Pumpsim™ operates in a full three dimensional (3D) graphical environment. The main Pumpsim™ window contains all the functions you will require to create, edit, view and simulate pipes and models.


Fig. 2.0.1: A Pumpsim™ window open with the Menu bar, "View" Toolbar, "Action" Toolbar, "Data" Toolbar, Display Manager, Data Position Control and Simulation status highlighted in yellow.

  1. Menu Bar  –  Consists of options required to load, save, view and manipulate the model, as well as options to change settings and simulate models.
  2. "View" Toolbar  –  Contains options to show or hide various graphics items such as arrows, text, nodes and reference graphics (DXF).  This toolbar can be hidden or moved to the left or right of the screen.
  3. "Action" Toolbar  –  Consists of many of the construction tools required to build models, as well as options to save or load new model and alter animation speeds for arrows.  This toolbar can be hidden, but not moved to other locations.
  4. "Data" Toolbar  –  Allows the text and colours of pipes and channels to be changed.  Displays or hides the colour legend control. This toolbar can be hidden or moved to the upper or lower part of the screen.
  5. Display Manager  –  Contains controls to alter the colour or transparency of pipes and channels on the screen.  In addition it can also change the display to show different layers, levels (elevations) or water types on display.
  6. Data Position Control  –  Selects the position along a pipe or channel from which data will be displayed as text on screen or as colours.  The condition of water will change along a pipe or channel, therefore this option is available to select which position along the segment display data is sourced from.  The first and last button displays the conditions of water entering and exiting a segment.  The middle button displays an average of data through the segment.
  7. Mouse cursor position coordinates in the 3D screen.
  8. Simulation status  –  Green = successful simulation, Yellow = successful simulation with warnings, Red = unsuccessful simulation.

The successful utilisation of some of the unique aspects of a 3D perspective view comes from an understanding of how this software functions. Pumpsim™ has a number of guides to assist in viewing and construction in 3D.

Point of Focus

The view in the main 3D Pumpsim™ window is essentially a view seen from a ‘camera’ floating in space, aimed at a point of focus.  Your eye is the camera.  The point of focus is always in the centre of the screen, at a pre-determined distance away from the camera.

Moving the Point of Focus

You can move closer or further away from the point of focus with the Mouse Scroll button, and rotate around this point of focus with the Mouse Right button. To move the screen to a different location, the point of focus needs to be moved.  

There are several ways to move the point of focus;


Fig. 2.0.2: Mouse commands.

The Edit Plane

The Edit Plane is a horizontal plane at a set elevation. By default, any new objects are initially constructed on the edit plane. The edit plane can be viewed by ensuring the grid function is turned on. The plane will be crossed with grid coordinate lines. If the Shift key is held, the edit plane will be made semi-transparent which will indicate where it intersects existing pipes and channels.


Fig. 2.0.3: The Edit Plane is the horizontal plane at the elevation of the user.

To move an edit plane, select a new point of focus by centering on an object, or use the Shift-Mouse-Scroll combination to move the edit plane elevation.  The coordinates in the status bar at the bottom left corner of the screen will always show the elevation of the edit plane.

Hint: The Edit Plane will also temporarily move automatically to the level of an object being drawn from another object.  Additionally, the edit plane and point of focus can be moved manually by the Set Edit Plane function in the View menu.


Fig. 2.0.4: Changing the Edit Plane to draw pipes.


Drawing in the Third Dimension

Drawing in three dimensions can be a challenge as the view is being displayed on a two dimensional screen monitor.  Pumpsim™ alleviates this problem by only drawing on the horizontal plane except when the shift key is pressed, or the screen is orientated to a vertical cross section orientation.

The True Vertical Guide

3D perspective views do not necessarily show a vertical object as pointing straight up.  As objects move further left and right of the point of focus, they ‘lean’ over away from the centre of the view.  To assist the user as to which direction is truly up while creating or editing, a true vertical line is displayed while drawing, moving or copying.  If the object being drawn aligns with the true vertical line , then it is vertical.  

The true vertical line can also assist in locating objects directly under or over other objects at different elevations by observing where the line ‘intersects’ objects above and below the current point being edited.