Exploring the InfraWorks Environment - Autodesk Infraworks and Infraworks 360 Essentials - page 21

Francisco City model that you viewed earlier, this model consists of raster terrain
data; 3D models representing city buildings, bridges, and landmarks; aerial imag-
ery; water areas; coverages; and many more types of data (see Figure 1.8).
fIgure 1.8 An InfraWorks model made up of many types of data
Most of the data you see in this model represents the existing conditions of
the city of San Francisco and is a compilation of data produced by GIS software,
architectural software, and civil engineering software. The aerial imagery may
have come from a government source, be it national or local. This establishment
of the existing conditions of the land is an important aspect of the InfraWorks
model because it gives context to the design ideas you are trying to convey. If
you were to simply show a new road, bridge, building, or other improvement
without showing the surrounding land, skyline, and other existing features, the
model wouldn't have nearly as much meaning.
In addition to the parts of the model representing existing conditions, there
are other parts representing proposed development. Simple versions of these
parts can be created quickly within InfraWorks using tools for creating roads,
water areas, trees, buildings, and many other types of features. Often, more
detailed models of these types of designs are prepared in other programs. For
example, a proposed building may have been designed in Autodesk ® Revit ®
software because it has the tools needed for that type of design. Rather than
re-creating the building model in InfraWorks, you could import the native Revit
RVT file right into your model. InfraWorks is powerful in this way; it can import