Overview

About this manual

This document is the User Manual for TUFLOW CATCH.

New features, improvements and changes between releases are provided centrally in the TUFLOW CATCH Changelog. Documentation for all previous releases, including archived manuals, is available from TUFLOW Downloads.

How to use this manual

This section provides an overview of the manual structure and the navigation features available to help locate information. These instructions are only provided in this section.

Structure

Model construction in TUFLOW CATCH follows a structured workflow. Users should begin with the Architecture chapter, which provides an overview of TUFLOW CATCH’s core architecture. Following that, the Process Descriptions chapter provides a detailed description of the processes that TUFLOW CATCH executes. Finally, the Model Construction chapter outlines the construction of TUFLOW CATCH simulations.

Searching

The search function (top of the left sidebar) searches the entire manual, including chapters, tables and appendices. Matching results are displayed with a short preview of the surrounding text to help identify the relevant result before navigating to it.

Cross-references are used throughout the manual to link related content, including sections, figures, tables, equations, commands, etc. Hovering over a cross-reference displays a preview of the linked content. Selecting the link navigates directly to the referenced item.

Interactive Figures

Some figures are interactive, allowing data to be explored directly within the manual. Depending on the figure, this may include inspecting individual data points, zooming and panning, or using sliders to view changes in data over time.

Note

In the PDF version of the manual, interactive figures are displayed as static images.

Commands

Commands are displayed in highlighted text and are often provided as a clickable link to their corresponding command description in Appendix A — Commands.

The command appendix provides detailed descriptions of each command and its parameters. Each command includes a summary block containing key information such as status, .tcc block, relevant construction section links, etc. Command parameters are then described either within individual sections or in tabulated form, depending on the complexity. The table of contents in the right sidebar provides a convenient way to browse commands and parameters within the appendix.

TUFLOW commands use a structured, colour-coded syntax that is consistent throughout the documentation.

Colour coding:

  • Blue: The command
  • Red: The operator (==)
  • Black: The input(s)/parameter(s)
  • Green: Comments (must be preceded by !)

A vertical bar (|) separates the different input options for a command. Default values are enclosed in curly brackets ({}) and user defined values are enclosed in angled brackets (<>).

For example, the following command could be set to ALL or a user defined comma separated list:

Material == ALL | <material_id_1, material_id_2, ..., material_id_10>   ! command definition

Material == ALL       ! input option 'ALL'

Material == 1, 6, 3   ! example user defined input

Example command blocks are typically provided within scrollable code blocks. These blocks can be copied directly into a text editor when building a model control file. Select the icon in the upper right corner of the block to copy the entire command block to the clipboard. An example block is provided below:

Time Format == ISODATE              ! Set the time format to ISODATE (dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm:ss)
Start Time == 01/01/2021 00:00:00   ! Set the simulation start time to 01/01/2021 00:00:00
End Time == 01/02/2021 00:00:00     ! Set the simulation end time to 01/02/2021 00:00:00 (1 month simulation)

Parameters

Where commands specify parameters (e.g. erosion rates), they are referenced using their parameter notation (outlined below) rather than descriptive text. Parameter references are typically clickable links that navigate directly to the corresponding parameter description in Appendix A — Commands, where the parameter definition and description is provided.

The primary groups of parameters are listed below, with the letter or symbol used to denote each. Typical generalisations of units are parenthesised.

  • Time steps, \(dT\) (seconds or days)
  • Rates, \(R\) (mass per unit area per unit time, or rain rate)
  • Limits, \(L\) (mass per unit area)
  • Concentrations, \(C\) (mass per unit volume)
  • Time constants, \(T\) (seconds)
  • Water depths, \(d\) (metres)
  • Shear, \(\tau\) (Newtons per square metre)
  • Velocities, \(w\) (metres per second)
  • Erosion rates, \(E\) (grams per metres squared per second)

Feedback

Constructive suggestions to improve this manual are welcome, and can be emailed to support@tuflow.com.