hydrology-wave

Channel Studio

A Breakthrough in Open Channel Modeling Software

Open Channel Hydraulics Made Easy

Channel Studio is easy-to-use software for modeling open channel systems. Compute water surface profiles for any open channel including bridge structures, culverts and inline weirs. Perfect for site development projects. Much easier than HEC-RAS.

An Industry Breakthrough

Use a blank canvas or capture an image. Then draw realistic meandering river reaches. Add cross-sections and compute. No back-and-forth importing and exporting. No black box. No stress. A real breakthrough in open channel hydraulics modeling.

Easy to Learn and Use

Channel Studio has an all-in-one user interface that puts everything, plans, sections and profiles, right in front of you… all the time. We eliminated those annoying dialog boxes and endless pull-down menus. Compute and visualize results while editing your inputs right there, in a smart grid-style editor.

At last, stand-alone open channel modeling software

Even though it uses long established methodologies for open channel hydraulics, this software is new, inside and out. It’s not a pretty user interface on top of government freeware. Channel Studio is all-inclusive, purpose built for open channel modeling from the ground-up and needs no other software to run.

Setting Up Your Model is Fast & Easy

Just click on a section and add channel data. Enter up to 250 points for user-defined sections. Save time using a TIN Surface or a pre-defined section type.

Add Cross-Sections with a Single Mouse Click

Easily add cross-sections to your model by simply rolling your mouse along the river reaches and clicking. Sections are added, automatically aligned, reach lengths computed, ineffective flow areas established and more.

Easy Geometric Data Entry

Just click on a section and add channel data. Copy & paste station, elevation points from a spreadsheet, insert, delete and even reverse section data. Copy data from one section and paste into another. Adjust sections up or down. Even interpolate between any two unique sections.

Include blocked obstructions, Ineffective Flow Areas

Add blocked obstructions or ineffective flow areas to any cross-section. Great for modeling new buildings, walls, sheet piling or any other post-development structure encroaching the waterway. Define trigger elevations that make them permanent.

Models Bridges, Culverts & Inline Weirs

Any section can be a channel, bridge, culvert or inline weir. 

Comprehensive Bridge Hydraulics

Add bridge structures anywhere on your model and Channel Studio will manage the details like low flow, pressure flow and over-topping flow. Specify high and low deck elevations as well as optional sloped or vertical abutments and piers. The software optionally computes and includes ineffective flow areas for the adjacent channel sections. Includes Contraction and Pier scour.

Model Multi-Barrel Culverts

Add single or multi-barrel crossings with various shapes, inlet configurations, materials, slopes, sizes and flow regimes. Circular, Rectangular, Arch and Open-bottom Arch shapes can be modeled. HDS-5 methodologies.

Model Inline Weirs

Perfect for when you need to regulate upstream water surface elevations. Just add an inline weir structure to your model and set the crest elevation. Channel studio automatically determines the weir type based on the computed water depth and weir width, and applies the appropriate weir coefficient, Cw.

Make Channel Studio your go-to software for open channel modeling 

Cut Cross-Sections Over TIN Surfaces

No need to enter section data points when a TIN Surface is present. Let your mouse do the work. As your cross-sections move, so does the data.

Cut Cross-Sections Over TIN Surfaces

Import a TIN (Triangulated Irregular Network) file from your CAD software and Channel Studio automatically populates your cross-sections with geometric data that matches the surface. With a TIN surface present, you’ll never have to enter station and elevation points.

Import from LandXML or X, Y, Z Point Cloud

Channel Studio can directly import Surfaces from any LandXML file. Don’t have a LandXML file? No problem. You can use your raw field data. Just import a simple X, Y, Z point cloud file and Channel Studio will create a TIN Surface for you.

Export Back to a TIN Surface

Once your model is finished, you’ll have the option to export your channel system and water surface back out to a LandXML TIN Surface. Open up in any TIN-Surface supported CAD software for accurate and realistic floodplain mapping and delineation.

Plenty of Features for Power Users Too

Sophisticated calculation methods, bridge contraction and pier scour, 3-D perspectives and more.

Evaluates Bridge Scour

Channel Studio performs scour analysis through any bridge structure. Using methods per HEC-18, all it needs are bed material, D50 and a selection of pier shape if present. Live-bed and Clear-water equations are employed.

Import/Export RAS GIS Files & Raw Survey Data

Import data from RAS GIS files and easily share your project with other RAS GIS-supported CAD software for flood plain delineation. Import your reaches and/or cross-sections from any .csv file containing Easting (X), Northing (Y), Elevation (Z) values and their associated Feature Codes.

Time-tested Procedures & Calculation Methods

Channel Studio is not a HEC-RAS wrapper, but employs the same calculation procedures. It handles subcritical and supercritical flow with hydraulic jumps. It includes cross-section subdivision for conveyance calculations, composite Manning’s n across channel sections, velocity-weighing coefficients for Alpha, distance-weighted reach lengths and contraction and expansion losses. N-values can vary across sections via Left and Right Overbank stations. Includes three friction-loss methods.

Expert Reports for Expert Engineers

Your expert engineering deserves an expert reward. Treat yourself to exceptional looking print-outs including plans, cross-sections, water surface profiles and tabulated reports.

Numerical reports can also be exported as text or comma delimited files for importing into spreadsheets for further customizing.

Each are designed to command authority while being easily understood by your peers and your reviewers.

Open Channel Software

Reaches

  • Add up to 100 reaches at any length.
  • Add up to 100 cross-sections.
  • Reaches can be curved or straight.
  • Automatically computes reach lengths with user override.
  • User-defined canvas and map extents.
  • Import reaches and sections from raw survey data.
  • Import and export projects from RAS GIS files.

Channel Sections

  • Computes water surface profiles using energy-based procedures following HEC-RAS methodologies.
  • Calculation friction-loss methods including Ave Conveyance, Ave Friction Slope and Geometric Mean.
  • Compute using up to three unique user-defined flow profiles, each with varying Qs and tailwater.
  • Up to 250 user-defined points can be used to describe User-defined channel sections.
  • N-values can vary across sections via Left and Right Overbank Stations.
  • Computes supercritical flow profiles with hydraulic jumps.
  • Specify any known tailwater elevation, normal depth or critical depth as a starting control point.
  • Automatically constructs and includes ineffective flow areas upstream and downstream of bridge and culvert sections.
  • Allows you to graphically draw ineffective flow areas for any cross-section.
  • Reverse cross-section data from looking upstream to downstream and visa versa.
  • Copy and paste geometric data from other cross-sections to minimize user input.
  • Interpolate cross-section data between any two sections for easy section insertion.
  • Adjust geometric cross-section data up or down with a single input.
  • Extracts cross-section points directly from a TIN Surface

Culverts

  • Computes hydraulic grade line (HGL) with flow regimes including supercritical flow and hydraulic jumps.
  • Models inlet and outlet control flow regimes.
  • Computes roadway/embankment overtopping flows.
  • Uses FHWA – HDS-5 methodology.
  • Handles partial, full and surcharged flow regimes automatically.
  • Models circular, rectangular, arch and arch-open bottom sections.

Bridges

  • Computes hydraulic grade line (HGL) through bridge crossings.
  • Specify high and low chord elevations, left and right abutments and multiple vertical piers.
  • Abutments can be sloped or vertical.
  • Computes roadway/deck overtopping flows.
  • Computes contraction and pier scour.

Inline Weirs

  • Computes hydraulic grade line (HGL) over inline weir structures.
  • Weirs can represent emergency spillways or overflow structures. Broad or sharp crested.

Output Features

  • Colorful, professional reports are easy to read and interpret.
  • Georeferenced Plan, Section and Profile plots for easy floodplain delineation.
  • Tabulated reports are exportable to .txt or .csv file formats.
  • Finished Plan Views can be exported to .DXF, TIN Surfaces or a variety of image formats.
  • Print Preview.

Units

  • U.S. Customary
  • Metric