Better Value, More Work

With AutoCAD Revit MEP, CTE can deliver higher-quality projects while retaining the workflow of an AutoCAD®-based system. CTE saves clients money because designers can analyze alternatives and implement changes through 3D views of the building model. “We’re able to make changes much faster, without the financial impact, and we can make those changes in almost real time,” says Tony Bouchard, Senior Vice President and Operations Manager for the environmental practice. “The result is higher-quality client service, which, of course, leads to more work,” says Vice President and Chief Engineer Joe Hosanna. And what’s more, CTE’s presentations of previous 3D work “have helped us increase our hit rate,” says Bouchard.

Accurate, Coordinated Documents

For infrastructure projects, CTE coordinates all disciplines. AutoCAD Revit MEP, which includes Autodesk® Architectural Desktop, helps them reduce risk by identifying system conflicts early in the process. With a single model to coordinate instead of a series of documents, “coordination is automatic and you don’t have problems between documents and disciplines,” says Hosanna. “That coordination effort is a big tangible,” says Bernas. “You’re actually seeing that what you are proposing can indeed be built.” And that gives CTE a powerful competitive advantage: “We’ve shifted the money to where the real value is, and that is providing consulting services to look for more cost-effective solutions,” says Bouchard. “We’re able to look at more alternatives in the same amount of time and offer more design options, adding value for the owner.”

Fast Learning, Fast ROI

Another big tangible is that fewer errors in the field and fast learning have led to a quick return on investment. Because CTE was already using AutoCAD software, the transition to AutoCAD-based AutoCAD Revit MEP was smooth. The software’s ease of use also enhances learning. “You’re creating a model just like what is constructed in the field,” says Hosanna. “It’s a more natural way to put the project together. ”The bottom line? “We’ve increased our productivity and have quickly realized ROI,” says Bernas.

Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District

To expand and repair the 80-year-old Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District wastewater treatment plant, CTE faced a challenge that AutoCAD Revit MEP was uniquely qualified to solve. With no asbuilts of portions of the existing anaerobic digestion complex, it would have cost the owner as much as $30,000 to create 2D drawings from scratch, with no added value because the drawings would provide snapshots of only a small portion of the facility rather than a comprehensive model.

CTE concluded that they could cost-effectively send a team to this complex facility, take the appropriate measurements, and create a 3D model.They could then cut the appropriate plans and sections to produce construction documents. At the end of the day, not only would they have the construction drawings necessary to do the improvement work, but they would also have a model of existing conditions that could be used to create accurate as-built documents for the first time. The model could then be hooked into the plant’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and retrieved by operators and maintenance people for training and preventive maintenance purposes. “With CTE using AutoCAD Revit MEP it not only saves us money because we can reuse the model in our operations and maintenance manuals but it is much easier to visualize the relationships between the pipe systems.The 3D renderings give us a better picture of what really exists,” states Mike Little, Director of Engineering Services, Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District.

“Using AutoCAD Revit MEP, we created a solution that solved design, construction, and lifecycle challenges for the plant,” says Bouchard. CTE saved the owner tens of thousands of dollars by generating construction drawings that would also serve as future as-builts of the entire digestion facility.

But that’s just the beginning. Because the first stage was so successful, CTE also completed the design for a cogeneration facility adjacent to the treatment plant. “We started that job from scratch in the 3D environment because the owner was so pleased with it,” says Bouchard.That cogeneration facility is currently under construction.

Autodesk Software for Multiple Disciplines

In addition to AutoCAD Revit MEP, CTE uses Autodesk Architectural Desktop software for architectural design and Autodesk® Land Desktop software for land development. This set of interoperable software applications provides the tools for a client base with wide-ranging requirements.

Purchase and Training

A Premier Autodesk Training Center and Autodesk Systems Center, provided purchase support for CTE’s move to AutoCAD Revit MEPas well as 32 hours of onsite instruction for 10 CTE employees. And with the software on subscription, the company knows “that there’s a fixed cost every year that we can build into the budgets. We’re always assured that we’re getting the latest and greatest products,” says Bernas.

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