Autodesk, Inc. has announced new releases of two products to help improve network design and management for the utilities industry: Autodesk Utility Design (AUD) 2009 software and Autodesk Topobase 2009 software. These products will help utilities design their networks more efficiently and integrate precision as-built information into their processes.
"Trends today in the utilities industry -- including intelligent grid and sustainability initiatives -- drive the need for more complex design projects and better access to accurate and precise network information," said Lisa Campbell, vice president, Autodesk Geospatial. "By improving design processes and integrating network design and asset management, Autodesk helps utilities to improve efficiency and data quality throughout the lifecycle of their assets."
Autodesk Utility Design 2009 software helps utilities design, engineer, estimate costs and order materials for distribution networks. It streamlines the design process with true rules-based automation-integrating the creation of construction drawings, performing engineering calculations to size facilities, and linking to materials management systems to create the correct materials orders for new facilities. The new version is built on AutoCAD Map 3D 2009 software for creating and managing spatial data, and includes enhanced engineering calculations.
"Autodesk Utility Design enables our designers and engineers to produce standards-based layouts, material orders, project estimates and reports. AUD is highly configurable and its open architecture allowed us to develop applications to automate time-consuming procedures," says Ray Pearce, engineering support supervisor at Anchorage Municipal Light & Power, in Anchorage Alaska.
Autodesk Topobase software, built on AutoCAD Map 3D and Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise software, integrates infrastructure design and management. It provides easy access to accurate design, spatial and asset information to engineering, GIS and field operations teams. Topobase 2009 software has over 50 new utility features, including wastewater inspection workflows that integrate network management and video, network schematic generation and the ability to visualize the inside of network structures such as transformer stations. It also works with more versions of Oracle databases, and now includes vertical modules for managing water, wastewater, gas and electric assets in the base product.
