Tutorial:

Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models

Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

Integrated Conceptual & Numerical
Groundwater Modeling Software
© 2021 by Waterloo Hydrogeologic
Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models

Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 2

1 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models

The following example is a quick walk-through of the basics of importing an existing Visual
MODFLOW Classic or MODFLOW data set.

Objectives

· Learn how to create a project and import an existing numerical model

· Become familiar with navigating the GUI and steps for numerical modeling

· Learn how to view and edit properties and boundary conditions, in a variety of views

· Translate the model inputs into MODFLOW packages and run the MODFLOW engines

· Understand the results by interpreting heads and drawdown in several views

· Check the quality of the model by comparing observed heads to calculated heads

Required Files
This tutorial is designed to allow you to work with the provided example files or you can select
your own Visual MODFLOW Classic or MODFLOW project, and follow through the steps. If
you wish to use the model that is shown in the following example, it can be found in the Visual
MODFLOW Flex documents folder, which is typically:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Visual MODFLOW Flex\Tutorials\VMOD Import\vmod-
model-import\vmod-model

If you cannot locate these files, they are also available to be downloaded from our website.

Importing a Visual MODFLOW Classic Project

The release of Visual MODFLOW Flex v5.0 introduced a new method of importing Visual
MODFLOW Classic projects. This new method simplifies the process to import an existing
Visual MODFLOW Classic project. The new method combines the 'Create a new project' and
'import model files' processes into a single step. This section describes the new procedure
for importing Visual MODLFOW Classic projects. The old/customary method of importing
Visual MODFLOW Classic and other MODFLOW projects is covered in the next section
(Create the Project and Import Model Files).

If you import your Visual MODFLOW Classic project using this new method, please follow the
steps in this section and then skip ahead to the 'View/Edit Grid' section. Please note that this

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3 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

method does not work for other MODFLOW projects, it is specific to the import of Visual
MODFLOW Classic projects.

· Launch Visual MODFLOW Flex .

· Select [File] then [Import Project..].
· Browse to the location of your Visual MODFLOW Classic project and select the Visual
MODFLOW Classic file (i.e. [Link] file). This project file will be
contained in the folder:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Visual MODFLOW Flex\Tutorials\VMOD Import\vmod-

model

· Click [Open].
· The 'Import Visual MODFLOW Classic Project' window will open:

· Enter a project name for the Visual MODFLOW Flex project (by default it will enter the
same project name as the Visual MODFLOW Classic project). In this example the
project has been named 'VMOD Import Tutorial'
· Select a data repository for the Visual MODFLOW Flex project, select whether to create
a folder for the project, and provide a description as required.
· Click [Import]
· A dialogue window will load showing the progress of the model import:

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 4

The dialogue window should indicate that all model elements have been imported
successfully. Note that there may be some warning messages that are generated indicating
that there are no distributed concentrations. Dismiss the warning. The following model
components will be loaded: grid, model properties, boundary conditions,
MODPATH/ZoneBudget inputs (i.e. zones, particles) and observation data.

· Click [Close]
· The new numerical model should be fully loaded, and the 'Define Modeling Objectives'
workflow step will be active:

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5 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

You can now continue with the regular numerical modeling workflow by proceeding to the
section of this tutorial titled View/Edit Grid.

Creating the Project and Import Model Files

This section describes the procedure for importing MODFLOW project files (developed
independently of the Visual MODFLOW Classic/Flex interface) into the Visual MODFLOW
Flex interface. This procedure can also be used to import Visual MODFLOW Classic
projects, but the procedure outlined in the previous section (for Visual MODFLOW Classic
projects) is more streamlined.

· Launch Visual MODFLOW Flex .

· Select [File] then [New Project..]. The Create Project dialog will appear.
· Type in the project name 'Import Tutorial'.
· Click the [ ] button, and navigate to a folder where you wish your projects to be
saved, and click [OK].
· Define your coordinate system and datum (or just leave the local cartesian as defaults).
· For this project, the default units will be fine.

The Create Project dialog should now look like this (units may be different):

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 6

· Click [OK]. The workflow selection screen will appear.

· Select [Numerical Modeling] and the Numerical Modeling workflow will load.
· In this step, you define the objectives of your model and the default parameters.

· For the Start Date, expand the date picker, and select 1/1/2000

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7 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

Please Note: the start date for the numerical model is only relevant should you
decide to import pumping well or observation data in absolute times; MODFLOW
always uses relative time, with a start time = 0 (days or seconds)

· Click [ ] (Next Step) to proceed.

· At this step, you can choose to create a new empty numerical grid, or import an existing
project.

· Click the [Import Model] button.

· Navigate to the folder that contains your Visual MODFLOW or MODFLOW project.
Or you can open the project located in: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Visual MODFLOW
Flex\Tutorials\VMOD Import
· Select the file (.VMF [VMOD Classic] or .NAM [MODFLOW] file) and click [Open] to
continue. The import will start and you will see the status in the progress window.
o For VMOD Classic projects, it is usually easier to follow the steps listed in the section
above (i.e. simply click File > Import Project... from the main menu, and browse to
and select a VMOD Classic project file (.VMF))
o If the project was built in a different groundwater modeling program than the model
name file (.NAM) must be selected instead
· During the import, there are a few things to observe:
· Flex runs a series of validation checks on the MODFLOW projects you import and will
display warnings for any anomalies it finds. In the example project provided for this
tutorial, Flex will warn you that the [Link] file is missing from the
project you are importing.
· Hit [OK] to continue.

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 8

· The status of each model element import is shown in the main window; any detected
errors will be shown here.
· After the import, you will see the 'Model Explorer' is populated in the bottom left corner
of the screen; from here, you can show/hide different model inputs/outputs.

Please Note: You can add other data objects to the model, such as an image or
other raw data (polyline/polygon shapefiles). These files need to first be imported, then
they can be displayed at the one of the subsequent steps ('View Grid', 'Define
Properties', 'Define Boundary Conditions') or in a 3D viewer by selecting [Window] then
[New 3D Window], then checking on the box beside the appropriate data object.

· Click [ ] (Next Step) to proceed, where you will arrive at the View/Edit Grid step.

View/Edit Grid
· At this step, you can view the numerical grid in layer (plan) view, cross-sectional (along
row or column), and 3D view.
· There are numerous tools available to control and manipulate the grid views:

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9 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

· Under 'Views', select the various views you want to see in the Flex viewer; VMOD Flex
allows you to simultaneously show a layer, row, column and 3D Views. Place a check
box beside the desired view and it will appear on the screen.
· Adjust a specific layer, row, or column using the up/down arrows. Alternatively, click on

the [ ] button then click on any specific row, column, or layer in any of the 2D views,
and the selected row, column, or layer will be set automatically.

· The standard navigation tools allow you to zoom, pan, and in the case of 3D view,
rotate.
· Click [ ] (Next Step) to proceed to the Properties step.

Define Properties
· At the this step, you can view/edit the flow properties for the model, including hydraulic
conductivity, storage parameters, and porosity. If you are simulating transport, then
transport related properties such as bulk density, dispersion coefficients, sorption, and
reaction parameters can also be viewed and edited at this step.

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 10

· Under the Toolbox, use the combo box to select from the various Property Groups:
Conductivity, Storage, and Initial Heads.
· For each parameter group, you can choose to render by Zones or by a selected
attribute. Based on your selection, the color rendering in the views will change.
· Click [Edit...] button to see the conductivity zones that exist in your model and the
values in each individual cell.
· Use the same tools as described in the previous step to manipulate the views.
· The display tools will allow you to switch from discrete cells rendering to color
shading/contours.

The display tools will allow you to switch from discrete cells rendering to color
shading/contours (note, this is available only when you are rendering by an attribute and not
when you are rendering by ZoneID)

Show/hide grid lines

Show as cells
Show as Surface

· At the bottom of the display, you will see in the status bar the position of your mouse
cursor in the current view (XY) grid position (Layer, Row, Column), grid dimension (cell
width, length, and thickness), and the Zone ID or attribute value for the selected cell.
· Click [ ] (Next Step) to proceed to the Boundary Conditions step.

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11 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

Define Boundary Conditions

· At this step, you can view/edit the flow (and transport) boundary conditions for the
model. By default, Constant Heads (if any) will be displayed in the model. In order to
see other boundary conditions, you can set these to visible from the Model Explorer
(check on the appropriate cell groups or boundary condition category). All cells in a
visible (checked) boundary condition will be displayed in a 3D view; however, you will
only see in boundary condition cells in the current layer, row, or column in the layer,
row, or column views respectively. Also, when you choose another boundary condition
from the Toolbox (eg. River), then this set of boundary condition cells will become
visible.

· From the toolbox, select the desired boundary condition group (Constant Head, Rivers,
etc..)
· Then select [Edit...].
· Click on a cell that belongs to the boundary you are interested in; a dialog will appear
where you can see the parameters for all cells in that boundary. If you want to switch to
see values in a different boundary, you can select it in the grid view and the dialog will
automatically update to show the new boundary.
· For Recharge or Evapotranspiration, you need to select this Boundary Condition type
from the list under the Toolbox, and the Recharge/EVT zonation will appear. A
[Database] button will be enabled allowing you to view the zonations.
· You can also assign new boundary conditions to the model using the [Assign] options;
for more details, please see Define Boundary Conditions
· Click [ ] (Next Step) to proceed. You will arrive at the "Select the Next Step" options
screen

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 12

Proceed to Run or Define Optional Model Elements

· You will arrive at a choice screen; where you can proceed to define some of the “non-
essential” inputs for the model, such as Zone Budget Zones, Particles, and Observation
Wells. Or, you can proceed to setting up a model simulation run.

· Click the [Select Run Type] button to proceed (Mouse over this and you will see the

blue [ ] arrow appear on top; just left click once to select this option. (Alternatively,
the [ ] (Next step) button will take you to this step, as it is pre-defined as the default
step.)

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13 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

· Click the [Single Run button] to proceed. (Alternatively, the [ ] (Next step) button
will take you to this step, as it is pre-defined as the default step.)

· You will arrive at the 'Select Engines' step. Here you can choose which engine(s) you
want to run (i.e. what version of MODFLOW-2000, -2005, etc.., and if you want to
include MODPATH and ZoneBudget in the run.
· The version of MODFLOW that you used in the Visual MODFLOW Classic model
should be selected by default; if you wish to run MODPATH and ZoneBudget, be sure to
select these engines as well.

Please Note: ***De-select MT3DMS engine.*** since transport inputs are not
fully defined for this model.

· Click [ ] (Next Step) to proceed.

Translate Packages
· You will arrive at the 'Translation Step'.
· At this step, you can choose:
o whether to run the simulation as steady-state or transient,
o the numerical solver you want to use, and
o define other MODFLOW package/run settings, such as cell-rewetting, etc.

Some of the translation settings are not fully imported from the Classic model, including
the option to run the model as Steady-State vs. Transient (although all of the schedule
will be preserved) and the solver settings. These will need to be reviewed and [Link]
more details, see MODFLOW Translation Settings.

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 14

· Click the MODFLOW-2005 > Settings node in the translation tree and verify the
following settings:
o Property Package = BCF6
o Run Type = Transient

· Click the MODFLOW-2005 > Solvers node in the translation tree and verify the
following settings:
o Selected Solver = BiCGSTAB-P Matrix Solver (WHS)
o Max. inner iterations (ITER1) = 50
o Residual criterion (RCLOSE) = 0.001

· Click the [ ] button to proceed; this will read the input from the numerical
model and “translate” this into the various input files needed by MODFLOW and the
other engines. The files will be created in a file directory in the project structure that is
accessible by pressing the folder [ ] button in the toolbar.

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15 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

· Click the [ ] (Next step) button to proceed. You will arrive at the “Run Engines Step”.

Run Engines

· Click the [ ] button on the main workflow toolbar to start running the engines.
You will see a tab for each Engine that includes feedback on the progress of the
simulation. Flow and transport engine windows also include a chart of the mass
balance residuals and maximum cell value changes as reported by the engine solver.
Engine runs that complete successfully with include a green checkmark to the left of
the engine tab label.

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 16

· Note that after a successful run, the Heads, Pathlines and other output items will be
added to the tree in the model explorer.
· Once finished, Click the [ ] (Next step) button to proceed.

View Results
· You can then choose to view results in the form of Maps (Contours and Color shading)
or Charts.

View Maps
· Click the [View Maps] button.
· You will then see color shading of the calculated heads, in layer view.

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17 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

· You can display heads along a row, and along a column, and in 3D, using the same
tools as you used earlier. (refer to View/Edit Grid section)
· If your model is transient, use the time controls above the Flex Viewer to change the
output time; as you do this, all active viewers (layer, row, column, 3D), will refresh to
show the heads (or other visible outputs) for the new time.

· If you ran MODPATH, you will see Pathlines appear as a new node in the 'Model
Explorer' tree under Output; add a check box beside the Backward Pathlines (i.e.
[Points Group1 Pathlines]) to display these in the active 2D/3D Viewers. You may
need to zoom into the middle of the layer view to see the pathlines. (You can
automatically zoom to an object by right-clicking on it in the Model Explorer and
selecting "Zoom to Object"

Please Note: you may need to revise the particle settings before running MODPATH.
Right-click the existing particle group object in the Model Explorer and select 'Edit' to
change particle group settings. Remember that backward particles should have a
release time at the end of the simulation and an end time at the beginning of the
simulation.

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 18

The pathlines are well represented in a 3D Viewer.

· Turn on the check box beside 3D View, in the available views

· Turn off the check box beside Layer View
· From the Model Explorer, turn off the check box beside Heads
· From the Data explorer (raw data), turn on the check box beside "VMod Imported Wells"
· Take a moment to rotate your 3D view, and zoom in, and you can get a display similar
to the one shown below.

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19 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

You can also display velocity vectors, which will allow you to easily display and interpret flow
fields.

· Turn off the check box beside 'Points Group 1 Pathlines' in the Model Explorer
· Turn on the 'Velocity' output option, in the Model Explorer under 'Outputs' > 'Flow'
· Access the Velocity display settings by right-clicking and selecting 'Settings'
· In the Settings window, access the 'Style' > 'VelocityMap' settings

Velocity vectors may be displayed using average linear or Darcy velocities. In-plane velocity
vectors can be displayed using the full magnitude of the vector (i.e. the out-of-plane velocity
component will be included), as a projection (i.e. only the in-plane velocity component is
displayed), or simply a directional indicator (i.e. the size of the arrow is not dependent on the
actual velocity). By default, the velocity vectors will initially be displayed as a projection with
average linear velocity values, on a linear scale.

A normal velocity color map function is also supported, which allows you to interpret flows
perpendicular to the selected layer/row/column (i.e. out-of-plane flow). By default the normal
velocity color map will be displayed with a red/blue color scheme, with red areas indicating
flow inward (i.e. corresponding to the positive X, Y or Z direction), and blue areas indicating
flow outward (i.e. corresponding to the negative X, Y or Z direction). Areas with velocities
below the specified in-plane range threshold will be displayed using the specified In-plane
color (which is grey by default). You can find more information about the velocity map display
settings in the 3D Gridded Data section of this manual.

Update the velocity map settings as follows:

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 20

· In the 'Color' frame, select the 'Custom' option, and select 'Yellow' as the display
color
· In the 'Velocity type' frame, select the 'Darcy' option
· In the 'Scale factor' frame, type a scale factor of 3.0
· Deselect the 'Show legend' option, so that the legend will be hidden

The Velocity should be similar to the following:

· Click Apply
· Select the Colors tab and set the In-plane range to 3.00%

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21 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

· Click OK

Take a moment to rotate your 3D view, and zoom in, and you can get a display similar to the
one shown below.

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 Importing VMOD/MODFLOW Models 22

View Charts
· Click on View Charts from the workflow tree, and a blank charting window will appear.
· Select the appropriate set of wells, or layers that contain wells, and click [Apply] and
the following window will appear:

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23 Visual MODFLOW Flex 7.0

· To the left of the chart window, you can choose what observation data to view; select
individual wells, or see wells that belong to a specific group. After making a change to
the well(s) selection, click on the [Apply] button to update the chart.
· In the Charts toolbox, under Chart Type, select [Time Series], and the following
window will appear:

*****This concludes the 'Importing Visual MODFLOW/MODFLOW Models' tutorial.*****

© 2021 by Waterloo Hydrogeologic