Share and View Your 3D Infrastructure Models Online + Browser + iPad

Are you using Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) to create 3D models of your projects? If not, refer to my earlier blog post where I talked about importing GIS data straight into a 3D model using Infrastructure Modeler.

So now that you have 3D infrastructure models, the question is how do you share them with your design team or project stakeholders? The answer was simple if you needed to share DWG files – email the file or use online document management such as Autodesk Cloud. But how to share infrastructure models that are represented by multiple files and folder structure? Here is the answer:

Project Galileo Online
Using PLUG-IN to SHARE FILES

In short, create infrastructure models using AIM and share them with your project team member using Project Galileo Online. Team members can view the model online or within AIM.

On the Project Galileo Online page you will find three download options:

1. Project Galileo Online Installer: Plug-in that gets installed and runs within AIM
2. Web Browser Plug-in: Browser plug-in that gets installed and runs AIM scenario within Browser
3. iPad App: Use iTunes to download the application.

 

 

Download and install Project Galileo Online Installer to be able to see the options to share project data within AIM.

Once this is done you will need to activate your Sync > My Galileo Online Account which will give you a unique Service URL and Account ID.

Next create a scenario from the Scenario Explorer and publish it. A scenario is just the subset (or more) of the whole project that you want to share. Once the Scenario is created and published you will see the share links in the Sync > Manage Online Scenarios dialog box:

Now the project stakeholder who does not have AIM can view the infrastructure model in the browser by installing the Web Browser Plug-in as below:

By downloading the plug-in and publishing the scene, team members and stakeholders can see the 3D infrastructure model. Using an internet browser, the process is even simpler. Collaboration and team communication is greatly enhanced, further reducing project timelines, and getting valued team feedback quicker.

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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

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See How Autodesk Cloud Computes Optimal Design Profile to Minimize Earthwork

You create the existing ground profile using Civil 3D and then create the design profile using the traditional Civil 3D commands to balance and minimize earthwork.

What if you could click a button to automate the design profile creation based on certain design criteria?

While it's not quite one click; it's what Autodesk labs came up with recently: 

Project Silverstar for AutoCAD Civil 3D

The project codename does not quite convey the advantages but it is a really impressive feature. The way it works is you click a button within Civil 3D, specify some design parameters and send the data to the Autodesk Cloud. After the calculation is done you will get an email from Autodesk cloud with the design profile file/s. Now you can import the profile form the .txt or LandXML file into the Civil 3D project drawing.

The following Profile Views displays the design profile in blue created traditionally:

Download the Project Silverstar executable.

Once you install you can access the Profile Optimization command from the Toolspace > Toolbox. You may need to register or sign in to your Autodesk account.

This will open the Optimization Wizard.

In this box, apart from the other options specify the Design Speed and Earthwork Cost Table. Yes, earthwork cost table, impressive, isn’t it, take a look…

In the next few pages you also specify the Dump/Borrow Site, Max/Min Grade, other such parameters including the solution precision and maximum solving time. Once you hit Finish, everything seems to finish. It may seem like nothing happened, but you sent the information to the Autodesk Cloud where the computation is being done. On your command line you will see a message saying: The request was sent successfully.

 

Expect to receive an email with the .txt file or LandXML file with your results. Once you get the email save the files and import the profile via Create Profile from File command:

That’s it! You are done. The profile that I imported is displayed below.

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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

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Civil 3D Technology Preview – Corridor Solids for Civil 3D 2012

How do you import a Civil 3D corridor into Revit or Navisworks?

I was asked this question a couple of months ago while importing a Civil 3D surface into Revit for a user group presentation on Revit Civil 3D collaboration. A very valid question, considering that I was just importing a surface and that too as polyline contours.

There is no way to import a corridor into Revit… well not until the Corridor Solids for Civil 3D technology preview from Autodesk Labs came out. You can learn more about it from Autodesk Labs website.

Corridor Solids will allow you to convert a Civil 3D corridor subassembly into an AutoCAD 3D solid (actually an AutoCAD “body” object) so you can easily import it into Revit or Navisworks for presentation purposes and enhanced model collaboration.

To provide you with a quick example, I have a very basic road corridor in Civil 3D with a lane, curb and gutter, sidewalk and retaining wall per the figure below:

Access Corridor Solids from the Toolbox and choose to import the solids in the same drawing or a new drawing.

Once you add all Baseline Regions you will see all the regions with their subassemblies in the dialog box.

The key here is to assign the right colors and layer names under the layer name template column so you see them in Revit and Navisworks.

And finally save the corridors solids in the same file or external file.

Now it’s easy to bring this Corridor Solids file into Revit via Linking CAD

or Navisworks via Appending the corridor solids drawing file. 

Caveat:

1. Corridor Solids will not export link subassemblies as solids. In those situations, you will see holes where there are links in your corridor and you will not be able to convert daylight or link subassemblies.
2. I have not been able to assign materials or cut a section through corridor solids in Revit. However, I was able to assign materials to the various layers in pavement structure in Navisworks.
3. Also, Labs software is a beta testing ground for Autodesk so sometimes things might not work as expected and there maybe bugs. In those situations it is best to communicate those things with Autodesk.

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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

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Can't Stop Talking About Project Neon

Ask anyone here in the Ideate Portland office what my favorite Autodesk Labs project is right now and hands down they’ll reply, “Project Neon!” Before we get into why Project Neon is one of the best Labs projects out there, let me first explain Autodesk Labs.

Autodesk Labs relies on user feedback to develop innovative product ideas and technologies at a conceptual level. Although they specifically state they are not a beta community, it is a community, where you can explore potential commercially relevant technologies, whether you’re in architecture, engineering, manufacturing, or media and entertainment. Some of my other favorites include:

• Project Photofly Create 3D models from photographs taken by a digital camera
• Project Galileo Conceptual design tool for infrastructure projects
• Shape Extraction for AutoCAD Convert point clouds to geometry

These are only several from a long list of interesting technologies available. Take a look here.

On to Project Neon
Project Neon is a cloud rendering service for Revit. Rendering has always been a time and hardware intensive process, and required a pretty “beefy” machine and hours (if not days) to render out detailed scenes, but not anymore. Project Neon leverages cloud computing and an “outside” render farm to quickly produce high quality renders of your Revit 3D views. This frees up your machine from having to push out the render and production work can continue.

Once installed an configured Project Neon will show up under the Web Services tab on the ribbon in Revit 2012.

Open a project with a 3D View and click Render Online. Next choose which view should be rendered, the quality level, image size, and file format (jpeg, png, tiff, etc.). I recommend keeping the “Notify me by email when complete” box checked. When finished click Start Rendering.

In the Autodesk Online Services field in the upper right hand corner you’ll see a little indicator showing the render in progress.

Now you’re free to continue working within Revit and not lose valuable time. You can see how Project Neon would be extremely helpful for presentation renders like accurate material representations, lighting analysis, etc. where you can send scene after scene for comparisons.

Depending on the quality of render and image size; within minutes you’ll be notified by an email when the render job is complete. I highly recommend checking Project Neon out. As long as this project is available I’ll never use my machine to render out scenes it takes too much time.

Take advantage of Project Neon, as of right now the project will be around until late September 2011. Let’s hope they keep it up longer.

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Derek Wielkopolski
Technical Support Manager/Application Specialist
Derek holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island. He is experienced working within the AEC industry from concept design through construction administration for both small and large scale projects. As Ideate’s Support Manager he ensures a timely and quality response to support requests and questions. Follow Derek on Twitter: @dwielk

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