SUDA Tip: Importing Legacy Drainage Files from InRoads and GEOPAK

Written by Robert Garrett

Importing legacy drainage projects into Subsurface Utilities Design and Analysis (SUDA) is easy and is accomplished from the menu:

SUDA Import Menu

When Importing from GEOPAK Drainage, InRoads S&S or MX Drainage, the imported features will be assigned a generic Feature Definition unless a feature definition is found which matches the name of the legacy library item name. A generic storm feature definition looks like this in 3D:
SUDA Generic Storm Node

Of course, the user can then change the feature definition in the properties panel. But, there is a more efficient way.

In InRoads Storm and Sanitary, the equivalent of feature definition for drainage is the structures library.
InRoads Drainage Structures File Inlets

And in GEOPAK it is called the drainage library.
GEOPAK Drainage Library Inlets

If you construct your feature definition library so that the drainage feature definitions name matches the names in the legacy library, then the proper feature definitions are assigned automatically while importing. Thus you get this instead of the generic model:
openroads SUDA 3D model catch basin

The same matching occurs for pipes, but it might not make sense to create your feature definition library to match imported library names. We’ll consider this question next time….

Robert Garrett

Robert has over 25 years experience as a practicing engineer and is licensed in the State of Tennessee. After graduating from Tennessee Technological University, Robert worked for the Mississippi State Highway Department, Bridge Design Division. Then he spent 12 years with the Tennessee Department of Transportation in the Roadway Design Office and later served as Regional Manager in the Design Survey Office. From 2000 to 2006, Robert worked for Robert G Campbell and Associates in Knoxville, TN where responsibilities included roadway, site, and utilities design projects. Joining Bentley Systems in March 2006, Robert wrote specifications & documentation for software development. Duties included testing, customer feedback and ensuring the products met the needs of the civil engineering user base. He also developed training material for education both internally to Bentley and for outside organizations. He served as Product Manager for Utilities Products, including the new OpenRoads Subsurface Utilities Design and Analysis software. Robert also provided guidance and implementation services for new technologies. He is a frequent presenter and trainer at user conferences.

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