Digital Prototyping Aids Design of Energy Generation Technology for Large Facilities
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — June 24, 2010 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) has named West Hills Construction, Inc., as the June Autodesk Inventor of the Month for its successful use of Autodesk Inventor to deliver energy efficiency, management, storage and distributed generation solutions.
Using a combination of technologies, West Hills Construction helps customers not only reduce their energy use, but also generate energy onsite from renewable resources. The result has both environmental and economic benefits for all involved.
West Hills Construction was recently contracted to design an energy management system using photovoltaic (PV) arrays for a 37-foot-tall, 86,000-square-foot building that desired onsite energy generation. West Hills Construction used Autodesk Inventor software for Digital Prototyping to optimize every aspect of the design and construction of the massive energy management system.
Digital Tools at Every Stage
Following training provided by Autodesk Gold Partner KETIV Technologies, West Hills prepared a 2D site diagram of the energy management system using AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical and AutoCAD Mechanical software, before importing it into Inventor software.
To seamlessly manage the data throughout the design, West Hills Construction used Autodesk Vault Professional software, together with Autodesk Showcase, Autodesk 3ds Max Design and Autodesk Maya software to create client presentations with superior visual fidelity.
“Every step of the way, we have Autodesk Digital Prototyping tools to help make us more efficient,” said Rusty Wood, vice president of West Hills Construction’s energy division. “We can perform an analysis to confirm the feasibility of a design. We can then generate production-ready models that enable clients to see exactly what we’re building for them.”
Such capabilities reduce the need for outside consultants to be involved in the process, and significantly reduce costly change orders later in the development cycle. As the firm prepares feasibility studies for a major new project with a global food processing company — a project that promises to offset the company’s reliance on the electrical grid while reducing its overall energy costs — Digital Prototyping has never been more valuable.
“West Hills Construction is using Digital Prototyping to outpace the competition,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. “Whether accelerating an existing project timeline or helping to win new business, Digital Prototyping brings a powerful advantage.”
About the Autodesk Inventor of the Month Program
Each month, Autodesk selects an Inventor of the Month from the users of Autodesk Inventor software, which takes manufacturers beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping. Winners are chosen for engineering excellence and groundbreaking innovation. For more information about Autodesk Inventor of the Month, contact us at Email Contact.
About West Hills Construction, Inc.
For more than four decades, West Hills Construction has built office buildings, warehouses, distribution centers, commercial developments, medical facilities, water/wastewater treatment plants, restaurants, retail stores and high-end residential projects throughout the Southern California area. Its LEED-certified energy division is focused on developing and delivering new and innovative methods for managing energy. For additional information, visit http://www.whc.us.com.
About KETIV Technologies
KETIV Technologies is a leading Autodesk solutions provider with 25 years’ experience delivering CAD software and services in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Providing business consultation and support in a variety of fields including manufacturing, civil engineering, and process plant industries, KETIV’s team of industry experts increases the profitability of engineering companies by helping them simplify the process of conceptualization, design and production. For more information, visit www.ketiv.com.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
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