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M7 Public Consultation Project

NSW Roads and Traffic Authority Operations (RTA)

Background:

In 2002, Dd3D Works was approached by the NSW RTA to animate a section of the Western Sydney Orbital Motorway (now M7), then under design. Dd3D utilised the new technology that provided Gosford City Council with an award winning 3DVR Urban Planning System, in particular to assess its potential for use in community consultation.

Scope:

A 1 km section of the motorway design was designated with a surrounding area of about 1.2 sq km taking in the Western Sydney suburbs of Kings Langley and Bella Vista. This area included an interchange and two bridges, one dual carriage-way straddling Old Windsor Road and the other to provide an overpass for the motorway on Seven Hills Road.

Aerial survey data of the terrain, vegetation and housing adjacent to the proposed motorway was sourced from Qasco together with an aerial photograph that would be draped over a 3D model of the existing terrain. Design files of the concept design were provided by the RTA together with proposed road markings, signage, traffic lights, noise wall and proposed landscaping. Photographic records were made of the existing environment, building up a suitable image library that included types of vegetation, house facades and surface textures that would provide realism and a sense of place to the simulation environment.

Director of Dd3D Works, Peter Buckle, was also able to draw from his in-depth knowledge of civil engineering particularly in the area of road design. Working together with software developers SIMmersion, the work was successfully completed and remains a benchmark in its field.

Outcomes:

The system allows for:

Review of design aesthetics and the effectiveness of traffic control and guidance systems from every possible angle in an interactive real-time environment.
Traffic flow analysis using moving vehicles and working traffic lights.
The ability to access noise wall treatments and staged landscape growth.
The opportunity to second-guess the likely public response to different proposals also exists in this same interactive capability.

Technology:

Dd3D Works’ technology included CAD – MicroStation (Bentley), and VR simulation software – SIMurban (SIMmersion Holdings Pty Ltd).
QASCO (NSW) Pty Ltd collected and digitised spatial data and provided ortho-photography.