The Autodesk InfraWorks product allows a user to create a virtual environment to create and demonstrate a design and its intent. The ability to create this virtual environment empowers a user to demonstrate and evaluate a design with a visual context created by this virtual environment.
Autodesk InfraWorks is built on Map’s FDO connector technology allowing a user to use diverse data sources as data for this virtual environment. The availability of 3D building models lets a user define a urban virtual environment, but these models are limited in scope and type.
While Map and InfraWorks connect to the same data, each program uses its own unique terms. One way to understand the terminology is to first review the data in Map and then see how the attribute data is referred to in InfraWorks.
Map FDO Connections
In Map when working with an external data file, for example ESRI Shape files, the FDO connection allows Map to display both the vector and attribute data in a drawing. See Figure 1. In Figure 1, after connecting to the soils shape file for Manchester, New Hampshire the Map drawing displays soil
type boundaries.
After making the connection, you can view the shape file’s attribute data table. Map can theme the attribute table's data to better understand the attribute's distribution across the map. In Figure 1, the polygons represent the attribute column, MUSYM or the soil code. Map allows the user to theme on any attribute table column.
Figure 1: Manchester Soils Themed by Soil Code
Another theme can be created by using a different attribute, e.g. farm land CI values, drainage class, or hydrology group. Each attribute will create a different number of theme ranges. The MUSYM attribute creates 158 themed rules and farm land Ci and hydrology group create 6 themed rules. In any theme the same numbers of polygons appear on the screen, but the polygons will fill differently based on the themed attribute. See Figure 2. The same polygons now represent the soil group, e.g. A,B,C,D, etc.
Figure 2: Manchester Soils Themed by Hydrological Group
The InfraWorks Model Environment
To use use data in InfraWorks, you first create a model. The model's environment for a project includes a name and coordinate systems for the data and the UCS. These setup values are a part of Infraworks New Model dialog box and its Advanced Settings. See Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 3: New Model Dialog box
Assigning a Surface File to InfraWorks
The soils are to display in the context of the Manchester DEM. When the soils are attached to the project, they will be draped over the DEM surface. The DEM is a raster source file for InfraWorks just as it is in Map.
To assign a surface to a model, you use the Data Sources panel. In the Data Sources panel, you select the data type from a data types list. In this case you select Raster to addd a DEM. See Figure 5. When you select Raster, InfraWorks displays a select file browser. In the browser, locate and select the appropriate file and click Open. This creates an attachment to the model. However, to make the surface display the surface must be configured. All attached data must be configured to display.
Figure 5: Select Raster to Display a Browse File Dialog Box
Configure Data Source
The last step to display the surface is to Configure it. This is done by selecting the DEM in the Data Sources data tree. As always there are multiple methods of displaying the Data Source Configuration dialog box. You display the configuration dialog box when you right click and select from a shortcut menu, right click on the DEM's Not Configured entry, or select the DEM and select the Configure icon above the data list. See Figure 6. Each method displays the Data Source Configuration dialog box.
Figure 6: How to Display the Data Source Configuration Dialog Box (Right Click on Data Source)
A Terrain data source does not have many configuration options. The Geo Location tab identifies the DEM’s Coordinate system. See Figure 7. The DEM’s coordinate system does not need to match the model’s coordinate system. Like Map, InfraWorks can transform all data from its coordinate system in to model's coordinate system. Thus, InfraWorks, like Map can aggregate varying data types from various coordinate systems into the model’s single coordinate system.
The Raster tab defines the DEM’s limits.
Figure 7: Configure Terrain – Geo Location Tab
Figure 8 is the resulting terrain on which the soil types are to draped and themed.
Figure 8: The Configured Manchester, New Hampshire DEM
My Next blog entry will bring in the soils data to the model and we will explore the theming options is InfraWorks.