Digitising Network Objects

New network objects can be created on the GeoPlan, the Long Section window or on the appropriate grid view.

There are several features that can be used to speed up the digitisation process:

Automatic Node Naming is used to name each node as it is created. The node name can be based on node location or a user specified custom pattern. See Automatic Node Name Generation for details.
Digitisation templates can be used to set default values for object parameters. The default values are applied to the objects when they are created. This allows similar objects to be created quickly without having to set data values for each individually. See Setting Default Values for details.
Disabling the Name Dialog prevents the object name dialog appearing each time an object is created. This option is set on the General Page of the GeoPlan Properties dialog.
Disabling the Property Sheet prevents the property sheet appearing each time an object is created. This option is set on the General Page of the GeoPlan Properties dialog.
Automatic generation of objects of system type "Overland" representing the Overland Flow Path can be carried out based on a starting selection of existing nodes and a Gridded Ground Model or GIS Background Layer Lines. See the Generating Overland Flow Paths section for details.

Digitising objects on the GeoPlan

To create a network object on the GeoPlan:

Select the type of object to be created from the New Object Type dropdown list on the GeoPlan Tools toolbar.
Click New Object () to turn on New Object mode.
Click on the location of the object in the GeoPlan to digitise the object. Details on how to edit the different object types are given below.
When the object has been digitised a Create New Object dialog is displayed. Enter the required data in the dialog and click OK to create the object.

Creating a single node

Using the New Object tool click on the location where the new object is to be added.

Inserting nodes in existing links

To insert a node into an existing link

Click on the link on the GeoPlan Window while in New Object mode. The Create New Node dialog will be displayed.
Specify the relevant information in the ID and Type fields and, for or InfoWorks networks only, the System type field. See the Create New Node dialog for further information.
Add a check in the Split box to split the current link into two links, each connected to the new node.
If the new node intersects more than one link, select which link is to be split from the Split dropdown list.
Select a flag, if required, from the Flag dropdown list. The selected flag will be applied to the following link properties:
- For InfoWorks networks:
  - Length in the existing and new links
    Note: The selected flag will not be applied to the new link lengths if the existing link length flag is set to #D
  - DS node ID and Downstream invert level in the existing link
  - US node ID and Upstream invert level in the new link
- For SWMM networks:
  - End node and Downstream elevation in the existing link
  - Start node and Upstream elevation in the new link
  The flag setting also determines how the elevations are calculated in SWMM networks. See below for further information.
Click OK. A new node, with the specified ID, and a new link, which has the same name as the existing link with a ! appended to it, are added to the database, and the properties for the existing link are updated accordingly.

For InfoWorks networks, the DS node ID property in the updated link will be assigned the name of the new node as will the US node ID for the new link. All other properties for the updated and new link will be the same as those for the replaced link, except the Length, and the Downstream invert level for the updated link and the Upstream invert level for the new link. These properties are:

Recalculated from the GeoPlan if the existing length field has the #D flag set.
Calculated by splitting the existing defined length and invert level based on where the new node is placed in the existing link if the #D flag is not set in existing length field.

For SWMM networks, the End node property in the existing link will be assigned the name of the new node as will the Start node for the new link. All other properties for the updated and new link will be the same as those for the replaced link, except for the Downstream elevation for the updated link and the Upstream elevation of the new link. The elevations are:

Calculated by splitting the existing elevation based on where the new node is placed in the existing link if the #D flag is not set in the Create New Node dialog.
Assigned the #D flag if the #D flag set is set in the Create New Node dialog. If the #D flag is selected in the dialog, the elevation properties will initially be blank as a newly created node does not have an invert elevation value assigned to it. These will be automatically updated when a value is specified for the invert elevation for the new node. See Node Data Fields (SWMM) and Conduit Data Fields (SWMM) for further information.

Creating a single point

Using the New Object tool, click on the location where the new object is to be added.

Creating links

To create a link using the New Object tool:
1. Click the node at the upstream end of the new link. The cursor is now attached to the upstream node by a red line. If there is more than one node beneath the cursor, a dialog is displayed allowing the upstream node to be selected.
2. Click one or more intermediate points to digitise bends.
3. Click the downstream node to complete the link.

Creating nodes and links together

Single links can be created as described above. However, adding links using this simple method requires that the two end nodes must already exist. There is a method that allows nodes and links to be created together, to create a run of nodes and links quickly.

To add a run of nodes and links using the New Object tool

Select a link type to be created from the New Object Type dropdown list.
Hold down the Ctrl key and click to add the upstream node. This displays the Create New Node dialog.
Click on intermediate points to create link bends.
Hold down the Ctrl key again and click to add the new downstream node. This displays the Create New Node dialog again.

Creating polygons and lines

To create a polygon or line using the New Object tool

Select a polygon or line to be created from the New Object Type dropdown.
Click with the left mouse button to add the first point of the polygon or line to the GeoPlan.
Click on one or more intermediate points to add vertices. (To delete a previously drawn line, press the backspace key. Each previously digitised line can be deleted in turn in this way.)
To finish marking out the object, double-click on the mouse button:
- For a polyline, the end point is added at the last point clicked on before the double click.
- For a polygon, double clicking closes the polygon.

If the new object is directly adjacent to an existing polygon or line, vertices of the new object can be snapped to vertices of the adjacent object. Individual points or a series of points can be snapped together.

Snapping to existing vertices

To snap individual vertices in the new object to vertices in existing polygon and line objects

Ensure that snapping mode is switched on.
Click the left mouse button to add each new vertex. To snap the new point to an existing vertex in another object, move the cursor close to the existing vertex.
When the cursor is close enough to the existing vertex, a cross will be drawn over the vertex.
Click the left mouse button and the new point will be snapped to the existing vertex.

Once the points are snapped together, they can be moved as a single point, as long as snapping mode is on.

Snapping to a run of vertices

To snap a series of vertices in the new object to a run of vertices in an existing polygon or line object

Ensure that snapping mode is switched on.
Click the left mouse button to add each new vertex. To snap a series of new points to points in another object, start by snapping the first point of the series to the other object:
- Move the cursor close to the existing point. When the cursor is close enough to the existing point, a cross will be drawn over the point.
- Click the left mouse button and the new point will be snapped to the existing editing point.
Move the cursor close to the final point of the series on the existing object. When the cursor is close enough to the existing point, a cross will be drawn over the point.
There are now two options (these options will have the same effect when snapping to a polyline):
- Hold down the CTRL key and click with the left mouse button to follow the existing object by the shortest route.
- Hold down the ALT key and click with the left mouse button to follow the existing object by the longest route.
A new point will be created to match each point passed in the existing object. The pairs of points will all be snapped together.

Once the points are snapped together, they can be moved as a single point as long as snapping mode is on.

Digitising objects on the Long Section

Nodes can be created in the Long Section. Nodes created in this way will always be inserted into an existing link.

To create nodes on the Long Section Window using the New Object tool

Select Node as the type of object to be created from the New Object Type dropdown list on the GeoPlan Tools Toolbar.
Click New Object () to turn on New Object mode.
Click on the Long Section on the link into which the node is to be inserted. The Create New Node dialog is displayed.
In this dialog:
- Enter a unique node name. (The Node ID will be automatically populated if Automatic Node Name Generation is switched on.)
- The node Type is always Node. Choose System Type from the dropdown list.
- Click OK. The new node is inserted into the link and displayed on the GeoPlan.

Creating objects on the network Grid window

Select the correct Grid Window for the type of object to be added.
Scroll the grid down to the append row. The append row is marked with a in the left hand column.
Type information for the new object in the primary key columns of the append row. As soon as any data is entered the icon on the left will change to a . Other parameters can be added to the append row now, but it is not essential.
To save the new object, move off the current row by clicking on another row in the grid. A unique name must be entered; if the object name is not unique, a message will be displayed. Click on OK on this message and either type in a unique ID or delete the duplicate ID from the cell, right-hand click on the row and select Delete Row.