Application Settings
- 19 Jun 2024
- 14 Minutes to read
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Application Settings
- Updated on 19 Jun 2024
- 14 Minutes to read
- Print
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The Application Settings window presents a wide range of session level and project level settings, and will affect all data loaded into your current session or project.
The project level settings data will be stored within your project file (.fmpx file) when you save changes. The session level settings will be remembered at the end of the session to be utilised at the start of the next session.
2D Model Data Loading
Settings here relate to loading 2D results data. They are provided to enable you to optimise performance with data resolution, e.g. for very large models you may want to set Flood Modeller to load results at a lower resolution.
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Note
Some of these settings can be changed for individual layers in your project by editing the layer properties. These settings provide the default initial values to be used when each 2D results file is first loaded into the interface.
Settings on this tab are as follows:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Limit the range of vector length | If vectors (for flows and velocities) are scaled relative to data values then this setting allows outliers (very large and very small vectors) to be limited to set upper and lower limits. |
| Load each N vectors | set N to load a lower resolution of vector arrows, e.g. 1 in 4. |
| Display each N Vectors (from loaded) | Set N to show 1 in N vectors on screen, i.e. load all data into memory so it is available to analysis tools, but show a lower resolution on screen to improve performance. |
| Default vector length multiplier coef. | factor to increase (or decrease) vector lengths on screen (when vectors are scaled to data magnitudes). |
| Average SMS vertex values | When you load a 2D results file into the Flood Modeller interface, it needs initial values for the vertex data. This option provides default initial values for those vertex properties. These initial values are used until the actual simulation results are loaded. |
1D River Cross Sections
Settings on this tab define the default values that are utilised by the cross section generator tool (Toolbox > Additional Model Build Tools > 1D Cross Sections > Cross Section Generator) and the cross section extend tools (Toolbox > Additional Model Build Tools > 1D Cross Sections > Extend All Cross Sections).
Note
When these cross section tools are run, they will display interfaces that provide the opportunity to edit these defaults (for that particular operation). The interfaces will be initially populated with the default settings defined here.
The default values you can set on this tab are:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Manning roughness | It serves as a starting point or default value for the Manning's 'n' coefficient. When you create a new river section or floodplain, this default value is applied unless you explicitly set a different value. |
| Default relative path length | This parameter comes into paly when dealing with compound channels. For such channels, where a low flow channel meanders within a floodplain, the ratio of the flow path length in the floodplain to the flow path length in the low flow channel can be specified. This ratio is declared after each panel marker and applies to the coordinates on subsequent data sets until the next panel marker is encountered. The default value for the relative path length ratio is 1.0, meaning equal lengths in both the floodplain and low flow channel. The relative path length ratio cannot be negative. |
| Use nearest valid point properties | When extending or modifying 1D cross sections, this checkbox comes into play. By default, this option is enabled. When extending a cross section, Flood Modeller looks for the nearest valid point (an existing point with known properties) and uses its properties as a starting point for the extension. Essentially, it ensures that the extended portion of the cross section inherits properties from nearby valid points. |
Video Recording
Both 1D and 2D results can be animated in the map view. The video recording tab in Application Settings allows you to specify the default video codec to utilise when recording animations in Flood Modeller.
This tab allows for the selection between the following:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Use integrated codec | Radio button to use the default codec included with the Flood Modeller installation. |
| Use manually selected codec | Radio button to browse to an alternative codec available on your system. |
Project Settings
Settings on the Project Settings tab affect the current and subsequently defined project files in the Flood Modeller interface.
Available settings on this tab are:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Add spatial data to project when adding 2D simulation | |
| Use relative paths in project file | If this box is ticked then when you save your project the files referenced within it will be saved with file paths relative to the project file folder. Note that “files within files” will not be converted to relative paths, e.g. 1D simulation files (ief files) in your project will be saved with a relative path, however event file and network file references within each ief file will not be converted to relative paths. |
| Add spatial data to project when adding 2D simulation | If this box is ticked then when you save your project the files referenced within it will be saved with file paths relative to the project file folder. Note that “files within files” will not be converted to relative paths, e.g. 1D simulation files (ief files) in your project will be saved with a relative path, however event file and network file references within each ief file will not be converted to relative paths. |
| Use relative paths in project file | When you create or save a Flood Modeller project, it may reference various files such as GIS datasets, simulation results, and other related data. Enabling this checkbox ensures that these file references are saved with paths relative to the project file folder. |
| Always show run interface after adding a simulation | Setting for 2D models. When an existing 2D model is added to your project then it will automatically open in the 2D simulation window if this setting is ticked. |
| TUFLOW engine file location | Specify the path to your TUFLOW installation to enable TUFLOW models (tcf file) to be run from the Project Panel of the Flood Modeller Interface (this option should not be confused with setting Flood Modeller-TUFLOW linking; setting the path to the TUFLOW installation on the Project settings tab of the Application Settings form does not assist with the setup of integrated Flood Modeller - TUFLOW modelling). |
Show solver window when running simulations | Allows you to monitor the simulation progress in real time and respond to any solver-related prompts. |
| Save simulation summary files | Check this box to save the data and plots displayed at simulation runtime in .xml format. |
| Associate project file extension (.fmpx) with Flood Modeller interface | This setting will set up a link in Explorer between your project files and the Flood Modeller interface. This enables you to double-click on a project file in Explorer to open Flood Modeller with the project automatically loaded. |
| Relaunch as Administrator | Note that this setting is only available if you have Administrator rights on your system. |
| Initial map extent | Type in values to define the initial dimensions to your map view. These will be utilised to provide an initial map extent when you start a new 1D network build (particularly applicable if you are not using any background mapping, i.e. creating more of a schematic view). This setting provides only the initial extent, which can then be changed using the zoom and pan tools. |
Default Settings
The default settings tab provides some key map settings for your project.
Available settings on this tab are as follows:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Default 1D river / 2D units | Sets the project units to either SI (metric units, e.g. mm, km) or US (United States customary units, e.g. inches, miles). Your map will then use these units and new 1D and 2D models will be specified with this setting. Also existing 1D networks loaded in your project and set to use the system default units will be updated to this setting. Note that individual models within your project can have their own unit setting that will override this project setting. These are set as follows:
|
| Map projection to use | Refers to how the three-dimensional Earth’s surface is represented on a two-dimensional map.
|
| Default project projection | Refers to the initial map projection assigned to new projects.
|
| Set Projection | Allows you to view and edit the map projection associated with your project. |
| Proxy settings | A web proxy filters websites that you look at, it receives requests from your web browser to fetch web pages and their elements, and following a policy will decide to pass them you back or to block them. Flood Modeller can be configured to utilise online mapping data. One option available in Flood Modeller is to specify and load a WMS layer. A Web Map Service (WMS) is a standard protocol for serving (over the Internet) georeferenced map images which a map server generates using data from a GIS database. In order for Flood Modeller to access the GIS data available through the WMS it must access the internet. Flood Modeller will try to utilise the default proxy settings for your system to do this. However, in some cases you may need to setup specific proxy settings to enable web access, i.e. if your standard proxy settings are configured such that they blocks access for Flood Modeller. In this case you may need to get assistance from your IT department to obtain the required custom settings (alternatively they may add Flood Modeller to a “safe” list allowing it access through your default settings). |
| Online Basemap Key | Another source of online map data available in Flood Modeller is online base maps. Flood Modeller provides direct links to either Open Street Map or Bing Maps data sources. Activating one of these will display background mapping in the map view for your model extent. Both types of base maps utilise key codes. Obtain the required keys from either the Microsoft website (for Bing Maps) or the OS data hub website (for OS maps) for your company - as detailed on the Bing website or OS data hub website. To download the OS keys, users need to create an account on the OS website and purchase the key. In contrast, the keys for Bing Maps are available free of charge. |
| Fathom settings | Credentials related to integration with the Fathom, which provide flood hazard maps with global coverage. These credentials allow Flood Modeller to access Fathom’s services and retrieve flood risk data. These credentials consist of two parts:
|
Model Building
The Model Building tab of the Application Settings window provides settings related to the displaying of new 1D node icons as you add them to a network in the map view.
The available settings are as follows:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| 1D model build cursor options | there are two related settings here:
|
| 1D unit positioning | Building 1D networks in the map view requires you to select a 1D icon (from the 1D Build tab of the main toolbar) and then click on the map at the desired location of the new node. Once you have specified a node label then an appropriate node icon will be displayed. The size of the icon is significantly larger than if the node was represented by a point (which it can be if unit icons are turned off – main toolbar setting). By default the centre of each node icon represents the actual point location of the node. However you have the option here of instead using the lower left corner of the icon as the point location of each model node. Note that this setting does not affect the node location coordinates stored in your network files. It only affects the position of each node on the map (when using icons to represent them). |
Hydrology+
The Hydrology+ tab includes two sub-tabs: General and Backup/restore.
The General tab contains settings related to Gauges and FEH catchments.
The settings on this tab are:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Avoid collisions when displaying gauges | Selecting this checkbox will reduce the number of gauge station icons displayed in the map depending on the zoom level selected to avoid repeated gauge icons in similar locations (that overlap at the chosen zoom level). |
| Show summary gauge information when selecting a gauge | Checkbox to display a label for each selected gauge providing a summary of the gauge data. |
| Update gauge information from file | This button allows you to browse to a file on your machine to update gauge information. |
| Colour selections | To set display colours for the FEH catchment polygons on the map, both when selected and not selected. Note that changes made will not affect any catchments already loaded - you must unload and reload these, or restart Flood Modeller, for the change to take affect. |
| Transparency sliders | To set the displayed transparency of the FEH catchment polygons on the map, both when selected and not selected. Note that changes made will not affect any catchments already loaded - you must unload and reload these, or restart Flood Modeller, for the change to take affect. |
| Reset to default | Resets all options for the colour and transparency above. Note that changes made will not affect any catchments already loaded - you must unload and reload these, or restart Flood Modeller, for the change to take affect. |
The Backup/restore tab provides essential functionality related to managing your hydrology database.
Hydrology+ utilises a local database stored on your desktop machine to store imported FEH catchment descriptors and hydrological analyses at calculation points. It is recommended you keep a backup of your Hydrology+ database at a location of your choice, e.g. on a safe and secure network, to serve as a safeguard against accidental data loss, system crashes, or other unforeseen events.
The settings on this tab as are follows:
| Field in interface | Description |
|---|---|
| Remind me to backup the database every X days after the previous backup | Field to provide a number of days between database backups. After this number of days, the software will remind you to perform a backup, if the checkbox at the bottom of the tab is checked on. |
| Last backup date | This field displays the date of the last backup and will automatically update when another backup is performed. |
| Next backup date | The date for the next backup, based on the number of days provided in the top field, and the date of the previous backup. |
| Backup now... | Button to perform a H+ database backup immediately. You will need to provide a filename and location, together with a description. |
| Restore... | Button to restore the database to a previous version. When you click on this button, Flood Modeller prompts you to select a previously created backup file. By choosing the appropriate backup, you can restore your hydrology database to the state it was in when the backup was created. |
| Show database backup reminder | When checked, the software will display a pop-up reminder to backup your database on the date provided in the Next backup date field above. |
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