COMMUNICATING THROUGH VISUALIZATION
Danang City, Vietnam
Mott MacDonald Ltd
The Model Railway
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Based in Croydon, United Kingdom, Mott MacDonald’s railway transport
consultancy works to improve travel times, increase safety for passengers, and
enable materials to be transported more economically. These projects relieve
road congestion in densely populated environments, and improve rail-freight
networks that support local and national economies. The Model Railway
project deploys a complete approach to 3D visualization to achieve continuous
improvement in the quality, productivity, and presentation of the delivered
projects, demonstrating that 3D design and modeling is relevant at all stages of
the project lifecycle.
more easily understood formats. For example, 3D PDFs include narratives that
describe the design intent, and photo-realistic images better communicate
the designer’s vision. Model animations are also used to simulate construction
sequencing for more efficient scheduling.
2009 BE INSPIRED AWARDS
Using Bentley Rail Track and MicroStation 3D modeling technology, Mott
MacDonald has taken the railway modeling process from survey data collection
through interdisciplinary design review, thus gaining confidence in the quality
of discrete packages as well as the way those packages fit together. Three
dimensional visualization helps to resolve differences among engineering
disciplines, with 3D model outputs that describe the engineering product in
The investment in 3D visualization tools has paid off. Exporting 3D data to
analysis tools allows reviewers to concentrate on engineering decisions and
save 40 to 60 percent of the time taken to construct models for analysis.
Comprehensive 3D surveys reduce the incidence of repeat site visits for missed
data, along with the associated costs and risks associated with safety-related
hazards on site. Signal sighting modeling similarly reduces risk exposure and,
depending upon the environment, results in cost savings of £8,000 to £ 15,000
per signal. When new rolling stock is introduced on existing infrastructure,
the modeling process not only validates assumptions and reduces risk but also
exposes the client to more efficient ways of reviewing designs.
