& Construction
![architecture engineering and construction collection logo](https://damassets.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/universal-header/flyout/architecture-engineering-construction-collection-uhblack-banner-lockup-364x40.png)
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
& Manufacturing
![product design manufacturing collection logo](https://damassets.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/universal-header/flyout/product-design-manufacturing-collection-uhblack-banner-lockup-364x40.png)
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
3 min read
When it comes to evaluating drainage design software, one of the paramount requirements is that it delivers results in line with your local and regional rainfall types and runoff calculation regulations. Runoff calculations play a crucial role in optimizing drainage systems and meeting sustainability requirements, and over the years, there have been a plethora of approaches to calculating this runoff volume and corresponding flow.
For InfoDrainage, Autodesk’s drainage design software, you have the luxury of choosing from a vast number of rainfall types and runoff calculation methods. In this short blog, we’ll take a look at the various rainfall types and runoff calculation methods in InfoDrainage, and touch on a few details from tutorials.
If you’re not already an InfoDrainage user, you can download a free 30-day trial (no credit card required) and explore rainfall options in the software.
Rainfall data is fundamental for determining the amount of runoff generated by a storm event. Given the variable environmental and climatic conditions, rainfall types and distributions are highly regionalised. InfoDrainage incorporates all major design rainfall types, from NOAA’s rainfall in the US to FSR and FEH in the UK and ARR in Australia.
The chart below outlines all currently supported design rainfall types by region. Additionally, you can customize rainfall data by creating Intensity Duration and Frequency (IDF) tables and assigning temporal patterns to create a User Defined Rainfall. You can also leverage InfoDrainage’s Known Rainfall functionality to analyze unique hyetographs.
By giving you this flexibility, you can ensure design accuracy by using the most appropriate rainfall type and distribution for any of your projects, local or global.
Region | Rainfall types in InfoDrainage |
---|---|
US | NOAA rainfall |
US, Global | SCS Rainfall |
China/Canada | Chinese Rainfall (aka Chicago Rainfall) |
UK | FSR Rainfall |
UK | FEH Rainfall |
Australia | ARR Rainfall |
France | Desbordes |
If you are looking to get a better grasp of the rainfall types workflow, watch our short on-demand training module on Creating Rainfall Data. The module walks through using the Rainfall Manager to create and assign design storms for analysis in InfoDrainage.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that InfoDrainage’s Rainfall Manager enables you to create custom templates and libraries for any region around the globe. For example, you can model a known rainfall event to analyze hyetograph data and historical rain gauge data, which can be manually entered and/or imported from a wide variety of data types. Additionally, you can build unique temporal patterns and apply them to one or more rainfall events based on a duration and a total depth (or average intensity). The Water Drop workflow video below walks you through that process.
Following our discussion on rainfall types and how design storms can be created, templatised, and assigned in InfoDrainage, it is only natural that we segue to a discussion on runoff methods to identify the runoff flow intended to be used for the optimal sizing of stormwater infrastructure. Typically, a portion of your rainfall will contribute to your runoff flow, and that flow can be calculated through a range of graphical and numerical methods, some more complex than others, most of which are available within InfoDrainage as summarized in the table below.
Runoff method in InfoDrainage |
---|
SWMM Method |
Rational Method |
Modified Rational Method |
Laurenson Method |
Green Roof Method |
ReFH Method |
ReFH2 Method |
FEH Method |
FSR Method |
Time Area Diagram Method |
Santa Barbara Unit Hydrograph Method |
SCS Method (aka curve number method with calculator) |
Time of Concentration Method (with calculator) |
If you’re looking to dive deeper into how these rainfall types and runoff methods are leveraged inside InfoDrainage, as well as solving common drainage design challenges, Solutions Engineers Hunter Sparks and Midori Patterson discuss these concepts in a past Water Talk.
Our product development teams are constantly at work adding new features and functionalities to InfoDrainage, as well as communicating with customers in multiple ways:
Sign up for the One Water Blog newsletter, and we'll keep you updated about our top stories, along with the best content we find online. We only send out a newsletter when we have something interesting to share.
May we collect and use your data?
Learn more about the Third Party Services we use and our Privacy Statement.May we collect and use your data to tailor your experience?
Explore the benefits of a customized experience by managing your privacy settings for this site or visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about your options.