In a previous video we have shown how to perform the assignment of terrain elevations to the nodes of the water network as well as the longitudinal profiles of the pipe sections.
In this video we present the features added to Aqueducts that will allow you to visualize the longitudinal profiles of the water distribution network.
The first thing we will do is go to the RESULTS tab and locate the Longitudinal Profiles panel.
There you will see three buttons:
The one that allows you to define them, the one that allows you to configure them, and the one that allows you to visualize them. Simple, isn’t it?
Let’s start by creating a couple of profiles in this project, so click the New button.
The dialog shown is similar to the one we have incorporated in our sanitary and rainwater sewer programs, so if you have used them, it will be familiar.
You will see in the list on the left the sections of pipes that are not yet assigned to a profile and, in the list on the right, those that are already part of one.
At this level, clearly, there are no profiles created, so I’ll click the Add button to generate a new one, which I’ll call “North Feeder”.
Keep this in mind: it is not obligatory, for the purposes of the design or calculation in the software, to generate the profiles. It is just a visualization tool that will certainly help you to make a better design, as well as, of course, to generate project plans more efficiently.
Thus, once the empty profile is created, it is time to add to it, sequentially, the pipe sections that comprise it.
Here you will have two options.
The first would be to select them from the list on the left and, by double-clicking or clicking this button, assign them to the list on the right.
The second one allows you to select them directly from the drawing, and it is the ideal one for when you are creating new profiles. This is the one I am going to use so I will click this button.
You will see that the dialog closes temporarily to allow us to visualize the drawing area in order to select the sections by clicking on the respective line.
When I have reached the last section of my assignment, I click on the mouse right button to tell the software I have finished and thus return to the profile creation dialog.
And here are the included pipe sections.
Of course, being on the list on the right means they have been removed from the list on the left because we do not want to repeat sections in any profile.
I will do the same for another new profile, the South Feeder.
Note now that when we go to the drawing area, the sections that already belong to the other profile have been colored in gray. This is so you are always aware of which sections are already assigned and which are not. Also, it means the program will not allow you to select them.
We return to the profile editing dialog and already have our two feeders created.
So we can close this dialog and keep knowing more about this feature of aqueducts.
We are going to visualize the effect that has had on the definition of the longitudinal profile of this pipe section, the proximity of these two elevation points, which were assigned when we used the option of automatic elevation assignment of the software in the previous video.
I then go to the visualization and present the North Feeder.
Observe that, indeed, you can see the terrain’s slope change on its path, due to the two assigned elevation points.
You will also see that, for these points, the corresponding chainage and elevation values are indicated in the profile.
It is also possible, in case you did not know, to show all the profiles at the same time. So you can compare them, if you consider it necessary.
Now, another aspect of the assignment of elevation points to the profile that you must take into account is that their values will be presented in the properties dialog of the section.
Let’s see the properties of our section in detail.
Below, to the right, are the chainages, with respect to the beginning of the pipe section, of each point of the profile. In gray are those of the initial and final nodes and in white those obtained by the assignment of elevation points.
For the automatic assignment to be carried out, it is necessary that this box is deactivated. It is what tells the software that it can consider the pipe section as “modifiable,” so to speak.
If you activate it, you will see that you can then modify the intermediate values and even add new points, or delete existing ones, from the profile manually.
Usually we will keep the box disabled, so I will return it to its initial condition.
Since we are on the topic of profiles, it is important to take into account that they will indicate, if applicable, the chainage of those points in the layout of the pipe sections in which there are changes of alignment.
For example, I will add a vertex to the layout of this first section.
I select it, right-click on the mouse, and select add vertex.
I click on the line at the point where I want the new vertex.
Again, right-click and select move vertex to locate it properly.
There we have a horizontal deflection. Let’s see what has changed in the corresponding profile.
There you have it; it indicates the angle and position with respect to the origin of the section. A good help for your designs, don’t you think?
And, I anticipate that, once we have made the design or calculation of this water network—you will see that here, in the fittings list of the pipe section—this fitting will be automatically accounted, both for the hydraulic calculation as well as for the lists of materials.
So keep following this series of videos.
See you at the next one.
Thanks for staying with us.