This session will be an interactive roundtable discussion about tips, tricks, and user experiences with technical training for Revit building design software. These tips, tricks, and experiences will be suggested by the attendees and presenter alike, but will then be discussed and perhaps debated by all, with the end goal of an improved process at the close of the discussion. We will add all of the content collected during the session to the handout and share it with all attendees after the session has concluded. All topics are fair game as long as they pertain to Revit software and the training of Revit software. See some examples of topics in the learning objectives below. This session features Revit.

Times are tough and companies are having a hard time justifying the cost of training. On the other hand, as a CAD manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that your users are trained on the tools that they use. What if you could provide the training they need with little or no budget set aside for training? What if you could train them with very little impact on production? This class gives you some great ideas about how to accomplish just that. You may find that new approaches to training not only reduce the cost of training but also provide better results.

Drafting in VDC programs takes a combination of industry knowledge and software knowledge. In order to be proficient, a drafter has to pull from both knowledge sets and the best VDC personnel have some level of field experience in order to know how systems should be built correctly and efficiently. This session will moderate a discussion on ways to train union labor, both from the field and through the apprenticeship. In both cases, there is a need for some level of proficiency. For apprentices, more jobsites are incorporating coordination software in the field. They need to be able to use the software tools to read, interpret and build. For journeymen using their experience to become draftsmen, they need training on how to use software to design, coordinate and fabricate. The discussion will talk about how contractors around the country are approaching this training, what content should be taught to each set of people and how they approach bringing in labor to the office.

Times are tough and companies are having a hard time justifying the cost of training. On the other hand, as a CAD manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that your users are trained in the tools that they use. What if you could provide the training they need with little or no budget set aside for training? What if you could train them with very little impact on production? This class will give you some great ideas about how to accomplish just that. You may find that new approaches to training not only reduce the cost of training, but also provide better results.

How often have you gone to a training class, returned to the office, and forgot what you've learned? This class covers reasons for training (or not training) your employees and what managers can do to make sure their people are in the right classes at the right times. We will also look into the ways individuals learn when they attend a training class and how they can retain that knowledge. Finally, it covers ways in which managers can help their employees to retain class knowledge.

Are you still using the same workflow processes and software techniques from 5 or even 10 years ago? We work in a fast-paced technical world where the use of advanced software techniques and processes can be the difference between winning and losing a project. What is your company doing to stay current with technology beyond purchasing the software? Do you have a training/learning strategy in place? And if so, is it embraced by the department leads, project managers, and end users, and, most importantly, is it endorsed by upper management? In this session we will discuss learning trends and how you can develop a training/learning strategy that will reap benefits for both management and staff. We will discuss how internal user groups and communities of practice can play important roles in communicating and deploying a training/learning program. Examples will be from a multioffice company with global office locations.

You think technology is great, but sometimes those you’re training clearly do not. Designed for software trainers and educators, attendees of this workshop will gain insight into pedagogical strategies aimed at helping students navigate the constantly changing—and sometimes frustrating—process of learning software. The presenter will outline teaching approaches that have been shown to increase motivation, including how to help learners bring autonomy, competency, and value to their learning. The presenter will share examples of how to practically integrate innovative teaching practices into both short software workshops and semester-long college courses, as well as provide example handouts aimed at helping students retain information.

Are you responsible for training your CAD users but feel overwhelmed by the task? Are you stymied by the problems associated with enforcing CAD standards? Does your management expect you to make your users more productive? In this class, we cover some strategies for combining standards development and enforcement with an in-house training program to solve all 3 problems at once while keeping your budget under control. We start by building your company training program via efficiency analysis, move into creating effective training materials, and then we give you some ideas for becoming a better instructor. Next, we talk about turning your training program into your standards program by using your own written and video files to build a virtual resource library. If you're responsible for creating a standards or training program, you can't afford to miss this class.

You may have at times said to yourself, “We pay for modern software tools, hardware, implementation, and training, but I can’t help feeling that we aren’t getting all the productivity we should have.” In this session we’ll ponder why some companies succeed with new software while others flounder, and we’ll explore the key role the CAD/Building Information Modeling (BIM) manager can play in achieving the success that leads to high productivity. We’ll cover defining your CAD tools and finding technology accelerators, and we’ll also look at test piloting, training ladder methodologies, project management-based tool analysis, and the profound impact of mission management when implementing software. If you are responsible for CAD/BIM management, training, or project execution using CAD tools, you won’t want to miss this session.

We need more training! This is a statement that many a design apps manager or principal has made. We sign up for useful tools like Lynda.com or hire a firm to teach us Revit software, and these are great tools when provided to the correct staff. They’re asked to learn the tool on their own time. A Google search for “Revit training” yields 1.2 million hits! The final training strategy is on the job. Trial by fire will yield advancements in knowledge, but users are applying old habits in a new environment. Corgan has created an applications training strategy that addresses these issues, bringing consistency across our 6 offices and our realignment to market-sector studios. Our approach focuses on the practice of architecture using Revit as the tool. We weave in external resources and make this information manageable and searchable in our IT service platform. These principals are baked into a university-type platform. This includes lectures, labs, homework, and textbooks. It is repeatable, consistent, and intense.

Are you a glutton for good training? Do you lust over other company's effective education technology? Bad training programs can leave your employees full of wrath, so don't be slothful—come check out this session that will outline the issues many companies see when building up or overhauling their own training programs. Your competitors will be green with envy when you show off your skilled employees—just don't get greedy. This session will offer firsthand experience and knowledge shared by 2 instructors who have spun up successful training programs in firms of more than 350 people and designed Autodesk authorized training curriculum, and who continue to build training programs for firms across the nation today. You will leave this class with proven strategies and best practices for avoiding sins that limit the success of training programs. This session features AutoCAD and AutoCAD Civil 3D. AIA Approved

Learn skills faster, retain knowledge longer, and apply your technical skills to real-world projects better. Join this panel of industry and education experts who have successfully implemented effective Autodesk training programs that are designed to improve retention by increasing the "stickiness factor." Understand how an interactive, closed-loop learning methodology of short subtopics will optimize concentration and engagement, resulting in a more effective transfer of knowledge from short-term to long-term memory (the stickiness factor). Skip the check-box approach and integrate the right learning style for the right learning objective at the right time. All too often, knowledge is lost in the timing between training and application. Learn how these organizations have prioritized high-retention, quick-review training to ensure that their staff or students are ready for projects on-demand.

Design, fabrication, and manufacturing for construction is continuing to advance in the piping industry at a rapid pace. As such, workforce training for using the latest available technologies with the latest advances in design continues to be an essential element in the delivery of successful construction projects. In this class, we’ll build upon the design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) workflows and methods discussed in previous sessions and demonstrate recent efforts within United Association training to improve the DfMA and modular assembly fabrication and installation skills of installers of mechanical piping and plumbing systems. We’ll be exploring generative design, modular assembly techniques, and automated tools, including their integration with Revit software, BIM 360 software, Navisworks software, and STRATUS, to develop modular fabrication training processes and methods

Design, fabrication, and manufacturing for construction is advancing in the piping industry at a rapid pace. As such, workforce training for using the latest available technologies with the latest advances in design is essential. In this class, we’ll explore design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) workflows and methods and the application to United Association training for improving the DfMA and modular assembly fabrication and installation skills of installers of mechanical piping and plumbing systems. We’ll be exploring generative design, modular assembly techniques, and automated tools, including their integration with Revit software, BIM 360 software, Navisworks software, and STRATUS, to develop modular fabrication training processes and methods.

So you’ve been asked to get the staff trained on new software and/or procedures. Whether you plan to do it in-house or contract it out, careful planning will help ensure that the experience is positive for all parties involved. So where should you begin? Having a clear set of expectations at each stage of the effort is critical to a successful outcome, but having a very clear idea of the desired overall outcome is a great place to start. There are plenty of other considerations: Should you do the training in-house or send your team to an established institution? How about an external consultant? What about training materials and learning content? Should you perform pre-assessments and post-assessments of attendees’ skill level? In this session, we’ll explore all of these issues and questions and more. And at the end, you will have a solid road map that you can adapt to your own situation, giving you the tools and strategies needed to design a successful training delivery system for your organization.

Are you still using the same workflow processes and software techniques from 5 or even 10 years ago? We work in a fast-paced technical world where the use of advanced software techniques and processes can be the difference between winning and losing a project. What is your company doing to stay at the forefront of technology, beyond purchasing the software? Do you have a training/learning strategy in place? And if so, do the department leads, project managers, and end users embrace it? Most importantly, does upper management endorse it? In this session, we will discuss learning trends and how you can develop a training/learning strategy that will reap benefits for both management and staff. We will discuss how internal user groups and communities of practice can play important roles in communicating and deploying a training/learning program. Examples will be from a multioffice company with global office locations. AIA Approved

Are you a glutton for good training? Do you lust over other company's effective education technology? Bad training programs can leave your employees full of wrath, so don't be slothful-come check out this session that will outline the issues many companies see when building up or overhauling their own training programs. Your competitors will be green with envy when you show off your skilled employees-just don't get greedy. This session will focus on overcoming the 7 deadly sins of training, and putting your program on a righteous path. We'll explore the process of defining education mission statements, aligning curriculum with student learning styles, and reinforcing learning at every corner through specific methods. You will benefit from the unique experience and knowledge shared by 2 instructors who have built successful training programs in firms of more than 350 people, designed Autodesk Official Press curriculum, and continue to build training programs for firms across the nation today.

Over the last decade, Danville/Pittsylvania County has developed a world-class manufacturing training pipeline to address the skills-gap and workforce shortage. Over $100M invested in innovative training programs, robust K-12 through university collaboration and key strategic alignments has resulted in impact at the local, state, and national level. Explore best practices and lessons learned from a tactical and strategic prospective and receive advice for setting up your workforce training pipeline.

Training shouldn't be an after-thought. Training is part of the business and thus should be run like a business. Learn the model that has been very successful at not only improving training organizations but transforming them.

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.