At Autodesk, we build solutions that include everything from 3D design, to preconstruction, through build, and into project handover. Customers often use Forma in tandem with advanced construction software and hardware, as well as with everyday software tools such as Microsoft Office 365, Smartsheet, cloud-storage solutions, and data-analytics tools such as Microsoft Power BI. Automating the workflows and data passed through these disparate systems helps keep everyone working with the latest and greatest information, eliminating errors due to siloed data and making collaboration easier on a construction jobsite. This talk will focus on using Autodesk APIs and our integration platform-as-a-service—Forma Connect—to build custom workflows and to connect various technologies together to build a tech stack custom tailored to your needs.

In this class, FSTechnology will showcase how to achieve up to 40% in overall time reduction for some site supervision activities by automating the estimation of the site’s physical progress and of cut-and-fill volumes. This class will illustrate two workflows that you can apply to both building information modeling (BIM) projects and traditional project drawings. The first fully automated workflow calculates the progress of the construction works, starting from the exchange on Autodesk Forma of all point cloud data coming from drone surveys. The main steps are the production of simplified railways track path models in Revit software, the performance of a bespoke clash detection in Navisworks software to assess the works’ progress, and the interpretation of the XML output with .NET scripts to feed a Microsoft Power BI dashboard. The second workflow generates DEM (digital elevation model) surfaces from point clouds via a Python script to then calculate cut-and-fill volumes with Dynamo in Civil 3D. The results are also exported as a structured data source for a Microsoft Power BI dashboard.

This class will focus on how to make the most of tools you probably already have access to in Autodesk Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection and Autodesk Forma to start processing, analyzing, and maximizing drone photogrammetry data to improve your construction processes. Once at scale, many companies will likely opt for a partner product designed especially for this entire workflow. But it's crucial to get buy-in before making this investment. At BL Harbert International, we found that the best way to accomplish this is by providing concrete examples throughout the company of useful applications on our own projects. To achieve that, we've used several tools already at our disposal in AEC Collection and Autodesk Forma. This class will step through a workflow of processing imagery in ReCap Photo, then analyzing in either AutoCAD software or Civil 3D software, and finally sharing with stakeholders and making annotations in BIM 360 software or Forma Build software.

This case study will follow the creation of the attraction Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment for the new theme park Universal Epic Universe. It will illustrate how Universal Creative, as both designer and owner, is using the full range of Autodesk software and Forma suite to collaborate between teams and bring to life groundbreaking attractions. Creating innovative theme park attractions necessitates the blending of disciplines. Attraction designers incorporate mechanical system animation with digital media, lighting, and visual effects using 3ds Max software—while architects and engineers design and document facility systems in Revit software to meet operational needs. During ride and show manufacturing and general construction, teams constantly monitor installation quality with reality capture methods like LiDAR using ReCap and Navisworks software, validating real-world conditions against the creative intent models and federated BIM, thereby completing the project lifecycle.

Late-stage design changes and coordination issues often derail project timelines and inflate costs in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. This session will introduce Autodesk Workshop XR software, a VR-based collaboration tool aligned with the Autodesk ecosystem that enables immersive, real-scale, intelligent-model reviews. When integrated with Autodesk Forma, it helps multidisciplinary teams detect constructability issues early, validate models against existing conditions, and communicate changes effectively. You will experience a live demonstration of a full BIM-to-XR workflow, connecting Revit and Navisworks models to Workshop XR for 1:1 scale validation and coordination. The session will also explore integrating segmented point cloud meshes into Workshop XR environments for as-built verification. You’ll gain insights into how Workshop XR workflows can reduce RFIs, enhance cross-disciplinary communication, and improve project efficiency—without the need for complex or costly hardware.

This case study will explore the transformative impact of integrating Autodesk products into water infrastructure projects. We’ll highlight how operational efficiency is enhanced, collaboration is streamlined, quality control is maintained, and Project Delivery is facilitated throughout the project lifecycle. By using Autodesk Forma (Forma Data Management, Forma Build, AutoCAD Plant 3D, Revit, Navisworks, and ReCap software), the case study will demonstrate practical applications in three pivotal phases: design, construction, and operations and maintenance (O&M). Through two real-world examples, you’ll gain insights into how these tools work together to optimize project outcomes and ensure seamless integration across different stages.

The Federal Reserve Board is renovating, preserving, and expanding a pair of large, adjacent historic buildings at the same time. The joint venture FORTUS assembled a 200-person, 23-consultant design team for this project. The team went on to develop 40+ Revit models totaling more than 15 GB with an additional 4,295 scans of point cloud data. To facilitate such a large endeavor, FORTUS employs common best practices for Revit and BIM 360 software. In this class, we’ll discuss the best practices that held up, expose the ones that struggled, and reveal newly discovered ones. The best practices we’ll cover focus on project setup, collaboration and communication standards, division of models and teams, alternate design options, point clouds, building orientation, BIM 360 Model Coordination, and QA\QC tools.

Want to learn more about how to preserve cultural heritage and memory within a scan-to-BIM process? This class is for you! We’ll go deep into the real practice used for digitizing Ipiranga Museum, located in Brazil’s São Paulo, the 12th most populous city in the world. A Brazilian history museum, Ipiranga Museum is a symbol of eclectic architecture and contains a vast collection of furniture, documents, and historically relevant artwork. Discover how to explore reality capture to generate and detail accurate models, including, in this case, both the Museum's Monument Building and Independency Park where it is situated. We will cover the many potential integrations among ReCap Pro software, Revit software, Civil 3D software, InfraWorks software, and BIM 360 software, and demonstrate the ongoing results of this project. These are the first steps toward developing a digital twin for an existing historical asset, with the conclusion planned for 2022.

Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) has been involved in the 3D modeling of judicial evidence for homicide cases since 2015. The lab has refined its modeling workflows based on the established use of reality capture (photogrammetry) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) to model artifacts and buildings. Working with the coroner’s office, CIMS has incorporated newer forms of 3D modeling and real-time rendering to establish a standard for displaying digital representations of photographic evidence in a courtroom setting. In this class, we’ll cover our modeling process, starting with analyzing evidence to presenting the data in a user-friendly format. Utilizing Maya software, we’ll model a series of anatomical base meshes that we’ll then manipulate to show inflicted injuries. Next, we’ll texture map the models in Mudbox using photos as reference. Finally, we’ll combine the pieces in Unreal Engine using a template. The addition of blueprints and widgets complete the final product.

Industrial piping design tools such as AutoCAD Plant 3D software are now sophisticated and mature tools in many capacities across the specification-driven, P&ID-validated, data-driven fronts. However, other disciplines are engaging with more-contemporary modes of design, communication speed, and risk reduction. This paper will discuss how complimentary computational-design processes can harness power from other disciplines such as 3D geometric dimensioning and tolerancing in product design, mesh backdrops originating from reality capture processes, intelligent AutoCAD-Plant-3D-to-Revit interoperations through APIs, through to the creation of specifications from legacy data fragments for seamless piping component file (PCF) imports.

The scan-to-BIM (Building Information Modeling) workflow has enabled architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals to efficiently capture, design, and model the as-built environment. But what if we could modify and further automate this process to boost efficiency and insight? This session will be looking at a more refined and automated application of the scan-to-BIM workflow by incorporating laser scanning and point-cloud extraction technologies, as well as creating photorealistic visualizations using scanned data and the design model for more-informed, insightful decision making by conveying highly accurate and realistic design intent.

In the first part of this session, we will create an associative parametric model to introduce fundamental concepts that underpin computational design while exploring visual programming in Dynamo software. The model will be enhanced by parameters retrieved from AutoCAD software and Civil 3D objects. We will show how to organize and export a point cloud representing the landform and link into Civil 3D. There we will integrate this landform as a triangulated irregular network (TIN) model into the model of the existing environment and perform several analyses, including grading, stormwater, and cut/fill balance. Based on this analysis, we will optimize the parametric model. As the model is dynamically linked, we can check the improvement immediately in Civil 3D and iterate the process easily. We will also show how to use Dynamo to link landforms created by designers as NURBS with TIN surfaces that engineers can use.

Discover a stepwise approach to creating a true digital factory. This course will showcase the journey right from concept to the commissioning of the factory. During this journey we will also cover areas of infrastructure modeling such as land development and building design going into the process layout for manufacturing and finally moving into an interactive digital factory.

Lighting design has always been a difficult discipline to communicate; it’s a challenge for clients and project teams to produce the lighting design in their mind’s eye. This is especially applicable with refurbishment of cultural arts and heritage projects, where the complexity and intricacy of such internal spaces makes the way in which light interacts with surfaces and finishes particularly difficult to convey. From the outset, we've been keen advocates of using visualization tools, such as 3ds Max software, to demonstrate the lighting approach with clarity and photometric accuracy, using a range of 3D mediums—from traditional “static” images to in-house developed interactive tools and experimentation in virtual reality (VR) to “show and tell.” In this session, we’ll provide an overview of these visualization processes through selected case studies of our heritage projects for the likes of Historic Royal Palaces UK, as well as University of Cambridge and University of Oxford.

Southern California Edison (SCE) uses light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-equipped aircraft to identify overhead lines with clearances that don't comply with local and federal requirements. This involves many utilities, including transmission, distribution, and telecommunications. In this class we will discuss how infractions are solved using a 4-step approach: identify, evaluate, design, and remediation. The LiDAR results show opportunities where man-made encroachments occur, as well as revealing environmental encroachments that involve vegetation management. We will look back at lessons learned to date, and we'll take a look forward at the future of advanced surveying and design systems. This all happens within the framework of SCE's enterprise level workflow management system.

Get a jump start on your AutoCAD designs by taking advantage of existing 3D point cloud data. We will take scanning to the third dimension as we explore the power of point clouds. Learn the latest methods, trends, and workflows for bringing real-world measurements into AutoCAD software. Understand the laser scanning process and how the real world gets into AutoCAD. Explore the AutoCAD point cloud tools for attaching and managing point cloud files. Finally, expect a close analysis as well as live demonstrations of design methods for going from real-world data to native AutoCAD 2D and 3D design deliverables as we maximize the power of point clouds.

How can film and TV production move forward in the age of social distancing? This talk will explore a case study of a workflow under development by a broad team of studio production executives and technology partners. We will describe new capabilities in virtual production tools and system architectures to perform as much work as possible remotely using game engines, cloud services, virtualization, live LED wall projections, live motion-capture sessions, large-scale volumetric location scanning, and workgroup platforms.

The quality of a scan-to-BIM (Building Information Modeling) model can vary, depending on the surveyor, instrument used, field conditions, and especially the requirements specified. There are, however, no industry standards templates available to follow. This class will focus on the essentials for developing a scan-to-BIM execution plan, starting from providing and clarifying scope of work to defining LOD requirements. There are a lot of potential risks that we need to identify and highlight when picking up a scan-to-BIM job. We will discuss some of these cases with project examples. Basic tools like Revit software, ReCap software, and Navisworks software can help us through this process of visualizing model mistakes and getting a quality product. We will learn several tips that can assist us while facing the quality control of a model replicated from a point cloud. Those tips will also help us locate where the focus should go in each case.

The aging of bridges and increased vehicular traffic has made it important that elevated highway structures receive timely and accurate inspections. Today's procedures for inspections require special equipment, disrupt traffic flow, and expose inspection personnel to safety hazards. The advent of drones that can carry cameras in close proximity to elevated structures presents an opportunity to conduct inspections quickly, safely, and effectively. Towards this goal, this class presents an end-to-end system for robotic bridge inspection. The system creates flight missions; evaluates visual quality of data collection; generates 3D models; detects and localizes surface distresses in 3D; and generates reports complying with the requirements of highway agencies. We’ll share lessons learned from deploying this system on 30 bridge inspection projects in the United States and Japan concerning procedures for documenting, communicating, and following up on bridge inspectors’ recommendations.

Have you struggled with, “what do I do now that I have a point cloud?” It is a common question in the infrastructure industry. There’s an abundance of software that will assist in the post processing of point clouds into a working/usable format. If you have the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection, you have all you need. Using a "real-world infrastructure project," this class will walk you through the step-by-step process of post processing drone-collected photogrammetric data. Using products available within your AEC Collection (ReCap Photo software, ReCap Pro software, InfraWorks software, and Civil 3D software) surveyors and designers will be able to generate a working existing-condition drawing.