InfoWorks ICM Sewer vs. Flood vs. Ultimate: which one do you need?

Tim Medearis October 17, 2023

6 min read

Autodesk’s InfoWork ICM is catchment modeling software which can be applied to hydraulic modeling challenges as diverse as:

Sanitary sewer capacity analysis
Riverine and floodplain assessments
Wastewater treatment plant operations and capacities
Combined and separate stormwater emergency management
Master planning for the largest – or smallest – communities

Goodbye, ‘Standard vs Ultimate’

In the past, InfoWorks ICM was available in two flavors: Standard and Ultimate. However, in June of 2025, Autodesk announced two new options for customers who didn’t require access to every toolset available in InfoWorks ICM Ultimate. Now, customers have two additional options to choose from: InfoWorks ICM Flood and InfoWorks ICM Sewer.

What is InfoWorks ICM Sewer?

As part of this change, InfoWorks ICM Standard was renamed. It became InfoWorks ICM Sewer:

Who it’s for: If you primarily work with sewer networks, either on-site or on a regional scale, then InfoWorks ICM Sewer is made for you.
Same powerful features: The features and capabilities of InfoWorks ICM Sewer are identical to the (now-legacy) InfoWorks ICM Standard offering.
Unlimited 1D modeling: InfoWorks ICM Sewer offers unlimited 1D modeling capabilities for sewer and riverine networks.
Lower price: Along with the new name, the annual subscription pricing was reduced to $5,500 per year (down from $7,500). For Autodesk Flex users, daily usage token rates decreased from 31 tokens per day to 24 tokens per day.

What is InfoWorks ICM Flood?

For those who only need to focus on flood modeling, we offer InfoWorks ICM Flood:

Who it’s for: InfoWorks ICM Flood is tailored specifically for flood analysis, providing powerful tools to manage and mitigate flood risks effectively. If you’re primarily flood modeling for on-site to regional-wide networks, InfoWorks ICM Flood might be the right choice for you.
Integrated modeling options: You’reable to perform integrated 1D and 2D modeling with InfoWorks ICM Flood, but you have limited nodes (1,000).
Unlimited 2D mesh: InfoWorks ICM Flood provides you with unlimited 2D mesh to support surface water management capabilities throughout your network.
Lower priced flood capabilities: This product is available at an annual subscription price of $7,500 (USD), with daily usage token rates set at 31 tokens per day for Token Flex and Flex users.

What are the essential differences?

It’s important to note that Flood + Sewer doesn’t add up to Ultimate. InfoWorks ICM Ultimate remains the modeling powerhouse it’s always been, with its many unique features. But if you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you have two additional options for your sewer- and flood-specific modeling needs. Here is a simple way to look at it:

InfoWorks ICM Sewer: Ideal for sewer-specific modeling with unlimited 1D mesh nodes, but with limited 2D mesh and integrated 1D/2D capabilities.
InfoWorks ICM Flood: Provides unlimited 2D mesh for flood analysis and the ability to run flood risk analysis, with limited 1D nodes and integrated 1D/2D modeling.
InfoWorks ICM Ultimate: Includes all features of Sewer and Flood, plus additional premium functionalities like desktop collaboration for modeling teams.

I currently use another storm, sanitary, flood software. Why should I switch?

InfoWorks ICM has been the premier solution for catchment modeling for many years. Since being added to the Autodesk portfolio, it has seen even more rapid development. We’ve added things like a free InfoWorks ICM Viewer, speedy cloud simulations for those who need maximum power, and functionality like our recent Subgrid Sampling for those who want very accurate simulations using only a simplified mesh. We always have more in the works, which you can see on our public product roadmap for each of our products. You even provide your own feedback and help us determine what we should build next.

Our hope is that by lowering the price for specific offerings and introducing InfoWorks ICM Sewer and InfoWorks ICM Flood, we’ve given customers choice and flexibility in selecting the feature sets that suit their specific type of work.

How does InfoWorks ICM work with my existing Civil 3D and other design tools?

InfoWorks ICM is a fantastic tool for storing libraries of SWMM and HEC-RAS models. It can combine SSA models, automate data exchanges, and import directly from Civil 3D and InfoDrainage design tools.

Can the Sewer version be used for stormwater modeling?

To an extent. InfoWorks ICM Sewer doesn’t provide a full 2D analysis, but 1D modeling through your stormwater pipe network is still a good use case. Additionally, there is limited 2D mesh available as part of InfoWorks ICM Sewer. If you need unlimited 1D and 2D modeling capabilities, InfoWorks ICM Ultimate is your tool of choice.

Can the Flood version be used for sewer modeling?

To an extent. InfoWorks ICM Flood doesn’t provide a full 1D analysis, but does offer limited (1,000) notes for smaller scale sewer modeling where necessary. If you need unlimited 1D and 2D modeling capabilities, InfoWorks ICM Ultimate is your tool of choice.

Can Sewer, Flood, and Ultimate users take advantage of cloud simulations?

All versions provide the option to store databases and run simulations in the cloud, provided you have an Autodesk subscription.

When you access a database stored in the cloud, multiple concurrent users (Sewer, Flood, or Ultimate) can access and collaborate in this environment. This is different than if the database is stored locally. If stored locally, multiple InfoWorks ICM Sewer or Flood subscription holders cannot access the workgroup database concurrently; only one at a time. In other words: only Ultimate subscribers can utilize the full workgroup functionality.

What is the cost of each version? Can I use Flex tokens?

Pricing for InfoWorks ICM is publicly available on our site, and you can utilize Flex tokens if that works better for you.

Do you offer a free trial?

We don’t currently offer a free trial for InfoWorks ICM (like we do for InfoDrainage), but we hope to add that option in the future.

I currently use another storm, sanitary, flood software. Why should I switch?

InfoWorks ICM has been the premier solution for catchment modeling for many years. Since being added to the Autodesk portfolio, it has seen even more rapid development. We’ve added speedy cloud simulations, tighter integration with other apps and services, and we have much more in the works, which you can view on our public product roadmap for each of our products.

Public roadmap: We’re committed to transparency and building the best water software on the planet.

You can see what we have planned in the near and far term, and even provide your own feedback and help us determine what we should build next.

How does InfoWorks ICM work with my existing Civil 3D and other design tools?

InfoWorks ICM is a fantastic tool for storing libraries of SWMM and HEC-RAS models. It can combine SSA models, automate data exchanges, and import directly from Civil 3D and InfoDrainage design tools.

Does Autodesk offer learning materials to help me get started?

So many learning materials! Here are some great places to start:

InfoWorks ICM InfoWorks ICM Flood InfoWorks ICM Sewer Storm, sewer, flood

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