Exporting Your Project to AutoCAD or MicroStation

It is quite easy to export a project to an AutoCAD or MicroStation drawing file, allowing the HEC‑RAS or HEC-HMS project data to be shared with CAD and other software.

To export a project to AutoCAD or MicroStation, select the Export HEC-RAS to CAD or Export HEC-HMS to CAD command from the Export Data dropdown menu of the Input ribbon menu. This will display the following dialog boxes:

GeoHECRAS

Export HEC-RAS to CAD Command

GeoHECHMS

Export HEC-HMS to CAD Command

The following sections describe how to interact with the above dialog boxes.

General Options

This tabbed panel is used to specify the project input and output data to be exported to CAD.

CAD Drawing File

This section is used to define where the exported results are to be saved.

Click the […] button for the File name entry to specify the directory location and the drawing file name to save the exported results. Make certain to select the file type, which includes whether to save the file as an AutoCAD or MicroStation drawing file, as well as what drawing file version.

Input Data

HEC-RAS Input Data

This section allows the user to select the HEC‑RAS input data to be exported. The checkbox option at the HEC-RAS Input Data section header allows the user to enable or disable the section and its underlying elements to be exported.

Each HEC‑RAS element type is placed in its own layer. For example, cross sections are placed in a cross-section layer, whereas river reaches are placed in a river reach layer. Also, 3D polyline elements, such as cross sections, are written out as 3D polylines. In addition, profile lines and time series nodes can also be exported to plot results from a 2D flow area and generate a time series plot at node, respectively.

HEC‑HMS Input Data

This section allows the user to select the HEC‑HMS input data to be exported. Each HEC‑HMS element type is placed in its own layer. HEC-HMS elements that can be exported to a CAD file include subbasins, river reaches, storage areas, junctions, sources, sinks, flow paths, etc.

Output Data

HEC-RAS Output Data

This section allows the user to select which flood map profiles to export. The checkbox option at the HEC-RAS Output Data section header allows the user to enable or disable the section and its underlying output options to be exported. In addition, it provides the user with options to remove ponded areas and holes as well as display flood result contours, water edge points, and velocity vectors.

Other Options

This section allows the user to include the base map image with a choice of imagery resolution. In addition, the Overwriting existing CAD drawing file checkbox option allows the software to overwrite an existing CAD file with the same file name.

Spatial Reference

This tabbed panel allows the user to specify the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) for the CAD drawing.
Export Project to CAD - Spatial Reference Tab

Exported Coordinate Reference System

This section allows the user to select the CRS for the CAD drawing. The user can choose between the following options:

Use project CRS: When this option is selected, the project’s CRS is assigned to the CAD drawing.
Use local CRS: This option can be used when the project does not have its own CRS defined. When this option is selected, the local CRS of the data layer is assigned to the CAD drawing.
Select different CRS: When this option is selected, the Select Coordinate Reference System section gets enabled. From this section, the user can browse through all the supported CRS contained within the software and select the desired CRS.

Coordinate Reference System Information

This section displays information related to the CRS of the project such as CRS units, projection and its code, CRS datum, projection file format (*.prj, *.wkt), etc.

Select Coordinate Reference System

This section is used to define a custom CRS. This section gets enabled when the user has selected the Select different CRS option from the Exported Coordinate Reference System section.
Select Coordinate Reference System Section

Projected CRS Regions: Using this tab, the user can browse to the supported CRS for the location of interest by expanding the continent, country, and then local region.
Projected CRS Listings: Using this tab, the user can browse through all the supported CRS pertaining to a selected projection.

To learn more about coordinate reference systems, refer to this article in our knowledge base.

Exporting the Project

After the options have been defined, click the [Export] button and the software will export the project model to CAD.

Only the current scenario (or plan) will be written out to the CAD drawing file. Separate drawing files will need to be created if multiple scenarios are to be exported to AutoCAD.