OpenFlows WaterCAD

What is WaterCAD?

WaterCAD is an easy-to-use hydraulic and water quality modeling application for water distribution systems. WaterCAD is a reliable, resource-saving, decision-support application for your water infrastructure. From fire flow and water quality analysis, to energy cost management and pump modeling, WaterCAD helps you analyze, design, and optimize water distribution systems.

• Interoperability
  Out of the box, you can employ this product as a stand-alone application or work from within MicroStation. The stand-alone interface offers unparalleled versatility with easy-to-use model layout tools, multiple background support, conversion utilities from CAD, GIS, and databases, and unlimited undo and redo layout. You can build and lay out models with engineering precision within an environment in which you may already be comfortable. WaterCAD can open OpenFlows WaterGEMS and OpenFlows HAMMER models seamlessly, including those created within ArcGIS.
  
  
• Streamlined model building
  The LoadBuilder and TRex geospatial modules – included with WaterCAD at no additional cost – helps you allocate water demands and node elevations based on geospatial data found in shapefiles, DEMs, and even CAD drawings, avoiding potential manual-input mistakes and speeding up the model-building process.
  
  You can also use CAD drawings to directly create hydraulically connected models; import topology and data from GIS; and create persistent, bidirectional connections between shapefiles, databases, spreadsheets, and the WaterCAD model.
  
  
• Water quality modeling
  The built-in water quality features helps you perform constituent, water age, tank mixing, and source trace analysis to develop comprehensive chlorination schedules, simulate emergency contamination events, visualize zones of influence for different water sources, and improve turbidity, taste, and odor by identifying water blending problems in the system.
  
  
• Fire flow analysis
  Using the Fire Flow Navigator, you can quickly and accurately establish the ability of their network to provide protection against fires. WaterCAD simultaneously models multiple fire flow events evaluating flows and pressures across the entire system.
  
  
• Flushing simulations
  The Flushing Simulation tool helps you plan, analyze, and optimize flushing programs to control and improve water quality in their water distribution systems. You can perform both conventional and unidirectional flushing (UDF) simulations, as well as multiple flushing runs across multiple areas.
  
  
• Criticality analysis and operations modeling
  The Criticality Analysis Center is a comprehensive utility to identify critical assets in water distribution infrastructure and evaluate the risk associated with their failure. Also, by using rule-based operational controls, variable-speed pumping (VSP), and pressure-dependent demands (PDD), you can find operational bottlenecks, minimize energy consumption, and model real-time operations to improve system performance.
  
  
• Comprehensive scenario management
  WaterCAD Scenario Management Center gives you full control to configure, run, evaluate, visualize, and compare an unlimited number of what-if scenarios within a single file. You can easily make decisions by comparing unlimited scenarios, analyzing rehabilitation alternatives for multiple planning horizons, evaluating pump operation strategies, or flushing alternatives for emergency contamination events.

What is the difference between OpenFlows WaterCAD and OpenFlows WaterGEMS?

WaterGEMS is a superset of WaterCAD.  WaterGEMS includes a standalone version plus the ability to integrate with three platforms MicroStation, AutoCAD, and ArcGIS. For an additional cost, WaterCAD can integrate with the AutoCAD platform where you get the standalone, MicroStation, and AutoCAD versions. WaterCAD cannot be integrated with ArcGIS. And WaterGEMS comes with six modules that are not included in WaterCAD: 1) Pipe Renewal Planner 2) Darwin Designer 3) Darwin Calibrator 4) Darwin Scheduler 5) Skelebrator 6) SCADAConnect

How much does WaterCAD cost? 

A practitioner license of OpenFlows WaterCAD costs $1,017 - $7,637 USD at Virtuosity.com depending on the desired pipes. Prices also vary per region. To see the price in your region, select your region at the bottom of the page. While there are various types of licensing available, a common choice is the 12-month practitioner license offered through Virtuosity, Bentley's eCommerce store. When you purchase through Virtuosity you get a Virtuoso Subscription. This means you get the software and "Keys" (tokens) to redeem for customizable training, mentoring, and consulting services.