When speaking to our customers at Ideate, Inc., we often receive requests for easier ways to create visualizations and renderings using different types of combined model data. This year, Autodesk InfraWorks includes two added file types that allow users to directly import Revit .RVT and Point Cloud files into their InfraWorks models. From there, the Presentation tools in InfraWorks can be used for quick and easy renderings and visualizations.
Included with Autodesk’s Building Design Suite Ultimate, and Infrastructure Design Suite Premium and Ultimate editions, Autodesk InfraWorks adds a great tool and tremendous value to the 2014 design suites.
When installed through the Infrastructure Design Suites packages, Autodesk InfraWorks loads two new files types into the list of available data sources.* In the previous releases of InfraWorks, known as Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) and AIM R2, the .FBX option was the only way to import a Revit model into InfraWorks and required an extra step to create the .FBX file.
The new Revit .RVT file option allows users to directly import Revit files and place them in the InfraWorks model. This option is compatible with Revit 2014 files, and requires users to have Revit 2014 installed on the same system (it does not work without Revit installed, or if you have a pre-2014 version installed).
Point Cloud support has also been added to the list of Data Sources and supports the new Autodesk ReCap .RCS and .RCP files.
As with all other data sources, once a Point Cloud or Revit file has been added, they must be configured and placed into the InfraWorks model. However, with the shared material libraries for Autodesk products, materials and textures from Revit files are now transferred over to InfraWorks automatically (it does take a few minutes to process and load the Revit model).
With the added benefit of Proposals and Scenarios in Autodesk InfraWorks, we now have a quicker and easier way to create realistic visualizations and renderings while incorporating Revit models into a real world environment built from GIS, CAD, 3D Model, Raster, Point Cloud and other data sources.
*Currently, the Revit .RVT import option is not available with Building Design Suite installations.
For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate, Inc. homepage.
Matt Miyamoto
ENI Manager & Senior Application Specialist
Matt is an ENI Manager and Senior Application Specialist in Ideate, Inc.’s Seattle office. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Civil Engineer. Prior to joining Ideate, Matt worked as a civil engineer, using Civil 3D on a variety of projects including site development, roadway improvements and infrastructure design. With over 10 years of experience in the civil engineering industry, Matt now provides training, consulting, technical support, and implementation strategies for organizations transitioning to Civil 3D. Matt is an Autodesk Certified Instructor (ACI), as well as an Autodesk Certified BIM Specialist: Roads and Highway Solutions. Additionally, Matt is and Autodesk Certified Professional for AutoCAD, and AutoCAD Civil 3D. You can also find Matt on Twitter.