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Autodesk
Status Gathering support
Product InfoDrainage
Categories Hydraulics
Created by Guest
Created on Mar 31, 2026

Dry swale Modelling workflow

Issue Summary:
When modelling a wet or dry swale using the native swale element, the swale does not align to the existing ground profile. Instead, it generates a swale based solely on the defined parameters and the exceedance elevation from the profile, treating this as the lowermost point and grading longitudinally upstream from there. This does not reflect real-world conditions and produces inaccurate hydraulic results.

Workaround Currently in Use:
To address this, I have been modelling the swale as a pipe element with a custom cross-section shape to reflect the swale dimensions. This works adequately for wet swale scenarios. However, for dry swales — which include components such as a filter media layer, a gravel trench, and a perforated underdrain pipe — the native element provides no mechanism to represent these layers, making it difficult to model the full hydraulic behaviour accurately.

Request:
1. Please confirm whether this is a known limitation and if there is an official recommended workflow for modelling dry swales with underdrain systems.
2. If this is a defect, please log it for resolution in a future release.
3. Any guidance on best-practice modelling of dry swales within InfoDrainage would be greatly appreciated.

Software Details:
- Product: Autodesk InfoDrainage
- Version: 2026.3

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  • Guest
    Apr 15, 2026

    The issue is still with all Stormwater control modules, as it picks the levels based on the lowest from the vertices and assigns that as the EL, and changes the US CL based on the long slope, not necessarily following the existing ground profile. Please review and kindly provide a workaround.