SoundPLAN 7.0 Highlights
SoundPLAN 7.0 is evolutionary and revolutionary! This new version of the proven SoundPLAN line of environmental noise and air pollution dispersion modeling software continues to lead the market in versatility, usability and speed. The quality of it’s output has never been matched. Yet to make this product even better, a small revolution took place. The calculation core in SoundPLAN version 7.0 has been re-organized to deliver unprecedented speed and accuracy even for very complex cases with huge project sizes.
The new Dynamic Search Method allows a clever mix of very accurate calculations for sources relevant to a receiver with estimates for sources not contributing significantly to the results. The new calculation core delivers more accurate results even with complex composite structures by evaluating screening over and around objects in a much more detailed manner.
As the triangulated wire mesh of the Digital Ground Model (DGM) is better suited to describe 3-dimensional terrain than arbitrary elevation lines, SoundPLAN now bases all screening and ground effect calculations on the DGM mesh. Even though the calculations are much more in depth, the calculation speed has improved. Multi Threading and Distributed Computing compliment each other.
The Indoor Factory Noise model now has much faster calculation speeds, uses multi core processors for multi-threaded calculation, and maximizes flexibility of the building geometry. Based on the German VDI 3760, this model uses direct noise transmission from point to point with a separate evaluation of the scattered noise in the room. This approach is practical for noise calculations and gets the same results in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost compared to software designed for concert hall noise.
As projects get bigger and bigger, it is becoming questionable to move data from the noise model to external programs to manipulate the data. You can choose to do this with SoundPLAN, but there is a better way. Edit the objects attributes internally in the Geo-Database Attribute Explorer. Sort the objects to your criterion and redefine an attribute (residents in buildings, for example) with user defined macros. Version 7.0 offers new objects to calculate the noise emitted by road/railway tunnels and has redefined the properties of some objects. Noise protection walls can now be designed with very complex shapes with as many elements as desired stacked on top of each other. As you can choose the angle between the elements, it is possible to generate noise barriers that form an arc and cover the road/rail. The factory building also sees some changes in the way half height walls are created and absorbent paneling is defined on the ceiling.
All modules have undergone intensive renovations. To read about changes, click on the picture to the right.
