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Updated 3/19/2026

faq.htm


. . . Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Some answers will reference sections of the ASAD user's manual. This manual can be downloaded from the Download Page.

  1. Where can I get the latest version of ASAD? How much does it cost?
  2. Why does the ‘Draw Plan’ window draw the structures as circles instead of cells?
  3. How do I define the inlet elevation as the theoretical gutter line or some other elevation?
  4. Why do the ‘Level Name’ pulldown boxes only show a partial list of levels when the CAD file contains many more? What is the ASAD Master Level List and how is it related to the ‘Level Name’ pulldown boxes?
  5. What happens when I try to draw to a Level that does not exist in the CAD file?
  6. I’m having problems getting ASAD to run with my Hardware Lock, how I get it to work? What is a Registration File and do I need one?
  7. I am familiar with ASAD (the full version). What’s the difference between ASAD and ASADLt?
  8. I already have ASAD. Do I have to purchase an ASADLtV3 (light version) license to run ASADLtV3?
  9. Do I have to do a full installation everytime a new version is released? already have ASADv3 installed on my computer. I just downloaded a newer version of ASADv3 (ASADV3_SETUP.ZIP), do I need to do an Un-Install and Re-Install to run the latest version?

Q. Where can I get the latest version of ASAD? How much does it cost?

A. The latest version of ASAD can be downloaded from the Download Page

To install:

  1. Download the file ASADV3_SETUP.ZIP into a temporary sub-directory on your computer.
  2. After downloading, unzip the file in the temporary sub-directory.
  3. Click on SETUP.EXE to run the automatic installation program. This will install ASADv3 into it's own subdirectory. The default is: C:/Program Files/ASADv3
  4. The users manual, in pdf format, is in /the temporary sub-directory you created/Users Manual Files/. It can be printed or viewed using Adobe Acrobat pdf reader.
  5. If you have printed the Users Manual or copied to another location, then you can erase the temporary subdirectory from your disk.
  6. Done.

There is no cost for users with an up-to-date technical support agreement.

 

Q. Why does the ‘Draw Plan’ window draw the structures as circles instead of cells?

A. Structures will be drawn as circles instead of cells, if the necessary information is not defined. To draw structures as cells in plan view, the following items must be defined:

  1. The Cell Name must be defined in the structure definition (see section 3.6.1: Drawing Tab) also see Migrating from V2 to V3 (section 1.2.5) to automatically update the structure definitions.
  2. The path/filename of the Cell Library must be defined (see section 1.2.2)

 

Q. How do I define the inlet elevation as the theoretical gutter line or some other elevation?

A. The inlet elevation shown in the Node Edit window (see figure 3.15) is computed as the edge of pavement elevation (in the case of curb inlets). Some agencies prefer to report the inlet elevation as the ‘Theoretical Gutter Elevation’ of the gutter adjacent to the inlet. Using the ‘Inlet Elevation Adjustment’ field (see section 3.6.6), structures such as curb inlets can adjust the computed Inlet Elevation as needed.

 

Q. I’m having problems getting ASAD to run with my Hardware Lock, how I get it to work? What is a Registration File and do I need one?

A. This topic is a little to detailed to document in the FAQ section but you can find the answer to these questions in Section 1.1.2: Installing the Locking Mechanism and Appendix A: The History and Future of ASAD Locking Mechanisms

 

Q.  I am familiar with ASAD (the full version). What’s the difference between ASAD and ASADLt?

A. To answer this, we must start by describing ASAD’s 3 main functions. They are:

  1. Geometry – Storing and using the coordinate geometry provided from roadway alignments: horizontal (baselines), vertical (profiles), and cross sectional cross slopes data to compute pipe lengths, inlet/top elevations, and other data.
  2. Hydraulics – Editing nodes (inlets, manholes, etc), and reaches (pipes), computing pipe sizes, setting invert elevations, and computing storm sewer tabulations report (Storm Tabs). The storm tabs are printed in the FDOT format which is accepted by FDOT, counties, cities, and water management districts across the State of Florida
  3. CAD Drawing – Drawing the storm sewer (plan, profile and cross section views) directly into MicroStation DGN drawings.

Now that you know what ASAD does, it’s easy to describe what ASADLt does. Basically it does ‘(2) Hydraulics’ from the list above and does not do numbers (1) and (3). In other words, it is a hydraulics calculation program only. It shares the same hydraulics calculation engine (HCE) as the full version. This HCE has been used since 1996 on hundreds, if not thousands, of storm sewer projects around the state of Florida. ASADLt’s capacity is the same as ASAD’s: unlimited systems per project and unlimited pipes per system.

 

Q. I already have ASAD. Do I have to purchase an ASADLtV3 (light version) license to run ASADLtV3?

A. No. If you have an ASAD license(s), with an up-to-date technical support agreement, you are entitled to run the light version (ASADLtV3) at no additional cost. However, the total number of ASAD and ASADLtV3 licenses running at one time cannot exceed to the total seats of ASAD you are licensed to use.

 

Q. Why do the ‘Level Name’ pulldown boxes only show a partial list of levels when the CAD file contains many more? What is the ASAD Master Level List and how is it related to the ‘Level Name’ pulldown boxes?

A. The ‘Level Name’ pulldown boxes don’t actually show a partial list of the CAD file levels, they show a list of ‘Active’ level names found in the ‘ASAD Master Level List’. This is a list of levels contained within the ASAD database. The ASAD master list has two primary functions. (1) it serves as an instant resource for creating new levels in CAD files (if the level does not exist) and (2) it allows you to limit the levels which populate the Level Names pulldown boxes throughout ASAD. Use pulldown menu CAD>Levels>ASAD Master Level List to open the window (see figure 5.3). Setting the ‘Active’ field to ‘Yes’ will allow the level to be loaded into the pull downs while ‘No’ will exclude the level. For more information, see section 5.1.6 - Level Names & ASAD Master Level List.

 

Q. What happens when I try to draw to a Level that does not exist in the CAD file?

A. Before ASAD draws into a CAD file, it checks to see if the levels designated (set using ‘Level Names’ pulldown boxes) exist in the CAD file. If a level does not exist, the ‘Missing CAD Level Names’ window will appear and present 3 methods for creating the missing level (see figure 5.4).

 

Q. Do I have to do a full installation everytime a new version is released? I already have ASADv3 installed on my computer. I just downloaded a newer version of ASADv3 (ASADV3_SETUP.ZIP), do I need to do an Un-Install and Re-Install to run the latest version?

A. Generally No. Most changes are made to only a few files. The program exe (ASAD3.EXE), the seed file (SEEDV3.MDB), and some of the User Manual pdf’s. To update, simply download the installation zip file (ASADV3_SETUP.ZIP) from our website (http://www.hiteshew.com/download) to a temporary sub-directory. Unzip the file. Copy ASAD3.EXE from the temporary sub-directory to the c:\program files\asadv3 sub-directory, overwriting the previous version. Now do the same for the seed file (SEEDV3.MDB). You may want to check the dates on the new user manual pdf’s to see if they need to be updated. NOTE: there are some releases that update the CAD engine as well as other files such as top or rpt (report) files. Because of this, it would be wise to do a full installation from time to time.