SMS - Surface-Water Modeling System V 8.0

SMS - Surface-Water Modeling System Quick Tour

Welcome to the SMS (Surface-Water Modeling System) quick tour. This tour provides an overview of the incredible array of modeling tools available in SMS. It describes each of the publicly available model interfaces in SMS, the organization and layout of SMS, tools for graphical output, and information on how to learn more about each component of SMS. The quick tour should be completed by anyone who is new to SMS prior to attempting to build a surface-water model.

Surface-Water Modeling System Layout

The SMS window is organized into the following sections:

Surface-Water Modeling System Menus

The first three menus are constant for all modules in SMS. The second group of menus allow operations on entities associated with the selected module. The third group of menus change based on the selected model. The last two menus are standard windows menus.

The set of menus shown in this section corresponds to the mesh module with FESWMS as the current model.

Surface-Water Modeling System Edit Strip

The edit strip at the top of the SMS window contains a set of combo boxes for selecting the active coverage or scatter set along with the active solution, time step and data sets. It is also used to edit the coordinates of selected objects (points, nodes, vertices). The third row tracks the data at the location of the cursor.

Surface-Water Modeling System Modules

SMS is organized into six modules. Each module is associated with a particular object type. Only one module is active at any given time. As you switch modules, the menus and the tools unique to the active module are displayed.

	Mesh. Contains tools for editing unstructured networks and interfaces to TABS, FESWMS, ADCIRC, CGWAVE and HIVEL2D.
	Boundary Fitted Grid. Contains tools for editing boundary fitted structured grids and an interface to CH3D.
	Cartesian Grid. Contains tools for editing Cartesian structured grids and an interface to STWAVE.
	Scatter Point. Used for surface modeling with Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs) used for background data.
	Map. Used to build conceptual models using GIS objects.
	1D. Contains 1D river model tools including cross section editor and interfaces to BriStars and HecRas.

Surface-Water Modeling System Tools

The action that takes place when you click in the graphics window depends on which tool is active. The tools are organized into two groups. The first set of three icons is for manipulating the display. The second set of icons is a group of module-specific tools that are used for creating and editing objects in the graphics window.

The set of icons shown in this section of the tool palette are a function of the active module. A unique set of tools is provided for each module.

Surface-Water Modeling System Macros

The macros are a set of icons at the bottom of the tool palette. Macros are shortcuts to frequently used menu commands.

Surface-Water Modeling System Help Strip

The help strip at the bottom of the SMS windows is used to display context-sensitive help. As you move the cursor over an item in a dialog, a menu command, or one of tools or buttons in the main window, a help string describing the function of the item is displayed in the help strip.

Surface-Water Modeling System Background Images

When constructing a model within SMS, the first step is often to import and register a scanned digital image or aerial photo. This makes it possible to perform on-screen digitizing and ensures that objects are created at the proper location.

Surface-Water Modeling System Conceptual Models

There are two main methods for building models in SMS, the direct approach and the conceptual modeling approach. With the direct approach, the first step is to create a mesh or grid. The model parameters, source/sink data, and boundary conditions are assigned directly to the nodestrings, nodes, and elements of the mesh. This approach is only suitable for very simple models.

The most efficient approach for building realistic, complex models is the conceptual model approach. With this approach, a conceptual model is created using GIS objects including points, arcs and polygons. The conceptual model is constructed independently of a mesh or grid. It is a high-level description of the site including geometric features such as channels and banks, the boundary of the domain to be modeled, flow rates and water surface elevations of boundary conditions, and material zones with material properties such as Manning's n value. Once the conceptual model is complete, a mesh or grid network is automatically constructed to fit the conceptual model, and the model data are converted from the conceptual model to the elements and nodes of the mesh network.

Surface-Water Modeling System Feature Objects

Conceptual models are constructed using feature objects. Feature objects are points, arcs, and polygons. Feature objects can be created entirely within SMS or imported from a GIS using shapefiles. Model parameters are assigned to the feature objects.

Continue a Tour of the Surface-Water Modeling System

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