North Vancouver's Softree releases RoadEng 12 with AI that designs whole road networks at once
Path Explorer AI solved a 130-turbine wind farm with more than 150 km of new road in about three hours.
North Vancouver-based Softree Technical Systems on Thursday released RoadEng Version 12, its road design software used in more than 75 countries for forest and mine roads, county roads and highways.
The headline feature, Path Explorer AI, is a generative design tool that first appeared in Version 11 to find optimal routes for new roads between two points. In Version 12 it considers existing roads and waypoints, solves faster and can design an entire network at once instead of one road at a time.
"On an example wind farm project we benchmarked, with 130 turbine sites and more than 150 km of greenfield road, Path Explorer AI solved the network in about three hours," said Erin Wasney, Softree's operations director. She said one engineer told the company a 15-minute demo would have taken him more than 50 hours in his current software.
Version 12 also brings Softree's hydrology tools into the Location module so designers can see a road's effect on surface drainage as they work, plus new grading tools and 3D road cut visualization. Founded in 1989, Softree partners on research with UBC Okanagan. Path Explorer AI is available with Softree Optimal, its optimization add-on.
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