How To:

How do the Storm-Sewer products (StormCAD, SewerGEMS, CivilStorm, SewerCAD) integrate with InRoads, PowerCivil and GEOPAK?

Background

Below are details on how StormCAD integrates with InRoads, PowerCivil, and GEOPAK:

Inroads

An InRoads Storm and Sanitary file can now be imported/exported inside of the standalone platform of the products via File > Import/Export. When using MicroStation CONNECT Edition integrated version, you can do this via the product menu (such as StormCAD), then Project > Import > InRoads. This functionality was added in version V8i SELECTseries 3. In version 08.11.00.40, the ability to do this in the AutoCAD platform was added, along with the ability to retain/persist relevant calculated results during export and persist curved pipes (bends will be added in the StormCAD model). All subsequent versions include this functionality as well.

Note: You may need to use the 32-bit version of the OpenFlows program to successful export to InRoads.

GEOPAK

GEOPAK drainage (.gdf file) "integration" consists of an import/export data exchange, similar to Inroads. In previous versions, this required integrating StormCAD with MicroStation V8i, while a GEOPAK license was activated. See "legacy information" below for details.

In the current release of StormCAD, this integration is no longer possible and conversion of a GEOPAK drainage database to a StormCAD model (Importing) requires the use of the Subsurface Utilities functionality inside the V8i SS4 or SS10 release of GEOPAK. Meaning, you would need to install MicroStation V8i SS10 and GEOPAK V8i SS10, import the GEOPAK model, save the DGN, then open the DGN file inside StormCAD (select DGN files from the "Files of type" dropdown in the file open dialog). The first part of this workflow is demonstrated in this video. If you do not have access to these older, unsupported products, please contact Technical Support who may be able to assist with conversion.

If you need to export a StormCAD model back to GEOPAK, you would need to use the "legacy" process below. Or, use OpenRoads Designer which can directly open the StormCAD model.

Note that a future version of OpenRoads Designer may include the ability to import/export GEOPAK Drainage databases.

Legacy Information (no longer supported)

When using storm-sewer products inside of MicroStation with a GEOPAK license, you can import/export a GEOPAK drainage file, via the product menu bar > Project > Import > GEOPAK Drainage.

Or if exporting to GEOPAK drainage file option is not available inside Microstation-integrated version, then you can:

• Either directly open .dgn file of storm-sewer model in GEOPAK or import .stsw file from Subsurface Utility menu in GEOPAK.
• Make the project active by doing an activity like computing the storm-sewer model, go to Subsurface Utility>select Project>Export>GEOPAK drainage.
• You are prompted to create a .dlb and then prompted to create a .gdf.

For issues activating the GEOPAK license in MicroStation-integrated, please reference the following link:

How do I activate a GEOPAK license inside StormCAD for MicroStation? 

All subsequent versions include this functionality as well.

NOTE: With PowerGEOPAK, the integration process is not automated. You will need to manually change the configuration files in order to see the integrated products. 

PowerCivil

Previous versions (no longer supported) were able to integrate directly within the PowerCivil for Americas environment. You would see a shortcut such as "StormCAD for Powercivil for Americas". You would be able to lay out and compute your storm-sewer model, while using the PowerCivil tools. Also, while in the PowerCivil for Americas platform, you could import/export a GeoPAK drainage file via the product menu bar > Project > Import.

See Also

Best practices for working with GEOPAK drainage files exported from StormCAD