Update to InfraWorks 360 turns former add-ons into standard tools for easier infrastructure design.
There’s always something going up on the cloud these days—and building information modeling (BIM) is no exception.
After all, the two are a match made in heaven. What could be more conducive to collaborative work than storing this work in a universally accessible format?
Moving BIM to the Cloud
A new release of InfraWorks 360 is just the latest step in the process of moving BIM to the cloud. InfraWorks 360 is Autodesk’s BIM-based infrastructure design tool for civil engineers, hosted on the cloud as part of the company’s 360 suite.
InfraWorks 360 lets users design infrastructure, including bridges, in a real-world context. (Image courtesy of Autodesk.)
InfraWorks 360 is Autodesk’s cloud-based version of its InfraWorks offering. It’s designed to aggregate real-world data, bringing together 2D CAD, 3D models, GIS and raster data and LiDAR and photogrammetry capture. Bringing all this data together, the software creates a 3D model for users to design “within the context of reality,” all on the cloud.
As with other BIM software, the intended purpose is to empower users to design accurate preliminary design proposals in order to understand how designs will interact with current structures and which designs are best for given purposes.
Updates to InfraWorks 360
Designing a boulevard within InfraWorks 360. (Image courtesy of Autodesk.)
The newest update to InfraWorks 360, just recently announced as 2016.4, has a set of tools and features intended to make infrastructure design easier for civil engineers.
So what can users expect to see in InfraWorks 360 2016.4?
- Roadway, bridge and drainage modules have become part of the standard InfraWorks 360 package. Previously, these features were available as add-ons but with an update to 2016.4, users will be able to access them without additional fees or subscriptions.
- The program now offers free education licenses for students and teachers.
- The software is no longer limited to the English language. It is now available in a range of languages, including American and British English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian.
Autodesk also announced that, with this update, the overall subscription cost has been reduced. However, because InfraWorks 360 is only available from resellers and the prices do vary depending on region and subscription type, these details aren’t available online. Users will need to consult their reseller for updated pricing.
For more information about InfraWorks 360 2016.4, check it out on Autodesk’s website.
