3.

Article

Integration of BIM and Procedural

Modeling Tools for Road Design

Salvatore Antonio Biancardo, Alessandra Capano, Sara Guerra de Oliveira and Andrej Tibaut

Special Issue
Smart Cities and Infrastructures
Edited by
Dr. Davide Lo Presti, Dr. Nizar Lajnef and Dr. Hosin “David” Lee

https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures5040037
 infrastructures
Article
Integration of BIM and Procedural Modeling Tools
for Road Design
Salvatore Antonio Biancardo 1, * , Alessandra Capano 1 , Sara Guerra de Oliveira 1
and Andrej Tibaut 2
1 Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Federico II University of Naples,
80125 Naples, Italy; [email protected] (A.C.); [email protected] (S.G.d.O.)
2 Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture, University of Maribor,
2000 Maribor, Slovenia; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-0817683772




Received: 15 March 2020; Accepted: 18 April 2020; Published: 20 April 2020


Abstract: Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a design and management methodology strongly
used in the Industry of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). It allows the creation of a
3D model through parametric modelling in a workflow that updates data, geometry and semantics
using the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard. The purpose of this paper is to develop and
apply a BIM method for road infrastructures. The creation of the BIM 3D models was carried out
using different visual programming software and BIM tools, designing the spatial and parametric
representation of the roadway. This way, it has been possible to discover the advantages of using
procedural modelling to design road infrastructure through software that are usually used in the
mechanical and architectural field. Finally, the interoperability of the software to extract and exchange
information between these BIM tools was assessed.

Keywords: Building Information Modeling; smart infrastructure; BIM software tools

1. Introduction
A smart city involves urban development aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens by
optimizing the operation and management of infrastructure systems [1] due to the integration of
information and communication technologies [2].
In this context, a smart infrastructure is developed through the combination of physical and
digital infrastructures, providing more information to improve management decisions [3].
As a result, in the age of the Internet-of-Things and Big Data, Building Information Modeling
(BIM) becomes a necessity for the planning and management of smart cities [4]. They are starting to
be integrated into the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry for infrastructure
design [1].
BIM has shown great value in providing solutions to the problems posed by the construction
industry [5]. At present, there is a tendency to improve the AEC industry worldwide, to the extent that
BIM is being expanded into sectors for which it was not originally designed, such as the infrastructure
sector, the implementation of which has posed new challenges [6]. Indeed, the limited availability of
libraries of infrastructure components and the difficulty in assigning parameters to object geometries
are considered the main obstacles to the use of BIM for transport infrastructure [7].
To guide the geometric modeling process in the context of BIM, visual programming languages
(VPL) are becoming increasingly important. Developed since the 1950s, these programming languages
are based on graphs defined by nodes and connections, which represent the programming logic. Using
the graphs and tuning the input parameters, the geometry model is designed.

Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37; doi:10.3390/infrastructures5040037 www.mdpi.com/journal/infrastructures

Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 2 of 14

Currently, there are visual scripting components for the main BIM software available, such as the
Dynamo for Autodesk Revit, Rhinoceros with Grasshoper for ArchiCAD, and Generative Components
for the Bentley platform [8].
Some studies have analyzed and compared the adoption of BIM in infrastructure projects [9–11].
In addition, there is an extensive literature research developed to align the creation of construction
models with civil transport assets divided into five categories such as bridges, roads, railways,
tunnels and airports [7]. Of these, projects using the methodologies based on VPL programming and
implementation codes are considered below.
As far as the airport category is concerned, the project for an international airport in Mexico
City, expected to become one of the largest in the world, relied highly on BIM, which supported
the achievement of the proposed set of objectives on sustainability and innovative terminal design.
Sharing of infrastructure models built with Autodesk software has given all teams access to up-to-date
information, enabling a smooth transition from the conceptual phase to a more detailed design and
construction phase [12].
In the rail sector, BIM was used to design a new monorail in a Korean park using modeling and
visual communication software for faster approval. The design started with Civil 3D to generate a 3D
topographic model of the park and explore options for the monorail route through the park terrain.
Subsequently, surfaces, alignments, profiles and corridors were created for the monorail track. From
Civil 3D, the surface and profile information were extracted to an Excel spreadsheet, which was then
used in Dynamo to model the curved surface of the track [13].
In Istanbul, a Municipality project involved the design of a 16 km metro line, consisting of
11 stations that will connect to five existing metro lines. The project plays a key role in Istanbul’s public
transport system, presenting a logistical challenge involving different AEC disciplines. To address
this challenge, software was used to define the design process and create a single integrated BIM
platform [14].
Another element considered in the planning and execution of road and rail projects is the
construction of embankments. To perform the calculations, the embankment cross-sections are
transferred from the planning software to the geotechnical software and the results obtained are
inserted in the Autocad-based design software with BIM capability. This software contains all relevant
design information such as embankment geometry, surface geometry and soil stratification including
material assignment. The geotechnical software is based on the Python programming language, which
is useful for importing geometric and material information in an appropriate way [15].
Moreover, the potential of VPL and BIM has also been confirmed through a case study on soil
safety planning and modelling in the pre-construction phase of the infrastructure. A set of algorithms
has been developed using Grasshopper as VPL that automatically generates the geometric conditions
in the BIM 3D model through interaction with Revit, visualizing the potential risks and installation of
safety resources [16].
Regarding the category of bridges and tunnels, the design can be done through a new approach
of Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE), for which the infrastructure is modelled by exploring various
options that lead to an optimal or almost optimal solution with regard to technical and economic
aspects. In this way it is also possible to make the design semi-automated to save time and increase
planning quality. Geometric-semantic modeling was carried out using VPL Dynamo [17].
Bridge models can also be obtained by following a workflow composed by the conceptual design
of the road and the planned bridge using Infraworks 360. This model is then imported in Civil 3D to
add details of the road design. The data is then entered in Revit and Dynamo to obtain the detailed
project of the bridge. The process is highly automated, and this allows for the creation of different
bridge alternatives quickly and effectively [18].
In the road category, an integrated BIM and life cycle assessment (LCA) model was created for the
design of a motorway section in Norway. The model results showed that it is possible to combine LCA
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 3 of 14

data into a BIM model using C# as a programming language in Microsoft Visual Studio to develop an
Autodesk Civil 3D application and perform calculations [19].
Furthermore, based on Dynamo’s capabilities, through a case study of a highway in Cambodia,
a 3D road model with controllable parameters for the pavement was established, then a Python-based
sub-routine was developed to combine Dynamo with the software for the analysis of the pavement
structure [20].
Moreover, in Asia, the most advanced countries in terms of the adoption of BIM are also focusing
on the infrastructure sector [21]. In particular, China has taken an interest in both the construction of
major road projects [9] and the design of municipal roads, combining traditional CAD 2D drawings
with the BIM model to share digital design information [22].
The Yulin–Zhanjiang Expressway project includes a four-lane expressway with seven toll stations,
two service areas and a parking area. The broad and multidisciplinary nature of the project suggested
that 3D visualization was crucial for analysis of the spatial relationships of the different model parts [14].
In recent decades, the construction of motorway tunnels in China has been at an increasing
pace, posing a challenge to facility management (FM), to ensure safe and reliable tunnel operation.
The tunnel BIM model was developed with Revit software and then connected to the SQL database for
FM requirements through the coding system. Every single element of the BIM model was enriched
with FM information and presented for visualization. [23].
Lastly, it can be noted that in the USA, BIM is used on almost 50% of infrastructure projects [17]
and Australia has achieved good results in terms of cost, time and quality of major road works [9].
Therefore, the results show that the use of BIM for infrastructure has increased, mainly for roads
and highways [24], but engineering opinion may be required as these works often include more
unknown factors than construction projects [17]. Indeed, large infrastructure projects are complex to
model, as they require efficient information sharing [25].
A smart infrastructure for smart urban planning is difficult to achieve unless data is shared in an
interoperable and coherent way between different infrastructure systems [1].
Standardization is needed to address these interoperability problems. Indeed, BIM aims to
facilitate requirements through the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), the standard that enables
efficient storage, management, exchange and presentation of information. However, the current
IFC version 4×2 provides classes that primarily support buildings and provides limited support for
infrastructure elements. To incorporate this information, it is necessary to extend the desired entity
to generalized classes that affect infrastructure objects not only geometrically but also semantically,
making the introduction of Asset Management information difficult [25].
Interoperability is therefore not only a mere exchange of data, such as geometric characteristics,
but also the exchange of meaning [26]. This is what allows BIM to go beyond the production of 3D
models; it is not limited to the visualization of a modeled structure, but it also adds information [9].
To model a smart infrastructure, it is necessary to find a set of variables and parameters
essential for the analysis and prediction of the performance of built objects [27]. Data modeling
can be performed by procedural, also known as parametric, modeling that provides object-oriented
n-dimensional information or generative model information containing objects created through
algorithmic processes [26].
Parametric and procedural 3D geometrical models can be represented by graphs in order to
define relationships and dependencies between geometric entities and allow its reuse in similar design
scenarios or to adapt it to different scenarios [28].
The main objective of the proposed study is to build a road infrastructure using procedural
modeling software and BIM software tools usually used in the mechanical and architectural field to test
the modeling capability of a road infrastructure and interoperability in the exchange of information
between BIM tools.
The paper focuses on the use of design software that allows 3D visualization and parameterization
of road infrastructure through procedural modeling software, allowing greater flexibility in the
                    
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 4 of 14
                                 
              
implementation process. A parametrized procedural model for a road was developed. Finally, by
                         
adopting a BIM viewer, it was possible to evaluate the ability to extract and exchange information
                                ʹ  
between these BIM software tools.
 
The advantages of using the BIM methodology for smart infrastructure design are highlighted, but
also  the limits must
  be taken  into
    account
  for future development
   linked mainly to the designer’s skills.

  Modeling
2. Procedural     of a Road
  Infrastructure
                       
                           
The case study conducted consists of the design of a section of a road infrastructure, supported by
                 
two design software that allow the visualization and parameterization of the model, implementing
                      
BIM software tools when there is compatibility between them.
 
● The infrastructure                      
was designed according to the Italian Standards, in particular:     
                           
• Italian geometric Standard [29], which defines the criteria for the design of the functional aspects
 
and geometric elements of roads, in relation to their classification according to the Highway Code;
 
• ● Road Pavements  
Catalogue   which
[30],    
offers    
a range of road
  structure
   
solutions of various
   
types  
  for  the  typical
and valid    
traffic   environmental
and    
conditions;
• ● Regulations for  the
  implementation
  of  the
  Highway
   
Code   taken
[31],   as  reference
  for  horizontal
   
road markings.
 
 
The description   comparison
and   of  the
  three
   
different  
approaches for  infrastructure
   
modeling  
 
using OpenSCAD,  
Rhinoceros   Civil
and   3D  software
  is  outlined
  as  follows.
    
                  ‐
In particular, with regard to the second software, the plug-ins, Grasshopper and     VisualARQ
     
are
 
employed. Finally,   the
for   visualization
    the
of   work   
another  
BIM  
software  
tool,  BIMcollab  ZOOM    
is used.    
The third  software
    3D  is  combined
Civil   with  the  Dynamo
   
plug-in. ‐  

  Case:
2.1. Use   Road
  Infrastructure
   
Design in  OpenSCAD
   
The first   software
    for
used   the   infrastructure
   
design is  OpenSCAD,
   
which can   create    
complex  
solid CAD  3D  models   and  is  supported
  by  an  intuitive
   
functional  
programming  
language.  
The output   of  3D  solid   is  a result     of  the   iterative
  and  methodical
   
implementation of  the
  entire
   
set of  modules
  and   parameters,
   
which are   subsequently
  used  to  create   the  output
  with  respect   to  the   
 
reference legislative  
sources.  
 
In particular,   regard
with   to  the   above-mentioned
  ‐  
parameters, two   main   
variables   been
have    
defined, length   and   type   of  road,   whose    
variation  
radically  
affects the  output
   
itself.  
Indeed, the   type   
  conditions
of road   the  entire  set  of parameters
   
attributed to the   final  model.    parameterization
This    
allows the   designer
  to  create
   
multiple  
combinations  
between all  the   main  distinctive
   
features of  the   
 
road infrastructure  
while   respecting
still   the  limits
   
indicated.   
The first   lines   of  the   code     shown
are   in  Figure
  1.   The  full   computer
   
code is  available
  as   
Supplementary Materials.    

 
   
Figure 1. Fragment of  the  script:
    length
Road     road
and   type.
   

The individual elements, part of the road infrastructure, are built using custom script modules
                           
defined by the designer, in which different types of OpenSCAD commonly used actions and operators
                           
are specified.
     
The construction of the three-dimensional elements is organized in script modules, which define
        ‐                  
the layers of the road pavement. Therefore surface, binder, base, foundation layers, left and right quays
                             
and divider are sketched as cubes that can be moved into the correct position in order to match the
                                     
road surface with the xy plane.
             
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 5 of 14
                   

The guardrail  is chosen

    a  road
as   safety   
system   it consists
and        
of columns  
connected    other 
to each
     
by a simplified  
two-wave ‐ band.  The polyline
    tool is  used    to build
    the section
    of the  two-wave
    ‐ band 
                                       
on the left and right side of the road, as shown in Figure 2. As for the other element, also the barrier    
               
element makes use of different parameters such as width and height.        

 
Figure  2.  Road  layers  section  with  guardrail  on  the  left  roadside. 

To complete the barrier construction, another module has been added, which allows to take into
                             
account that for some types of roads there is no divider and no safety system required, so the “if”
                                     
statement comes handy to differentiate all the possible cases.
                  
If this is not the case and the presence of a divider and guardrail is necessary, then the “else”
                                     
statement is able to construct the safety system using the linear extrusion of the section of the barrier to
                                   
bring the two-wave band along the whole length of the road.
      ‐                  
The geometry of the guardrail column is defined with a cube and through a “for” loop, it is moved
                                   
along the z-axis for the defined interval between the columns to the end of the road length.
      ‐                              
Finally,  the  body  of  the  guardrail  is  complete,  positioned on both the left and the right  roadside 
according to regulations.  
To  create  the  edge  stripes on  the  left  and  right  side, the geometry used is a cube, which  is then 
translated along the x-axis ‐  to position  it  correctly.  
The geometry of a single section belonging to the lane  stripe  is  created using the cube  command 
and it is then moved along the x-axis ‐  to  position  it  between  two  lanes.  
The “For”  loop  statement is    executed in
  order
  to  repeat
  the
  single
  segment
  of  the  stripe
  along  the 
y-axis
  ‐ and   to create
    a complete
    discontinuous
  stripe.
   
To  make  sure  another  longitudinal discontinuous stripe is to be displayed in case  the  road type 
has three lanes, an  “if”  statement  has  to  be  added  into  the  stripes  element.    
All  the  objects  previously  described  are  grouped  in  a  script  module  to  assign  to  the  road  the 
correct cross  slope  according  to  the  road  design  norms  D.M.  05/11/01  [29].  
Lastly,  the  other  carriageway  is  constructed  to  complete  the  road  structure.  
All the different  types  of  road  can  be obtained  simply by selecting a letter from a selection list as 
input to the “roadname”  parameter,  as  shown  in  the  Figure  3.  

   
(a)   (b)  

Figure 3.  Road  Type:  (a)  Freeway:  Type  A;  (b)  Minor  arterial:  Type C. 

                   
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 6 of 14

2.2. Use Case: Road Infrastructure Design in Rhinoceros and Grasshopper

Rhinoceros, widely applied in different fields, is the second software used for the case study,
mainly due to its multidisciplinary functionality.
One of the benefits from the Rhinoceros usage is the implementation of the Grasshopper plug-in, a
parametric modeling and visual programming tool that simplifies the modeling procedure by visually
presenting the workflow in a flowchart display. It is based on the idea of “boxes and arrows”, indeed
each Grasshopper component has input and output connectors, which means that the component
processes the input data and returns it to the output.
Objects can be built either through the basic tools provided by the program or through the use of
different supported programming languages, such as Python, C# and Visual Basic, which make the
project very flexible and customizable. This is allowed especially on account of the parameterization of
its objects.
Once the design algorithm is generated, it is possible to visualize the results in the
Rhinoceros workspace.
First of all, the input parameters for the modeling of the road infrastructure are defined, according
to the mentioned regulations, and through Grasshopper’s different components it is possible to choose
the appropriate numerical values, according to the type of parameter used, namely:

• GHPython Script, to weave the values provided in the road pavement catalogue model through a
series of statements written in the Python programming language. Indeed, the thickness of each
layer of road pavement, namely Surface, Binder, Base and Subbase Thickness, is identified. Firstly,
the category of the road structure is chosen, that can be flexible, semi-rigid, rigid unreinforced
or rigid with continuous reinforcement. Secondly the Resilient Module and the Average Daily
Traffic expected in the infrastructure are selected.
• Number Slider, in the form of Integer or Floating point for Number of Lanes, Total Length and
Cross Inclination;
• Value List, which provides a list of individual values to choose from, adopted for the inputs of
Lane Width, Divider Width, Left Quay Width, Right Quay Width, Broken White Width, Broken
White Length, Broken White Gap, Edge White Width, Barrier Width, Barrier Height and White
Stripe Thickness.

The data is graphically inserted in different groups according to the type of road to be designed,
in such a way that the numerical values of the data change together with the road type, as indicated in
the regulations.
Figure 4 shows the Group related to the Road Type A, suburban.
The same procedure has been realized for all the other road typologies according to Italian Design
Standards (A, B, C1, C2, D, E, F1, F2 and F) to allow the designer to choose through Stream Filter
component directly the typology of interest and visualize the desired structure. The full computer
code is available as Supplementary Materials.
Indeed, the Filter processes a list of values, which are organized in the next step through a List
Item component, which allows to extract the information contained in the Filter in an ordered way.
Every layer that makes up the road pavement has been constructed point by point by inserting
the x and z coordinates that essentially define a rectangular shape. Then the Group “x coordinates of
each layer” is constituted to define four points through Format components that have Divider Width
and Pavement Width as input.
The Group “z coordinates of each layer” consists of four subgroups, one for each layer of the
road pavement: Surface, Binder, Base and Subbase layer. In a subgroup as many Format components
as necessary can be found, for the definition of the coordinates of the points that make up the
layer. Input Data are Surface Thickness, Binder Thickness, Base Thickness, Subbase Thickness and
PavementWidth*Tangens (CrossInclination). In particular, the last one can vary the inclination of the
road pavement simply by changing the value of Cross Inclination in the input.
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 7 of 14
                   

 
Figure 4.  Algorithm
   
overview  for the  construction  of  the  road
  infrastructure.
 

Once the   points   have been    

defined,   the boundary       edge   curves   of  each layer  of road pavement      
can
be created   thanks to  the   PolyLine
      component,         which     creates
    a closed     
polyline used   as input   for the  
Boundary   Surface component     that   allows  visualizing     the planar   
surface   in Rhinoceros.   It is   necessary
   
         
to take into account the presence of the divider and the barrier for some road typologies.    
The construction     of  the Divider     Foundation     was done    using a Rectangle       component     that consists
   
 
of a Divider Width  input function     for   the width     and thickness   of the  Surface,     Binder,     Base   and  Subbase  
             
layers for the height. Finally, it is associated with the Boundary Surface component to create the                  
                           ʺ      
planar surface.
  ʺ                           
The safety barrier is set up above the divider and a New Jersey-type barrier is chosen. As done
         
for the road layers, the construction of the geometry of this object starts from the definition of the
   ʺ         ʺ                     
coordinates of the x and z points through various Formats that will have as input Barrier Width and
                             
Barrier Height. Then, through Construct Point, PolyLine and Boundary Surface components, the
                                     
planar surface
    is constructed.
                   
The divider     foundation
               
  and barrier on the   left
  side are  shown     in Figure
    5.         
                          
                               
                                 
                           
                                 
                           
                                 
                               
     
                        ‐            
                                   
                                   
                       
          
                           
Figure  5.   Road  layers, divider and barrier planar surfaces. 

                        ‐      
                                       
                 
                                     
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 8 of 14

All planar surfaces created with Boundary Surfaces must be extruded along the y-axis for a length
equal to the Total Length input in order to view the 3D model. This is done for Surface, Binder, Base,
Subbase layers, Left Barrier and Left Divider Foundation.
In addition, to complete the 3D model, the divider must also be on the right side of the road
infrastructure, so the Move component is used, which has as input a vector that provides the distances
of which the object must be moved.
The barrier must also be moved to the right, but in this case, it was preferred to adopt a different
component, Mirror, which allows the figure to be mirrored with respect to a point on the yz plane; the
midpoint long x with respect to the width of the pavement was chosen. Therefore, the Right Barrier
was modelled.
These elements characterize the carriageway on the right.
The stripe of the outer edge of the road, Right Edge White, is built and positioned. First of all, the
object is constructed as a rectangle whose sides are defined according to the Edge White Width and
Total Length inputs. The obtained geometry is given a planar surface and via Move, the edge white
stripe is placed in the outer edge of the road, on the right.
As for the construction and positioning of the Left Edge White (the inner edge stripe), two cases
must be distinguished; the one in the presence of the safety barrier and the one in the absence of a
safety barrier. The geometry used is always a Rectangle component, but the inputs and formulas vary
due to the road type.
To decide which of the two solutions to adopt for Left Edge White, a GHPython Script was created
to carry out an “if” and “other” statement.
Both Right Edge White stripe and Left Edge White stripe were extruded in the z direction to
provide thickness and slope (rotation) of the road.
To construct and distribute the longitudinal discontinuous stripes, called Broken White, different
algebraic components such as Addition, Integer Division and Modulus components are used to provide
the length of the element to be repeated and to consider if there is a piece of stripe remaining and how
long it is in relation to the total length of the road.
The construction of the rectangle that forms the single Broken White is implemented through the
three Series components; the first two define the width and length of the stripe, the third defines how
many times the element must be repeated in relation to the length of the road.
The constructed rectangle is then positioned through the Move component and assigned a planar
surface through Boundary Surface component.
Length of the last stripe stretch may not fit entirely and may therefore be cut depending on the
Total Length chosen. To calculate the stripe cut the components Equals, Filter, Modulus and Boolean
are used.
If present, the last piece of the stripe is constructed as a rectangle and positioned using Move.
Its shape is defined with Boundary Surface and finally extruded in the z direction to provide thickness.
The approach is useful to build and distribute a single longitudinal discontinuous stripe, which
must be suitably positioned if the road type is two-lane or three-lane. This is the reason why the
geometry of the Broken White stripe is analyzed by the Filter component to determine the presence or
absence of the stripes as a function of Lane Width and Number of Lanes for the road type.
The obtained geometry is then correctly positioned along the x axis using Move and rotated using
Rotate according to the Cross Inclination.
The built geometries are mirrored with a Mirror around the yz plane to obtain the lane on the left.
This is implemented with Surface, Binder, Base, Subbase, Left and Right Barrier, Left and Right Divider,
Left and Right Edge White stripes and Broken White stripes. The complete road infrastructure model
implemented in Rhinoceros is shown in Figure 6.
Hence, the developed model can reproduce any road typology present in the Italian scenario and
can support the design of new ones due to the possible parameterization of its elements.
                            
                  ‐     ‐              
                               
                                      
  2020, 5, 37
Infrastructures                           9 of 14  
              
                                   
     
Precisely for this  
reason,  
it would   also be  enough   to  
replace  
the  
set of  
input  
parameters    to the  
model with      
alternative  
parameter   sets  
provided   by  
any other   road  
design    
regulations in   to  
order
quickly obtain  a 3D model      the new requirements.
that meets            

 
Figure 6.  Road  type  freeway  Type  A  as  a  result  the  procedural  model.  

3. Results                            
  To make
  the  Grasshopper-based
        geometry
     model  editable   in Rhino, the Geometry
        
component is
necessary to “bake” all the latest obtained geometries. The baking action generates new geometry into  
                                 
  document
the Rhino     on the current
based     state of  the  Grasshopper
    graph.
           
The  downside
     of the bake
   rendering
    is the   difficulty of performing
  any new changes on all the
different parameters; still, the designer can proceed manipulating all infrastructure objects within
 
Rhinoceros    software.
 
VisualARQ   is  a plugin for Rhinoceros ‐    
that implements   an IFC   import
     export for  exchange of  
and
the  IFC 2×3  files   between    Rhinoceros
    and other   AEC software     packages.          
   
The  
VisualARQ’s  
IFC label      
functionality  
allows      
assignment of  
IFC  
properties to objects before
 
they are exported in  the   IFC   format.   These  properties
    include    an IFC type,   a name,
    a description    and    
a label.                        
 
For example,  
element IfcSlab is assigned to the divider, surface, binder, base and subbase
layers; IfcWall is   assigned
      to  barrier, and  finally,      
IfcDiscreteAccessory     assigned
is    to  edge and  
   
discontinuous      
stripes.              
The  last step in the  creation     the road infrastructure
of        
is the verification   of the IFC   model
   
using an  
IFC model    viewer,  in this  case  BIMcollab    
ZOOM, which  is also  a BIM   validation
      tool  fully   integrated   in  
 
issue   
management workflows.
  7 shows
Figure   the visualization
      of the IFC     model,    
its structure  and corresponding
      information   
related  to  the model,   name,
   
material   name,   layer and IFC element.              
The  parametric modeling of the road section developed through the combined use of Grasshopper,
Rhinoceros,   VisualARQ
        and BIMcollab       ZOOM   software, is    examined
       
and compared   the model
to    
 
developed   with   Civil 3D    
and  
Dynamo.                      
Civil 3D    starts  with the creation   of the Digital   Terrain Model (DTM) using triangulated irregular
network (TIN)     method,    and then with   the  road    alignment     design (Figure     8).Then, the road   vertical  
profile  with     the  
indication  
of the  
relative  
elevations    
and  the  
corresponding slopes is carried out as
shown in Figure 9. In addition, it is also possible to draw the diagram of the admissible speeds for the
chosen road type, providing additional information about road regulations.
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 10 of 14
                   

 
 

 
(a)   
 
                           
                           
     

                         
                       
               
                       
     
          (b)         
         
                               
     7.  Visualization
Figure       of  the   IFC
      Road
      model
    exported
      from  Rhinoceros/VisualARQ
          
      in the BIMcollab      
   
  ZOOM  viewer.     Information
(a)       about the    road  divider;
      (b)   Material
      information
      road
for the    
  course.
surface    

                         
                       
               
                             
                             
                               
                                     
 
                                     
Figure 8. Top view of the road modelon the Digital Terrain ModelDTM.
                       

 
                       
 
   Terrain and
Figure 9.   road
  vertical
  profiles.
   

                                 
                             
                                 
                         
    
                         
  
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 11 of 14
             

Moreover,  based  on  the  above  road  layout  and  the  vertical profile,  Civil  3D  makes it possible to 
extract the sections of the  road,  detailing  the  trenches  and  embankments.  As outputs, the quantities 
of  excavation  and  fill  and  the  volumes  expected  for  each  course  of  the  road  pavement  and  safety 
barriers  are  obtained.  The  quantification  of  the  road  earthworks  provides  useful  information  for 
construction  works.    
Figure  10  presents  the  designed  road,  type  A,  according  to  the  Italian  standards.  

 
(a) 

 
(b) 
   10. Freeway
Figure   Type    (a) Cross
    A Section,   sectional  view  of the  road; (b)
  3D
  view.
   

Once  the  characteristic  geometrical  elements  are  defined  the  “archi-node”,

ʺ ‐ ʺ   a  flow  diagram  in 
Dynamo is  used  for
    the  design
   
  of the
  horizontal markings (Figure 11) and the guardrail.
                   
     

 
Figure 11. Road markings as designed in Dynamo.
               
4. Discussion
   
The paper presents a new procedural model for the design of a road infrastructure, based on the
 
implementation   of visual     programming
   
languages   with    which  the     road  geometry can be designed      
accordingly by adjusting the values of the input parameters and through the use of programming codes. 
                       
The three   use   cases of  the  conceptually       similar   procedure  were   presented.    First,   the
  OpenSCAD  
 
approach provides only geometric information but does not enable further semantic enrichment of
                           
                         
                                 
                                     
                         
                               
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 12 of 14

the geometrical objects. Therefore, this software does not go beyond the creation of a 3D model and
does not allow the creation of a BIM model. Therefore, in the next use case, road design is further
investigated through the combined use of Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, which are combined with the
Python code. With Python, it was possible to add more information about the dimensioning of the
road in a more flexible way than in the OpenSCAD.
With Rhinoceros andGrasshopper a 3D model complete with semantic information has been
developed. The VisualARQ plug-in enabled the assignment of the IFC properties to each element of
the 3D model of the road infrastructure.
The current IFC scheme still does not contain specific entities for the adequate representation of
roads. Each element of the infrastructure has been assigned to the most appropriate available IFC
entity that best corresponds to its structural and functional characteristics.
Secondly, it should be noted that although several BIM software tools support the IFC 4×1
standard, Rhinoceros with the VisualARQ plugin supports only the use of the IFC 2×3 exchange
format. Rhinoceros assigns each geometric element to a layer, and allows for the specification of
material information, however, this information is lost at the time of conversion to the IFC file format.
To surpass this problem, information about the infrastructure materials was manually inserted in the
IFC file.
This procedure allows the required information to enrich the file and confirm the correct connection
between element and material.
In contrast, for the model obtained with the Civil 3Droad design software, a more accurate
comparison can be made with the Rhinoceros model.
Civil 3D features functionality for implementation of the reference standard through the Country
Kit. In addition, Civil 3D automatically prepares the drainage system of the road pavement as provided
for in the standard, while in Rhinoceros, this requires implementation by the user.
Both Civil 3D and Rhinoceros can export the model in IFC format, but they need additional
software (Revit and VisualARQ, respectively) to complete the exported IFC model.
Civil 3D and Dynamo are presented as consolidated road design tools, having all the tools and
elements to elaborate a complete road infrastructure; also providing summary tables of the volumes of
excavation, landfill and of the pavement layers. This is not implemented automatically in Rhinoceros
and Grasshopper, but it can be achieved because the software combination has the advantage of being
very flexible by exploiting the different programming languages it supports.
Moreover, the model realized through Grasshopper can be promptly visualized and can reproduce
a section of any road typology present in the Italian scenario. With the modification of the set parameter,
any other road design regulations can be implemented.
Although Rhinoceros and Grasshopper are primarily not road design software, they support
features that make them promising for future applications in the field of infrastructure BIM.

5. Conclusions
This study highlighted the integration of software in a BIM workflow using procedural modeling
as the main approach for the design of road infrastructures. The approach gives designers
parametric control requiring knowledge of scripting (OpenScad) and programming languages
(i.e., Rhino–Grasshoper, Python) necessary to achieve a result in line with current infrastructure
design regulations.
Currently, it is up to the designers to deal with the effective tool for their own purposes, based on
the local legislation and personal knowledge which must be multidisciplinary and open to different
programming code languages.

Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3757120,

OpensSCAD and Python in Grasshopper full computer code.
Infrastructures 2020, 5, 37 13 of 14

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, A.T. and S.A.B.; data curation, A.C. and. S.G.d.O., methodology, A.T.,
A.C. and S.A.B.; visualization, A.C.; supervision, A.T. and S.A.B.; original draft preparation, A.C.; writing—review
and editing, S.A.B., A.T. and S.G.d.O. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This work was supported by Federico II University of Naples as part of the Agreement of Cooperation
with STAR Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Acknowledgments: The Authors would like to thank the University of Maribor and Federico II University of
Naples for providing the BIM-tools licenses investigated in this study.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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