About Moving Pipe Network Data Between AutoCAD Civil 3D and Storm Sewers

You can migrate pipe network data between AutoCAD Civil 3D and the Storm Sewers Extension.

For example, with AutoCAD Civil 3D, you can:

When importing Storm Sewer data into AutoCAD Civil 3D, you can import a single pipe network, or multiple pipe networks. However, you must import entire pipe networks; you cannot import individual parts, or a series of connected parts within a pipe network.

Preparing for Migrating Storm Sewers Data

There are a few preparatory tasks to perform before migrating data between AutoCAD Civil 3D and the Storm Sewers Extension. The table below summarizes these tasks.

Task Description
Verify that your pipe network data meets the necessary criteria for migration Review the criteria for migrating pipe network data.
Create the parts list that will be used during migration When you import or export pipe networks between AutoCAD Civil 3D and the Storm Sewers Extension, a parts list that contains appropriate parts for the import or export is required. You will need to create this parts list first, before you begin importing or exporting the data. You may need to create a full parts list, containing all of the available parts in the entire catalog, or you may need to create a smaller, customized parts list that contains only the parts included in the migrated data.
Set the part matchup settings that will be used during migration In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, you need to configure defaults that will be used for matching up part types between AutoCAD Civil 3D and the Storm Sewers.
Choose the default parts list that will be used during migration In Prospector, on the Settings tab, you also need to choose the default parts list that will be when you migrate data between AutoCAD Civil 3D and the Storm Sewers.

Optionally, you may want to create a label style for displaying labels for hydraulic properties, such as hydraulic grade lines and energy grade lines in pipe networks.

Criteria for Migrating Pipe Networks

To successfully migrate pipe network data between the Storm Sewers Extension and the AutoCAD Civil 3D, the pipe network data must meet certain conditions. Verify that your pipe network data meets these criteria before migrating:

  • Note that in the Storm Sewers Extension, a pipe and its corresponding upstream inlet structure make up a Hydraflow Storm Sewers line.
  • The Storm Sewers Extension can accept a maximum of 250 pipes (lines) with structures in one project. If a single AutoCAD Civil 3D pipe network contains more than 250 pipes (lines), then the pipe network must be divided into smaller pipe networks (and therefore, multiple .stm files) before the pipe network data can be opened in the Hydraflow Storm Sewers Extension.
  • All catch basin and junction structures must have an outlet pipe. To verify this, in AutoCAD Civil 3D display the Connected Pipes tab of the Structure Properties dialog box. Look at the In/Out column.

It is also important to be aware of the following before exporting pipe networks to an .stm file (or any type of export of pipe data):

  • If a pipe does not have an upstream structure in AutoCAD Civil 3D, it is given a null structure in the exported file.
  • If a structure is not attached to a pipe, the structure will not be exported.

Importing STM Files From Previous Versions

In AutoCAD Civil 3D, you can import .stm files that were created or saved from older versions of the Storm Sewers Extension; for example, the Storm Sewers Extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 or earlier. You can also successfully open .stm files that were created or saved from 2009, or earlier, versions of the Storm Sewers Extension in the Storm Sewers Extension version 2010. However, in the Storm Sewers Extension for Civil 3D 2009, or earlier versions of the Storm Sewers Extension, you cannot open .stm files that were saved in the Storm Sewers Extension for Civil 3D 2010, or that were exported from AutoCAD Civil 3D.

It is also important to note that when importing .stm files that were saved prior to version 2010, they may contain hydraulic grade line (HGL) values, however, they will not contain some of the other hydraulic properties, as listed below. The following values are calculated in the Storm Sewers Extension version 2010, but are not found in older versions of .stm files (prior to 2010):

Pipes

Structures

Storm Sewers Pipe Size Calculations

In the Storm Sewers Extension, the list of pipe sizes is hard coded and cannot be customized. This list does not distinguish between inner and outer pipe diameter, pipe material, or pipe class, as does AutoCAD Civil 3D. When you perform calculations that resize pipes in the Storm Sewers Extension, the results include only the sizes that are available in the hard coded list. This may result in a pipe size or sizes that are not typical of the pipe material they are working with. However, you can always manually edit the pipe size. For more information, see the Storm Sewers Extension Help.