A better alternative for the Geotechnical Modeler: GeoDin Ground for Civil 3D

Seeing below the ground is crucial for designers and civil engineers to create structures and buildings that are safe and efficiently built. However, the integration of ground data in design programs isn’t something that is easily done.  

Many designers and geotechnical engineers are familiar with the extension Geotechnical Modeler for Civil 3D which enables users to import and connect geotechnical data directly into the Civil 3D environment.  

We are excited to announce that Autodesk and GeoDin have partnered up to give Civil 3D users even more powerful tools to integrate ground data in their designs. The first fruit of this partnership is the launch of the GeoDin Ground app, which enables a more powerful and fresh alternative to the Geotechnical Modeler. 

Try the GeoDin Ground App today.

Why closing the information gap between ground and design is key

Let’s take a step back: why is this integration of ground data in the design phase so important?

Design engineers often face the challenge of designing structures without a complete understanding of the underlying ground conditions. This lack of knowledge can lead to costly mistakes and project delays. However, earlier ground visibility and a single source of geodata can make a significant change.At the moment, two teams are being affected by this: designers and geotechnical engineers. More specifically, the information exchange between the two is hindered by the:

  • Import & extraction of data​ 
  • Validation and geo-alignment ​ 
  • Data cleaning & interpretation​ 
  • Determining sufficiency of data 

How GeoDin Ground fulfills the role of closing the gap between ground and design 

The Civil 3D Geotechnical Modeler extension provided important support for many of its users, and we have used it ourselves too. As we aim for continuous improvement, the GeoDin Ground app for Civil 3D aims to take the integration of ground data in designs one step further.  

GeoDin Ground is an app developed by GeoDin and Autodesk, which enables design and civil engineers to see below ground and to better align their buildings with the ground conditions they are dealing with. The GeoDin Ground app is a powerful tool for geotechnical engineers, allowing them to seamlessly integrate geological data into Civil 3D. By visualizing borehole data within the familiar Civil 3D environment, users can gain a comprehensive understanding of subsurface conditions and make more accurate design choices. 

Differences between GeoDin Ground and Geotechnical Modeler for Civil 3D

How does GeoDin Ground compare to the Geotechnical Modeler for Civil 3D? This overview provides you with key differnces on Data import & management, Visualizations, Reporting & Customization, Workflow and Updates.

Feature GeoDin Ground Geotechnical Modeler
Data Import Direct connection to GeoDin geotechnical database, ensuring secure access to the latest data, ability to select in real-time from multiple databases, projects, locations. Manual import of basic geotech data for boreholes (AGS or CSV), issues due to asynchronous.
Data Management Data available for calculations, analysis & filtering by Civil 3D (by e.g., property sets functionalities). Lack of ability to leverage the advanced capabilities of Civil 3D.
Data Updates Ability to control incremental ingest data updates directly from database to ensure latest data (expected mid 2025). Requires manual re-ingest of data.
Supported Datatypes Various geotechnical parameters (layer description, thickness) as well as full borehole logs. Only location, depth, and lithology.
Reporting Ability to leverage the power of GeoDin for advanced reporting.
Generate reports by exports of borehole logs, cross-sections (expected mid-2025).		 No reporting capabilities.
Visualization in Civil 3D Render 3D boreholes, layers, and surfaces, with customizations on visualizations by layers (e.g., custom colors based on lithology).
Detailed rendered borehole logs (expected early 2025).		 Render 3D boreholes, layers, and surfaces.

What's ahead

GeoDin Ground is just the first step towards tight collaboration between design and ground. We have a dedicated team working on further enriching the interoperability between GeoDin and Civil 3D. They are currently working on:

  • Ingestion of more geotech data types
  • Establish a two-way connection  
  • Embed geophysics in the design 

Please contact our team if you have any specific wishes or ideas, we'd love to hear from you.

See how the GeoDin Ground app, built by GeoDin and Autodesk, works with Civil 3D

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