ModelMuse and MODFLOW-

2005 Tutorial
How to download to your
personal computer
Skip to Using ModelMuse in the
Computer Lab for how to use the
program
 To Download MODFLOW and ModelMuse
to personal computers (Windows only)

• Click the
download for
your operating
system
• Follow the
installation
instructions

http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/gwsoftware/ModelMuse/ModelMuse.html
 To Download MODFLOW and ModelMuse
to personal computers (Windows only)
• The default is to
create a folder
on your C drive
under program
files called
USGS and then
another folder
there for
ModelMuse

• This is
important to
know for a later
step

http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/gwsoftware/ModelMuse/ModelMuse.html
 Download MODFLOW-2005

CLICK ON THIS

http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/modflow/MODFLOW.html#downloads
 Download MODFLOW-2005
The download is a zip file.

You need to extract (unzip) the files (actually it’s a folder) into a folder you can
find…this is really important later

I would put it into your folder: C:\Program Files\USGS

Using ModelMuse in the
Computer Lab
Getting into ModelMuse

Once you log in, go

to the Department
Applications folder
on the desktop and
double click on
ModelMuse
Starting the Model
Select create new
MODFLOW model
and hit Next
• You can add a model description
or just click next

• The next box is the initial grid box

• You set your grid here

– In a plan view, rows stretch across
the screen left to right and
columns up and down. Layers are
the vertical direction.
– You can change the number of
columns, rows, and layers and their
widths here.
– You can name the layers by clicking
on the words Upper Aquifer (etc)
and changing the names
– Leave the grid origin at 0, 0, 0
– Choose the appropriate number of
rows, columns, and layers and their
widths for problem 1
– Once you’ve set your grid, click
finish and the grid will appear.
 A notice about a newer version will come up on the lab
computers, just click close

The internet will open with ModelMuse going to the

USGS website where they have video tutorials for the
program. You can close this if you’d like or use the videos
for help – you can also reach the videos and tutorials
through the help dropdown in ModelMuse.

Some basic info on the toolbars

• The green arrow will
start to run the model

• This tool bar can edit the • The hand lets you move
grid the grid around and the
• This tool bar can add points, magnify glasses will zoom
polylines, and polygons in and out
You can You can
change adjust the
rows, display so
columns, you can see
and layers the plan
by clicking view, side
the boxes view and
in the front view
corners by moving
the
windows
here.

You can also change the row, column, and layer by going to Grid and selecting “Set
Selected Col, Row, Layer…” (Highlighted in blue in the picture above)
 Now you need to set up the model
packages you will use:
Go to Model -> MODFLOW
Packages and Programs…

(MODFLOW-2005 should be
checked (dot) already)

In Flow, LPF
should be
checked.
In Boundary
conditions, click
the plus sign
next to specified
flux to see list.
Click on WEL:
Well Package.
Click OK
Set the layer information
Model -> Layer Groups

This shows you the layers.

By default the layer is set as confined. This is fine for the first
model.

FYI: Default boundary conditions are no flow boundaries on

the edges of the model.
Set up your time information:

Model -> MODFLOW Time

ModelMuse will run a steady state model

and then the transient model all in one
run.

Click insert to set a second stress period.

Use the dropdown menu on the bottom

period to change to transient

Click the drawdown reference box on the

first (steady state) stress period

Change the starting and ending times:

-1 to 0 for the steady state and 0 to total
days for the Transient

Change the time units to days

A warning will come up – click okay

When done, click OK

Set up your output information (what will
be saved when you run the model.

Go to Model -> Model Output Control…

Click on Head on the left hand list and

check the “Print in Listing File” square

Click on Drawdown and check the “Print

in Listing File” square

Click OK

This will have the head and drawdown

information saved in one file (the .LST file)
so you can use that information to answer
questions.
To change the hydraulic conductivity, initial head, specific storage, etc.:
• Go to Data -> Edit Data Sets…
• Click the plus sign next to Required and then Hydrology to expand the lists
• Click Kx
• The units box can be filled in, but it is just to remind you what your units are, it
doesn’t change anything in the model
• Click on the numbers in the Default formula box to change the conductivity
The default formula for Kz is a 1:10 anisotropy.
Change this by clicking on Kz and then clicking on Edit formula
The formula editor box will open.
You can change the formula by typing in Kx or by going into the data sets list to the right
and double clicking on Kx; then click OK; then click Apply; then Close.
(if you set Ky and Kz equal to Kx, then you will only need to change the numbers in Kx to
change all three components and keep the model homogeneous and isotropic)
In LPF, ModelMuse sets Specific_Storage

You will need to do a conversion for the given S value

You can edit the Specific_Storage value in the formula editor

Once done, click OK, Apply, Close

 Click on the point
in the toolbar to
add a well.

Go to where you
want your well
and click on the
grid.

The object
properties box
will open. (you
can move the
point if you
messed up in this
box)
In the Object Properties box:
Change the name of your object by clicking on
Object0 and typing in the name you want
 Go to the MODFLOW
Features tab

Click on the WEL check

box

Change the Pumping rate

interpretation dropdown
to Direct

Add in the starting time

and ending time (only the
transient portion of the
model)

Add in the pumping rate

Hint: (negative is a pumping
You can use the vertices tab to change the position well)
of the well, if needed, or be very precise about the
location.
When you are ready to run the
model, click on the green arrow on
the toolbar.

The box to the left will come up. You

need to save your model. Create a
new folder for the model; MODFLOW
works by creating many input and
output text files and you will need
them all to run the model again.
Saving the model in one folder will
make copying/moving the files from
the lab computers much easier.

Most of the lab computers (and if you

download the program to your own
computer) will have this box to the
left come up. You need to link
ModelMuse to the MODFLOW-2005
executable.
You need to click the folder browse button and go to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\ModelMuse\MF2005.1_12\bin\mf2005.exe

By going through the folders

On your own computer you will need to go find the mf2005.exe file (it is similar to other file names
so be careful). This is why you need to know where you saved your downloads.

Once you find the file, click OK and the model will run with Model Monitor popping up
If the model runs completely, you will
see a green happy face.

Click the x in the top right corner of

the Model Monitor (happy face) box
to close it.

The list file (a text file) will open. This

gives you all the information about
the model inputs and outputs.

You can scroll to the bottom to see

the total water budget. You want a
very small percent discrepancy (zero
is ideal).

Click on the black windows terminal

window and click any key – it will
close

You can click on the warnings and

errors box and look through the
warnings – as long as they aren’t
Errors, you can just close the box.
To load results:

Click on the
colorful box next
to the green
arrow

Navigate to your
model folder.

These three files

should be there:
The .fdn file is
drawdown; the
.fhd file is head;
and the .cbc is a
flow output file

Click on the
drawdown file
and click open
You can choose
the results you
want to load in
this box. If you
choose more
than one
timestep, you
can choose
which results to
show on the grid
by choosing the
one you want in
the dropdown
menu: “Data
used to color or
contour grid”

Click OK
 To change the
display use the
Data Visualization
box by clicking on
the indicated tool

You will want to save your model at this point, which is

different than saving the model runs. Go to file and
save as like in other applications. Uncheck the Create
archive box before saving (you don’t need this)
 Problem 1B
• You will need to edit the grid
 To change the
grid spacing:

1. Click on the
subdivide grid
cells tool

2. Click on any grid

cell and the box will
open.

3. You can set the box for all the rows and columns (1
through total rows/columns) are selected.

4. Then, input the number of columns/rows you need

to subdivide each into based on what spacing you
want.
When you run the new model, make sure you save the run under a new name. When you
change the model grid, you will also want to save the entire model as a new model using the
Save As.
Follow the same steps as before. When you are ready to open the results, this box will come up.
You are trying to load results from the same time step, so you must choose either to update the
existing data or create new data sets.
 Problem 1C
• For part three, you will need to remake the
grid to have three layers
• You will also use a different flow package

• Create the grid as before, with the correct grid

spacing
• Setting up the model packages, layers and
time should happen first (see next slides)
Once the grid is created, go to Model -> MODFLOW Packages and Programs

Change the Flow to BCF6: Block-Centered Flow package

Click the WEL: Well Package

Click OK
Next, go to Model -> MODFLOW Layer Groups

Set the upper aquifer to unconfined

Set the middle aquifer to Limited convertible
Set the lower aquifer to confined
Click OK

Also set up the model time as in previous parts.

To set varying values of conductivity and storativity in different layers, use polygons.
Set the layer to layer 1 in plan view and draw a polygon around it.
Rename your object in properties and go to the Data Sets tab. You can use the
Select Kx and set the correct value rectangle tool

Select Specific Yield (or Specific Storage, whatever’s appropriate) and set the value
Click OK

Go to Layer 2 and then 3, and repeat this procedure, you will have multiple polygons.
 To control the
objects:

Click on the
Show or hide
objects button

Click the x next

to Required to
remove all
objects

You can use this

list to double
click on an object
and reopen the
Remember you can always use the ?Help button to figure object properties
out how things work. box and edit the
object
 Problem 2
• You can use LPF and set layer to convertible
• You will need the RIV: River package and the
CHD: Time-Variant Specified-Head package
• You will also need the RCH: Recharge package
and the WEL: Well Package