The Flavors of InfraWorks 360

During a recent round of customer visits, I was pleased to hear questions about Autodesk InfraWorks 360 and its features. Many of those questions revolved around what exactly our customers had access to, and what the differences between the available versions were.

Over the years, InfraWorks has seen a number of name changes, feature updates, additions, and modifications. And, unlike other Autodesk applications, the software is not on an annual rollout, meaning new features and functions are released throughout the year via periodic product updates.

Before I really get into it, though, here is some background information:

1. InfraWorks 360 IS NOT a serial number based application.
2. InfraWorks 360 IS a product entitlement assigned to an individual user's Autodesk account by the contract holder or software coordinator. 
3. InfraWorks 360 can be installed on any 64-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 OS system without a serial number.
4. A user's Autodesk Login activates the features and functions when the program is launched.
5. Version updates are released periodically throughout the year, unlike the annual releases of other Autodesk products. The current version at the time of this post is 2017.3.
6. User accounts and entitlements may not be shared per the license agreement.

Diving in, as of January 2017, you have two options for InfraWorks 360:

Option 1 - InfraWorks 360 LT 

Previously, the "LT" version of InfraWorks 360 was included as part of the now-retired Design Suites, and it has limited or “light” functionality compared to the full version of InfraWorks 360.

It should be noted that the LT version is no longer available for purchase, but can be accessed by customers who have an existing and active maintenance subscription for Autodesk® Infrastructure Design Suite Ultimate edition, Autodesk® Infrastructure Design Suite Premium edition, or Autodesk® Building Design Suite Ultimate editions.

This means if you are an existing customer with an active subscription for one of the older suites, you are entitled to InfraWorks 360 LT. If you are a current subscriber of the new AEC Collection, you have access to the full version of InfraWorks 360.

Option 2 - InfraWorks 360

This is currently available as an individual product subscription or as part of the AEC Industry Collection from Autodesk, and it includes access to all features and functions of the product.

As of the 2016 release of InfraWorks 360, the once “a la cart” Road, Bridge, and Drainage design modules are now included as part of InfraWorks 360, at no extra cost. Learn more about this change.

Here's a handy PDF, Autodesk InfraWorks 360 vs.Autodesk InfraWorks 360 LT Comparison Matrix, highlighting the differences between InfraWorks 360 LT and InfraWorks 360.

To find out what version of Infraworks 360 you’re currently running, launch the program and open one of your models.  Click on Settings and Utilities, then Application Options to access the About dialog.  The version you have is listed on the upper left corner of the About information.  If you are on subscription, you can download and install the latest version of Infraworks 360 through the Autodesk Desktop App.  Please note, Infraworks 360 models are version specific, so updating to the latest version will also prompt you to upgrade any existing models the next time they are opened.

There it is, now you've got a breakdown of the two remaining “flavors” of InfraWorks 360 and how (or why) you have access to a particular version. 

If you have LT and want more information on purchasing a full version of InfraWorks 360, please contact sales@ideateinc.com.

Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training, and consulting Ideate provides, visit our website at www.ideateinc.com.

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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. He can be found on twitter as @MattM_PE

Autodesk InfraWorks 2014 Proposals and Scenarios

At Ideate, we are reviewing the latest release of Autodesk’s Suites. New to the Infrastructure Design Suite is Autodesk InfraWorks, a re-branded and enhanced Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM). Autodesk InfraWorks is an easy to use, high-level collaboration, communication and visualization tool for planners, designers, and anyone else involved in the planning and pre-design phase of a project’s lifecycle. 

Two new features in InfraWorks are the ability to create Proposals and Scenarios. Proposals allow a user to develop simultaneous design alternatives while Scenarios allow a user to share designs online with groups of other users through an Autodesk 360 account.

Proposals
A Proposal is a design alternative. It is a set of InfraWorks objects developed on top of your existing data. A user can have many proposals in the same design footprint, allowing for multiple design alternatives. This can be done quickly and is useful for working with clients in real-time.

You access the Proposals dialog box on the home tab of the InfraWorks Ribbon, as seen in the image below. You can add different InfraWorks objects to create proposal components, as identified in the Proposals Dialog Box. To add components to a proposal, use the create/edit features tool bar. A user will need to make sure that objects are being added to the correct proposal. To do this, a user must set the correct Proposal in the drop down list in the Proposals Dialog Box, or the proposals drop down list above the InfraWorks Ribbon. Users can create, delete, and merge proposals in the Proposals Dialog box.

InfraWorks Ribbon

Proposals Dialog Box

Scenarios
A Scenario is an isolated geographical section of a chosen proposal which can be shared with other users. The Scenarios dialog box is accessible on the Present tab of the InfraWorks Ribbon. From the Scenarios dialog box, you can create, delete, edit, copy, and publish Scenarios as well as create Scenario files. A user can name, define the geographical extents, edit a few basic settings, and determine a display resolution for a Scenario, as seen in the Create/Edit Scenarios Dialog Box. Once a Scenario has been created, it can be published to a particular group to be viewed in either in an InfraWorks 360 mobile application or the InfraWorks desktop application. It can also be viewed in a web browser.

InfraWorks Ribbon

 

Scenarios Dialog Box

 

Create/Edit Scenarios Dialog Box

Both Proposals and Scenarios allow a user to effectively and efficiently communicate design intent of multiple design alternatives. I encourage you to check out these new features.

Visit our website at www.ideateinc.com to see what Autodesk InfraWorks can do.

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Kate Ming
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Kate has a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. Prior to Ideate, she worked at a multinational company for four years doing general civil design on large infrastructure projects. She is versed in roadway, rail, and utility design. She also has experience with utility demand analysis and Low Impact Development plans. At Ideate, Kate provides training and support for Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and Navisworks.  

Get it. Know it. Use it.

New in 2014: Introduction to Autodesk InfraWorks 2014

Here at Ideate, we have been working hard to review all of the new products and features of the 2014 Autodesk design suites.  This year, Autodesk has re-branded and enhanced their Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) program as Autodesk InfraWorks.
 
Autodesk InfraWorks is an easy to use, high-level collaboration, communication and visualization tool for planners, designers, and anyone else involved in the planning and pre-design phase of a project’s lifecycle.
 
All capabilities that existed in the last release of AIM (version R2 via Subscription Center) have been carried over and enhanced in Autodesk InfraWorks.  New create and edit feature options allow users to create riverways, pipes & structures, and tree alleys while enhanced road styles provide new profile viewing and editing capabilities.

The Autodesk Material libraries are shared in the 2014 product line, making interoperability even easier, and providing a high level of consistency across renderings and visualizations from product to product.  The added ability to directly import Autodesk Revit models allows a seamless incorporation of proposed designs into existing condition models built from GIS, Civil 3D, DWG, and other 3D model data.
 
Point Cloud data compatibility has also been added to Autodesk InfraWorks, and with the release of Autodesk ReCap, processing, editing and using point clouds is easier than ever.
 
Autodesk InfraWorks also includes brand new functionality in the form of Proposals and Scenarios that can be created within the InfraWorks model to highlight different design alternatives. Users can easily switch between Proposals to quickly show changes to the design. Scenarios can be published and shared online with an Autodesk 360 account.
 
For non-design suite owners, Autodesk has also created a way to access shared models via InfraWorks for the Web and the InfraWorks 360 mobile app for iPad.  Both are free products that either work directly in a web browser, or can be downloaded and installed on an iPad.
 
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.
 
Don’t forget to look through the great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

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Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

Get it. Know it. Use it.