Built on OpenRoads, New Software Brings
Together Data From Multiple Sources and Geo-coordinates it for Subsurface 3D Modeling,
Interactive
Inspection, and Clash Resolution
July 8, 2014 – Bentley
Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive
software solutions for sustaining
infrastructure, recently announced the availability of Bentley’s Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE). This breakthrough technology
for the integrated engineering management of underground utility networks for
water, storm water, gas, and electric services is built on OpenRoads, Bentley’s collaborative
BIM advancement for multi-discipline civil engineering projects. Bentley’s SUE
brings together data from multiple sources and geo-coordinates it for 3D
modeling, interactive inspection, and utility conflict detection and clash
resolution.
By providing a framework of
powerful software tools and rich content to quickly and easily generate high-fidelity,
intelligent 3D feature-based models of the buried construction zone, SUE mitigates the risks of building in
utility-congested, “call-before-you-dig” underground environments. These risks
can range from project delays to damaged subsurface utilities to explosions that
threaten below- and above-ground infrastructure as well as human life.
Commenting
on the new offering, Bentley Systems’ CEO Greg Bentley said, “In cities around
the world, the area that I believe poses the biggest risk to those designing,
building, and operating infrastructure is found by looking down. It’s also the
area for which it seems there’s been the least advancement of information
modeling and information mobility to improve construction throughput and
enhance the reliability, safety, and resilience of infrastructure assets. And
for Bentley Systems, with our portfolio spanning building, civil, geospatial,
and plant domains, it’s a particular priority – as all infrastructure projects are
impacted by subsurface conditions, restrictions, and requirements.”
He
continued, “Our Subsurface Utility
Engineering software uniquely provides across disciplines a powerful new information
modeling application. Its use will empower project teams to comprehensively understand,
and more effectively and efficiently resolve, underground infrastructure
conflicts.”
SUE
automatically creates 3D models from survey information, CAD data, GIS, Excel
spreadsheets, Oracle databases, and other industry standard sources of
information. In addition, it maintains a relationship between CAD and GIS
utility sources and tracks civil features to ensure that data is always synchronized
and up to date.
Using
the visualization and clash detection capabilities of SUE, users can readily identify and resolve conflicts between new
construction features and existing utilities during the design phase. This
helps mitigate risk during construction, lowers costs, and sustains asset
performance.
SUE further enables immersive
modeling by empowering users to combine
active plan, profile, and cross-section views with innovative 3D modeling
technology, providing additional context for decision making. SUE’s additional provision of parametric
design features includes fully dynamic rules, relationships, and constraints built
into the modeling workflow. The net result of these advancements is improved design
quality with unique “optioneering” capabilities that allow users to readily
create and compare design alternatives. Moreover, the intelligent 3D modeling
capabilities deliver against the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s “MAP-21”
recommendations for 3D modeling/virtual construction and visualization
technology.
SUE
also conforms to essential elements of the Standard
Guideline for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data
(38-02) that govern subsurface utility information quality. This standard
assists engineers, project and utility owners, and constructors in developing
strategies to reduce risk by improving the reliability of information on
existing subsurface utilities in a defined manner.
SUE provides indispensable
insight for contractors employing alternative delivery approaches such as
design-build, and taking on the risks associated with identifying and resolving
subsurface utility conflicts. Most significantly, those substantially benefitting
from SUE’s powerful capabilities include
cities and other owners of infrastructure – and all whose quality of life is
sustained by underground utilities.
For
additional information about Bentley’s Subsurface
Utility Engineering, visit www.bentley.com/SUE. To download a
high-resolution Subsurface
Utility Engineering image, click here.