Two Ways to Get an Overhead Water Tank into Your InfraWorks 360 Model

In a recent InfraWorks training for a water services company there was need to show a water tank in the InfraWorks model. You can achieve that in the following two ways:

Option 1
For a non-elevated ground level water tank, you can use the Point of Interest > 3D Model > Shapes > Green Solid 1M Cylinder. It doesn’t have to be green, this was the first in the list. You can also use this for oil tanks in an oil refinery.

 

This is a simple process – follow the numbered steps from the figure above. You may need to scale the model after insertion as needed.

Option 2
For an elevated water tank, you can import a 3D model from Sketchup warehouse https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/. This website has known landmarks such as Golden Gate Bridge as well as some generic models uploaded by the community. Search for a model that is appropriate for your job. Once you have found a model that works, simply download the latest version of the model as an SKP file.

Drag and drop the SKP file inside your model in InfraWorks. A dialog box pops up in InfraWorks asking you to use cloud account to process the import and then another one that says that the materials might not be imported. Accept the defaults and click okay at both the prompts – we will address the material issue at the end of this write up.

 

The next step is to configure the model. Simply double click the model in the Data Sources panel (as highlighted in red in the figure above) to display the Data Source Configuration dialog box.

Then follow the numbered steps to specify the model Type as Building and click Interactive placing… The dialog box will hide; double click to place the object in the model.

 

After that the Data Source dialog box will appear again – click Close & Refresh. That completes the process. Notice, I did not fret about the units of coordinates.

Now the object does not have any material or texture. To fix this you will need to open the SKP file in Sketchup and export the object to DAE file from Sketchup. Then you will need to make sure all supporting files including the DAE file are in the same folder. Now you can drag and drop the DAE file into InfraWorks instead of SKP file.

For more on this process refer to a blog I wrote earlier on our Ideate blog:

http://bit.ly/1OJFRVE

Also, this video from Willy Campbell of Autodesk explains the same thing:

http://autode.sk/1OAxHBj

For more from Ideate follow our blog and connect with us on our social media channels.

 

Thank you for reading. For more information on AutoCAD and other Autodesk products, and information on training and consulting for the various products Ideate services, visit our website at www.ideateinc.com.

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Guarav Bagga

Senior Application Specialist Infrastructure 

Gaurav is a Senior Application Specialist for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 18 years of experience in construction and related software industry. With this extensive design technology background he helps engineering and surveying companies, federal and state government agencies, and ENR 500 firms critically analyze and improve their construction drawing production process. He implements Civil infrastructure design technology led by InfraWorks and Civil 3D and has helped Ideate grow Civil Infrastructure Services. Being an industry recognized speaker he has presented cutting edge design technology at several industry conferences such as Autodesk University. @BeGeez

 

InfraWorks 2015: Import Sketchup Model

Last year I wrote a blog post on how to import a Sketchup model into InfraWorks. This post is essentially an update to that post. With the current release of InfraWorks the process has been simplified to just a drag and drop of a SKP file, which you can download from Sketchup 3D model warehouse. Here is a result:

However, as you drag & drop your SKP file I have noticed it will not bring the materials and textures associated with it, see below:

So the trick is to convert the SKP file to Collada, DAE, format by simply exporting SKP from the free Sketchup Make 2014 to get the following result:

So download and install Sketchup per the link above the export:

As you export to DAE it creates a folder with all associated material images.

Simply drag and drop the DAE file inside your InfraWorks model, assign it the right Type and place it interactively using your mouse. Click Close & Refresh.

You are done. Enjoy!

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Gaurav Bagga
Ideate Senior Application Specialist,
Infrastructure Solutions

Gaurav is a Senior Application Specialist for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 18 years of experience in construction and related software industry. With this extensive design technology background he helps engineering and surveying companies, federal and state government agencies, and ENR 500 firms critically analyze and improve their construction drawing production process. He implements Civil infrastructure design technology led by InfraWorks and Civil 3D and has helped Ideate grow Civil Infrastructure Services. Being an industry recognized speaker he has presented cutting edge design technology at several industry conferences such as Autodesk University. Follow Gaurav on Twitter: @BeGeez

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Import Sketchup Model into Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler

At Ideate, we are asked about the value of purchasing the Infrastructure Design Suite. Included in Infrastructure Design Suite Premium and Ultimate is Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler; a great program for quickly visualizing your design in context for meetings with stakeholders and/or clients.
 
Problem – you are using Infrastructure Modeler to present your next urban development project proposal. And to make it more realistic and compelling you want to insert a 3D model of the nearby landmark giving the project stakeholders a visual perspective. You have seen 3D models of buildings in Google Earth but this is Infrastructure Modeler. Not Google Earth!
 
The 3D buildings you see in Google Earth are sketchup models. But can you import these 3D models in Infrastructure Modeler?

Is it possible to import any sketchup model into Infrastructure Modeler? The answer is Yes. Here’s how!
 
Before I raise your hopes – I am not aware of any direct way to achieve this so we will have to take a detour via Civil 3D.
 
So the process is to:

1. Import the model first into Civil 3D by using the Sketchup Import plug-in. This plug-in can be downloaded and installed from Autodesk Exchange which is found in the Infocenter on the top right as shown below.

2. Then export this model to an FBX file
3. And finally import and configure it in Infrastructure Modeler. Configuring includes move, scale, rotate as necessary to georeference.

You can possibly insert the sketchup model in Civil 3D project drawing that contains the georeferenced image and terrain and move, scale and rotate the model to georeference it here in Civil 3D.
 

Import the Model in Civil 3D
From within Civil 3D, Plug-ins tab > Sketchup Import panel > click on Get 3D Model

From Sketchup Import – Get 3D Model window, click on Download Model to download and insert the model in Civil 3D. Depending upon what’s available you will be given options – I got the 9MB model.

Here is the 3D model of Golden Gate Bridge in Civil 3D.

Export the Model to FBX
Go To Application Menu > Export and save the file as FBX format.

In the FBX Export Options dialog box, choose what you want to export appropriately – I exported everything visible – the drawing had only one model.

Import the Model in Infrastructure Modeler
From within Infrastructure Modeler, click on Data Source in the Home tab to open the Data Source palette. Click 3D Model as shown below and then pick the above FBX file. I had already imported the surface and image from Civil 3D 2012 using LandXML and Raster data sources, respectively.

Once the model is imported you need to configure it.
 
In the Data Source palette, double click on the row corresponding to the FBX file you just imported.
 
In the Data Source configuration dialog box,

Assign it a type depending upon the data, I chose Buildings, could have chosen City Furniture as well.

Assign a coordinate system to the data source (on the top), in this case I used XY-FT because the data does not have any coordinate system. Then there is a coordinate system for where the data will get placed in the model - I assigned the appropriate California State Plane coordinate system. I also had to scale the model down 12 times to convert meters to feet. You can see the scale factor of 0.083 for X, Y, Z. 

Click on Interactive Placing… and then double click in the model area to place the sketchup model in the project. Remember, it’s a double click. 

You may have to move and rotate the model to place it accurately.

That’s it, you are done. 
Here is the final result in Infrastructure Modeler. Enjoy!

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Gaurav Bagga
Ideate 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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Study in Success - TLCD Architecture (excerpt Part 2)

How TLCD Architecture Capitalizes on BIM

Excerpt from Ideate Study in Success
Part Two of a Three Part Series

By 2002, new TLCD projects were being modeled in Revit. By 2006, BIM was the firm’s core methodology for project delivery. The well-known Revit advantages of consensus building and collaboration solidified the firm’s commitment. TLCD also found that the visualization, scheduling, analysis and phasing capabilities of Revit underpinned many successes.

Visualization and Leveraging

With Revit, TLCD can produce strong, striking images at any point in the process, and the visualization capabilities alone make the tool invaluable. Leveraging Revit in combination with other software increases its value further.

As one example, to help clients visualize, the TLCD team uses a familiar imaging tool, Google Earth. From an outer space perspective, they zoom toward the targeted continent, country and region until recognizable area landmarks orient the client to the location, then they drop the 3D Revit model into its proposed site.

Scheduling

With Revit, schedules and quantities are live views of the building database. With interior design for example, what-if scenarios facilitate exploration of design options for cost efficiencies and other criteria. Human counting errors shrink to virtually nothing. Preliminary costs grow in accuracy. The client sees the 3D use of space, the functionality earlier in the process in surprising detail. Redundant work disappears. TLCD can offer alternatives and suggest scenarios for customizations and cost-efficiencies.

Estimating and Cost Benefit Analysis

Revit has the ability to extract and summarize quantities of materials, a capability that points to a future where cost benefit analyses facilitate sustainable designs. Historically, estimating was done at fixed episodic points. Now, TLCD is focused on a new model where cost and quantity data are fluid in real time.

Real time estimating will enable the firm to determine a measurable value for virtually any and all design features, to test them in the model and weigh their benefits. Given this data, at any point in the process from conceptual to construction, the firm will be able to extract information and quantify its effect on the overall cost of the building.

Phasing

Since tenant improvements (TIs) proceed in phases, TLCD renovations of existing spaces make the phasing capabilities of Revit very useful. Revit enables tracking so that a sequential approach for each stage of the project can be established.

The snapshot of the construction process Revit provides and the capability of Revit to organize the project are especially useful in TIs for medical facilities. Hospitals never shut down, so the design team must provide disruption planning to allow operation during construction. In the specific design of medical clinic examination rooms, health practitioners need to see details such as placement of sinks and electrical outlets in proximity to exam tables to accommodate issues such as patient safety.

Revit helps orchestrate phasing, enabling the client to coordinate staffing and plan for materials management throughout the project. By using GoToMeeting and Sketch Up with Revit, TLCD is able to facilitate client communication. Utilizing Revit for phasing also helps the contractor visualize what a space will look like.

With Revit, TLCD is able to provide visualizations, scheduling, analyses and phasing. It is in the what-if scenarios that the client discovers what works, what doesn’t work, and what are the best alternatives.

As Stephen Peakes, TLCD Project Manager – Healthcare Projects explains, “With Revit, you have changed the paradigm for the industry.”

To read the complete text of the Ideate Study in Success http://ideateinc.com/ideas/case.html
To learn more about TLCD Architecture http://www.tlcd.com/