DAT to DAT

Introduction

This utility performs a variety of operations on the TUFLOW 2D outputs. Valid formats are .xmdf (as of utility version 2012-10-AC) and .dat files. This page is split into two section, utility operations (e.g. maximum, difference etc.) and general options. The general options can be used regardless of operation being performed. The table of contents can be used to jump to a desired operation.

Operations

The section below contains a list of the operations that the utility can perform. One of these operations must be specified or the utility will generate an error.

Max

Input Switch: -max
Description
This can be used to extract the maximum from a number of input datasets. Any number of input files can be specified. If a maximum folder exists in an .xmdf file for the type specified, this dataset will be used, for dat files use -t99999 to use the maximum data in the .dat file.
Examples


1. dat_to_dat.exe -max results_1_h.dat results_2_h.dat results_3_h.dat
Extracts the maximum water level from the three .dat files.
2. dat_to_dat.exe -max -typeH results_1.xmdf results_2.xmdf results_3.xmdf
As above but for results stored in xmdf file format.

Difference

Input Switch: -dif
Description
This can be used to compare two datasets. If a third files is specified, the third file is used as the output file. The output filename can also be specified with the -out option. The output is the first results minus the second result file.
A special wet/dry algorithm is used. If water level results are not specified (_h.dat or -typeH), the algorithm opens these files, as well as opens the .2dm file associated with the results files, and uses the water levels and ZH Zpt values (for 2D cells) and elevations at the WLL triangle corners to determine whether a node (corner of an mesh element) is wet or dry. This allows two special values to be output in the event that a node is dry in one results file and wet in the other or vice versa. A value of 99 is used to indicate that a node is dry in the first results file, but is flooded in the second results file, while +99 indicates that the node was wet in the first results file but is dry in the second results file. Specifying -nowetdry does not carry out a wet/dry check using the water level results.
The -t option can be used to carry out the difference at a particular time (rather than all times). The most common time is to take the difference at the flood peak, ie. specify t99999.
Examples


3. dat_to_dat.exe -dif results_developed_h.dat results_existing_h.dat
Extracts the difference in water level, the output is results_developed_h - results_existing_h for all timesteps.
4. dat_to_dat.exe -dif -typeH -nowetdry results_developed.xmdf results_existing.xmdf
Extracts the difference in water level for the maximum water level and suppresses the wet/dry check described above.

Duration

Input Switch: -dur<cut of value>
Description
Determines the duration in hours that the the results exceed the cut of value.
Note: A preferable approach is to use the .tcf file command: Time Output Cutoff Depths == <cut of value or values>. With this command specified TUFLOW tracks this on a timestep by timestep basis rather than post processing this at the map output interval.
Examples


5. dat_to_dat.exe -dur0.1 -typeD results.xmdf
Extracts the duration in flooding above 0.1m deep.

Keep

Input Switch: -k<output time>
Description
Can be used to extract a single timestep from a results file. This is useful to extract the maximums to a separate file making it easier to transfer electronically. To keep a range of output times see the -range option below.
Examples


6. dat_to_dat.exe -k99999 results_h.dat
Creates a new results file containing just the maximum from the water level results.
7. dat_to_dat.exe -k2.5 -typeV results.xmdf
Creates a new results file containing just velocity results for the 2.5 hour output.

Range

Input Switch: -rangeA<start time> -rangeB<end time>
Description
Extracts all timestep between start time and end time (inclusive) into a separate results file.
Examples


8. dat_to_dat.exe -rangeA1 -rangeB2.5 results_q.dat
Creates a new results file containing the outputs between 1.0 and 2.5 hours. Both 1 and 2.5 hour outputs are included.
9. dat_to_dat.exe -rangeA1 -rangeB2.5 results.xmdf
As above but for xmdf input files.

Remove

Input Switch: -r<output time>
Description
Creates a new output file and removes the output time from this.
Examples


10. dat_to_dat.exe -r3 results_d.dat
Creates a new output file which does not include the output at 3.

Trim Values

Input Switch: -trim<value>
Description
Creates a new output file which has any values above <value> set to <value>. If the input is a vector data, the vector magnitude is used to trim the value (direction is unchanged).
Examples


11. dat_to_dat.exe -trim5 -typeV results.xmdf
Creates a new output of velocity with any outputs greater than 5.0 set to 5.0.

Times

Input Switch: -times
Description
Creates a text file which contains the output times in the .dat or xmdf file. If no output filename is specified with the -out option the output file will be called "times.txt". For xmdf files see also the -xnfo option below.
Examples


12. dat_to_dat.exe -times results_h.dat
Creates an an output file "times.txt" which contains all timesteps that are contained in the results file.

XMDF Information

Input Switch: -xnfo
Description
Creates a text file which contains a list of the datasets contained within the .xmdf file. The number of output times and the output times are also exported to the text file.
Examples


13. dat_to_dat.exe -xnfo -out xmdf_info.txt results.xmdf
Creates an an output file with the specified filename "xmdf_info.txt", which contains information about the contents of the xmdf file.

Vector Angle

Input Switch: -va
Description
Outputs the vector direction in degrees relative to north (North = 0°, East = 90°, South = 180°/-180°, West = -90°). Examples


14. dat_to_dat.exe -va results_v.dat
Outputs the velocity direction for all timesteps in the results_V.dat file.

Concatenate

Input Switch: -con
Description
Concatenates (joins) two or more results files into one. Each results file must be from the same 1D/2D mesh. Examples


15. dat_to_dat.exe -con results1_h.dat results2_h.dat results3_h.dat
Joins the three files into a single .dat file.
16. dat_to_dat.exe -con -typeH results1.xmdf results2.xmdf results3.xmdf
Joins the water level results contained in the .xmdf files into a single

Convert

Input Switch: -conv
Description
Converts between .dat and .xmdf format results. Not to be confused with -con (concatenate option described above)! Examples


17. dat_to_dat.exe -conv -typeH -t99999 results1.xmdf
Converts the maximum water level results in the xmdf file into .dat file format.
18. dat_to_dat.exe -conv results1.xmdf
Converts all datasets and times in the .xmdf file into .dat file format. This will output a number of .dat files.
19. dat_to_dat.exe -conv results1_h.dat
Converts all times in the .dat file into xmdf file format.

Ensight (beta)

Input Switch: -ensight
Description
Converts an .xmdf file (.dat not yet supported) into Ensight Gold format.
If the input dataset is corner based (standard output) the Ensight results are output as scalar / vector per node (cell and triangle corners).
If the result is high resolution (Map Output Format == xmdf high res) then the Ensight results are per element. For 2D cells this is based on the cell centre output, for triangles (1D water level lines) this is based on an interpolation of the triangle vertices. The conversion produces the following output files:


• Ensight case file;
• Ensight geometry file;
• Ensight results as either per node or per element depending on the input file.

This conversion is in beta stage and any feedback can be sent to support@tuflow.com.
Examples


20. dat_to_dat.exe -ensight results1.xmdf
Converts all datasets in the xmdf file into Ensight format.

General Options

Batch Mode

Input Switch: -b
Batch mode suppresses prompt to press Enter at end of processing. Used in .bat files where two or more files are to be processed in succession.

Output Filename

Input Switch: -out "output_filename"
Sets the output filename.

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