog box, click on the Add button. Next, change the
cross section ID to Gutter XS.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Then, define the cross section geometry as shown in the following table.

Station (ft) Elevation (ft)


0.00 975.08
16.00 974.76
18.00 974.70
18.10 975.30

Make certain that the left bank and right bank match the leftmost and rightmost ground
stationing. Also, define the left, channel, and right overbank Manning’s roughness as a
conservative value of 0.15. When finished, the cross section data should look the following.

Note that the elevations defining the cross section geometry are relative, meaning that they
are only used to define the depth of the link. The inlet and outlet invert elevations in the
Conveyance Links dialog define the actual elevations of the link.

When finished, close the Irregular Cross Sections dialog box.

Notice that the Conveyance Links dialog box will now reference the newly created irregular
cross section.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Finally, close the Conveyance Links dialog box.

14. Next, we need to define the gutter link as the bypass link for the upstream (on grade) storm
drain inlet.

Choose the Select Element tool. Double click on the upstream (on grade) storm drain
inlet. The software will display the Inlets dialog box. From the drop-down list for the entry
Roadway/Gutter Bypass Link, select stormwater gutter link that was just defined.

Next, select the downstream (on sag) storm drain inlet from the table listing at the bottom of
the Inlets dialog box. Then, from the drop-down list for the entry Upstream Roadway Links,
again select stormwater gutter link that was just defined.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

When finished, close the Inlets dialog box.

15. Next, we need to define the design storm to be analyzed.

From the menu, select Input | Time Series. Alternatively, double click the Time Series
icon from the Data Tree. This will display the Time Series dialog box.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Next, click on the Add button to create a time series. Rename the Time Series ID to
10YR-24HR to represent the storm to be analyzed.

Next, select Standard Rainfall from the Data Type radio button group. Then, click on the
Rainfall Designer button. This will display the Rainfall Designer dialog box.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

The Rainfall Designer allows you to select any location within the USA and it will provide the
design rainfall for the specified storm frequency. Alternatively, a user-defined rainfall can be
specified. The appropriate storm distribution can then be selected and the design storm is
created. Multiple design storms can be developed, if required.

From the displayed dialog box, define the following design storm parameters:

Rainfall Type: Intensity


State: Georgia
County: Madison
Return Period: 10 years
Unit Intensity: SCS Type II 24-hr

Note that the software remembers the State and County that were selected when defining
the Time of Concentration Sheet Flow rainfall parameters.

After defining these storm parameters, the software will generate the following design storm.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

When finished, close the Rainfall Designer. You will then return to the Time Series dialog
box. Notice that the software automatically created a description of the design storm.

When finished, close the Time Series dialog box.

Next, we need to define a rain gage for the model. From the menu, select Input | Rain
Gages. Alternatively, double click the Rain Gages icon from the Data Tree. This will
display the Rain Gages dialog box. Click on the Add button to define a rain gage. Then,
from Time Series drop-down list, select the rainfall time series that we defined previously.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Next, click on the Assign button. The software will prompt you to assign the rain gage to all
subbasins. Choose Yes.

When finished, close the Rain Gages dialog box.

16. Next, we will define the analysis options for the stormwater simulation.

From the menu, select Analysis | Analysis Options. Alternatively, double click the
Analysis Options icon from the Data Tree. This will display the Analysis Options dialog
box.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

We need to define the simulation period for the storm. Since we are analyzing a 24-hour
storm, we need to define a 24-hour storm period. Click on the [v] button adjacent the End
Analysis On field. The software will display a calendar. Choose the next day from the day
listed in the Start Analysis On field.

After selecting the date, you should see that the analysis duration is for 24-hours (1 day).

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Next, we need to define the storm to be analyzed. Click on the Storm Selection tab at the
top of the Analysis Options dialog box. Then, choose the Single Storm Analysis radio
button. Finally, select the drop-down list and choose the rainfall time series that was defined
earlier for the Use Rainfall Time Series entry.

When finished, close the Analysis Options dialog box.

17. We are ready to run the analysis.

From the Menu, select Analysis | Perform Analysis. Alternatively, double click the
Perform Analysis icon from the toolbar. This will run the analysis.

After the simulation has completed, the software will display a continuity check for the
simulation which is reported as a percentage. These percentages should be less than 5%
for a valid solution.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

When finished, close the Perform Analysis dialog box.

18. After running the simulation, you can see that the pipes are colored in RED. This indicates
that the pipes are surcharged and cannot handle the stormwater flow.

Similarly, open channels that are flooded are shown in BLUE, surcharged nodes are shown
in RED, and flooded nodes are shown in BLUE.

Choose the Select Element tool and double click on the downstream stormwater pipe to
display the Conveyance Links dialog box. Notice in the Analysis Summary section that the
simulation results are displayed

Notice that fields that have a background color of RED are used to help you identify
situations warranting your attention. Observe that the Peak Flow during Analysis value is

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

larger than the Design Flow Capacity value for the pipe. Hence, the pipe is undersized to
handle the 10-year storm event. In addition, the Max/Design Flow Ratio value is greater than
1.0, representing that the pipe is flowing at above full flow capacity.

Increase the diameter of the downstream pipe to 18 inches. Note that the Design Flow
Capacity value dynamically updates as you make dimensional changes to the pipe. This
allows you to interactively size the pipe, by comparing the Design Flow Capacity value with
the Peak Flow during Analysis value that was computed from the previous analysis
simulation.

Re-run the simulation. You will now observe that the pipe surcharging is now gone and the
storm sewer can handle the design storm.

19. Next, we will display hydrograph time series plots of the results.

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Choose the Select Element tool and right click on the outfall. Choose Display Time
Series Plot from the displayed context menu. The software will display the discharge
hydrograph for the drainage area.

Note that you can expand the data tree, shown on the left side of the screen, to review
various output results.

Selecting various elements from the data tree will update the time series plot display.

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You can copy the time series plot to Microsoft Word by right clicking and selecting Copy
Time Series Plot from the displayed context menu. You can then paste the time series plot
into your Word document.

20. The entire model can be exported out to Microsoft Excel.

From the menu, select Output | Excel Table Reports. Alternatively, click on the Excel
Table Reports icon from the Output toolbar. The software will automatically place the
model with all of the input and output data, into Microsoft Excel.

21. An ASCII output report from the model can be generated.

From the menu, select Output | ASCII Output Report. Alternatively, click on the ASCII
Output Report icon from the Output toolbar. The software will display the ASCII report
from the model.

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22. A custom report can be created.

From the menu, select Output | Custom Report Options. The software will display the
Custom Report Options dialog box.

Note that this dialog box allows you to fully customize the report to be generated. In
addition, the report format can saved out as a template, allowing you to reuse the format for
other engineering projects.

Note that the custom report can be generated in both a PDF and Microsoft Excel file format.

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Select the Report Sections tab and notice that you can select which sections to include in
your report.

As you include and exclude sections from the report, note that the corresponding section
tabs appear and disappear from the dialog.

As you review each section tab, observe that you have complete control on what data to
include and exclude, as well as how the data should be presented.

When finished examining the report options, select the Report button and the software will
generate the report. Alternatively, you can select Output | Generate Custom Report from
the menu or click on the Generate Custom Report icon from the Output toolbar.

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23. Next, we will generate a profile plot of the storm sewer.

Choose the Select Element tool and from the Plan View right click on the outfall structure.
Choose Start Profile Plot from the displayed context menu.

Next, click on the downstream inlet. Then, click on the stormwater pipe between the two
stormwater drain inlets. This process is used to define the path that will be used for
generating the profile plot. (It prevents the software from accidentally choosing the gutter
link rather than the stormwater pipe.)

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Finally, click the Show Plot button in the Profile Plot selection pane shown on the left hand
side of the screen.

The software will then display the profile plot window.

Next, from the menu select Output | Output Animation. The software will display the
Output Animation dialog box. This dialog box allows you to control the animated display of
the output results on the profile plot. You may want to drag this dialog box over to the lower
left hand side of the screen to more clearly see the output results plotted on the profile.

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In the Output Animation dialog, drag the Date & Time slider over to about 8:00 am. This will
skip the initial portion of the storm when there is minimal rainfall.

Next, click on the Play button [>] to start the animation. You will see the storm pass through
the pipe network shown on the profile plot. You may need to slightly increase the Animation
Speed to quicken the animation.

Note that other profile plot display options are available. Right click on the Profile Plot and
choose Profile Plot Options from the displayed context menu. Turn on the Maximum EGL
and HGL Markers options, close the Profile Plot Options dialog box, and re-run the
animation.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

24. The output can also be animated on the Plan View.

Return to the Plan View. Right click and choose Display Options from the displayed context
menu. The software will display the Display Options dialog box.

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Choose the following options:

● Turn on Link Values


● Turn off Link IDs
● Select Flow Rate from the Link View drop-down list
● Turn on Proportional To Value for Link Thickness
● Turn off Display Surcharging and Display Flooding for the links
● Turn on Legends and Links within Legends

When finished, close the Display Options dialog box.

From the Output Animation dialog box, drag the Date & Time slider to about 12:00 noon,
which correspond near to the storm peak. Then, right click on the displayed legend on the
Plan View and the Legend Options dialog box will be displayed. Choose the Auto Scale
button. This will cause the legend to be automatically scaled to the largest flow rate being
currently plotted.

When finished, close the Legend Options dialog box. Then, re-run the animation to view the
animated flow results on the Plan View.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Note that the links will change their color and width based upon their flow rate at each time
step during the animation.

25. When finished, you may want to save your model.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Lesson 2 – Major Urban Stormwater Model


This lesson demonstrates some of the more advanced functionality of the software. Note that in
this lesson you will not deal with setting up the model.

1. From the menu, select File | Open. Choose the file:

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\SSA Stand-Alone 2011\ Samples\


Urban Watershed 01\Proposed Layout.SPF

2. While you are defining a model, there may times when you want to lock the network
elements from being accidentally moved.

From menu, select Edit | Lock Coordinates. Alternatively, you can click on the Lock
Coordinates icon on the toolbar. This will lock the network elements so that they cannot
be moved.

Note that the toolbar icon will change to a “locked” padlock when the network is locked.

3. There may be times when you want to identify the drainage area that is contributing runoff to
a part of the model.

Zoom into the region, as shown below, and then right click on one of the junctions. Choose

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Contributing Subbasins from the displayed context menu. The software will then highlight
the drainage area contributing runoff to that junction.

When finished, right click and unselect Contributing Subbasins from the displayed context
menu.

4. Similarly, you may want to determine what links contribute flow to a location in the model by
gravity flow.

Select any junction in the model, right click, and select Contributing Links from the
displayed context menu. The software will then highlight the drainage links that transport
(route) flow by gravity to that junction, as shown below.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

When finished, right click and unselect Contributing Links from the displayed context
menu.

5. Importing GIS data when creating a new model can introduce problems, such as:

● Pipes not exactly connected to manholes


● Good enough for GIS purposes (visual), but not for modeling purposes
● Duplicate pipes and manholes

The software provides ways to check the quality of network. One of the ways to check the
network quality is to perform a network connectivity test. Right click on any junction and
select Connecting Links from the displayed context menu. The software will then perform a
network connectivity test, showing if any part of the network is disjointed. If all the network
links are colored RED, then the network has complete connectivity. (Note that software
allows multiple and separate stormwater networks within a single model.)

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

When finished, right click and unselect Connecting Links from the displayed context menu.

Next, select one of the links in the middle of the model, right click and choose Delete from
the displayed context menu. Alternatively, you can press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Again, run the connectivity test to see the disjointed network.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

6. When finished, close the model without saving by selecting File | New.

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Introduction to Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis

Additional Lessons
In the software’s SAMPLES directory is a PDF file titled Sample Descriptions.PDF. This file
describes all of the included sample projects that come with the software.

If you have a specific project type you need to perform, this is a good place to start to review
how to define the model.

If you have time, you might want to investigate the following models:

\Samples\Orifice Controls\Orifice 01.SPF

\Samples\Sanitary Sewer\WWTP Force Main.SPF

\Samples\Auto Dealership\Auto Dealership.SPF

\Samples\Pre-Post Watersheds\Pre & Post Comparison.SPF

\Samples\Pumps\Proposed.SPF

\Samples\Tidal\Tidal.SPF

\Samples\Walgreens\Proposed Walgreens.SPF

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