Build Grid

Overview

The Build Grid module is a powerful tool that allows the construction of arbitrary 3D ground electrode configurations of a simple or complex nature.

The Professional edition allows below or above-ground conductors to be specified.

Grids can be built using the in-built editing tools or importing custom grids from CAD files.

Grid XY preview

This display illustrates the 3D grid in the X-Y (top-down 2D) plane and shows the dimensions.

You can select segments from the grid preview by left-clicking. You can left-click and drag the cursor whilst holding the left mouse button to select multiple segments (dragging left or right affects the selection).

Right-click segments with the mouse to modify or set their properties. Scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in/out. Hold down mouse wheel to pan.

Grid scale and total number of segments

Used to set the grid scale. 'Fit area' will stretch the grid to fit the drawing area whereas 'Equal scaling' will reflect the actual aspect ratio of the grid. Total number of segments is displayed.

The total number of segments displayed does not consider the additional segments added during the main calculations in Display Results.

Grid operations

Used to manually alter the grid by in-built drawing functions; and import grid from CAD file or export grid as DXF file.

New Grid - Opens the Build new grid window to create a new standard grid shape which you can modify. Note it can be a below ground (positive depth Z) or above ground (negative depth Z) grid.

Import CAD - Opens the Import grid from CAD file window which allows you to import a grid which has been drawn in CAD and has been saved in DXF (ASCII) file format.

Export - Export grid as DXF file where tags will be used as layer names.

Snap Tools - Opens the Snap tools window which allows you to enable different snap tools to help you adding or modifying the segments.

Drawing Tools – 19 new drawing functions provided to help you editing the grid. Refer to the Drawing tools summary page for an explanation of each of the drawing tools.

Undo – Reverses the last operation or multiple operations which were performed on the grid and reverts to the previous state.

Select and view options

View - Change the view between 2D Grid View, Conductor Type view and Orthographic view.

The Conductor Types view allows you to visualise in the drawing space the Conductor types of the segments.
The Orthographic view allows the grid to be viewed and edited in 3D. Rods and segments can now be clicked in the ZX and the ZY planes.

Tags Manager - Opens the Tags manager window which allows you to add, remove and edit the tags. You are also able to include or exclude tags for calculations. Note that segments with tags which are excluded from calculations will be hidden in the Grid XY preview and also will not be used for calculation.

Edit mode - Change the edit modes: edit grid segments together with background segments, edit grid segments only or edit background segments only.

Properties and overlapping errors

Properties

These controls display the properties of the currently selected segment (which are numbered).

Conductor type - Choose the conductor type which were defined under Design Settings. Conductor types are settable from the Design settings window.

Insulated, Faulted, Background - Specify whether the segment is insulated, faulted or used as background.

Transient (high-frequency) energisation: It is assumed the insulation of insulated conductors is ideal or perfect which is an acceptable assumption for low-frequencies however for high-frequencies there should be some non-zero leakage current also considered.

Tag name - Create and assign tags to segments.

Coordinates - Change the segment coordinates.

Rod (indicator only) - Determined by whether the segment alignment is vertical (same start and end X and Y coordinates with different start and end Z coordinates) and if it is below ground (buried).

Overlapping errors

The segment numbers for the overlapping segments are listed. Input the index in Selected to quickly locate the overlapping segments in the drawing for further investigation.