Revit to link or import Infraworks 360

[lcollier]

Infrawork's is a power site generation tool especially at proposal stages.  Rendering Engines like Live, Stingray, Vray, Enscape, Lumion, etc.... really do a better job for visualization.  It is nearly impossible to get an Infraworks Site linked into Revit.  Most Architects don't want to bring it into Infraworks to do their presentations.  Good in concept but the lack of flexibility or bi-directional option is limiting.

Ideally one could link in their site model into Revit do their massing and designing and Render or visualize from there.  You can coordinate in Navisworks but that doesn't do anything for presentations either.  

Options-

• Add a new export from Infraworks that Revit will read
• Create a link or plugin to bring into Revit directl

[samuelsanf]

Totally agree.

[mengelmn]

Hoping we can get some traction on this.

Currently, Revit Can come into Infrawork Directly, its not perfect but for planning a context better than the limitations of Google Earth.  

Where we are missing functionality is to take geometry and data from Infraworks back to Revit.
3 Workflows I know of currently that get close but are near misses.

1) Infraworks into Civil3d.  Civil3d Surface out to BIM360 and create a Linked Topography in Revit Model.  In most Architectural offices there is not a level of knowledge of Civil 3d to utilize.  Also having to pass Model A through a second application to get it to Model C is far from efficient.

2) Infraworks into Navisworks.  Navisworks link to Revit for Context.  Same issues as above.  And while this does bring building context it also is graphically poor and difficult to manage for average Revit Users.

3) Infraworks out to FBX.  FBX into Formit then Formit to Revit.  This is functionally at early massing, but once you get to any level of detailing and require the functions to Revit.  The surface becomes unusable and you must revert to options 1 or 2.

There are obviously variations in workflows to the above.  But none get to a simple streamlined workflow from Infraworks to Revit.  There is a lot of potentials though.  If an ability to publish either whole Infraworks model or a portion of the model to BIM360 as a Shared Topo Surface that could be linked into Revit.  Very similar to the Civil 3d workflow that exists, but with removing Civil3d.  Simultaneously outputting non Topography elements to a file format that can be linked into Revit as well.  

Give that all (or most?) of building projects exist on a site of some sort.  Getting a connections to its real-world context is critical at the onset of every project.

Example image provided using out of the box setting in Infraworks & Formit
Infraworks < - > Formit Interoperability

[samuelsanf]

@mengelmn, at the moment we can link an InfraWorks model to Revit by passing throung FormIt Pro.

Not what we desire, but it's a lot better that Navisworks workarround.