Check the model speed while your DynamicFlood simulation is running
- Nye releases
Are you modelling at the speed of light, or is your model slowing to a crawl? Now you can follow the progress of your DynamicFlood simulations and be alerted if the model run takes longer than expected.
With DynamicFlood, you can run hydrodynamic simulations in your Workspace with just a few clicks. Powered by TUFLOW, the industry leader in hydraulic modelling accuracy, these 2D simulations are executed on high-performance GPU hardware, ensuring you receive your results as quickly as possible.
The TUFLOW engine uses an adaptive timestepping technique with an explicit finite volume solution scheme that ensures complete mass conservation and makes the model fast and stable. However, parts of the model can require the engine to use very small timesteps to obtain accurate simulation results, potentially leading to high processing times.
Today, we introduce a new feature in DynamicFlood that lets you follow the timestep of your simulation in real time and obtain an estimate of the model’s completion time. For advanced modellers, an expert mode is available that plots the timestep and the control numbers over time, offering a unique live view of the model performance.
Model speed at a glance
When you start a DynamicFlood simulation, a progress bar will appear in the top right corner. You can expand it to view the status of individual rainfall events that are being simulated.
Under normal circumstances, the progress bar is green for each rainfall event. If the model is slow, meaning that the timesteps are below an acceptable threshold, the progress bar becomes red, giving a quick indication that the model might take longer than expected.
The acceptable threshold to determine if a model is slow, is the model's resolution in metres divided by 20. This means that for a 1-meter resolution simulation, the model is considered to be slow if the timestep goes below 0.05 seconds.
Figure 1. Giving users simple status updates on their hydrodynamic simulations. The information displayed in the progress popup is useful for all users, regardless of their prior experience with dynamic modelling.
In-depth progress information
Clicking on a rain event's progress bar brings up a popup window displaying the simulation's current status within that event.
Additional information is given about the mass balance, as well as the number of repeated timesteps, which are indicative of sudden changes in the model's behaviour. The graph, which shows where in the rain event the simulation is at the moment, can be enriched with additional data, such as the model's timestep over time and control numbers.
Figure 2. All the information about the running model is continuously updated, giving you the latest information on the model's current state.
There are three different control numbers, Nu, Nc and Nd, that provide insight into various characteristics of the simulations. Expert modellers use these to better understand the factors influencing the model's speed and performance. We refer the mathematically inclined reader to the TUFLOW manual for more information on the three control numbers.
Figure 3. For advanced users, the control numbers used by the engine to calculate the appropriate timestep are available for inspection.
Curious to learn more?
We continue to improve DynamicFlood, so stay tuned for information about new features! If you want to learn more about DynamicFlood and how you can run hydrodynamic simulations directly in Scalgo Live, you can watch this recorded webinar. Write to us at info@scalgo.com if you have any questions.
