Search | Autodesk University

Instructional Demo / Las Vegas 2023

How Technology Managers Leverage Flex to Achieve their Goals Faster

Looking to better optimize your Autodesk software? In this session, a leading consultancy shares never before seen access to their customized licensing dashboard that you can create for your own users. We have exclusive interviews with industry leaders from top companies, who will opening up about their Flex management for the first time ever. They'll be revealing the key steps they took to successfully implement and maximize Flex so you can start achieving your goals faster. Whether you are new to Flex or looking to level up your Flex management skills, you will not want to miss what our guest speakers have to share. This session was requested by customers just like you. Although Flex, Autodesk's pay-as-you-go option, has helped many of you achieve substantial cost savings in the past couple of years, we realized that we needed to discuss how you can leverage Flex to create value beyond cost savings. Avoid the mistakes by hearing how your peers manage Flex to meet their specific needs. You will leave this session ready to assess how you can tackle your own day to day challenges with Flex. If you previously believed that Flex only benefits teams with occasional users, please join us to find out how Flex can work for you!

Industry Talk / Las Vegas 2013

Strategic Planning for the CAD/BIM Manager

In today's ultra-competitive market, executing a good strategic plan makes the difference between being out in front or just keeping pace with the competition. All too often those great, well thought out plans stumble during execution because they were poorly understood or poorly communicated downstream. Who takes the blame for that? You do. Here's how to save time, save money, and save frustration: If you understand where your company is headed and how they want to get there (i.e., their strategic plan) then identifying how to support it is much easier. This class gives technology managers, like you, a basic set of tools for developing strategic plans for their teams that align with and support the overall goals of the firm. And, hopefully along with that, you can show the folks up the ladder that you understand the bigger picture and your role in it.

New Orleans 2022

Autodesk My Insights: Empowering CAD, BIM, and IT Managers Through Data

With the 2023 release of AutoCAD software, Autodesk has expanded and improved its advisory engine known as My Insights. When introduced, this feature was delivered to the AutoCAD user by serving personalized productivity insights based on product usage data. Now, Autodesk is exploring how CAD, building information modeling (BIM), and IT managers can also benefit from access to the product usage data from the industry and from within their companies and teams. Imagine having a line of sight into how and where products are used, where training is needed, what efficiency opportunities are being missed, and how CAD standards are being followed—and being able to make better technology decisions, all supported by data. In this roundtable session, we’ll do more than imagine—you’ll be able to brainstorm, explore, and learn from other industry experts, technology managers, and Autodesk data specialists about how we can expand the My Insights feature to better meet your needs.

New Orleans 2022

AutoCAD Tips, Tricks, and the Most-Dapper Drafting Techniques

Sit down, buckle up, and keep your hands on your keyboard for the fifth installment of the multi-award-winning AutoCAD Tips and Tricks class that’s supercharged the productivity of thousands. Throw the caution of “that’s how we’ve always done it” to the wind, and learn innovative ways to make AutoCAD work for you (not the other way around). Autodesk Expert Elite Member and Official AutoCAD Blog Author Donnie “The CAD Geek” Gladfelter will entertain, inform, and inspire you with the most dapper drafting techniques acquired from more than 15 years of blogging, garnering millions of YouTube views, and working as the design technology manager for a civil engineering firm of nearly 900 professionals. From simple to advanced, you’ll learn the latest techniques AutoCAD has to offer and discover new ways to use existing tools. Disclaimer: Hourly employees need not attend as this session will only include techniques proven to improve productivity.

Industry Talk / London 2019

GHD's Journey of Automation

Many struggle scaling the adoption and usage of Dynamo for automation within their organisation. This presentation will describe the steps and workflows that GHD went through in implementing Dynamo at an enterprise level. It will explore how to best manage Dynamo graphs, nodes, and custom source code. It will discuss the people aspect of implementing automation workflows and the different training initiatives that were developed to assist users in upskilling to visual programming. It will also explore ways to best change the mindset of engineers and modelers to adopt data-driven workflows.The presentation will also step through a 3-stage Urban Planning initiative where GHD changed a manual, disconnected, error-prone, time-consuming process to an data-driven, automated, and accurate workflow. It will explore the why, what, and the outcomes of these initiatives, and end with a look into a generative design example which GHD partnered with Autodesk's "The Living" for a large, urban planning competition.

Instructional Demo / Virtual 2021

AutoCAD Tips, Tricks, and the Most Dependable Drafting Techniques

Sit down, buckle up, and keep your hands on your keyboard for the fourth installment of the top-rated on-demand class of Autodesk University 2020 by Autodesk Expert Elite member Donnie "The CAD Geek" Gladfelter. After a challenging year that disrupted many established workflows, the focus for this installment is dependability. Join Donnie as he shares the most dependable drafting techniques acquired from 15 years of blogging and 2 million-plus YouTube video views, and as the design technology manager for a civil engineering firm of 700-plus professionals. From simple to advanced, you’re sure to discover new ways to remove tedium and boost your ability to meet project deadlines. Hourly employees need not attend as this session will only include dependable techniques proven to improve productivity.

Instructional Demo / Virtual 2020

AutoCAD Tips, Tricks, and Dazzling Drafting Techniques

Sit down, buckle up, and keep your hands on your keyboard as Autodesk Expert Elite member Donnie “The CAD Geek” Gladfelter takes you through a dazzling collection of drafting techniques guaranteed to improve your productivity—one click at a time. Join Donnie as he shares techniques acquired from authoring six books on AutoCAD, blogging for more than a decade, and serving as the design technology manager of a roughly 700-person civil engineering firm. From simple to advanced, you’re sure to discover new ways to remove tedium and boost your ability to meet project deadlines. Hourly employees need not attend as this session will only include techniques proven to improve productivity.

Instructional Demo / Las Vegas 2023

Workflow Upgrade: Transitioning to Model Coordination

This session will cover the "bare bones” setup of an Autodesk Docs central file-sharing site with granular permissions for use by a construction team during building information modeling (BIM) coordination. A builder's construction technology manager will demonstrate how Autodesk Collaborate supported by Autodesk add-ins can be used as a shared on-demand syncing tool for teams that still favor Navisworks Manage to run clash detection between a diverse mix of trade partners working both in and out of the cloud. Autodesk technical experts will provide supplementary advice along the way to show how teams can make use of new features in the Autodesk Construction Cloud environment to take this strategy to the next level by removing roadblocks seen in previous versions of the product.

38p

Instructional Demo / Las Vegas 2023

Increase Your Estimating Productivity by 25% with Autodesk Takeoff

With rising material costs and razor-thin margins, construction takeoff—including accurate material quantification and cost estimates—is essential to starting and executing jobs on budget and on time. Autodesk Takeoff, with centralized 2D and 3D takeoffs, allows estimating teams to update quantities in real time, using the most up-to-date design files. By connecting existing building information modeling (BIM) data, Autodesk Takeoff can reduce takeoff and estimating times by 25% or more, minimize the risk of missed quantities, and guarantee accurate data capture. In this technical instruction, Edwin Bailey (senior preconstruction technology manager at Skanska) will showcase the workflows, techniques, and best practices for using Autodesk Takeoff, with real-world examples from Skanska's Class A Montrose project in Houston, Texas, among other examples.

Theater Talk / 2024

State of Design & Make: A Conversation on AI, Sustainability, and Resilience

Theater Talk / 2020

Data-Driven Design in Virtual Reality

By integrating schedule, cost, and other design data into VR experiences for architecture, stakeholders can improve decision making. Kelsey Stein explains.

Article / 2019

The Future of VR in Architecture

VR can be a game changer in presenting building designs, but you need the right hardware. Dan Stine of LHB shares his secrets to achieving incredible renders.

Panel / Nashville 2025

Drawing from Experience: A CAD Manager’s Guide to Connecting Workflows, Data, and Teams

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.

10p

Instructional Demo / Nashville 2025

Shipshape 2.0: Smarter Standards and Leaner Layers with AI in AutoCAD

Following the success of "Housekeeping in AutoCAD—Keeping Those Drawings Shipshape!" at AU 2023, this advanced session will dive deeper into best practices for keeping your AutoCAD environments clean, lean, and agile—with a new twist: using tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Join Shaun "CADjedi" Bryant (Autodesk Expert Elite and Autodesk Certified Instructor) to learn how to automate standards compliance, eliminate drawing clutter faster, and create dynamic layers and annotations using smart commands and features. Explore how AI features in AutoCAD are revolutionizing housekeeping tasks, from cleaning up files to maintaining company CAD standards. Whether you're a CAD manager or a daily user, you'll walk away with practical techniques and time-saving workflows that go beyond the basics—keeping your drawings shipshape and Bristol fashion!

30p

66p

Article / 2021

Design Technology Leadership: Standards and Processes on Autodesk Products

Achieve design technology leadership at your firm by implementing the best processes and standards across all projects. Get the details with Ravi Wood, Jess Purcell, and Ryan Cameron.

Instructional Demo / Nashville 2025

The 10-Minute AutoCAD Cleanup: Use Autodesk Assistant and Scripts to Fix Messy Drawings (Live Demo!)

Struggling with chaotic client DWGs™? In this demo session, you’ll learn how to combine the tools Autodesk Assistant and AutoLISP scripts (for layer/block cleanup) to transform unreadable drawings into production-ready files in minutes. We’ll dissect a real-world “disaster” DWG—full of rogue layers, exploded text, and broken xrefs—and systematically fix it using Automation, Integration, & Customization. You’ll leave with a free step-by-step checklist to implement these tricks immediately. This session is ideal for AEC professionals, CAD managers, and MEP subcontractors tired of manual cleanup drudgery.

15p

44p

Instructional Demo / Nashville 2025

The best builders build with cmBuilder: Featuring Hensel Phelps & EllisDon

In this fast-paced session, cmBuilder Co-Founder Javier Glatt will showcase why cmBuilder is the fastest-growing platform in 4D construction site logistics with a rapid-fire product demo. We’ll then hand it over to two industry leaders, Will Plato (Sr. VDC Manager, HENSEL PHELPS) and Patrick Lalonde (Sr. Director Digital Project Delivery, EllisDon), who will share real project examples and how they are “Nailing their plans & delighting their clients.”

52p

Instructional Demo / Nashville 2025

Model Conditioning in Autodesk BIM Collaborate? When Did That Happen!?

Modeling is NOT just a clash tool anymore! Discover the rapidly expanding model conditioning feature set in the Autodesk Construction Cloud Modeling API, now a full-data workbench for reviewing aggregate model data across formats like RVT, IFC, DWG™, and anything Autodesk Docs software can support. This session will guide you through creating object table configurations to restructure and pivot model properties, enabling rapid identification of key elements during review sessions. Learn how to export data for further analysis and visualization in tools like Microsoft Excel and Power BI. Additionally, get a sneak peek at the upcoming Custom Properties feature, built on the AEC Data Model. This session is perfect for BIM managers, BIM coordinators, engineers, and designers who are existing users of Modeling, Navisworks, and Assemble. Join us to enhance your model review process and elevate your data analysis capabilities!

15p

Industry Talk / Nashville 2025

The Future of CAD Management: How AI Is Transforming AutoCAD and Civil 3D

CAD managers are facing a major shift. As artificial intelligence (AI) and Automation, Integration, & Customization tools become more accessible, the traditional role of CAD oversight is evolving into a leadership position focused on efficiency, strategy, and Management. In this session, we’ll explore how AI technologies—including ChatGPT for conversational assistance and script guidance, Autodesk Platform Services for seamless integration, and Dynamo for low-code Automation, Integration, & Customization—are reshaping CAD workflows in AutoCAD and Civil 3D software. You’ll learn how to automate tedious tasks, improve quality control, and better support project teams—all without needing to become a programmer. If you're ready to stop reacting and start leading, this session will show you the tools and mindset needed for the future of CAD management.

43p

Hands-on Lab / Nashville 2025

ACC for Civil Infrastructure Projects: It's What Highly Productive BIM Coordinators and CAD Managers Crave

This interactive lab will be an accelerator that will teach BIM coordinators and CAD managers how to effectively use Autodesk Construction Cloud to manage civil infrastructure projects with modern cloud-based tools. We’ll take an immersive approach to learning: The class will be split up into disciplines, simulating a real project. The disciplines will work together to federate a project model using preprepared files. We’ll start with the basics of recommended file organization in Autodesk Docs, set up our coordination space in Modeling, walk through best practices for exporting and coordinating discipline-specific models, run a mock clash-detection meeting, create/organize and report on our Autodesk Construction Cloud Issues, and then archive our project simulating a milestone submittal. Many of the default coordination tools in Autodesk Construction Cloud are built with vertical construction in mind. But there’s a world of value for horizontal construction as well—you just have to know how to unlock it!

51p

15p

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