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

  • Fast laser scanning from Hexagon
    June 19, 2023
    Hexagon says that its next-generation Leica BLK360 laser scanner offers precise and accurate scanning operations.
  • A new grader and dozer control system is offered by MOBA
    January 6, 2017
    MOBA is offering a sophisticated control system for use with bulldozers and graders available in both 2D and 3D format. The company says that its 3D-matic package offers precise and versatile levelling control for graders and dozers and which can also be used as a 2D system if necessary. Marketing manager Christine Seidel said, “This system moves the blade. Our mindset is to make it easy to use for the operator. It’s different from the competition which focus on tonnages as this is focussed on the machine a
  • A new grader and dozer control system is offered by MOBA
    February 8, 2013
    MOBA is offering a sophisticated control system for use with bulldozers and graders available in both 2D and 3D format. The company says that its 3D-matic package offers precise and versatile levelling control for graders and dozers and which can also be used as a 2D system if necessary. Marketing manager Christine Seidel said, “This system moves the blade. Our mindset is to make it easy to use for the operator. It’s different from the competition which focus on tonnages as this is focussed on the machine a
  • CET opens new laboratory to service UK’s infrastructure projects
    October 23, 2017
    With over £300 billion of investment in infrastructure planned over the next four years in the UK, materials testing firm CET is gearing up to service a lot more projects – Kristina Smith visited the newest laboratory near Heathrow to find out more. The CET Group has ambitious plans. Over the next four years it wants to double the size of its business, which in the last year turned over £27 million. “There’s a lot of positivity out there,” said Gary Corrigan, managing director of the group’s infrastructu