Have you been working as your company's unofficial CAD Manager, and don't have any official authority with management? In this class, join other individuals who are in a similar situation or other full time CAD managers for this roundtable discussion. Learn tips from others on how to turn an unofficial position into an official position. Engage in a lively discussion where you can learn from others and share your experience on CAD support and CAD management.

Come join us for a civil industry-focused CAD-manager discussion panel with some of the industry's most experienced CAD managers. Learn from managers from both small and large firms as we cover a full range of issues, including software implementation and customization, training and support, and challenges in bridging the gap between end users, management, and software. There will be a series of questions submitted to the panel before class, and we'll also take some questions from the audience. The mediator will be Brian Levendowski, support manager, CAD Technology Center.

The tools and ancillary programs that CAD managers use seem to miss out when it comes to updates and new features. In fact, some of these tools haven’t been updated in years. This roundtable discussion will focus on what feature changes or improvements would make the CAD manager’s job more efficient. Tools and features to be discussed will include (but will not be limited to): Reference Manager, Sheet Set Manager, Standards Manager, eTransmit, and Fields. Attendees will be expected to actively participate, as an AutoCAD Product Team member will attend, so this is an opportunity to have the CAD manager’s voice heard!

After a one-year hiatus, the CAD manager wish list is back, with a focus on the unique challenges that 2020 has presented fellow CAD managers. Did you have to switch your staff to a work-from-home environment? How did you handle it? What would you do differently in the future? How could you be better prepared if there’s a next time? Various work-from-home strategies, licensing issues, file access concerns, user management, even shifts in meetings and collaboration—we’ll tackle many topics that made 2020 a memorable year for any CAD manager. As usual, an Autodesk research team member will be in attendance, so this is an opportunity to have the CAD manager’s voice heard!

Previous CAD-manager wish-list sessions focused on the ancillary tools and programs that come with AutoCAD software, but haven’t been updated or improved since their release. We've discussed desired improvements to things like Reference Manager, Sheet Set Manager, Standards Checker, eTransmit, and Fields. In the 2018 edition, we’ll focus on your ideas for a perfect CAD management world. We’ll discuss your various bottlenecks and challenges, and what you, as the CAD manager would like to see as solutions. These solutions may be updates to current tools, or something that may not even exist (yet!). Attendees will be expected to actively participate, as an AutoCAD Product Team member will attend, so this is an opportunity to have the CAD manager’s voice heard!

Last year we discussed the feature changes and improvements to the tools and ancillary programs that Autodesk has included for years, but which have remained basically the same. This year we'll investigate the group's findings and add our own suggestions. The tools and features we'll discuss will include the Reference Manager, the Sheet Set Manager, the Standards Manager, eTransmit, and Fields. Additionally, we'll expand our topics to include anything that can make the CAD manager's job more efficient, whether it currently exists or not. Attendees will be expected to participate actively, as a member of the AutoCAD Product Team will be in attendance-so this is an opportunity to get the CAD manager's voice heard.

CAD/Building Information Modeling (BIM) management requires a diverse set of management skills, but you already knew that. In this roundtable discussion we’ll examine proven strategies that successful CAD managers are using in a diverse range of industries. We’ll discuss problem identification, problem solving, user motivation, standards, senior-management support, budgeting, training-program justification, objection handling, and more as we move around the room to get perspectives from everyone. As the discussion progresses we will encourage all attendees to create their own inventory and prioritization lists so that they can create action plans they can use as soon as they get back from Autodesk University. This class is product agnostic, so don't worry about what discipline you support as a CAD manager. If you want to pick up some great tips from your peers and gain a fresh perspective on your CAD management duties, this class is for you.

You are probably familiar with Lynn Allen's world-famous class, “60 Tips in 60 Minutes.” Let's do the same with tips geared toward the CAD managers! We'll review some tools to help diagnose and solve problems, some tips that help streamline application usage, and some tips just for you to help your users in the background. This session features AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and AutoCAD Map 3D. AIA Approved

This will be a follow-on discussion from the 7 Challenges of a New CAD Manager presentation. The roundtable will provide an opportunity for new CAD managers to ask direct and specific questions to seasoned veterans. Join with other newcomers to get real-world advice or share your experience with those coming up in the ranks. This up-close interaction will team up the best minds to find your answers.

A couple of years ago I packed my family home into a U-Haul and left the bright lights of the United Kingdom's capital city for a little village on England's south coast. Why? I had finally found the position I had been working so hard for: CAD manager. And you know what? It didn't work out quite how I expected. Maybe I'm not yet experienced enough to tell you how to succeed as a CAD manager, but I can certainly help you to avoid the mistakes I made. Come and join us for a lively session as we discuss how to put aside the CADing and Codeing, and we talk about what to do next.

As CAD managers, we face a variety of challenges when developing, supporting, and coordinating adoption of a company’s CAD standards package. These tasks can include a variety of considerations, such as user acceptance, change management, production impacts (or disruptions), training prerequisites, collaboration techniques, solution architecture, rollout strategies, feedback protocols, and, of course, user pushback. Join the speaker for this roundtable discussion as we explore strategies that have worked (and those that have not) and discuss what you need to know as a CAD manager when “selling” the standard—from the single drawing-production staff member through upper-tier management. This is an opportunity to share your CAD management experiences with others in attendance. Participation is expected.

New tools like AI are automating tasks and giving us ways to analyze big data in new ways. But what does this mean for the CAD manager? Is the role more important than ever? Or is it outdated and headed for extinction? This award-winning panel is back to share insights on the digital transformation and important lessons learned from decades of experience. Learn from this panel of diverse CAD managers that are widely respected as leaders in their field. Hear their unique perspectives and solutions to challenges facing CAD managers from organizations of all sizes and backgrounds. The panel will discuss how new tools can make you more effective, while sharing where you need to enhance the human element. Hear how they've worked to embrace the future, while not forgetting the past and being productive today. Join us for a panel discussion that has become an anticipated AU tradition. Take this opportunity to learn from four CAD managers who have been there and done that.

Some CAD managers may serve as solid bridges of support between end users and IT departments, but what about those of us who struggle to build that bridge for better administrative support, faster turnaround times, and strategic planning for future department needs? It's easy to get stuck feeling the pressure or, even worse, seeing only one of 2 equally valid perspectives. In this class, attendees will learn how the speaker put the "manage" back in CAD manager by creating mutual understanding and improving collaboration between 2 departments that may not always see eye to eye.

This award-winning panel is back again with new topics to discuss and insights to share. This year, the panel will comprise a diverse group of CAD managers who are widely respected as leaders in their field. They will focus on connectivity, which can mean many things to a CAD manager. Topics will range from technology and data to the even more challenging human aspects of teams and workflows. Hear their unique perspective and learn about solutions to challenges faced by CAD managers from organizations of all sizes and backgrounds. Join us for a panel discussion that has become an anticipated AU tradition. You won’t want to miss this chance to hear the important lessons learned from decades of experience—from four CAD managers who have been there and done that.

This award-winning panel is back with a new list of topics to discuss. Learn from the experiences of this group of diverse CAD managers who are widely respected as leaders in their field. Hear their unique perspectives and solutions to challenges faced by CAD managers from organizations of all sizes and backgrounds. This year we’ve faced working remotely and supporting remote users more than we could have imagined. Panelists will discuss ways in which they’ve approached these challenges and what they’ve learned. Other topics include CAD standards, as well as keeping up with rapidly changing technology, managing users, communicating with management and other non-technical people, budgeting, and much more. This panel discussion has become an anticipated Autodesk University tradition. Bring your questions and get answers from four CAD managers who have been there and done that.

Are you a CAD manager where AutoCAD Civil 3D software is only one of the many software applications you are responsible for maintaining and managing, even though you might not consider yourself an AutoCAD Civil 3D power user? Even if you have an extensive background with AutoCAD Civil 3D software but you just want to learn more from a CAD management perspective, you won't want to miss this class. AutoCAD Civil 3D software is much more than just AutoCAD software for civil/survey users. It has many traits and features that make it powerful, and it can also bring unique needs and challenges to the CAD manager. The great news is that these challenges are not hard to overcome once you understand the reasons behind them. In this class we will discuss managing templates, styles, and settings—which can be the biggest obstacles to success with AutoCAD Civil 3D software. The class will also explore data compatibility and translation, output options, and different approaches to training. Don't miss this chance to learn ways to more effectively manage AutoCAD Civil 3D software within your CAD system.

Our group of CAD Manager All-Stars is back again this year with a new list of topics to discuss. Learn from the experiences of this panel of diverse CAD managers who are widely respected as leaders in their field. Hear their unique perspectives and solutions to challenges faced by CAD managers from organizations of all sizes and backgrounds. Topics include CAD standards, keeping up with rapidly changing technology, managing users, communicating with management and other nontechnical people, budgeting, and much more. There will also be time to ask these experts the questions you’ve always wanted to ask. Bring your questions and get answers from 4 CAD managers who have been there and done that. AIA Approved

This award-winning panel is back this year with a new list of topics to discuss. Learn from the experiences of this panel of diverse CAD Managers that are widely respected as leaders in their field. Hear their unique perspective and solutions to challenges faced by CAD Managers from organizations of all sizes and backgrounds. Topics include CAD standards, keeping up with rapidly changing technology, managing users, communicating with management and other non-technical people, budgeting and much more. There will also be time for Q&A where you can ask these experts the questions you’ve always wanted to find answers to. Join us for a panel discussion that has become an anticipated AU tradition. Bring your questions and get answers from four CAD Managers who have been there and done that.

As those who work out know, the core is the center of the body that drives every other area. For CAD managers, the core is composed of the central perspectives and beliefs that drive them to action. The core motivates, outlines, circumscribes, defines, and restricts every decision, action, and outcome that they are involved in. Get the core right and you get more done, motivate more people (including yourself), and inspire and encourage others. Get it wrong and you may cripple your CAD efforts, derail your decision making and tangle your team into knots.