Autodesk InfraWorks

Autodesk InfraWorks is a specialized tool designed to come to the aid of Building Information Modeling processes. While it is the closest thing to 3D visualization in civil engineering, you should know that the app serves a more important purpose, which is planning.

By adding the ArcGIS connector to your models, you can create custom stylization and be able to use field applications at the same time. The large scale models can be created by aggregating the existing data with the aforementioned connector, but also with existing data from 2D, CAD, raster and 3D models. You can generate the terrain and features from point clouds and expand the design with parcels, right-of-ways and easements.

As far as the conceptual design features are concerned, you can count super-elevation, component roads, cross-section views, terrain contours and theme palettes, the latter allowing you to classify the assets based on their attributes. The project can be previewed in context so that you can further explore specific areas of interest.

In addition to creating the model, the app comes with features to help you explore its behavior in various real-world circumstances. You can generate a flood simulation to identify potential risks based on the multiple water elevation changes over time and inflow locations, for instance.

Moreover, you can create tests to find out how shadows may affect the design over time and calculate earthwork quantities on multiple roads, areas of interest, right of way or a station range. You can also estimate the best handling of materials and measuring the horizontal and vertical distance and slope between any two points of the model.

If you are into civil engineering or other industries that entail uses real-data models to create optimal context models, then Autodesk InfraWorks enables you to conceptualize and visualize the infrastructure project in their natural environment.