It is possible to add nodes and links to an existing network and this topic details how to do this in theory and shows an example on our example network.
InfoWorks WS Pro includes facilities for rapidly adding nodes and links to the GeoPlan without having to name each object or view the object property sheet. This means that you can carry out a process similar to digitising on the GeoPlan view. With the help of GIS data, you can add nodes and links very rapidly.
Each node can be automatically given an ID, normally based on its location. You can also add connected runs of nodes and links together, including adding bends in links, allowing you to build up your network structure in the minimum amount of time.
Once you have set up your digitising options, you can use the normal node and link creation tools to add new objects to your network.
Adding a node
Nodes can be added on the GeoPlan view, the Long Section view or the Grid view.
On the GeoPlan
- Click the
(New node) icon on the Tools toolbar. - The pointer changes to the Add Node pointer
.
- Click the GeoPlan in the position where you want the new node.
- The Create New Node dialog is displayed.
- On the Create New Node dialog, enter a unique node ID.
- If inserting a node into an existing link, check the box, select the link to be split (if there is more than one), and set a flag for new link lengths (if required).
- Click .
- The new node is created and displayed on the GeoPlan, and the property sheet for the node is displayed. You can enter additional properties on the Node property sheet now or later. If you change any node properties, click to save them.
On the Long Section view
- Click the (New node) icon on the toolbar.
- The pointer changes to the Add Node pointer.
- Click the Long Section view on the link into which you want to insert the new node. The Create New Node dialog is displayed.
- Follow the steps detailed in the section above.
On the Grid view
- Select the correct grid view for the type of node you wish to add.
- Scroll the grid down until you reach the append row.
- The append row is marked with
in the left column. - Type a name for the new node in the ID column of the append row. As soon as you start to type, the icon on the left will change to
. You can add other parameters to the append row now if you want.
- To save the new node, move off the row you are editing by clicking another row in the grid. If the node name is not unique, a message will be displayed. You must type in a unique name. To abort the process, click the
(Undo) icon on the toolbar.
Adding a Link
Links can be added on the GeoPlan view and the Long Section view.
On the GeoPlan
- Click the
(New link) icon on the Tools toolbar. - The pointer changes to the Add Link pointer
. - You may want to ensure that Snapping Mode is activated, to enable InfoWorks WS Pro to snap onto nodes near the cursor.
- Click the node at the upstream end of the new link. If there is more than one node beneath the cursor, a dialog is displayed allowing you to select the upstream node. If you are unsure, zoom closer on the GeoPlan to separate the icons, and start again.
- The cursor is now attached to the upstream node by a red line.
- Click one or more intermediate points if you want the link to contain bends. Click the downstream node to complete the link.
- The Create New Link dialog is displayed.
- Select the link type and enter a suffix if necessary. If you do not enter a suffix, InfoWorks WS Pro will create one for you.
- Click .
- The new link is created and displayed on the GeoPlan, and the property sheet for the new link is displayed. You can enter additional properties now or later. If you change any link properties, click to save them. You can click Cancel to exit the property sheet without making any changes. The new link will not be removed.
On the Grid View
- Select the correct grid view for the type of link you wish to add.
- Scroll the grid down until you reach the append row.
- The append row is marked with a in the left column.
- Select the names for the upstream and downstream nodes from the dropdown list in the appropriate columns in the append row, or you can type in names for nodes you have not yet created. You may also need to add a unique suffix for the new link.
- As soon as you start to type, the icon on the left will change to a . You can add other parameters to the append row now if you want.
- To save the new link, move off the row you are editing by clicking another row in the grid. If the combination of upstream node, downstream node and suffix are not unique, a message will be displayed. You must type in a unique set to name the link. To abort the process, click the (Undo) icon on the toolbar.
- If you connect either end of the link to a node which does not yet exist, or has no positional data, the link will be connected to the origin of the coordinate system at one end. If both ends have no positional data, the link will appear as a dot at the origin. To give the link a valid position you must change the position of its connected nodes.
Example of adding nodes and links
This stage assumes that you have started InfoWorks WS Pro and that the Model Group window is open, showing the Newtown icon.
The tutorial dataset uses InfoWorks WS Pro native units (metric units). To import the tutorial data correctly, set the user units to metric by selecting Options from the Tools menu and clicking the Metric (Native) button on the Units tab.
Let us illustrate adding nodes and links to our example network:
- Open the 'Newtown - New Estate' network and give it a relevant name.
- Display the background
map.
A pipe and node are needed along the road near the north-west corner of the estate.
- Zoom in and use the
(Distance) tool to estimate the length of the new run from node K350439, which should be about 24 metres. - Add a node at the end of the road:
- Select the (New node) tool.
- Click in the centre of the road. The Create New Node dialog is displayed.
- Enter K430440 as the ID and click . The Node properties
dialog is displayed.
- Insert a node in link K350439.K350430.1 , where the pipe bends. Ensure that the Split checkbox is ticked. Name the new node K430441 and click .
- The Node property sheet is displayed.
- Connect up the nodes:
- Select the (New link) tool.
- Click the starting point (the node at the start of the run, new node K430440).
- Click the road halfway between the nodes to create a bend.
- Click the node at the end of the link (K350441).
- The Create New
Link dialog is displayed.
- Click . The Pipe properties dialog is displayed.
- Click to accept the default pipe properties and close the property sheet.
- Commit the network, without validation (there will be some errors linked to missing data for the objects that have just been added, and there may be some errors due to the original network itself), and close the GeoPlan window.
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