So you import GIS data into AutoCAD or Civil 3D to get AutoCAD lines and use it for design and analysis. What if you could import the .SHP file and get a 3D model instead! What if you could click a button to import existing street centerlines for a project and get a 3D Model of the roadway including the curbs, sidewalks, medians, striping, as well as street lights, and with the 3D palm trees in the median, etc. all rendered and ready to for a presentation. Is this really true? Yes, it is.
Introducing Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2012
This is just one of the features of this new software released by Autodesk. I wanted to share this with you as I am learning and exploring.
This image shows Google Image and Google Surface imported in Civil 3D 2012 and then brought into Infrastructure Modeler 2012. The surface was imported via Land XML and the image as Raster Data Source.
This image shows the next step which contains the street centerlines data imported from GIS data either as a .SHP file or from .SDF file. In this case, I imported county wide GIS data into Civil 3D and then exported an SDF file for the project area which I then imported into Infrastructure Modeler.
Infrastructure Modeler is perfect for Master Planners. You can model existing infrastructure by importing LandXML data from Civil 3D, FBX data, SHP files from GIS data from ESRI. Or import detailed models from Revit and 3ds Max. Sketch roads, railways, city furniture in 3D and communicate the visually rich infrastructure proposal with relative ease.
Gaurav Bagga
Infrastructure Solutions Application Specialist
Gaurav is a well rounded Application Engineer and Project Manager for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 15 years experience in construction industry and has been helping numerous small, medium and ENR 500 firms maximize their CAD investment for the last ten years. Gaurav is an Autodesk Certified Instructor and Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Expert. He has taught at several conferences, CAD Camps and Autodesk University. He has taught AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Land Desktop and Map 3D to thousands of students and helps Ideate develop the Infrastructure Services curriculum and courses. With his extensive CAD technology background he helps Bay Area engineering and surveying firms analyze and improve their design and drawing production process thereby improving productivity and the bottom line. Follow Gaurav on Twitter: @BeGeez
Get it. Know it. Use it.
