How much do you know about cloud workstations? Have you tried virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for your remote BIM users? If you’re familiar with VDI or have tried it, you know the performance isn’t great for power users and the complexity of maintaining VDI is unsustainable for IT. With cloud workstations, all that has changed. A panel of technology visionaries includes AEC experts Andy Knauf, CIO of design/build firm Mead & Hunt and Israel Sumano, Senior Director of Infrastructure Services at MEP firm Southland Industries. Joining them is cloud computing expert Harry Labana, Chief Customer Officer for Workspot. They’ll share the collective wisdom they’ve accrued through deep, hands-on experience with virtualization technologies and how cloud workstations are transforming the AEC industry. Join us to learn more about how industry-leading AEC firms are using cloud workstations to deliver outstanding performance, strengthen IT security, and simplify joint venture projects.

Technology is rapidly changing our world, specifically in the last year we’ve seen a significant increase in the use of virtual reality (VR) within the manufacturing and construction industries. VR is being adopted in manufacturing to train employees more thoroughly and efficiently, and it’s being used for training in construction in a number of areas including workplace safety, basic simulation, and extreme task simulation. Both of these industries are primed to implement VR at a massive scale, because they are extremely hands on in nature and can also be very dangerous without the proper training and experience. HTC VIVE, NVIDIA, and DELL will explore several use cases on increasing construction and manufacturing safety through VR, the benefits of VR for training and how the technology is changing the way the AEC industry works from design, to simulation, to implementation.

Israel Sumano, Sr. Director of IT Infrastructure at Southland Industries, a billion-dollar MEP firm, combined forces with 5 AEC firms to create Penn First, a joint venture (JV) that is developing an innovative new hospital. Sumano will discuss how the JV partners broke new ground by using GPU cloud workstations in Microsoft Azure as the technology platform across all 5 partner firms. CAD and BIM experts access AutoCAD, Revit and many more applications from any device, anywhere and are able to collaborate with partners in real-time. This pioneering approach to collaborative design and construction is delivering outstanding results.

A practicing consulting engineer will take a project from the schematic concept phase to the construction completion phase using HVAC Solution Software and Revit MEP software. See how the intelligent air, hydronic, steam, control, and plumbing system schematic models are used to convey and coordinate critical mechanical and electrical information with the design team. Both of these software systems used in concert enable your projects to be successful and profitable by providing precise and efficient mechanical designs and information to clients. HVAC Solution also accelerates project completion by automating mechanical system calculations and equipment selection through the phases of your projects. Because schedules and other reports are generated on the fly, the software enables firms to include information, diagrams, and reports on all phases of a project, thus providing clients with a high level of service.

Concrete structures are the core of Vinci’s business. Therefore, planning accurately vertical formworks on a daily basis during the preconstruction phase is critical, but also very time consuming. That is why, over the years, Vinci has used improved toolsets in AutoCAD software to do it more efficiently—but it was 2D-based nonintelligent drawing unconnected to the intelligent model. One year ago, Vinci decided to develop, with the help of Autodesk Consulting, a similar tool in Revit with 2 objectives: Capitalizing on already-captured building information from the Revit model (building geometry, phase, building options); and capitalizing on the 3D and connected 2D drawings to better communicate with the site. This class will show how Vinci successfully integrates this toolset into its process (using built-in Revit functionality—parts, phase, linked file, custom families, data files, and the Revit API), and how this technology piece is an important step for the BIM transformation of a construction company.

With the release of Design Automation for Inventor on Forge, it's possible to leverage the scale of the Forge platform not only saving money but also removing the bottleneck of processing automated workflows. You can now automate jobs in parallel and only pay for the processing time used. In this talk we'll go over a number of customer success stories in moving automation from on-premise Inventor servers to our cloud-enabled, scalable Forge service reducing time to process from days down to minutes, imparting a competitive advantage. Specific topics include: 1) design automation overview and typical workflows; 2) customer case studies on moving automation to Forge; 3) extending the value of existing design data through the Forge platform; 4) Manufacturing and Construction automations with Inventor and Revit engines together; 5) what's next: road map and things we’re hearing around automation and Forge.

This follow-up round table will provide an opportunity for Autodesk University attendees to discuss the value of Building Information Modeling (BIM) from an owner's perspective with the authors of The Ohio State University Buckeye BIM Initiative following their 'Defining a Holistic Owner-Driven BIM Project Delivery Standard' presentation. While a BIM standard that outlines a BIM-enabled project delivery process can be extremely valuable to an owner, it can become exponentially more worthwhile when that standard is able to outline the critical spatial and asset information that needs to be captured at turnover to better operate the facility throughout its lifecycle. This round table will provide an open forum to discuss which facility information can provide the greatest return on investment for owners. We'll also discuss how an owner can prescribe a methodology for project teams to collaborate through BIM-based technologies while developing a repository of relevant building data that grows throughout the design and construct phases of a project.

Construction software tools are better than ever before, and each serves an important role for your company. See what excellent software you can integrate with PlanGrid to ensure that teams in the field have the information they need to build better and share real-time intelligence from the jobsite with decision makers in the office.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) planning for builders is inherently difficult. First, BIM planning practices overwhelmingly focus on design modeling despite that the builder is ultimately responsible for critical transitions between design, construction, and turnover. Second, preconstruction and construction typically start well after design BIM planning. Third, conventional architect-owner and owner-contractor contracts limit collaboration between designer and builder. Last, builders do little to none of their own model authoring, leaving implementation of BIM standards to others. Thus builder BIM must be adaptable and pragmatic to manage the standards and practices of cross-disciplinary partners. Skanska Building has developed numerous strategies-both technological and sociological-for executing builder BIM. In this lecture, Skanska Senior Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Manager Pierce Reynoldson will share his insights from 11 years in the industry as builder, designer, and educator.

This presentation will discuss the ways in which the construction of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (http://www.cchrpartnership.org/) in Atlanta, Georgia, employed Building Information Modeling (BIM). Due to the fast pace of the project and the complex nature of the design, BIM played a crucial role in coordinating work, driving quality, and keeping the project on schedule. This presentation will address the many ways that project participants used Autodesk, Inc., tools—primarily Revit software and Navisworks project review software—during the project to solve problems beyond coordination between mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) and fire protection (FP). We will include examples of how Revit users can solve geometrically complex problems that are normally left for Rhino software users to tackle, and how you can lay those solutions out in the field.

Following the very successful class of Autodesk University 2018, this year we bring you more economics, more lessons, and a very practical guide of how to save millions with immersive design with not one but two case studies. IM Designs, MRV, and BASF Suvinil will tell you two stories about how they saved millions and revolutionized their customer presence and customization with immersive visualization. MRV is the largest construction company of Latin America, and BASF is the world’s largest chemical company. These two giants relied on virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) to boost sales and add value to their businesses, while saving budget. Igor Macedo, CTO of IM Designs, is here to tell you how we help them achieve those objectives. You’ll learn about real-time rendering and optimization, how to deal with large data sets, and the necessary user experience that you must provide in order to take your extended reality (XR) idea and your business to the next level. Autodesk University 2019 is going to be legendary! We hope you love this class and get really motivated!

Gone are the days of relying solely upon in-situ mock-ups to generate issues and drive decision-making. With the emergence of the virtual mock-up and virtual reality solutions, mock-ups can now be generated much earlier in the coordination process, thus saving you time and money by driving the conversation earlier in the design phase. The purpose of this class is to demonstrate how utilizing lean construction methods and various tools (Navisworks software, Revit software, AutoCAD software, and 3ds Max software) coupled with virtual reality tools can enable you to guide the design and owner groups into making meaningful and educated design changes early in the design phase. Through the review of multiple case studies we will demonstrate the cost-benefit analysis of each type of mock-up, as well as determine which types of information we can obtain from each.

Have you ever been responsible for converting Inventor models to Revit content or had a need to bring Revit models into Inventor? If so, this class is for you. We’ll cover interoperability between Inventor and Revit, as well as best practices for managing your data with Vault software and BIM 360 software.

Follow the information as it traverses the construction project lifecycle from design to build to operations. Participants will learn how to link their Building Information Modeling (BIM) from authoring tools such as AutoCAD software and Revit software to BIM 360 Glue software for design coordination, then to BIM 360 Field software for construction field execution. We will then review options for outputting information for operations and maintenance.

Managing data can be a challenge. This is especially true for an architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) project environment, where different sites across the globe might need to collaborate on a daily basis. The Revit Server application can assist in streamlining the communication between Revit software designers. But how does this relate to our data management offering in the AEC space? In this session we will explain how to set up the Revit Server application and Vault Professional software across sites to manage AEC project information.

This class will focus on how to create precast (PC) shop drawings and fabrication models within Revit software. Fabrication will be carried out using drawings, data created, and data extracted from live-model elements. As such, a very high level of detail and efficient data management is critical to the success of a PC project. Additionally, since rework and changes to the model can be destructive to the quality and efficiency of modeling, we'll discuss project workflows that minimize these risks. We'll show the general framework of the fabrication model, including the use of Revit parts and assemblies. We'll discuss strategies for intelligent family creation of connection families that will facilitate the erection and piece drawing creation processes. We'll also discuss how data can be extracted to support the production, delivery, and erection processes. Finally, we'll demonstrate the use of third-party tools by PTAC, AGACAD, and GRAITEC that can be used to enhance model authoring.

Connectors are the heart and soul of Autodesk Revit MEP. Without them, we could just use AutoCAD. Connectors allow data to be transferred intelligently from one family to another. When a section of duct is tagged, what properties display? Width and Height? Air Velocity? Air Volume? What is the source of this information? The source is the equipment to which the duct is connected. All of the data is translated through connectors so Revit can assist with calculating the load on any section of duct, or communicate that load to a supplying piece of equipment. Connectors shouldn't be so mystical, but somehow they seem to be the biggest mystery when creating valuable families for Autodesk Revit MEP. In Revit MEP a family could consist of nothing more than a solid cube, a few connectors and related shared parameters and be a valuable family. Another family for the exact same product could be beautifully modeled and contain appropriate parameters and still be useless to an MEP engineer.

This class is a case study on the integration of Revit by a small to mid-sized engineering firm working in building construction. The class will explore the implementation of Revit by delving into a few BIM projects. The study will show that Revit is not restricted to large projects; rather it is well suited to the “everyday” buildings, such as housing, schools, offices, and more. The focus is on experiences the firm had along the way from CAD to BIM such as detailing, coordination, and standardization. Those experiences are lessons that will increase any firm’s proficiency using Revit without sacrificing production. The class will also show the collaboration between architectural and engineering companies on multi-disciplinary Revit projects. In the end, we hope to show architects and engineers of any sized company for any sized project how to integrate Revit into project delivery and how new technologies such as Autodesk A360 will further increase the efficiency of the BIM.

This presentation will discuss a variety of asset information management solutions and offer insight into what it takes to effectively implement one on your project. With many options available, owners continue to look for the particular asset management system that suits their facilities' needs, some of which are now incorporating 3D as-built intelligent models into their interface. Regardless of the specific management system chosen by the owner, early planning and communication between the entire Project Team is key to establishing a workflow that will enable the massive amount of facility data to be collected and delivered in an efficient manner. The common goal is to have all of the information input and functioning in the owner’s asset information management system in time for the first day of building operations.

This class covers The Ohio State University's transition from floor plans based on AutoCAD® software to building models based on Revit®-based software. During the past 2 years, we have created Revit models that cover 11 million square feet; our goal is to develop models for 35 million square feet by May 2016. In this class, we describe the initial project work to design standards and processes to ensure the long-term value of the models. We also discuss the evolution of the standards and processes during the project's maturation. We further describe how Ohio State has handled the challenges of managing a large portfolio of models by improving processes and using technology solutions to drive efficiencies into model building and maintenance. Attendees receive an overview of the BIM Toolbox that Ohio State uses in its efforts to drive adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for existing buildings and in its development of BIM for design and construction.