BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1 - (Page 53)

Tech Notes we used primarily computer-aided drafting under an AutoCAD license. However, we found that this did not sufﬁciently meet our program outcome to learn modern engineering tools and our cadets struggled with it,” explained LTC Hanus. Two years ago, a new course director revamped the curriculum to include a more contemporary approach to site design using the latest modeling techniques. Recognizing the need for a professional civil engineering software package that provides 2D/3D land development and site modeling tools, the faculty selected Bentley’s PowerCivil, which uses intelligent relationship modeling to enable rapid exploration of site development scenarios. “The Army Corps of Engineers had adopted Bentley software and since many of our cadets may use Bentley products in the future, it seemed logical to use PowerCivil for the course,” LTC Hanus continued. “When it came down to pricing the software, it was extremely competitive. Bentley understands the ﬁnancial constraints of educational institutions and is willing to offer software at a price we can afford. Now we have full run of a high-end, fully functional software package that does everything we want it to do.” engineering principles. The learning path follows a typical site-design workﬂow, and custom tutorials teach how to use the software to complete class assignments such as building a digital terrain model, calculating earthwork, and designing stormwater drainage systems. By learning how to do basic tasks, students experience ﬁrsthand the power of the intelligent modeling technology. “At the undergraduate level, students don’t need to know all the capabilities of the software. They need minimal competence,” LTC Hanus said. “We want them to see the software, understand it, and appreciate it. If you try to do too much, they don’t understand, and you lose them. It is as important for the cadets to appreciate the software capabilities as it is to understand how to use the software.” After this introduction, LTC Hanus plans to have students continue to be exposed to applications for the software in their other civil engineering courses. The Academy’s civil engineering program culminates in a “capstone project,” where cadets apply what they have learned to a single, semester-long civil engineering project. “The goal is for the cadets to naturally want to use the software because it helps them complete their projects,” LTC Hanus concluded. “By the time they get to the capstone project, it is the logical choice to do the work quickly, efﬁciently, and effectively.” In the ASCE publication “Civil Engineering Faculty of the Future,” the authors—including former West Point instructors— Integration into the classroom The academic license for PowerCivil software is available through Bentley’s Be Careers Network, a program dedicated to expanding the pool of infrastructure professionals by providing students with appropriate educational tools. The Academic SELECT subscription offers a single procurement at a discounted price that includes access to software for use in classrooms and on students’ personal machines, full upgrades and updates, hands-on training for educators, 24/7 learning through the Bentley LEARN Server, classroom materials, and full technical support. The ﬁrst step in integrating the new software into the civil engineering curriculum was educating the faculty about how PowerCivil works. The standalone program is comprehensive design solution for site modeling, land development, and planning. It is a multidiscipline tool that provides integrated capabilities for survey, graphical coordinate geometry, digital terrain modeling, site grading and design, water and sewer, and storm drainage and street design. The toolset supports plan preparation, plan sheet generation, and volume/material quantity calculation for a wide range of projects, such as commercial and residential site development, and civil infrastructure projects. “One of our greatest challenges was to get the faculty to understand the software,” LTC Hanus said. “We had Bentley Product Manager Michael Gilham spend three days with us on site to demonstrate the workﬂows. That was the tipping point in our ability to use it.” West Point’s civil engineering faculty come from diverse backgrounds—about 25 percent career military, 25 percent civilian, and 50 percent practicing professional engineers who come in from the ﬁeld to teach on a rotating basis. Gilham trained the instructors on how to use the product, then helped develop a curriculum that integrates teaching the engineering software along with the civil AUTOMATING SITE DESIGN FIELD TO FINISH PowerCivil is comprehensive design software, offering civil engineers and designers a ﬂexible 2D/3D tool for land development and site modeling. No CAD platform is required. PowerCivil runs standalone with native DGN and DWG ﬁle formats, using a full complement of CAD-based toolsets. Unique relationship modeling enables rapid, dynamic exploration of site development scenarios. Combined with a complete set of plan preparation tools, plan sheet generation, and automatic volume/material quantity calculations, this enables more effective project execution. conclude that if civil engineers are to become more versatile, the engineering education system needs to adapt accordingly. As the nation’s ﬁrst and oldest engineering school, the U.S. Military Academy has evolved its civil engineering program to keep pace with technology. Collaborating with Bentley has helped the faculty stay abreast of the latest developments and prepare their students to be “engineers of the future.” “Bentley has recognized that if we get future engineers to learn the software and appreciate it, it helps the profession,” LTC Hanus said. “If they understand it but don’t appreciate it, they’re just technicians.” With about 120 juniors and seniors in the civil engineering program, West Point will graduate the ﬁrst class of Bentley-trained cadets in 2009. Volume 6 Issue 1 | Be Magazine 53 http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/Bentley PowerCivil/ http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Community/Academic/ http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/Bentley PowerCivil/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1

BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1 Contents Anticipation’s Name Is V8i Be Awards of Excellence Kicks Off Competition Bentley Launches the Most Comprehensive SoftwarePortfolio for Infrastructure Ever Assembled in a Single Release MicroStation V8i Up Close & Personal Is Water the New Oil? How Does Intent Become Reality? Does Performance Create Sustainability? Renewing Confidence in Public Highway Infrastructure Enterprisewide System Manages International Airport Standardized CAD/GIS Platform Streamlines Infrastructure Engineering 3D Modeling Refines Reusable Design for Plant Prototype Lean Teams Deliver Automotive Assembly Plants Through Innovative Use of BIM Integrated 3DModels Enable Compact and Safe Plant Design Sustainable Development Supports Thriving Community Terminal Pumps Natural Gas Through Longest Subsea Pipeline Large UtilityWorks To Reduce SO2 Emissions Aging Power Station Boosts Engineering Productivity Hydropower Dam To Fuel Growing Economy Collaboration Tools Accelerate Chinese Railway Electrification System Design Rapid Rail Link To Meet Socio-Economic Development Goals High-CapacityWastewater Treatment Facility ReclaimsWater Resources City ExpandsWater SupplyWithout Deploying AdditionalWater Resources Private Calling Meets Public Service Learning Paths Map Skill Development for Infrastructure Professionals A Contemporary Approach to Site Design The Art of Visualization Special Feature: Be Communities Physical + Digital Investments = Intelligent Infrastructure

BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1

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