Application Settings

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.

Select from the categories below for further details.

2d Model Data Loading

1D River Cross Sections

Video Recording

Project Settings

Default Settings

Model Building

Hydrology+

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.

Settings on this tab are:

• 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

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). 

The default values you can set on this tab are:

• Default Manning roughness
• Default relative path length
• Use nearest valid point properties on extend (checkbox)

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. There is default codec included with the Flood Modeller installation. Alternatively you can 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:

• 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 currently be converted to relative paths.
• 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
• 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. These are:

• Default units – set your project units to either SI (metric units, e.g. mm, km) or US (United States customary units, e.g. inches, miles) here. 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:
  • 1D networks – unit setting is accessed by double-clicking the General row at the top of the Network table. Default setting for networks is “Default”, i.e. to use the project units setting.
  • 2D models – unit setting is accessed by right-clicking on the lower right corner of the status bar of the 2D simulation window. This displays a menu that includes unit selection options. The initial setting for a new 2D model will be the current project setting.
• Proxy settings – 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.
  Note:

  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.

• 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. The Bing map options utilise a key code. Obtain a key from Bing for your company - as detailed on the Bing website.

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:

• 1D model build cursor options – there are two related settings here:
  • The tick box signifies whether a new node being added will be represented by its associated icon or by the mouse draw icon (a pencil icon). If the box is ticked then the node icon will be shown on screen as you drag it to the required location on the map.
  • The opacity slider is relevant only if you are using node icons when adding new nodes. The slider sets how transparent the new icon will display on the map as you drag it to the required location. Slider all the way to the right will display the icon solid, whereas slider all the way left will display just a red box to outline the new node.
• 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 contains settings related to gauge stations and FEH catchments. The settings on this tab are: 

• Gauges
  • Avoid collisions when displaying gauges - selecting this will reduce the number of 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 - this option displays 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.
• FEH Catchments
  • Colour selections - to set display colours for the catchment polygons on the map, both when selected and not selected.
  • Transparency sliders - to set the displayed transparency of the catchment polygons on the map, both when selected and not selected.
  • Reset to default - resets all options for the colour and transparency above.