Draw and Assign Manholes Command

A manhole is a covered opening in the ground that provides access to underground public utilities such as sewers, storm drains, electricity, etc. for the purpose of inspection, cleaning, unblocking, or repair. In a stormwater drainage system, a manhole represents a physical junction that acts as a connection point between elements such as pipes.

In GeoSTORM software, manholes can be defined by either drawing or assigning nodes on the Map View using the following commands:

• Draw Manholes
• Assign Manholes

After drawing/assigning manholes, the user can use the Manhole Data command to define additional manhole data. Refer to this article in our knowledge base to learn more about the Manhole Data command.

Drawing/Assigning Manholes

The Draw/Assign Manholes command allows the user to manually draw/assign single or multiple manhole nodes on the Map View.

Follow the steps below to use the Draw/Assign Manholes command:

1. From the Input ribbon menu, click the Manhole Structures dropdown menu and select the Draw/Assign Manholes command.
   
2. The following dialog box(s) will be displayed.
   • Draw Manholes:
     
   • Assign Manholes:
     

The following sections describe how to use the Draw/Assign Manholes command and interact with the above dialog boxes.

Drawing Manhole Nodes

The Draw Manhole Nodes section allows the user to draw single or multiple manhole nodes on the Map View. To draw a manhole node, follow the steps below:

1. Click the [Draw] button, and the dialog box will temporarily disappear.
   
2. The status bar (shown under the Map View) will prompt the user to draw a manhole node on the Map View. Click on the Map View to draw the manhole node.
   
   Note: From the Manhole Specifications section, if:
   • Manhole ID option is selected, then the user can draw only one manhole node on the Map View.
   • Auto-name manhole ID option is selected, then the user can draw multiple manhole nodes on the Map View one after another until completed.
3. When finished, press the [Enter] key or right-click and select Done from the displayed context menu.
4. The Draw Manholes dialog box will be redisplayed, and the status of the Manhole nodes read-only field will be changed from Not Drawn to Drawn.
   

Notes:

• To place the node more accurately, use the mouse roller wheel to zoom into a specific location.
• The Snap Mode option can be enabled to cause the drawn manhole to snap to the nearest stormwater element.

Assigning Manhole Nodes

The Select Manhole Nodes section can be used to manually assign single or multiple nodes on the Map View as manholes. To assign a manhole node, follow the steps below:

1. Click the [Pick] button and the dialog box will temporarily disappear.
   
2. The status bar (shown under the Map View) will prompt the user to select a manhole node from the Map View. Click on the previously drawn manhole node on the Map View to select it.
   
   Note: From the Manhole Specifications section, if:
   • Manhole ID option is selected, then the user can select only one manhole node on the Map View.
   • Auto-name manhole ID option is selected, then the user can select multiple manhole nodes on the Map View one after another until completed.
3. When finished, press the [Enter] key or right-click and select Done from the displayed context menu.
4. The Assign Manholes dialog box will be redisplayed, and the status of the Manhole nodes read-only field will be changed from Not Selected to Selected.
   
5. Click the [Clear] button to cancel the previous selection and redo the entire process.

Manhole Specifications

This section is common to both the Draw Manholes and Assign Manholes dialog boxes and allows the user to specify the manhole ID for each drawn/assigned manhole. The user can assign these IDs either manually or automatically using some predefined formats.

Follow the steps below to assign manhole IDs to the manholes:

1. If a manhole was drawn/assigned while the Manhole ID radio button option was selected, the user can manually enter the manhole ID in the corresponding field, as shown below.
   
2. Alternatively, the user can enable the Auto-name manhole ID radio button option in order to automatically name every newly drawn/assigned manhole as per the user’s predefined naming formats as shown below.
   

The different manhole naming formats present in the Auto-name manhole ID radio button option are as follows:

• Manhole ID prefix: This option allows a prefix to be added to the manhole ID.
• Manhole ID digits: This option permits the specification of a set number of digits to use for the manhole ID. For example, using 3 digits causes the manhole ID to be of the format 001, 002, 003, and so on as new elements are created.
• Next available manhole ID: This option defines the next manhole ID number to be used.
• Manhole ID increment: This option defines the increment to use when numbering manholes. The default value is 1.
• Manhole ID suffix: This option allows a suffix to be added to the manhole ID.
• Manhole ID preview: This read-only field provides a preview of the manhole naming specifications defined above.

Assign Rim and Invert Elevations

This section allows the user to:

• Assign the rim and invert elevation to the manhole using a terrain model.
• Define the invert depth using the Manhole depth entry field to raise or lower the invert of the manhole by the specified amount. A negative invert depth value lowers the manhole by the specified amount.
• Define the sump depth required at a manhole using the Sump depth entry field. The sump depth of the manhole represents the vertical offset from the manhole bottom invert elevation to the lowest invert of the connected pipes.
  

Note: Define this section before drawing/assigning manholes so that the rim and invert elevation can be assigned.

Terrain Elevation Source

Depending upon the terrain elevation source type selected, the content of the Assign Rim & Invert Elevations section changes to specify additional elevation data information.

The Terrain elevation source dropdown combo box supports the following surface types:

• Elevation Grid
• LandXML Data
• TIN surface

Elevation Grid

If the user selects Elevation Grid as the terrain elevation source, the content of the Assign Rim & Invert Elevations section changes as shown below.

The following option is displayed when the Elevation Grid is selected as the terrain elevation source:

• Elevation grid layer
  This dropdown combo box allows the user to select the elevation grid layer available in the project.

LandXML Data

If the user selects LandXML Data as the terrain elevation source, the content of the Assign Rim & Invert Elevations section changes as shown below.

The following options are displayed when the LandXML Data is selected as the terrain elevation source:

• TIN surface layer
  This dropdown combo box allows the user to select the TIN surface layer type.
• TIN surface
  This dropdown combo box allows the user to select the TIN surface type.

TIN Surface

If the user selects TIN Surface as the terrain elevation source, the content of the Assign Rim & Invert Elevations section changes as shown below.

The following options are displayed when the TIN Surface is selected as the terrain elevation source:

• TIN surface layer
  This dropdown combo box allows the user to select the TIN surface layer type.
• TIN surface
  This dropdown combo box allows the user to select the TIN surface type.

After defining all the required data, click the [Apply] button to complete drawing/assigning manholes. Note that if manholes are drawn/assigned using the Auto-name manhole ID option, then the [Apply] button will be displayed as disabled since the just drawn/assigned manhole have already been named and created.