As part of the ENI team at Ideate, Inc. one of the programs I work with quite frequently is Autodesk InfraWorks 360. For those of you who have not heard of or seen this product yet, it is a planning and preliminary design stage tool that generates interactive 3D models for communicating your design.
Along with excellent tools for creating existing and new features, Autodesk InfraWorks 360 also has the ability to create multiple Proposals within a model to separate different alternative designs. In some cases, Proposals themselves may need to be combined, or merged to form a new option. Within InfraWorks 360, the Proposals palette includes a Merge option. The drawback to this is that it merges entire proposals, and all elements that are a part of it. There currently is no option in this command that allows you to select which elements from a proposal to transfer when the Merge option is used.
So, how do we go about copying only the items we want and not the entire proposal? The answer is actually a lot simpler than expected. A basic Copy/Paste from the right-click menu after selecting the object is all you need to do. This also works in pre-2015 versions, so you can copy and paste individual elements (like proposed buildings) from one Proposal to another without worrying about copying any extra items.
Autodesk InfraWorks 360 2015 also goes one step further to include a “Paste in Place” option from the right-click menu that allows you to paste the element in the exact location it was copied from. Better still, is the fact that you can copy and paste objects across models, not just proposals (Paste In Place may not be the best option when copying from model to model). If there’s a custom building or feature you like in one of your models that you wish you could transfer over to another, give Copy and Paste a try.
This also works in the non-360 version of Autodesk InfraWorks that installs from the design suites. From a workflow standpoint, this can also be leveraged by creating some pre-defined custom objects in a model that can then be copied and pasted as needed into future Infraworks models. Almost like an InfraWorks content library file.
Keep up with our blog to find out more on the latest and greatest features of the 2015 Autodesk product line.
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. Find Matt on Twitter.