I’ll cut right to the chase and ask, why aren’t you using InfraWorks? This is an amazing tool with many functions that enhance civil workflows. The best part? It’s part of the Autodesk AEC Collection, which most firms already have! That means you should have access to InfraWorks and can install it without any additional cost. On top of that, it’s pretty easy to learn!

“Hey what’s that?” is a question that pops up quite often when I demonstrate InfraWorks. Questions like that have inspired this post. InfraWorks started out as the Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler and has grown tremendously in the 10 years since its release. 2021 marks 10 years since it’s been out. So, why aren’t you using it?

What Can InfraWorks Do?

First, let’s talk about what InfraWorks can do. Autodesk wants it to be used for preliminary design. Early benchmarks from Autodesk allowed designers to easily reach the 30% design mark. Today it has evolved well past 30% with criteria driven, engineer-grade design possibilities. It is quite intelligent and can do a lot of things well, including bridge design, hydraulic analysis and more. The Autodesk website sums up InfraWorks like this:

InfraWorks® civil infrastructure conceptual design software lets AEC professionals model, analyze, and visualize their design concepts within a real-world context of the built and natural environment —improving decision making and project outcomes.

That’s a good way to put it. However, there is more to it than that. This software can be used in a few different ways. I like to use it solely for visualizations. Other firms use it for exploring design alternatives. I have even seen people use it as a visual GIS platform. Moving closer to that “Digital Twin” ideology that is becoming more popular these days.

Why Use InfraWorks?

So why aren’t you using it? Perhaps you saw some images years ago and it never caught your attention. Perhaps you felt it was too “cartoony” or thought you couldn’t possibly design proper roadways or sites with it. Or perhaps you assumed the learning curve was too steep. There are many reasons this software isn’t as common in Civil Engineering firms as Civil 3D or Esri ArcGIS. This tool deserves a spot in your toolbox, though. Here’s why:

1. It is user friendly and easy to learn.
2. It is very flexible and can be utilized in several ways.
3. It has amazing connectivity to data from GIS, Revit, Point Clouds, etc.
4. Real engineering is happening!
5. It is fun! (Can you say that about all your design software?)

InfraWorks is updated quarterly, and there are always new enhancements and improvements to the software that make it even easier to justify why it should be used on every project.

Try it yourself! Follow these simple steps:

1. Install InfraWorks. The latest version as of this posting is 21.2.29.0 (this can be found in the Application Options, then select “About”).
2. In the top left corner, select “Model Builder”
3. Enter in the address of your home or office. Or perhaps another location familiar to you.

Creating a Model

From there, you’ll want to zoom in/out until your area is less than 200 square kilometers. Then give your model a name and select “Create Model”

This message will appear:

So, while you wait for the model to appear, InfraWorks is out searching for data in the area you selected. It’s grabbing an aerial photo from Bing Maps, terrain data from USGS, roadways and buildings from OpenStreetMaps, and it is doing all of this quickly. You will be notified via email that your model is ready, or you’ll simply see it appear in the InfraWorks home screen. Once you see it, select it. You’ll then be prompted to select the storage location. By default, anything local will be on your C: drive. This allows for faster performance and load times. It can also be shared to BIM360 for easier sharing with others.

Once your selection has been made, it’ll finish processing. The average time from selecting “Model Builder” to having a model ready to use is less than 5 minutes!

Unlock Additional Editing Options

The result you get from those 5 minutes is impressive! Now you are ready to start compiling data from GIS (Esri or Map 3D), Revit, Point Clouds, Civil 3D, etc.

If you just want to experiment, you’ll find that you can navigate easily with your left and right mouse buttons. The roads are what’s called “Planning Roads’ and these can be grip edited for horizontal alignment. Try adjusting these roads and see how they interact with other roads. Then, right click on a road and select “Convert to Component Road”

This will unlock many more editing options, including the profile grades. Right-click on that newly-converted component road and select “Show Station in Profile View”

Here you can select any grade or slope and edit it. When you move your mouse from profile back to the model, it updates automatically.

Now convert an intersecting road to a component road. Look how the intersection reacts.

To this:

Conclusion: From here, the options are endless.

Want to develop a new site? Want to lay out a new roadway corridor? Need to calculate watersheds? Want to change an intersection to a roundabout? Perhaps you just want this quick model so you can export it to Civil 3D, where you’d start off with alignments and surfaces. Develop your project, add some decorations and create a fly-over video to show at the next City Council meeting. This software is far more powerful than most firms give it credit for.

I truly believe every civil engineering firm can benefit from using it. That is where I’ll circle back to my original question. Why aren’t you using InfraWorks? Chances are, your competitors are, and they are taking full advantage of the efficiency it can bring to their workflows.

We have experts here at ATG that would be happy to demonstrate how these workflows apply to your projects. If you’re on the AEC Collection already, or you’re considering switching to subscription, please reach out to us and see how we can help. We’re far more than just an Autodesk Reseller. Our Technical Specialists used to work in the trenches at firms just like yours. We understand your needs and can help you solve your day-to-day issues.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for future blogs, webinars, user groups and more!