Calling HEC-RAS from python 3.x
This work originates from the material provided by Tomasz Dysarz, in Poland.
HEC-RAS is free but not open source. I wish it was! That may have allowed me to create a much more integrated interface to the model from Python. As it is, the only way it allows to communicate is via the Component Object Model of windows operating system. (Needless to say the solution is platform bound!).
Following steps are necessary to get HEC-RAS-Python examples to run.
- Install pywin32:
pip install pywin32
- Run makepy utility. Run the following in the command line
python c:\Python37\Lib\site-packages\win32com\client\makepy.py
Note: c:\Python37\ above, is only an example, replace it with the path of your own python installation.
There will be a pop-up window. Select HECRAS River Analysis System (1.1) from the pop-up window and press OK. This will build definitions and import modules of RAS-Controller for use. You will see an output similar to the following
Generating to C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Temp\gen_py\3.7\00020813-0000-0000-C000-000000000046x0x1x8.py
Building definitions from type library...
Generating...
Importing module
Now you are ready!