The Draw Contours command got a big makeover in version 7.1. There are two major changes to contours: saved contours, and contours in Define.
Saved Contours
I’ve mentioned before that version 7 introduced the ability to save graphs, so you don’t have to keep changing the parameters and re-selecting nodes as you explore different aspects of an analysis’ results.
Now Draw Contours gets the same functionality: saved contours.
The basic functionality is the same–pick your parameters, ranges and shading options–but now all those properties are saved and given a name, and a simple click on another saved contour in the list will update your drawing.
Contour Toolbar
To simplifiy it more, we’ve also added a Contour Toolbar. After using Draw Contours to save the contours you want, you can switch between them right from the toolbar.
Contours in Define
Until now the Draw Contours command has always been a way of looking at the results, at the computed data.
With version 7.1, Draw Contours also shows up in the menu in Define, and lets you plot contours of the definition data.
Here’s a SLOPE/W analysis in Define view, showing the pore water pressures it got from its parent analysis.
This is a very powerful tool to help you determine if you have properly defined an analysis before solving it. Besides contouring things like pore water pressure, you can also contour material properties such as C and Phi.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
mike jorgensen 05.11.08 at 6:21 pm
Nice addition to contouring. However, I do not see a way to add custom contours or do contouring of concentrations using the log[concentration]. I often want to add a contour corresponding to a contamiant guideline value or see 0.1 mg/L, 1 mg/L, 10 mg/L, etc. I do not see a way to do this.
I tried creating seperate contour intervals (say 0.01 to 0.1 at 0.01 intervals and another set from 0.1 to 1 at 0.1 interval), but I could not plot both at the same time. Any ideas/workarounds?
Nate 05.16.08 at 9:56 am
Thanks for the comment, Mike. I’ve never heard of anyone asking for contours of log values, though that surprises me because it’s a very reasonable request! I’ve logged it as a feature request so hopefully it will show up one of these days.
All I can think of for a workaround is to use an Add-In. Add-Ins can compute their own data which is then available for contouring and graphing. You could likely write an Add-In that simply gets the concentration value, then writes out its log value. Seems like a rather heavyweight solution to what should be a simple problem, but it’s the best I can come up with.
More information about writing Add-Ins is at http://www.geo-slope.com/support/geostudio2007/sdk.aspx.
I’m not sure what you mean by adding “custom contours”. Can you elaborate?
Rafael 12.11.08 at 10:37 pm
Hi Nate, this is not my original post, but I guess Mike is asking about a possibility of defining our own values for the contours. For example, have contours of only a list of given numbers, let’s say contours of Y-Eff=1, 2, 3, and 5 and 6kPa (Skipping 4kPa).
Nate 12.12.08 at 9:22 am
Good point. I’ll log that as a feature request as well. Seems like a reasonable wish.
siro 06.07.11 at 5:25 pm
Hi
I want t see The water surface in embankment ofter the solve in seep/w but I dont know how do it.
guide me pls
thanks.
Nate 06.08.11 at 11:55 am
I believe what you’re looking for is the Draw Isolines command. Pick the Pore-Water Pressure parameter with a value of 0.0 to see the zero-pressure line.
siro 06.08.11 at 4:47 pm
Tanks a lot Nate for your prior answer.
I have one question again:
what is the difference between The Potential Seepage Face and Zero Pressure hydraulic BC for oblique filter that has a horizontal tail to toe?
which boundary condition applied for this example? Seepage Face for oblique part or Zero Pressure for horizontal tail to toe ?
Nate 06.09.11 at 9:07 am
Ahh, now you’re getting outside of my area of expertise!
I am not an engineer, so I can tell you how to do something in GeoStudio, but I have no clue which of two options is better from an engineering perspective.
Chapter 5 of “Seepage Modeling with SEEP/W 2007″ (available from the GeoStudio Start Page) discusses boundary conditions, including the Potential Seepage Face and Hydraulic BCs. I suggest you read that if you haven’t already. If it’s still not clear, you can email support@geo-slope.com, and one of our support engineers will take great pleasure in assisting you.
Dan Klein 12.01.11 at 12:44 pm
Hi there Nate,
When I am putting together contour plots from dynamic analysis, and can’t seem to find how to display the key (legend) of displacements or other values on the side of my plot.
Thanks,
Dan
Nate 12.01.11 at 4:33 pm
You can add labels to contour lines using Draw Contour Labels, then clicking on the lines you want to label. That’s not exactly what you’re asking for, but it’s the closest equivalent in geostudio, as there’s no way to automatically create a legend to place on the drawing.
Some people have made their own legend by drawing little rectangular regions floating in the air and assigning them materials whose colours match the contour colours, then using Sketch Text to add text next to them. Not the most intuitive approach, but it works.
Another approach would be to make a legend in some other application, like Word, taking a screen shot of it, and pasting that into GeoStudio as a picture. I’d love to see a real legend feature in a future version.