Accounting for elevation difference in scaled pipe lengths

Product(s): WaterGEMS, Hammer, WaterCAD, SewerCAD, SewerGEMS, StormCAD, CivilStorm
Version(s): CONNECT Edition, V8i
Area: Modeling

Problem

How can I account for the elevation difference between two nodes in the calculation of scaled pipe lengths? For example, I've changed the elevation of one of the nodes at the end of a pipe, yet the "Length (Scaled)" did not increase.

Solution

By default, the OpenFlows products calculate the scaled length of a pipe based on the plan view distance between the X and Y coordinates alone. Typically elevation differences are ignored. If you would like to account for significant differences in elevation, follow these steps to enable 3D length:

1) Make sure the pipe is set to use scaled length - in the pipe properties or FlexTables, "Has user defined length?" should be set to "False".

2) Go to File > Options and click the Hydraulic Model tab. For V8i versions, go to Tools > Options and click the Project tab.

3) Check the box next to "Use 3D length?" and click OK

4) Look at the properties of the pipe - you will now notice that scaled length field shows as "Length (3D)", which will account for the elevation difference between the end nodes. 

See Also

What is the difference between Scaled and Schematic drawing mode?

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