Meet InfraWorks and Civil 3D 2021.2

Introducing new capabilities for GIS integration, transportation, and utility design.

This year has been anything but expected. We hope you are staying safe and healthy and we encourage you to visit our COVID-19 resource center to learn about the ways that Autodesk continues to support our customers. We’ve also committed to delivering an exciting Autodesk University experience that customers have come to expect. AU 2020 was completely virtual and free to attend this year. In case you missed it, check out these Autodesk University highlights curated for the civil engineering community. 

While we reimagined bringing our annual Las Vegas conference online, our civil infrastructure product teams continued working hard to deliver even better experiences in the core BIM tools you use every day. We’re pleased to round out the end of 2020 with the introduction of new versions of Civil 3D and InfraWorks! 

Available December 7th, Civil 3D 2021.2 delivers new functionality that extends capabilities to two important workflows. Utility designers can enjoy more flexibility in laying out pressure networks that use multiple materials and annotating gravity and pressure networks. Additionally, we’ve made enhancements to the Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS to incorporate raster imagery and support the refresh of Civil 3D objects connected to ArcGIS Online. 
 
Updates in InfraWorks (2021.2), also available on December 7th, bring several enhancements to road, corridor, and bridge design workflows. With new active linear road decoration capabilities, customers are be able to import Civil 3D corridors into InfraWorks and decorate roads, then export to Revit for further detail work. A refined bridge analysis preview shows the breakdown of material properties, meshing options, and other details for model analysis. 

New in Civil 3D

Let’s dive into what’s new in Civil 3D. We’ve up-leveled Civil 3D in several areas: 

Pressure Pipe Networks

Civil 3D 2021.2 supports multiple materials in pressure pipe layout workflows, which aids in the design of pressure systems that typically include a mix of PVC or HDPE pipes with ductile iron or other material bends and fittings. With this new release, parts lists can be created from multiple catalogs. Additionally, fittings of different materials can be used when laying out a pipe run. This new functionality helps customers easily lay out a pressure pipe run that uses fittings of a different material than the pipes. For example, you can have ductile iron fittings paired with PVC pipes.

The Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS 

Customers on Civil 3D 2021.2 can import an ArcGIS raster layer into Civil 3D as an image or surface. With the Autodesk Connector for ArcGIS, Civil 3D users can easily add ArcGIS vector data into the project and sync by saving back and refreshing the data. This new functionality enables customers to leverage rich context from the ArcGIS raster layer and helps customers easily insert the ArcGIS raster layer into Civil 3D at the correct geo-location as an existing reference. 

Profile View Bands 

The newest Civil 3D supports expressions in profile view bands which enables utility system designers to use mathematical expressions to report various design data beneficial to pipe and pressure network workflows. Customers can annotate the depth-to-invert of a pipe network and annotate a variety of other pipe network design data into profile view bands. 

PPK Survey for Civil 3D 

A new capability introduced in the latest Civil 3D is support for Post-Processing Kinematic, or PPK. An alternative survey workflow to Real-Time Kinematic (RTK), PPK Survey for Civil 3D enables users to collect survey data from base and roving GPS receivers in the field and, once data collection is complete and compiled as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) logs, process that data and make the necessary corrections and adjustments to ensure accuracy. This process, that can typically be performed back in the office, allows customers to collect field conditions data using various third-party survey solutions and then conduct the subsequent data processing within Civil 3D. 

Active Linear Road Decorations 

Prior to this release, corridor models brought into InfraWorks from Civil 3D could not be decorated. Now, with the Active Linear Road Decorations capability, users can originate a corridor in Civil 3D and import that model into InfraWorks. Once in InfraWorks, users could place decorations such as light posts, railing, fencing, and more. More detailed work can then be conducted in Revit, such as might be needed for bridges and tunnels. Because the placement and editing of these decorations do not require the regeneration of the road or terrain, it helps accelerate the design process. 

The ability to more efficiently decorate roadways in InfraWorks helps civil designers improve visualization of their designs and more effectively convey project intent during design review – helping to improve understanding and accelerate stakeholder approvals. 

Refined Bridge Analysis Preview Window 

Before initiating a refined bridge analysis, it is helpful if bridge designers could better understand and modify the controlling parameters of that analysis. The refined bridge analysis preview window in InfraWorks now enables users to see a breakdown of material properties, meshing options, and other details that are used for the analysis. Providing users the ability to understand the overall aspects of the analysis model based on the current user inputs enables them to make adjustments to the input parameters prior to conducting the analysis, avoiding redundant iterations. 

We hope you found this summary of 2021.2 new features useful. All of these new capabilities and enhancements were built with our customers in mind to help them meet real project challenges. We invite all customers to connect with our product teams directly and influence our roadmaps. Sign up for our Infrastructure Futures program. 

Discover what the AEC Collection can do for your civil infrastructure workflows. The AEC Collection includes Civil 3D, InfraWorks, Revit, AutoCAD, ReCap Pro, and other essential BIM tools. The AEC Collection is the most cost-effective choice for accessing several of our leading software.