Bridging design and analysis: How AECOM and Autodesk are reshaping sustainable drainage workflows

Autodesk Water

12/01/2026

On December 4th, Smart Water Magazine and Autodesk Water brought together industry experts from across the water sector for the webinar  Transforming Drainage Design with AECOM , part of the Autodesk Water Webinar Series. The session featured Javier Soto, InfoDrainage Product Manager at Autodesk Water, and Rob Chambers, former Senior Engineer and Global InfoDrainage Champion at AECOM.

Over the course of an hour, the speakers explored how Autodesk InfoDrainage and Civil 3D are being used in tandem to deliver more efficient, accurate, and sustainable drainage designs.

Watch the webinar now

The discussion was framed by increasing pressure on urban drainage systems. More frequent extreme storms and continued urbanization are placing an additional load on ageing sewer networks. According to the Environment Agency, around 1 in 6 homes in England, approximately 5.7 million properties, are at risk of flooding, while climate change is making long, intense winter downpours seven times more likely. In response, the UK government is advancing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act, which will make sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) mandatory for new developments.

A really important part about InfoDrainage is that the model must be validated before it runs - Rob Chambers

Rob Chambers opened the technical portion of the webinar by describing AECOM’s transition from MicroDrainage to InfoDrainage and how the software supports both surface water and foul water modelling, including enhanced SuDS and overland flow capabilities. Stressing the importance of sound model preparation, he explained: “A really important part about InfoDrainage these days is that the model must be validated before it runs, so I think it's a chance as a precursor to catch any small errors, any misalignments in pipes to manholes, anything that might be missing from that information that just gives us a bit more clarity.”

Chambers then carried out two practical demonstrations. The first showed how an existing foul water network created in MicroDrainage could be upgraded within InfoDrainage—importing the model, adjusting inflows, applying the design wizard, adding a pump, and integrating a second phase with its associated surface data. The second demonstration focused on a surface water network featuring ponds and permeable paving. Chambers illustrated how geometric SuDS features can be reshaped from simple imported rectangles into realistic footprints, how pipe connections can be reassigned to appropriate inlet and outlet locations, and how validation ensures parameters such as Manning’s values and conductivity factors are defined before simulations are run.

Throughout the session, Javier Soto provided context on workflow flexibility and product development. Reflecting on how users move between design environments, he commented: “The good thing is that the changes from Civil 3D are maintained if you send it to InfoDrainage, and the other way around.”

We can run cloud simulations that hopefully can make your simulations faster - Javier Soto

Soto also addressed the performance improvements achieved through cloud-based simulation, noting: “On bringing that time elapse down, we can run cloud simulations that hopefully can make your simulations faster.” He contrasted this with larger-scale modelling tools such as InfoWorks ICM, observing that while he has “done simulations in ICM that can take days,” cloud simulations can reduce that “to hours or even less.”

A set of live polls provided insight into attendee experience levels. The results showed that most respondents begin their work in Civil 3D before importing into InfoDrainage, while a significant portion of the audience reported little or no experience with either InfoDrainage or MicroDrainage, highlighting the diversity of the user base.

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Taxonomy

• Drainage
• Environment
• Smart Water
• simulation
• Sustainable Drainage Systems
• Sustainable water purification
• United Kingdom