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 Or is it outdated and headed for extinction?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.

The process of managing factory design layout data and fostering collaboration between the design team and external reviewers using Vault software and Autodesk Construction Cloud to handle clashes in Navisworks software is an integrated procedure. The design team can use AutoCAD software or Inventor software to develop the factory design layout, which is then stored in Vault. Vault acts as a secure, centralized storehouse for design data, enabling the team to access the latest information, reducing potential mistakes and rework. It also tracks version history and documents updates, offering clear accountability. Once the design is finalized, it can be disseminated to external reviewers through Autodesk Construction Cloud. Autodesk Construction Cloud serves as a shared data environment, allowing teams to collaborate and exchange design data in real time. It also supports model coordination, document management, and design review, augmenting collaboration between the design team and external reviewers.

Climate change is the issue of our generation. How do we scale up the deployment of biogas upgrading plants that can help society decarbonize the energy sector? During this session, we'll explore how Greenlane Renewables is tackling climate change through the use of Autodesk Fusion Manage software to help implement renewable natural gas plants internationally. The speakers will discuss the transition from being primarily project-based to product-based by using Autodesk PLM (product lifecycle management) software to manage product, process, mechanical, and electrical design data in an asset-lite model to increase efficiency, automate traceability, and reduce error. This session is part of the PLM Summit, a dedicated learning pathway and networking experience on Tuesday, October 15. To see all related sessions select the "PLM Summit" track filter. To request attendance at the private luncheon and reception, please email plmsummitau@autodesk.com.

Advanced nuclear is challenged to design and construct on short timelines, with smaller budgets and fewer workers. Digitalization can help companies overcome these constraints. Unfortunately, a digital twin (DT) is often presented as a monolith. This results in organizations abandoning DTs as having benefits that are minimal or unrealized in time. Many perceive DTs as too large an undertaking to even begin. However, digitalization isn't a track meet; it's a marathon of incremental milestones. And, like all races, it has a starting line. This session will summarize a journey that Argonne National Laboratory and Implexus Lab made to digitize the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL), a test facility for advancing sodium fast reactors. Components were designed with Inventor software and assembled in Navisworks software, and AutoCAD software generated construction documents. Integrating with Revit provided a DT foundation. Ultimately, the suite of Autodesk tools enabled the creation of a DT boasting live data visualization within a virtual reality (VR) environment.

If you joined us at last year's AU and attended "A Factory Design Utilities Discussion with Peers on a Successful Deployment," you know the group discussed best practices and what to avoid when implementing Factory Design Utilities software. The information we discussed helped people who'd already implemented it by validating the experiences of others, and helped the people who were planning on implementing it soon. In this session, we'll pick up where last year's ended and focus on best practices for maintaining a successful deployment. We'll especially focus on using simplification workflows to keep file sizes smaller, managing simplified models, and understanding how to update the simplified models automatically when changes happen to the main file. After this session, you'll be able to integrate smaller models into your designs and keep them updated as changes occur.

Discover how Viewrail, a leading stair and railing manufacturer, is harnessing the power of iLogic within Inventor software to redefine its engineer-to-order operations. Through a comprehensive demonstration, we'll illustrate the streamlined process of designing custom orders, enabling customer interaction through a dedicated portal, generating both customer and production facing prints, and seamlessly transferring manufacturing data to the shop floor. Gain invaluable insights into how Viewrail's strategic adoption of iLogic enhances efficiency and accelerates production timelines. Join us for an engaging conversation, and walk away inspired to revolutionize your own approach to engineer-to-order.

Join our transformative session on integrating manufacturing into building information modeling (BIM) workflows for prefabricated buildings. Through the case study —the Charlotte Main Library —we'll showcase how our BIM and parametric design expertise revolutionizes construction. Explore our use of Autodesk tools such as Revit, Dynamo, Inventor, AutoCAD, and Navisworks software for seamless integration. Discover how we overcome challenges, ensuring precision and efficiency. Learn from our experiences—highlighting enhanced integration between Inventor, iLogic workflows, and Revit-BIM—meeting project needs efficiently. Gain insights into streamlining project coordination and achieving superior outcomes. Experience tangible benefits, including efficiency gains and improved timelines. Elevate your understanding of integrating manufacturing into BIM workflows at AU.

In this session, we'll use an interactive design-thinking approach to tackle this problem: How do you elevate both your tech staff and your tech stack to drive productivity and profitability across a digitally transformed project lifecycle? We'll consider the "What If" scenarios: What if we flip and elevate our perspective? What if, in addition to considering information as knowledge, knowledge is considered information and this big data is compiled, managed, and analyzed as an IT tool? What if we consider knowledge management as a productivity enhancement tool that integrates with any existing learning technology and acts as a catalyst to elevate technology adoption? What if we adopt AI power to augment human input and get faster at developing custom workflow training to develop industry skills and solve real-world challenges? We will identify insights into team engagement and productivity with a direct relationship to competitiveness, project planning, profitability, and ROI.

The panel discussion will provide insights into transitioning from field roles to virtual design and construction (VDC) roles in construction. Attendees will gain practical insights, explore technological advancements, and discover professional development opportunities in this evolving construction career landscape. The discussion will cover how to attract field engineers to VDC, understand the changing role dynamics, integrate VDC practices, and utilize technology for improved project outcomes. Through real-world experiences and actionable steps, the panel will propose a roadmap for navigating this transition, developing training strategies, and leading teams to achieve construction excellence.

In partnership with Esri and Nearmap, Kimley-Horn is using high-resolution aerial imagery and deep-learning tools to transform workflows, gain unprecedented location insights, and make project delivery easier, faster, and more efficient. Attendees will learn how to address common firm challenges, improve design accuracy, and reduce rework using pretrained machine-learning models and up-to-date site intelligence. We'll discuss a wide variety of workflows and use cases, including how to automate image feature identification and extraction and seamlessly integrate those features into project drawings using the Autodesk Connector/ArcGIS for AutoCAD plug-ins.

When managed correctly, geotechnical data holds present and future value. However, the interoperability and transferability of geotechnical data are not always straightforward, particularly when software solutions fail to offer data residency control and comparable structure. This leads to loads of unnecessary work for geotechnical engineers. Did you know that the average cost overrun for geotechnical projects is 28%? GeoDin geodata management solution is here to solve those headaches for geotechnical engineers, saving them precious time and resources. Let's discuss our latest innovations: interoperability with Autodesk Civil 3D software, which allows for access to contextual geodata, ingested from diverse sources, structured and stored on your data storage of choice, and funneled efficiently into your favorite design environment. We'll address major trends in geotechnical databases, as well as some practical insights into how this works.

On rail infrastructure projects, consultants provide tunnel ring models for entire alignment, created using a two-point adaptive family based on the track center point via Dynamo. But these models lack detailed tunnel features—segmentation and dimple holes. Coordination with stakeholders requires complete tunnel models with segmentation and dimple holes. We must develop this detailed model to accurately place services brackets along the tunnel. The ring comprises eight segments, including a key segment with a varying location. A family of these segments, with a rotation parameter set by the tunnel's center point, is essential. Our process involves deriving the tunnel's center from track center points using geometric translations. Dynamo makes placement points for adaptive components. The angle of rotation is recorded on the site for the key segment in XYZ, and we develop construction model using that data. This construction model aids subcontractor in accurate service modeling.

The infrastructure design industry has long struggled to minimize environmental impact. Traditional processes cause inefficiencies, hindering early-stage sustainability prioritization. ORIS and Sweco solved this by embedding ORIS's carbon assessment and emissions modeling capabilities into Autodesk Civil 3D software. ORIS's certified calculator streamlines processes, providing comprehensive impact assessments and quantifying embodied carbon emissions for road designs. The innovative plug-in connects drawings to local material sites in ORIS, empowering whole-lifecycle carbon assessments with visualized supply chains. It automates geolocated project generation linked to ORIS's database, identifies quantities per 3D object for bills of materials, and generates accurate carbon footprints based on required materials. Designers can make informed sustainable-sourcing decisions, reducing emissions while promoting local solutions and recycling. This integration solves long-standing sustainability challenges.

When a large-scale infrastructure project gets started, you'll need to use tools in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection to work with your data efficiently. The information in this session will reduce the time it takes to process huge files, from processing LiDAR-based surface models in ReCap software to implementing Autodesk Construction Cloud workflows. Speed up open times, improve collaboration, and learn best practices you can use immediately. We'll dive into topics that include: determining when to break up files using Data Shortcuts, managing .mms files for large surface models, using Autodesk Docs software for data management, and adjusting AutoCAD settings for optimal performance.

Operations and maintenance costs account for 80% of building expenses. To drive efficiency, operators must bolster their preventive maintenance strategies and optimize workflows—but siloed, incomplete, and inaccurate data can compromise these efforts. This panel presents a promising vision for building and asset operators using recent worktech innovations to ensure a seamless digital handoff from design and construction to operations. By weaving together asset details from the building design phase with real-time performance information, the integration between Autodesk Tandem software and Eptura Asset equips operators with valuable insights to reduce downtime, avoid costly repairs and replacements, and significantly increase productivity. Sharing real-world examples and concrete ways to gain access and visibility to asset data across the full building lifecycle, panelists will explore the tangible benefits of digital twins to ensure better planning, decision making, and cost savings.

As we focus on digital transformation in finding ways to automate repetitive tasks, this class is perfect for Civil 3D and AutoCAD users who would like to experience and learn how to maximize their use of Dynamo for Civil 3D. In this hands-on lab, we'll provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create basic Dynamo routines. We'll start with the fundamental nodes and then proceed with understanding how to reuse and manipulate the Dynamo scripts. You'll learn how you can further enhance your skills by using the Dynamo primer samples as a starting point. This session is for beginners and is intended to inspire people who want to innovate a new workflow.

Step into the evolving world of building information modeling (BIM) and digital twins, and learn how to master their application beyond the build phase and into the building operations. Discover how to enhance your building portfolio management with a focus on practical, user-friendly solutions. We'll explore the seamless integration of Autodesk Tandem and Eptura, providing you with the tools to streamline your facility management. You'll learn how to adapt these innovations to your specific operational needs, and gain actionable strategies for effectively using asset and building data across your building portfolio. This session will also provide insights into making these technologies accessible, alongside real-world case studies that illustrate successful applications during various operational stages.

In this class, a panel of Autodesk experts will share productivity tips and tricks, and answer audience questions about real-time challenges. Attend this class for expert AutoCAD advice. The class will start with a brief presentation to introduce the support organization, the speakers, and the current customer support options. This is a real-time question-and-answer session, so please come prepared with questions about AutoCAD software. A computer will be in the class running AutoCAD 2025 software for attendees who need to demonstrate their issues. Panel experts will include members of the Technical Support, Quality Assurance, and Licensing teams.

Shaun Bryant (CADjedi) is the LinkedIn Learning [in]structor whose AutoCAD Tips and Tricks are seen worldwide on the LinkedIn Learning website. Come and join him as he takes you through some of the AutoCAD tools you were never told about. You'll discover workflows and methodologies you never knew would enhance your AutoCAD skill set! He'll also show you some of the new cool stuff in AutoCAD 2025 software, and demonstrate how the new 2025 features can boost your productivity, especially when meeting those ever-important deadlines. Become the "cool kid" in the CAD office by learning new techniques to dazzle your colleagues and elevate you to AutoCAD Jedi status! Who knows? You might even become your office AutoCAD guru in the process!