When you click the cross section element on the Layout toolbar, your mouse cursor changes into a cross section element symbol. Clicking in the drawing pane while this tool is active causes a cross section element to be placed at the location of the mouse cursor.

You can model an open channel with the combination of a channel link and a cross section network element. The transect of the channel is defined by the upstream cross section node attributes. You have the option to define the channel shape as User Defined or using a Conduit Catalog reference. The user defined 'Section Types' are Trapezoidal Cross Section and Irregular Channel. If the Cross Section Type is Catalog Cross Section, you may select a Conduit Catalog reference that is a trapezoidal or irregular channel shape. The other catalog conduit shapes are not applicable to cross section nodes.