Imagine walking a design site before it’s ever built, with grading, buildings, and utilities unfolding around you in full context. Immersive Digital Workplaces make that possible, turning project models into shared experiences that improve communication and bring teams into alignment before construction begins. In this fast-paced, high-level session, three voices from civil design, immersive technology, and construction will share insights from the field. Rather than a technical deep dive, this session offers a big-picture look at how immersive Digital Workplaces are bridging disciplines, reducing errors, and clarifying complex data throughout the project lifecycle. When stakeholders can visualize a design in its environment, they are empowered to make faster, more confident decisions. Join us to explore how immersive workflows support better outcomes from concept through construction.

More and more devices and environments are capable of showing advanced 3D models providing enormous opportunities for interactive 3D. Unfortunately data built for manufacturing is often way too detailed and filled with irrelevant details making the models too big for streaming and too heavy to render with high performance. In this session we will cover how Simplygon can bridge the gap between CAD data and interactive experiences.

Civil infrastructure projects involve a large amount of collaborating disciplines with as much software applications to support the engineering and construction tasks. A lot of different applications produce a lot of data related to each other, and have to be managed with a reliable solution. During this class, we will take you on a journey of how to support the demands of the project teams based on collaboration and data management, and how to pick the right direction for your project needs. We will share this information based on the experiences at the largest lock in the world (OpenIJ), which is now in the construction phase in The Netherlands.

In today's collaborative world, data management is more important than ever. The oftentimes difficult task of working together to meet project deadlines can be eased with a detailed understanding of how Vault software and Revit-based software work hand in hand. This class takes an in-depth look into the roles of Revit, Revit Server, and Vault and explains how they can be configured for easy use and overall management.

The Infrastructure Symposium general session includes the welcome address, the highlights on a few key projects, the presentation of the 2014 Excellence in Infrastructure winners, and an overview of the symposium sessions to follow. The symposium provides peer-networking opportunities across owner/operators and the network of engineering, design, and construction firms focused on supporting infrastructure projects and managing asset lifecycles. The Infrastructure Symposium is on Monday.

This session will focus on the know-how of the implementation and use of Vault software in an architecture, engineering, and construction company for civil engineering projects. The speaker will share experiences on the steps leading to the successful implementation of Vault software across the entire company. He will specify the key levels of the implementation and use of Vault software, and the gains at each level. He will provide actual examples of how programming can expand the possibilities of different levels, making the work even more efficient. The session will include a discussion of the actual benefits of Vault software (project plus Vault equals X% rise in efficiency and quality, which in turn leads to money savings). The speaker will present return-on-investment analysis results. This session features Vault Professional and AutoCAD.

To maintain a competitive advantage, more and more structural engineers are trying to find a way to capitalize on their Building Information Modeling (BIM) data for steel detailing and fabrication. This class will focus on showing how Advance Steel software is proving to be the missing link that enables structural engineers to capitalize on their Revit Structure software models for steel detailing and fabrication. You will also learn how to use Connection Vault in Advance Steel software to create automated steel connections on the structural members imported from Revit software. You will then learn how to create the automated fabrication and erection drawings and NC files. This class will also show how the bidirectional sync between Revit software and Advance Steel software enables you to bring any Revit software changes into Advance Steel software or validate Advance Steel models in Revit software.

We are inviting you to this participatory research session to innovate and shape the future of Inventor software—and really enhance your productivity. We will use several LUMA methods to facilitate our discussions. The class will begin with a “What’s on Your Radar” practice to help attendees discuss Inventor software problems and assign them with weights. Then attendees will generate wide-ranging ideas on those pieces with no constraints in a Creative Matrix practice given a short amount of time. We’ll pick some of the ideas combining with our own preprepared ideas for a “Buy a Feature” practice to identify the most valuable areas for the Inventor Team to focus on. The Inventor UX Team will facilitate the entire session. Attendees need only to free their minds and speak out what the ideal Inventor software could be. This session features Inventor Professional and Vault Professional.

Do you love the dynamic relationships of Civil 3D object data, but still find yourself zoning out after a few minutes of doing a repetitive task? Using basic but logical math computations, we can visually arrange functions or nodes, and use Dynamo to automate many tasks that are required as part of any infrastructure project. A Dynamo script can be the missing dynamic link between AutoCAD objects and Civil 3D objects, should the alignment change, AutoCAD blocks placed along the alignment can be automatically updated. In this session, we’ll explore why Dynamo has gained popularity among Revit users, and how to benefit from it in our Civil 3D workflows. We’ll explore the Dynamo interface, and the fundamental concepts to getting started creating your first logical graph to execute geometry driven by data.

Whether you're part of a distributed team or an individual, the cloud offers many benefits: Access to your apps and data from anywhere on any device, unlimited hardware scalability, the ability to collaborate with anyone and best of all pay only for what you use. Join us for this session to learn how Frame helps engineers and architects unlock the power of the cloud to boost collaboration and productivity for Revit, AutoCAD, Inventor and any other Windows application.

Are you still struggling to get your users to use the new ribbon interface in AutoCAD® software? You’re not alone! If you haven’t quite figured out how to get this change implemented or if you still have doubts about how to take advantage of either the Customize User Interface (CUI) and workspaces, attend this class to gain a better understanding. Learn how you can implement both corporate and user CUI customizations the right way! Learn how simple tool changes can impact your production environment in a positive way and feel confident that when you leave this class, you will walk away knowing you can get users to adopt this improved interface.

Plant Design Suite provides comprehensive plant design and piping software in an economic package. AutoCAD Plant 3D software and AutoCAD P&ID software can very effectively help in the design and modeling of plant projects; however, troubleshooting problems related to Plant Design Suite can be a challenging task. In this class we will cover the 'sore spots' of AutoCAD Plant 3D software. You will learn how to troubleshoot the most common challenges, including project setup and configuration, networking issues, Vault software, inaccessible projects, customer's custom parts, equipment, specs and catalogs, XML codes editing, and migration problems. You will also learn how to use Revit software data in AutoCAD Plant 3D software, and you will learn how to incorporate AutoCAD Structural Detailing software drawings and Inventor software part and assembly models into an AutoCAD Plant 3D software project for a better workflow.

Ford Motor Company presents its experiences in attaining one CAD standard available 24/7 on six continents. Learn the ups and downs of this process. We will talk about which products and solutions were successful and which ones "hit the road." Is it really possible to implement CAD standards on this large a scale? Yes, but there were a few "speed bumps" and "potholes" along the way (and no, you can’t "bail out"). Attend this class to hear how you too can drive your CAD standards into the fast lane and put them into overdrive.

This class will cover the struggles our CAD/BIM department faced in managing Autodesk products, and how we used batch files to streamline the process. We'll explore batch files that update, configure, and manage AutoCAD software, Revit software, and Dynamo software. Topics include distributing the Revit.ini, resetting the AutoCAD profile, distributing Dynamo to the masses, and much more. By the end of the class, attendees will learn how to create, execute, and apply batch files to everyday CAD/BIM management tasks.

Learn how to best adopt Autodesk's Point Layout plug-in for Revit software, AutoCAD software, and BIM 360 software. Hear about a general contractor's lessons learned from using the software and difficulties that arise out in the field-from working with civil engineer's files to working with several different robotic total stations on one site. Attendees will learn how to create a proper workflow using naming and numbering standards set forth by the field, and how to ensure a streamlined approach for importing and exporting points to their robotic total stations. We'll explore how to work with real-world coordinates as well as create our own, and we'll look at the best way to track the coordinate system across a project's lifecycle. We'll also learn how to approach difficult projects that encompass large sites, and how to maintain vertical control on high-rise projects.

Rob Maskey presents a large BiM Level 2 infrastructure project located in Doha, Qatar including dealing with Change Management and Client BiM adoption during delivery. International Project Team collaboration and Design Model Management will be discussed to provide an overview of options for a large multidisciplinary projects. Rob will also explain similarities with Client requirements (for BiM) for the Doha Expressway Project and recent RMS briefs. In closing Rob presents a live demo of the Navisworks model for the project.

This class will address the challenges many businesses face when deciding to make the transition from a traditional 2D AutoCAD software environment to a 3D modeling platform, such as Inventor software or Revit software. We will examine the factors that go into making decisions regarding when to begin and planning on how to make a smooth transition that minimizes disruptions in business activity, while maximizing the productivity advantages 3D modeling and documentation provide. We will also review some of the difficulties (specifically related to personnel) that await transitioning companies. The presentation will bring real-world insight from the presenter’s experience in a 2D/3D implementation of Inventor software in an electric utility manufacturing and supply company. The class will conclude with a question and answer session.

This class presents a strategy for development of structural projects using Revit® Structure, Vault, Navisworks, Autodesk® Design Review, and Robot™ Structural Analysis software. Learn about every step of a workflow for large projects, including setting up the LAN environment, creating Revit central files, generating links among architectural and MEP files, defining the stakeholder groups, and drawing and model reviews. This class also brings up some best practices, limitations, advantages, and tips for designers and BIM managers.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) represents a great deal more than switching from 2D CAD to 3D modeling. Face it; these tools and work processes can be complicated. Throw in multiple office locations, different design partners, and old work methods, and you can have a real mess on your hands. In this session we will take a look at how programs like Revit software disrupt these ponds, and how you can learn to gain efficiencies while you’re in it. We will start by explaining how a basic peer-to-peer type of environment could work, and the pros and cons of this system. Next, we will throw CAD into the mix, and we’ll cover lessons learned. Then we’ll review document management tools such as Vault software, and we will wrap up with a discussion about how the Autodesk 360 software applications can help. If you’re a business owner trying to make sense of all of this, or a designer just looking to get your work done, you need to join us for this fast-paced and sometimes downright funny way to learn how to manage your BIM projects.

See this AU expert’s work in the gallery

Anchorage Municipal Light & Power (ML&P) is using a heavily customized AutoCAD Utility Design 2009 software system for electrical engineering design, and this is the story and lessons learned implementing AutoCAD Utility Design 2016 software. This solution currently integrates AutoCAD Utility Design software, AutoCAD Map 3D software, and the utility financial system. Late in 2014 ML&P contracted with Autodesk, Inc., to implement AutoCAD Utility Design 2016 software. ML&P's geographic information system (GIS) software from Autodesk was 3 years old and engineering was unable to upgrade Windows XP PCs until the AutoCAD Utility Design software upgrade was complete. The AutoCAD Utility Design Project Team streamlined engineering construction standards, flattened the GIS data, and rolled up the tracking of assets in the financial system. The most difficult part of the project was coming to terms how these 3 aspects were going to drive the most integral part of AutoCAD Utility Design 2016 software: the industry model. This implementation will integrate AutoCAD Utility Design 2016 software, Vault software, Laserfiche, AutoCAD Map 3D (GIS) software, and PowerPlant/PeopleSoft. AutoCAD Utility Design 2016 software users will see their design in 3D. ReCap 3D software models can be included to help the design process.