For those of you who attended Autodesk University Virtual last week, you already know it was a bevy of big announcements for the construction industry. For those who didn’t have an opportunity to attend, let’s dig into some of the releases now.
If I could sum up the announcements in one sentence, it would be this: The future of work is now—and technology that is coming to market today is going to enable it. I want to break it down a bit granularity—let’s take a closer look at what it will mean for each major player in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) space.
Architecture: Perhaps one of the biggest releases made last week was Autodesk’s acquisition of Spacemaker, which uses cloud-based AI (artificial intelligence) and generative design to help architects, urban designers, and real estate developers make more informed decisions. This brings AI and generative design into Autodesk’s arsenal—and I am sure you didn’t expect Autodesk University to conclude without an acquisition being announced.
Engineering: Continuing on the design and engineering side of the business, Autodesk also announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to address the challenge of inability of different software to ‘converse’ because of file formats and proprietary issues. The NVIDIA Omniverse platform will enable engineers and designers to work in the tool of their choice.
Construction: For construction, in general, one of the biggest announcements was a new set of products for Autodesk Construction Cloud, which will connect data, workflows, and teams throughout the entire building lifecycle. This will empower general contractors, trades, designers, and owners to make better decisions, ultimately leading to better project outcomes.
The three new product offerings announced last week include: Autodesk Build, which unites PlanGrid and BIM 360—two products that had been previously been acquired by Autodesk—Autodesk Quantify, which gives estimators the tools to automated 2D and 3D quantification from a single platform; and Autodesk BIM Collaborate, which enables teams to align and execute on design intent by managing the entire workflow. Autodesk also announced new cloud-enabled document management and two new offerings for design content authors and reviewers.
Trades: For the specialty contractor, Autodesk and Schneider Electric have recognized the need to change the way we generate, distribute, consume, and store energy. The partners announced last week that they are moving beyond reimagining and are now exploring how to benefit the industries they serve. This includes breaking down silos and connecting workflows to the BIM (building information modeling) process. Schneider is working to develop a new cloud-based service for electrical designers, leveraging Autodesk Forge.
Using machine learning and generative design, the new solution will be able to propose an optimal infrastructure network from existing building plans, drawing from consumption inputs and performance, such as energy efficiency and carbon reduction objectives.
Some other big announcements coming out of the event last week are simply going to change the way we collect, store, and interact with data. For instance, Autodesk announced the future availability of Autodesk Tandem, which brings project data together from many sources, formats, and phases to create a digital hub that tracks asset data from design through operations—a digital twin.
For those of you following the digital twin trends in construction, you also know Bentley Systems has been making some very big moves in the digital twin space, as indicated by my recent conversations with Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley Systems, and Bob Mankowski, senior vice president of digital cities, Bentley Systems.
Looking at everything that was said at Autodesk University Virtual last week, I would also argue one of the biggest pieces of news wasn’t a tech upgrade, partnership, or acquisition, but rather Autodesk’s overall intent to help the workforce prepare for the inevitable age of automation.
With roughly 1 billion people needing to be reskilled by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum, Autodesk launched the Autodesk Certification Program, with eight new industry-aligned learning pathways and certifications to partner with professionals on their lifelong learning journey. More certifications and courses will be available next year.
The future is now—and it is time to equip and empower our workers today to build the skyscapes of tomorrow. What did you see and hear at Autodesk University Virtual last week?
Original Article: https://constructech.com/readying-for-the-work-of-the-future/
