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

  • Innovative control system for concrete pavers
    February 14, 2012
    Wirtgen has developed a novel control system for use on its concrete paving equipment. Matthias Fritz is the product engineer at Wirtgen tasked with developing the system. The new AutoControlpackage uses GPS technology to provide guidance for the machine's steering functions. Fritz added, "It has an augmentation centre for vertical control because it requires millimetre accuracy for height." This 3D control system is for use with the firm's SP15 and SP25 slipform pavers and is said to be a user-friendly, co
  • A flexible approach to concrete testing
    February 20, 2012
    One of the world's most versatile building materials is subject to a variety of tests to make sure it is fit for purpose. Patrick Smith reports
  • Bentley's iTwin Experience, Capture and IoT
    November 24, 2022
    Bentley Systems has launched iTwin Experience, iTwin Capture and iTwin IoT to improve the performance of its digital twin analysis platform iTwin.
  • Machine control innovations
    February 15, 2012
    THE RECENT CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibition has seen the launch of a wealth of new machine control technologies - Mike Woof reports A fast pace of technological development in the machine control sector is seeing new innovations come to market at regular intervals. The developments remain focussed on the three main technology suppliers to this market, Leica Geosystems, Topcon and Trimble, offereng a combination of systems using machine control based on GPS, total station, sonic units and industrial inertial gu