From HEC-RAS Data command is used to read water surfaces from a file that is created by the HEC-RAS software.

You can access this command from:

Ribbon: Terrain > Create > From HEC-RAS Data

Workflow

1. Select the file that contains the HEC-RAS data (*.sdf file).
2. The file is read, and the available water surface profiles are listed. If there is more than one, you can either select one profile, or all of them.
3. A terrain model is created for each water surface profile. The name of each terrain model is the same as the name of the water surface profile.

Creating the HEC-RAS Data file

The file is created in the HEC-RAS software by using the File > Export GIS Data menu. You must enable the check-box option to include Water Surface Extents, because this data defines the coordinates of the water surface at each section:

If the file does not include Water Surface Extents, then an error message will be displayed when it is imported.

Example of a cross section in HEC-RAS, including the water surface elevation calculated using a steady-state analysis:

Example of the same location in OpenRoads Designer, showing the profile of the section line and a 3D Cut through the ground terrain and the imported terrain for the HEC-RAS water surface profile: