Taking Technology to the Streets with CommunityViz® 4.0

Latest 3-D visuals and easier analysis help communities see their future

For Immediate Release

Middlebury, VT — Have you ever wondered how different zoning regulations could shape the look, feel and livability of your town? Are you searching for compelling ways to present different growth scenarios to your neighbors and elected officials? The latest generation of CommunityViz®—Version 4.0—will do all of that, and more.

CommunityViz is used by thousands of planners, resource managers and communities all over the world to visualize, analyze and communicate about their decisions for the future. Developed and supported by the Orton Family Foundation and Placeways, LLC, the software combines computerized maps, video-game-like 3-D scenes, and interactive analysis tools to provide sophisticated planning information in a way that everyone can understand.

Scenario 3D™

SunnyVistaStream_700x546.jpg A residential neighborhood shown
in a screenshot from Scenario 3D™,
an all new interactive component of
CommunityViz® Version 4.0.

Version 4.0 features an all new 3-D visualization component called Scenario 3D™ using the latest gaming technology and industry-standard formats compatible with CAD drawing tools, Google and Google SketchUp®. Viewers can “fly” or “walk” around virtual, three-dimensional representations of a place as it is today or as it could be in one or more alternative futures. To a degree not possible with earlier technology, the new 3-D scenes can help capture and convey what the Foundation calls the “heart and soul” of a community—its unique character, stories and traditions. Not only are people and objects more realistic than ever before, they can also “tell stories” via text, audio or video clips that play when clicked with a mouse. Scenes are also rich with additional information and features, like alternate scenarios within a single scene.


“We expect CommunityViz 4.0 to help citizens, planners and officials make informed decisions that weigh heart and soul considerations alongside traditional numbers and statistics,” says Foundation President and CEO William Roper. “When the Orton Family Foundation released CommunityViz® in 2001, we pioneered the use of visualization in the land use planning field; with the release of 4.0, we’ve taken the next big step in keeping the technology exciting and effective in helping communities truly define their futures.”

CommunityViz Version 4.0 is an ArcGIS® Desktop extension, which means it’s based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and it is compatible with Google Earth. This version includes a major redesign of the Build-Out tool as well as a new wizard for creating sophisticated, custom impact analysis models that calculate potential social, environmental and economic impacts associated with different planning choices. In just a few minutes, these tools help people understand the implications and trade-offs of the choices they are making. The software is easy and inexpensive enough to be used early in the process, at the “ideas stage,” yet realistic enough to be convincing.

Anyone can download a free 30-day trial of CommunityViz 4.0. Existing users with support contracts will get the upgrade for free. Upgrade notices will be sent over the next several weeks, but free trial downloads, additional information and video demos are available now at www.placeways.com/communityviz. The base price is $850, which includes one year of upgrades, live technical support and premium features. There’s also a $350 version that only includes the software. Visit www.placeways.com to learn more or purchase the latest in community planning technology.


The Orton Family Foundation, based in Middlebury, Vermont, and Denver, Colorado, seeks to help small cities and towns discover and describe their heart and soul—the collective attributes that make communities unique—and build on those attributes in planning toward a vibrant, enduring future.

Placeways, LLC provides GIS-based analysis and visualization tools and services for making better, faster decisions about the shape of our world. The Boulder, Colorado-based company supports customers all over the world with planning services, custom software development and commercial software products, including the popular ArcGIS land use planning extension called CommunityViz®.

For More Information Contact:
John Barstow, Director of Communications
Orton Family Foundation
PO Box 111 (152 Maple St., Suite 101)
Middlebury, VT 05753
802.388.6336
communications@orton.org
www.orton.org