Level AI

Civix is revolutionising Civil Engineering
by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and automation. Level AI significantly reduces design time and minimises human error. This innovation saves you time, lowers holding costs, reduces delays, and provides a competitive edge.

Level AI’s Detailed Design Generative Artificial Intelligence can handle any site, no matter the complexity, enabling you to assess feasibility in hours instead of weeks. It seamlessly integrates with your existing design software, transforming 2D site layouts into impressive 3D models.

When faced with unexpected challenges like soil composition changes or evolving requirements, simply update the parameters and let the AI regenerate your designs with a single click. Plus, with the upcoming
Service AI from Allsite.ai, you’ll soon be able to effortlessly generate servicing systems.

Civix holds exclusive rights to the advanced Level AI software used in our projects within New Zealand. This ensures that our clients benefit from cutting-edge technology and unique solutions that are not available anywhere else in the country.

Service Design at the click of a button

Roading

Level AI has proprietary algorithms and AI models to generate full roading geometry in compliance with local roading standards. Our full roading geometry system takes into account:

• K Value requirements populated based on road category and customisable per road
• Tangential connections automatically generated for connectivity between existing and proposed road sections.
• Complies with maximum and minimum grade requirements.
  • Low points in road avoiding except in identified locations.
  • Support for footpaths, cycleways and all roads from driveways to freeways

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are fully supported in the Level AI model. If the site layout as proposed doesn’t have a viable solution for the grade controls, the artificial intelligence will automatically carry out an options assessment on increasing wall height and increasing the number of walls to provide a compliant design.

Features include:

• Retaining wall location relative to boundary or free draw
• Wall height limits
• Feedback overlays for new wall locations or wall height changes to make the design compliant

Lot Grading

Full support for generating Type A/B/C or locally specialised lot grading requirements:

• Lot levels controls include min/max grade, level and cut-fill
• Automatic avoidance of depressions to ensure drainage is efficient and meets requirements

Detention

Level AI takes the location of existing and proposed infrastructure along with minimum grade and freeboard requirements and ensures roading and lot levels can be serviced to local standards. For flatter sites these systems can become the main constraint on site levels.

Level AI’s AI models factors this into the design:

• Drainage servicing requirements
• Sanitary servicing requirements

How it works

Step 1 > Engagement

Contact Civix at info@civix.co.nz for a quote on your development project. Prices for a Level AI run range from $5,000 to $30,000. Additional services, including layout development, flood modelling, and engineering estimate preparation, can be added to the scope for an extra fee.

Step 2 > Layout

To get started, all we need is a layout for the site. This can be from an Urban Designer or Architect, or we can draw up layout options for you.

If you don’t already have a layout, we can hold a workshop with the project team to understand requirements and goals for the project and then work with suitable professionals to come up with layout proposals for the site.

Step 3 > Input Information

Grading Questionnaire > Upon signing up for the project we will send you a grading questionnaire to complete which sets out default parameters and standards to use in the design.

Existing Surface > The only other required information on top of layout options to test for the site is existing surface information. If you don’t already have a topographic survey for the site we can use publicly available lidar records to set the existing levels of the site. Topographic survey is more accurate than LIDAR so if a topographic survey is available this is the best information to use

Drainage and Sanitary Networks (Optional) > As the AI can take into account levels required on site to connect into drainage and sanitary networks this information makes the produced surface designs more accurate. Drainage and Sanitary network information is available publicly in some areas and is also often included in Topographic survey information. Please provide us any information you have on these networks, and we will load it into the model.

Geotechnical Reports (Optional) > LevelAI can model soil layers in the ground and allows design restrictions to be placed on the model at each borehole location. This allows for fine-grained control of design restrictions. To include this information in the model we need the Geotechnical report for the site.to review.

Step 4 > Model Build

Once we have the layout and other necessary information, we will proceed with the initial model build using default parameters. During this process, we will select the most suitable previously completed project to inherit design parameters from.

If the project is in an area we haven’t worked in before, we will review and incorporate local engineering standards to ensure the design complies with all relevant regulations.

Step 5 > Model Run

Once the build is complete, we will run the model. Initially, we will set target grading parameters without specifying any ground break features such as batters or retaining walls. The AI will then attempt to grade and balance the site with all the requirements specified. If this site is flat this first run may be viable and return a balanced design.

If it isn’t then the system will enter ‘WhatIf’ mode. In ‘WhatIf’ mode the system will add retaining walls and increase grades on lots and roads to see what would make the site design compliant. It will then return this information back to the designer to inform design changes to meet grading goals.

Step 6 > Design Workshop

After the model run is complete and a viable design is available, we will hold a workshop with the project team to look at the results and decide on any modifications needed to refine the design.

There may be several iterations on the design at this step. Modifications can include:

• Adding earthworks staging requirements into the model to balance subareas or the site.
• Refining the placement and height of grade breaks to ensure cost is managed and urban design goals for the project are achieved.
• Tweaking the layout of the site to allow the model to achieve balance.
• Updating lot grading requirements to ensure buildability of lot typologies.

Step 7 > Outputs

Once the project team is satisfied with the model, we will export all the required information files. This ensures you have everything you need for the next steps in your development project.

Outputs include:

• Drawings > Cutfill plans, Earthworks Sections, Retaining Wall Plan and Profiles, Roading Plan and Profiles.
• Financial Information > A schedule of Quantities is automatically produced with the model run, optionally we can also include pricing information to create a draft engineers estimate for the project.
• Digital Files > Online 3D model viewable in any browser, LandXML file for import into 12D and Civil3D, DWG files, IFC files for import into Revit.

LevelAI