How can we think about the needs of the people we’re designing for in a way that helps us avoid engineering pitfalls? What makes human-centered design an effective strategy versus an over-hyped trend? Where has a human-centered approach worked well, and where has it failed? A panel of product design experts will address these questions and more to uncover new ways to tackle difficult engineering challenges with the end-user in mind.

In this workshop for product designers, we’ll have you thinking, drawing, and modeling in real-time to understand how Fusion 360 and other design tools can be used to build rapport and prototypes with people from all walks of life. Facilitated by Catapult Design, who helps clients around the world to research, imagine, prototype and develop creative solutions to pressing problems for their customers, you’ll learn how to increase opportunities for 'hands on/mind on' design inputs.

Buzzwords like sustainability and collaboration get thrown around excessively in the building industry. This class will be discussing holistic-atruistic design representing the balance between sustainability, cost, and function. In addition to building trends, we will focus on analytics, communication and documentation tools, and deliverables impacting the entire lifecycle of a project. The class will focus on new technologies informing design, analyzing patterns of use and leveraging technology to automate controls and optimize building operation. Holistic-altruistic building practices can be achieved by leveraging human-centered design theories. We will explore this topic in addition to case studies of existing firms that are able to implement these theories into practice.

Computing power is increasing exponentially, however, structural engineers are only starting to realize its power for design automation. This talk will focus on how this can be used to provide optioneering in early project stages, and investigate a computational scheme design tool. The talk will deconstruct the tool and its logic to demonstrate the integration between the various Autodesk packages and how this is formed into a cohesive product to provide valuable information for design teams. The tool provides metrics such as material cost, embodied C02, and program implications, while utilizing the Atkins Human-Centered Design toolkit to ensure a holistic appreciation of project requirements. The talk will feature exemplar uses of the tool on pilot projects and will quantify the increased value achievable over conventional design approaches. We will then discuss future improvements to the tool and how computational design could be used in other ways to improve structural design.

Sanergy implements a pit sludge management service to capture harmful pit waste that would otherwise be dumped in the open environment. With AutoCAD software’s automation and digital capabilities—such as the Trace tool, Count tool, DesignCenter library, tool palettes, and the AutoCAD web app—the team has been able to accurately design and build user-centered pit waste containment centers in Nairobi’s informal settlements where manual pit emptiers (MPEs) can safely empty their waste and clean their equipment. This session will cover Sanergy’s approach to generating valuable design insights based on feedback received from site users (MPEs), and how AutoCAD automation and digital tools have been key to this initiative. The talk will also walk you through the benefits gained by embracing AutoCAD software’s automation and digital tools, and the opportunities they present to the construction industry.

Join us to learn about our product strategy and all upcoming initiatives across our platform solutions for Admin and Standardization. In this session we will be gathering feedback around tools within Autodesk Construction Cloud like Project Admin, Account Admin, Bridge, Library, Templates as well as the new Data Transition Tool.​ This is a unique opportunity to influence the product roadmap and explore new ideas about the future of our products with our R&D teams. ​

Join us to learn about our product strategy and upcoming initiatives across features within Autodesk Docs. In this session, we will gather feedback around tools like Sheets, Files, Viewing & Markups, Search, Desktop Connector, Reviews, and Transmittals. ​ This is a unique opportunity to influence the product roadmap and explore any new ideas about the future of Autodesk Docs with our R&D teams.

Join us to learn about our product strategy and all upcoming initiatives across our preconstruction solutions: BuildingConnected Pro, Bid Board Pro, TradeTapp, Autodesk Takeoff, and ProEst. This is a unique opportunity to influence the product roadmap and explore new ideas about the future of preconstruction with our R&D teams.

Join us to learn about our product strategy and all upcoming initiatives across our platform solutions for Insight and Autodesk AI. In this session we will be gathering feedback around tools within Autodesk Construction Cloud like Reports, Data Connector, Dashboards, and Construction IQ as well as learning about new Autodesk AI powered capabilities currently in development. This is a unique opportunity to influence the product roadmap and explore new ideas about the future of our products with our R&D teams.

Join this conversation to hear from a panel of diverse BIPOC* voices who work towards improving the state of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (acronym ‘JEDI’) in the AEC industry, not just in academia and professional practice but also in how design bias and underrepresentation reinforce endemic design inequities. Panelists include Michael Ford, founder of Hip Hop Architecture Camps, Melissa R. Daniel, host of Architecture is Political podcast, and Shiva Mendez, Principal at HOK. (*BIPOC is an acronym for black, indigenous, and people of color).

The layout department is a challenging environment where everything comes together. This is central in the communication between R&D, customers, and system engineering. A layout is the result of an ongoing project with a customer, from a concept phase to a moment where all deliverables need to be sent to all stakeholders. Marel Poultry is focusing to work in an assemble-to-order process, and engineering infrastructure is a critical success factor. This project was a close agile collaboration between CADAC and Marel and this enabled us to create a deep alignment between the 2 companies. We would like to share how this worked, and why it's necessary.

This class describes an advanced implementation of Autodesk PLM 360 cloud-based product lifecycle management software at Alstom Power Automation & Controls (Alstom PAC). A representative from Alstom PAC presents the company's cloud strategy roadmap. We describe how the system is used to manage research and development (R&D) items and present the data model needed for installed base management. We demonstrate workflows for a new business unit and a new R&D item that are already in use at the company. Autodesk Consulting managed the project, including using cloud technology to rapidly gather customer requirements using workshops under the agile methodology. The process enables the customer to obtain quick wins.

What you know about VR today is a just a taste of what's coming. Join this session to learn about the NVIDIA Holodeck, Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality, and HP Z VR Backpack PC. We will review the latest VR R&D developments and discuss our shared vision for the future of VR in design and design review. Presented by Sean Young (HP), Jeff Hansen (Microsoft), and Andrew Rink (NVIDIA).

In 2018, SYSTRA launched an R&D program called DEV4BIM to benefit from the building information modeling (BIM) data created in our projects, and move toward a data-centered engineering approach. This strategy has been closely linked to an Autodesk strategy, and it promises to develop a more data-centered and open platform that gives us the possibility to develop our own digital solutions that we can integrate into efficient digital engineering processes. This class will showcase the key results of these four years of R&D and the impact on our BIM program. We’ll also share our lessons learned on the Autodesk journey toward this platform-as-a-service approach. The second part of the class will provide insight into our digital twin innovation strategy and our expectations toward Autodesk to help us ensure effective WLC data continuity. Indeed, we’re convinced that efficient collaboration with editors is key to developing digital twin solutions and services to develop sustainable asset management of railway infrastructures.

Product development is a pain, right? It doesn’t have to be. Let us walk you through it. We’re two industrial designers with a knack for teaching. Design thinking is a great process to move a team quickly from problem space to solutions. But it’s just that: a cognitive process. What do you do with all those great ideas? This class will be a hands-on introduction to design thinking and making. In small teams, we’ll work rapidly through a design challenge using a human-centered approach, and develop virtual prototypes using Fusion 360 software. We’ll give participants a project brief, and select teams at random. The focus of this highly engaging workshop is to rapidly develop a product solution (as a team) through design thinking and conceptual realization using Fusion 360. Teams will prepare and present their solutions in an informal share.

Australia’s declining terms of trade, associated with the commodity prices slowdown, have refocused attention on future sources of growth and competitiveness. Without diminishing the role of internationally traded services in compensating for mining sector volatility, the opportunity for knowledge-based manufacturing to create high skill, high productivity industries has yet to be realised in Australia. Innovation and technological change have shifted the emphasis, particularly in high cost economies, from low cost mass production to smart specialisation by ‘micro-multinationals’ in global markets and value chains. With only 2% of the world’s R&D, Australia cannot be excellent at everything, but it has become clear that new business models, data analytics and design-led innovation are key to building enterprise ‘absorptive capacity’ and competitive advantage in the non-mining trade exposed areas of the economy. This has implications for the way we design our national innovation system, including essential linkages with research and education.