Open channels can be fully designed and hydraulically modeled in Urbano using the same network-based workflow used for pipe systems.
Open channels are represented as a network of nodes and sections. They can be drawn interactively in plan view, converted from existing CAD elements, or imported from external formats such as EPA SWMM INP files or Esri Shapefiles.
The open channel catalog supports rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, and parabolic cross-sections, with configurable outer geometry options (parallel outer walls or box-shaped geometry). This is important for detailed design, excavation quantities, clash detection, and BIM workflows.
Open channel networks can be reviewed and edited in plan and profiles, annotated with custom labels, aligned to a reference surface, and precisely defined by depth, elevation, or slope directly in the profile view. The networks can also be hydraulically analyzed using the integrated EPA SWMM engine.
The video shows a real project from Serbia:
– 14 km of highway with drainage designed using open channels
– 28 km of network, mostly open channels
– 48 outfalls in the finished model
For visualization and coordination, the model was exported to Autodesk Navisworks.
The full walkthrough video is available on YouTube.
Many thanks to Boris Džodanović and Ehting (Serbia) for allowing the use of their project.
Urbano is a comprehensive software solution for detailed design, analysis, and hydraulic modeling of storm and sanitary sewer systems, water distribution networks, and gas pipelines.
For more information or a free trial, feel free to reach out.
Author: Rino Nemarnik, mag.ing.aedif.
Head of development at StudioARS
