New tools like Project Boulder (pictured above) promise to be helpful for civil engineers working on infrastructure projects. (Image courtesy of Autodesk.)
Stay Civil with AutoCAD Civil 3D
AutoCAD Civil 3D is Autodesk’s main offering for civil engineers. It covers a wide range of civil engineering tools, modeling projects in a BIM workflow and rendering them in real-world context.
What’s new? The second service pack for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 is out. Autodesk says that it should solve quite a few bugs from the previous release.
One of these updates fixes an issue with compatibility with InfraWorks 360. The rest of the bug fixes are listed here.
Blending in with Project Kameleon
This little tool is for the civil engineer who can never find the right parts for a project.
It’s an Autodesk Labs tech preview: a useable app meant as a trial. If the apps are well received, they could become available as commercial products. The technology could also pop up in another Autodesk product.
Project Kameleon features a built-in shape library that lets users pick from a range of useable infrastructure parts. However, in the event that that just isn’t enough, it’s also designed to let users create certain parts using InfraWorks 360 and AutoCAD Civil 3D. These include culverts, manholes, grates and more.
What’s new? Project Kameleon was recently updated with a few fancy details. One of these is the ability to design pressure piping content for AutoCAD Civil 3D, meaning that pipes, fittings, valves and hydrants can be authored to reflect their pressure ratings.
Another new detail is that InfraWorks users can author bridge structure content like girders, abutments and piers.
Watch the video below for a quick tour.
Dam It with Project Boulder
Another little gem from Autodesk Labs, Project Boulder is a handy tool for keeping your projects high and dry.
It combines 2D flood simulations from RiverFlow 2D by Hydronia with Autodesk’s InfraWorks 360 3D modeling to demonstrate just how projects like buildings, bridges and roads might suffer in a flood. These simulations can run directly in InfraWorks.
What’s new? The Project Boulder preview was recently extended to June 2016, so there’s still plenty of time to try it out.
Watch the video below for a quick demo.