Skip to main content

Autodesk introduces new software tools

As World Highways was going to press Autodesk was due to announce the 2014 versions of its entire range of programs including AutoCAD, Civil 3D, NavisWorks and Revit Structural and others programs used by the road industry. As previously, they are packaged in suites; Standard, Premium and Ultimate. Key aspects focus around the inclusion of a completely new and fast point-cloud “engine” developed from the Alice Labs company acquisition made last year. Part of a new Autodesk Recap, standing for reality captur
April 25, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
As 3260 World Highways was going to press 685 Autodesk was due to announce the 2014 versions of its entire range of programs including AutoCAD, Civil 3D, NavisWorks and Revit Structural and others programs used by the road industry. As previously, they are packaged in suites; Standard, Premium and Ultimate.

Key aspects focus around the inclusion of a completely new and fast point-cloud “engine” developed from the Alice Labs company acquisition made last year. Part of a new Autodesk Recap, standing for reality capture, this will be able to open point-clouds in the main tools used in civil engineering such as Map, Civil 3D and Revit. Recap is included in all of them. The company says the new engine is fast, inputs most of the major formats, and can translate point-clouds into different local coordinate systems to match other data.

The Infrastructure Modeller tool, for conceptualising projects and testing sketch scenarios is now relaunched as a enhanced version, re-named InfraWorks.

In the Ultimate suite this will include roads and highway modules which allow early design sketches to be done with precision data, so that they can be imported directly into Civil 3D for further work. It will also link to the cloud for tasks like optimisation of the vertical alignment

– part of a general philosophy for all Autodesk products using more "infinite" computing power of the cloud for heavy "grunt" work, instead of the local desktop.  Rendering capacity is another aspect.

The cloud will also be used for communication, and design and construction collaboration, with BIM360 Glue, a cloud accessed tool for design integration and class detection, which is a “NavisWorks light" - accessed via a very small client application with full high quality graphics whatever the capacities of the local laptop.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mississippi road rebuild contract for Michael Baker
    March 6, 2018
    Michael Baker International has established a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to rebuilt a 13km stretch of US Route 49 in the Jackson area. The firm won the US$19.3 million Construction Engineering and Inspection (CE&I) contract in late 2017. Under the terms of the deal, the firm will prioritise safety, communication and efficiency to complete the project.
  • Perkins’ launch new distributor locator tool
    April 2, 2014
    Leading off-highway diesel and gas engine manufacturer Perkins has launched a simple solution to help customers find their nearest Perkins distributor at the click of a button. Available at www.perkins.com/distributor simply enter your location and then press ‘search’, or if you already know the name of the distributor you’re looking for, type in its name for a list of locations and contact details. Updated in real time, the new Perkins distributor locator provides easy access to a network of over
  • Road accident data management
    July 19, 2012
    IRF Geneva unveils a modern solution for road accident data management. This year's Intertraffic Amsterdam exhibition provided a high-profile backdrop for the launch of RADaR, a pioneering new tablet application developed to facilitate the on-site collection of precise and scientific accident data, primarily by traffic police. Introducing the application to an international audience gathered in the venue’s inaugural Smart Mobility Centre, IRF Geneva's director general, Sibylle Rupprecht, highlighted RADaR's
  • Electric road for Aylesbury in the UK
    November 25, 2019
    Researchers from the UK’s Lancaster University will design, fabricate and test systems that generate electricity using piezoelectricity and hydromechanical dynamics from passing vehicles. The electricity produced will be stored in roadside batteries to power street lamps, road signs and air pollution monitors in the town of Aylesbury. There will also be sensors that detect the formation of potholes, according to a statement from the university’s engineering department. In addition, the so-called smart