Reversing orientation of Pipes and Conduits in Bulk

Product(s): WaterGEMS, SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, HAMMER, WaterCAD, StormCAD, CivilStorm
Version(s): 08.11.XX.XX and 10.XX.XX.XX
Area: Modeling

Problem

Is it possible to reverse pipe orientation in bulk/batch?

Solution

As of version 10.00.00.XX, the fastest way to reverse pipes in bulk is to use ModelBuilder:

1. Create a new FlexTable, and make the Table Type 'Pipe' or 'Conduit'.

2. Add the "Label", "Start Node", "Stop Node" and "Flow" fields (if needed)

3. Filter the pipes if required so that the FlexTable only contains pipes with negative flows (i.e. the pipes you want to reverse). Or, filter by other criteria as needed.

4. Click "Export to File" and save in CSV format.

5. Open the CSV file in Excel (you will probably need to run through the Text Import Wizard).

6. Swap the "Start Node" and "Stop Node" column labels, then Save as an .XLS file

7. Use ModelBuilder to update the pipes in your model with the reversed Start and Stop nodes. These fields are found at the top of the step, just under the Key Field:




Note that for WaterCAD and WaterGEMS, the flow direction can change during an extended period simulation, so you may not want to reverse all pipes. Also note that there is a result field called "Flow (absolute)" that just returns the magnitude of the flow (without any negative signs), which you may be able to use instead of running though this process.

Notes: 

Enhancement has been filed ( # 952429) to add the ability to reverse conduit orientations in bulk using conduit flex table or some other way, which shall be considered in future release of the product. 

Bends are currently not considered when bulk reversing pipes resulting in topological changes for such pipes where only the start and stop nodes are reversed but the bend coordinates remain the same. This happens only when bulk reversing the pipes using the above specified method. However, such pipes can be reversed properly individually using "Node Reversal" under the pipe properties. Manually reversing the pipes changes the bend coordinates order also.

See Also

Export data to an Excel spreadsheet

How to filter a FlexTable by Query, Selection Set, or by selecting from drawing pane for reporting, global edits, etc.

Using ModelBuilder to Import External Data

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