Dewberry used several 3D design technologies—including Autodesk 3ds Max, AutoCAD Map 3D, and AutoCAD Civil 3D—to design, plan, and schedule the five-mile “purple pipe” project. Reclaimed water is now distributed in bright purple pipes to distinguish it from drinking water in Fairfax. In the Noman Cole project, the reclaimed water is being used for local landscape irrigation and machinery cooling at a local energy-from-waste plant. The intricate pipe-replacement project involved more than ten government agencies to complete.
“To the agencies involved in this design-build project, the schedule was critical,” says Cody Pennetti, site/civil engineer at Dewberry. “Looking at time and design alternatives and how to make the least impact on the community were all a part of what we did early on for the Noman Cole project. 3ds Max was used as a visualization and simulation tool. The Autodesk tools work well with each other, and using 3ds Max, we were able to present options for the local and state agencies involved.”