Grid+
The Curvlinear Grid builder for EFDC+
Grid Building
EFDC+ and other hydrodynamic models — including ECOM, CH3D, and DELFT3D — require 2D curvilinear orthogonal or Cartesian grids. Grid+ was purpose-built to streamline this process, enabling users to construct grids quickly and with precision. Whether the task involves highly complex geometries, such as the San Joaquin–Sacramento River Delta shown below, or very large models exceeding 500,000 cells, Grid+ is well-suited to the challenge. As the successor to CVLGrid, Grid+ introduces a significantly expanded feature set — including rectangular and radial grid creation, an extensive shortcut key library, and numerous workflow improvements — designed to maximize efficiency throughout the grid-building process.
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Grid+.
Background Images
Grid+ displays dynamic online background maps to make grid construction as intuitive and physically representative as possible. Multiple map sources are available, all rendered with latitude/longitude coordinates. For users working offline, Grid+ also supports local background bitmap images — including georeferenced Google Earth imagery — to accurately visualize the model domain.
Optimized for EFDC
Because all EFDC models require 2D curvilinear orthogonal grids, Grid+ has been developed with this requirement at its core. It is fully optimized for use with EFDC+, EFDC_EPA, and EFDC_Hydro. When used within the EE Modeling System (EEMS), Grid+ operates as a tightly integrated component, making the grid-building process faster, more iterative, and easier to refine at every stage.
Grid Creation Tools
With background imagery and overlay files in place, Grid+ provides a comprehensive suite of tools for building grids from scratch. Using georeferenced data, users construct and connect discrete grid blocks while iterating freely on resolution, IJ orientation, and orthogonality. Robust Undo/Redo functionality supports confident experimentation at any point in the process.
Grid and Model Import
Grid+ supports the import of grids from a wide range of existing models, including virtually any legacy EFDC model as well as ECOM and CH3D formats. Imported grids can be edited, refined, and exported as new EFDC+ models or saved in Grid+‘s native format.
Overlay Tools
Grid+ allows users to import, export, and edit a variety of third-party overlay and land boundary files to help visualize the model domain during grid construction. Supported formats include RGF Grid files, AutoCAD DXF files, and ESRI Shapefiles.
