By Geoff Woodhead
This month I’ll be giving you a glimpse of some of the great stuff you missed (or perhaps saw) at our recent User Conference events. The main stage presentation went down a treat and when you see how well the products integrate with each other it will be obvious why.
Infraworks 360
We start off in Infraworks 360 utilising the Ordnance Survey Model Builder created by Cadline. A few clicks and ticks later I’ve set my area of interest and purchased my mapping data at a fraction of the cost of sourcing and processing it all myself. Arriving back at my desk with coffee in hand I’m ready to delve into the model that just arrived nicely packaged up. It doesn’t take me long to develop the area. Changing the landscaping, adding a small lake and ensuring good access links. Roundabout placed in a few clicks. Did I mention it was standards compliant? Before long I’ve done my outline analysis and received the approvals I required to move ahead to detailed design.
Civil 3D
The process of moving my model from Infraworks to Civil 3D couldn’t have been easier, facilitated by either the dedicated .imx format or more recently the direct import of the .sqlite Infraworks Model database. I even had the chance to reduce down the area covered by my model to reflect the move from the Concept to the Detailed design phase, ensuring good model performance whilst still meeting design requirements. Working with an already standards compliant roundabout made my life a lot easier. I ensure I’m happy with my side road profile and proceed to creating my junction utilising the wizard.
Autodesk Vehicle Tracking
The real magic in this process is the new shared engine between Civil 3D and Infraworks, and even more so in the roundabout design engine. I’ve been provided with an Autodesk Vehicle Tracking roundabout straight from import of my Infraworks model. It’s standards compliant and allows me to make tweaks incredibly easily. A feature that astounded me recently was how different swept path analysis is on a Vehicle Tracking roundabout than it is in a Civil 3D Corridor. We’re all used to having to manually place and rotate the vehicle I’m sure, and then there’s driving the vehicle, again all manual. Let’s just say I doubt I’ll be getting a driving licence for an articulated lorry any time soon. Much to my surprise when I hovered over the approach to my roundabout it rotated the Vehicle for me and even set it to the centre of the carriageway. It was too good to be true. I nervously clicked and started moving my cursor forward and noticed that despite it not being anywhere in the carriageway the vehicle was following the lane all the way up to the roundabout. Surely it won’t be able to maintain the centre and take the first exit on the roundabout, would it? It did! More than that it was able to detect all of the possible manoeuvres that could be made including a U-turn. Needless to say, I found it simply incredible. All those years slaving over swept paths have culminated in this, and I for one couldn’t be happier.
In Summary
The above are just some of the highlights of the incredible tools now at our disposal and the presentation that we recently delivered at our User Conferences across the country. The seamless integration of the products is better than it has ever been, and the workflow for collaboration with Architects and the wider project team couldn’t be clearer. The introduction of the Autodesk Industry Collections is about to make product accessibility better than ever and so, in conclusion, I think it’s safe to say we’re arriving at the long-awaited era of collaboration, and it is looking bright.
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