Have you ever had a dream, idea, or passion to inspire change in your organization? Innovation and hackathons seem to be all the rage these days-they're all over the Internet as ways to transform your business. This industry talk will discuss how a stodgy Midwestern EPCM (engineering, procurement, and construction management) organization took the leap of faith with a first hackathon in 2014, going on to make the hackathon an annual event. Additionally, we'll review how we launched an innovation platform for every employee to participate in ideation, project definition, business development, and execution stages throughout the entire year, and how this program is now launching into regular hackathon sessions at each office in the organization. We will also discuss innovation tools and practices, including Adobe's Kickbox Canvas, Autodesk's LUMIAMI, and Wild/World analyzer.

We hear a lot about disruption in the business world. What do we mean by disruption and what drives disruption? The formal name for disruption is 'disruptive innovation.' Market disruption is generally not a result of the technology itself, but rather it is a result of the way in which the technology is applied. For example, designers and builders use Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in different ways and the technology is impacting the market differently. At its core, disruption is driven by innovation. Innovation comes from innovative people who possess a skill known as 'associative thinking.' This round-table discussion will focus on answering the following question: Is the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry being disrupted? This discussion will also address the question of how AEC firms drive innovation that enables the firms to thrive in a disruptive and highly competitive business environment. Finally, we will discuss how the AEC industry is being transformed and what other transformation is needed.

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, workstations stand as pivotal tools that catalyze innovation and drive efficiency across a spectrum of industries. This presentation sheds light on recent innovations in workstations impacting the building design/construction, product manufacturing, and media and entertainment industries. Driven by the rapid implementation of new Autodesk tools and integrated add-ins, these industries are continually pushing the limits of computational requirements. In other words, the software "monster" that we have created (and love) needs to be properly fed. In this session we will discuss innovation in CPU, GPU, I/O, and workstation engineering that can benefit the complex 3D, VR, AI, and Reality Capture workflows.

Innovation is important to the on-going success of an organization, but it can also counter established goals. This class will talk about how Autodesk, Inc., is helping intrapreneurs develop their ideas and we’ll provide tools and guidance that attendees can use on their own or in their organizations.

Learn about what’s driving Autodesk’s product and platform innovation, and how we’re moving our technology to be ever more cloud-centric. Senior Vice President Chris Bradshaw will kick things off and will be joined by Autodesk product experts, Stephen Hooper and Sarah Hodges, representing manufacturing and AEC. This is your chance to get a firsthand look at what’s new in Fusion 360, BIM 360, Shotgun and Forge.

Explore how technology is enabling new ways to design products in this AU Innovation Forum. Fresh thinkers with new tools are challenging the status quo. A new generation of designers and makers are using technology to create and produce faster than ever, harnessing the power of the cloud, crowdsourcing, collaborators across the globe, and even algorithms to find the best, most interesting ideas and results. In this forum, we’ll showcase examples of the best innovators and thinkers who’ve gone way beyond file sharing and 3D printers and into the future of making things.

Preconstruction is increasingly recognized as a critical phase in the construction industry, laying the foundation for successful project execution and delivery. Join us at Autodesk University (AU) for an engaging preconstruction meetup designed to bring together industry professionals who are passionate about the planning and preparation stages of construction projects. This event provides a unique platform for sharing insights, discussing innovations, and exploring best practices in preconstruction.

Innovation in rural areas solves two problems: providing creative solutions with constraints and supporting traditionally underserved communities. Take the town of Pendleton, Oregon. Known for woolen mills and rodeos, the need to boost the local economy resulted in a drone research facility that is impacting not only the town, but the way companies think about and use drones. As the need for drone solutions increases, the rural location of Pendleton UAS Range (PUR) is a catalyst for new development. With a collective aerospace experience of 50+ years, PUR has attracted companies such as Spright (a medical transport drone testing deliveries with a local indigenous hospital) and Amazon's drone packaging system. This panel will look at the drivers behind Pendleton's innovation, and explore why we should rethink our biases toward urban areas as the sole points of innovation. Panelists will discuss how something as simple as rethinking an airstrip bridges the innovation gap between rural and urban areas.

Join us for a dynamic and interactive AU 2024 panel discussion, where leading infrastructure experts in geospatial information systems (GIS) will converge to explore the transformative impact that GIS has on built-world projects. This session aims to foster a deep dialogue between our panel of seasoned professionals and the audience. Together, we will navigate the evolving landscape of infrastructure development, focusing on how GIS technologies drive efficiency, sustainability, and innovation in this critical sector. Expect a lively exchange of ideas, experiences, and insights as we collectively tackle the most-pressing topics and challenges facing infrastructure professionals today. Whether you're a project manager, engineer, planner, or GIS specialist, this panel will provide valuable perspectives on using geospatial intelligence for infrastructure excellence.

How do we take innovation from one part of manufacturing and ignite transformation in another? In this session, we’ll continue the Autodesk–ModuleWorks journey around the Manufacturing Data Exchange Specification (MDES) and explore a bold new chapter: the emergence of third-party Autodesk Fusion plug-ins that bring advanced technology directly to the shop floor. We’ll spotlight SmartRoughing, the next-generation roughing toolpath initially launched in partnership with Kennametal. See a live example of how MDES and an open ecosystem allow deep tooling know-how to be deployed seamlessly inside workflows. But this session will go beyond just one toolpath—it’ll introduce "cross-pollination of manufacturing technology,” where ideas leap across disciplines to unlock new value. We’ll also preview how this approach is paving the way for technology in emerging areas, demonstrating how the same innovation model can extend manufacturing into the industrial mainstream.

How has the world changed since you entered the workforce? How has your company’s culture changed? For the first time ever, five generations coexist in the workplace. These diverse perspectives offer an unprecedented opportunity to drive innovation from multiple viewpoints. Technology and digital transformation bring people together and empower us to become more human in how we do our work. Cross-generational collaboration and engagement create a corporate legacy of purpose and meaning. By fostering this legacy through a culture of creativity, productivity, and efficiency, your company will mobilize to create a resilient innovation culture that is able to weather economic uncertainties and elevate your business to its highest potential.

Without a doubt, WIIFM are the 5 most important letters in your business. The only thing your customer cares about is, "What’s in it for me? Will this work for me?” A new class of consumers is emerging everywhere, and these consumers want control over the things that impact their lives, be it a game, a building, or a city. This means your customers will demand to understand how their products are made and how relationships with providers turn digital collaboration into physical artifacts, regardless of scale. To be successful, you’ll need to be part of this change. Join this Innovation Forum to gain key insights that will allow you to make it happen for your clients.

This class will encompass creating a design technology vision and mission for a firm. We’ll focus on the elements and processes involved in implementing and executing a firm-wide digital execution plan. This class will involve building the standards at program and project level. The path to a successful design leadership lies in meticulous planning and diligent execution of digital standards, the establishing of baselines for milestones, and ensuring the plan has agile and resilient pivot modules to adapt. This class will show the process involved in building an accountability matrix and building key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure streamlined program and project delivery. We’ll highlight the development of quarterly goals and the monitoring and tracking of goals. Successful leadership is the building and fostering of an environment of successful innovation. This class will be a great opportunity for budding design technologists to gain insight and a holistic overview of implementing the vision " the right way."

Virtual Reality and Artificial Reality are revolutionizing the development process. Learn how major VR/AR innovation platforms currently available from Autodesk, WorldViz, Nvidia and Lenovo can help you solve major design/development problems and bring real value to your business.  Architecture Engineering & Construction, Manufacturing, and Automotive are just some of the industries experiencing the most exciting shift in the design process in over a decade.  Listen to our experts from all 4 companies talk about Autodesk applications and implementations, AR/VR solutions from WorldViz, visualization technology from Nvidia, and hardware innovation from Lenovo in an engaging question and answer session.   Excellent opportunity to learn more about this rapidly changing technology and what you need to do to stay competitive.

You may be great at chopping down trees, but it's important to be in the right forest. This course will help you change champion technology innovation initiatives across the enterprise, attain recognition, and get promoted. Knowing which battles are meaningful to win because they benefit the company will help you gain or lose influence. This course will help you to gain executive sponsorship and identify and charter 3D CAD. You will also discover Building Information Modeling (BIM) and virtual design and construction (VDC) initiatives that make your company money, establish the business case for the change, develop success measurements for the change, establish which stakeholders can help drive the change, as well as identify both the parties who will own the change and success measures that will gain high-level commitment to win and succeed.

Join us to learn about Autodesk’s product and platform innovation, and our best new cloud technologies. Amar Hanspal, Sr. Vice President, Products will kick things off and be joined by a group of passionate customers and product experts. This is your chance to get a firsthand look at some of the noteworthy technology available to you today & in the near future.

A recent McKinsey study found that over 80% of executives surveyed say that innovation is among their top 3 priorities, yet less than 10% report being satisfied with their organizations' performance. In this session, hear from industry leaders, Bill Okland, CEO of Okland Construction, Raghu Kutty, CIO of Power Design and Roger Wahl, CTO of Innovo Group as they discuss their approach towards driving successful innovation while balancing the near-term operational demands. This is not a session to be missed!