1Build the Synthetic Model
Step 1 — Create a Synthetic Domain
Navigate to IGW-NET and use 'Go to Synthetic Case Area' (under Utilities) to create a blank model domain.
Step 2 — Configure Aquifer Properties and 3 Layers
Open Domain Attributes ('DomainAttr'). In the Aquifer Attributes tab:
Hydraulic conductivity: 35 ft/day
Recharge: 0 in/yr
Top elevation: 0 ft
Bottom elevation: −180 ft (total thickness = 180 ft)
Navigate to the Simulation Settings tab. Check 'Number of SubLayers=' and enter 3. This subdivides the aquifer into 3 vertical computational layers — each 60 ft thick — for calculating heads and velocities at three elevations.
Step 3 — Add a River Zone (Left Edge)
Go to 'Zones' → 'ZoneRect' and draw a zone along the left edge. In the Sources and Sinks Head Dependent tab, check 'Two-way Head Dependent'. Set stage = −1 m, river bottom = −2.5 m, leakance = 5 day⁻¹ (default).
Step 4 — Add a Stream Line (Right Edge)
Go to 'Lines' → 'DrawLine' and draw a polyline along the right edge. Assign a prescribed head (stage) of −3 m. The head difference between the left river (−1 m) and right stream (−3 m) drives regional flow from left to right.
Step 5 — Add a Pumping Well
Go to 'DrawWell' and place a well near the stream (right side). Assign a pumping rate of −200 GPM. The well will create a cone of depression that distorts the regional flow field — visible in 3D as a depression extending through all three layers.
Step 6 — Simulate
Go to 'Simulation Tools' → 'SIMULATE'. After a minute or two, plan-view results appear — head contours and velocity vectors in the map display. This is the 2D view you're already familiar with. Now let's see it in 3D.
23D Head Distribution
Step 7 — Open the 3D Surface Plot
Go to 'Analysis Tools' → 'Analysis' → 'Display Charts'. In the 3D Surface Plot chart, select 'Head' from the dropdown next to 'Solid3D'. Click 'Show in VTK'. The MAGNET 3D Surface Plot interface opens — a full 3D rendering of the head distribution across all three layers. Rotate, zoom, and pan interactively. The colored volume shows head magnitude — high head on the left (near the river), low head on the right (near the stream), with the cone of depression around the well.
Step 8 — Add the Pumping Well in 3D
Click '>>' to open Other Options. Click 'Add Well Location' and follow the prompts. Expand the well options and set display Radius = 40. Reduce the opacity of the 3D head rendering using the slide bar — this lets you see the well structure through the semi-transparent head volume. The well appears as a vertical cylinder penetrating all three layers.
33D Velocity Vectors
Step 9 — Add 3D Velocity Vectors
In Other Options, click 'Add Velocity Data' and follow the prompts. Expand the velocity options: set Skip-X = 2 and Skip-Y = 2 (display vectors every 2 grid cells for clarity). Set maximum length MaxV = 150. Click 'Apply'. 3D velocity vectors appear throughout the model — showing flow direction and magnitude at every displayed cell across all three layers. Notice how vectors converge toward the well from all directions and how vertical flow components appear between layers.
43D Particle Pathlines
Particles in 3D — Seeing Where Water Actually Goes
Plan-view particles are projections: In Tutorial 3, you traced particles in plan view — watching them migrate across the map. But those paths were flat projections of 3D trajectories. In reality, particles move vertically too — diving from the water table into deeper layers, following vertical gradients around wells, rising toward discharge zones.
3D pathlines show the truth: When rendered in 3D, particle paths reveal the full trajectory — including the vertical component that plan view hides. You see particles that start at the water table, descend into the middle aquifer layer, get captured by the well's cone of depression, and converge at the well screen. This is the actual path water takes — the physical reality behind the 2D projection.
Step 10 — Set Up Particle Tracking
Return to Domain Attributes → Simulation Settings. Check 'Save PTK results'. Set:
Time Step: 182.5 days (0.5 years)
Simulation Length: 1825 days (5 years)
Use the default Vertical Settings for Particle Zone: release as a 2D matrix at mid-aquifer depth (Z = 0.5). Then go to 'Simulation Tools' → 'ParticleTK' → 'Particle Rect', draw a rectangle near the center of the domain, and 'SaveShape'. Run the simulation and allow particle tracking to complete.
Step 11 — Display Particle Pathlines in 3D
Re-open the MAGNET 3D Surface Plot (Display Charts → Show in VTK). Add the pumping well if needed. In Other Options, click 'Add Particle Data' and follow the prompts. 3D particle pathlines appear — showing how particles released at mid-aquifer depth migrate through the flow field. Some are captured by the well, some reach the stream, some travel laterally to other boundaries. The 3D perspective reveals the vertical component of each path.
5Layer Textures
Step 12 — Add Layer Textures
In Other Options, click 'Add Layer Textures' and follow the prompts. This drapes the plan-view model results (head contours and velocity vectors) at each computational layer's elevation in the 3D display. Each of the three layers appears as a horizontal plane at its mid-elevation — showing how the head distribution and flow field vary with depth. This combines the familiarity of plan-view maps with the spatial context of 3D rendering.
Key Concepts
Five 3D display layers: This tutorial demonstrated five elements you can combine in the 3D view: (1) head distribution as a colored 3D volume, (2) the pumping well as a 3D cylinder, (3) velocity vectors in 3D, (4) particle pathlines in 3D, and (5) plan-view textures at each layer elevation. Each can be toggled on/off and adjusted independently — opacity, size, skip interval, color mapping. Build the view that answers your question.
Communication power: For clients, regulators, and juries, a 3D visualization communicates what tables and cross-sections cannot. The cone of depression is a cone — you see it. Particles converge on the well — you watch it. Contamination moves through layers — you follow it. This is why 3D visualization is central to IGW-NET's philosophy: "the machine computes, you think" — and thinking requires seeing.
Sublayers vs. aquifer layers: This tutorial used sublayers — subdividing a single homogeneous aquifer into 3 computational layers. This is different from Tutorial 10 (Aquifer Layers), which stacks geologically distinct units (aquifer/confining unit/aquifer). Sublayers add vertical resolution within one geological unit; aquifer layers represent fundamentally different materials. Both are visualized the same way in 3D.
From synthetic to real: This tutorial used a synthetic model for clarity — no terrain, simple boundaries, one well. In a real-world model, the same 3D visualization shows real terrain, real geology, real well locations, and real contamination pathways. The transition from this tutorial to practice is seamless — the tools are identical.
6What's Next
Continue exploring 3D capabilities and data integration:
Tutorial 26: 3D Point Data Analysis — borehole and well data visualization in 3D
Tutorial 27: DataNET-based Model — build a model from federated data services
Tutorial 28: Data Processing & Regression — statistical analysis, interpolation, regression