Autodesk and Cloud computing - they really mean it

Autodesk takes the web cloud computing seriously. And I am not talking just about the latests tools from Autodesk Labs - various web-based tools are available from Autodesk for several years already. Maybe they were not called by the popular buzzword "cloud" at that time but they are web-based services and they are scalable so they are true "cloud tools".

All these tools with very different functionality prove that cloud computing is today a real thing in the CAD industry.

Here is the list compiled by Scott Sheppard, the comments are mine:

1. Buzzsaw
   
   Project Management for AEC - probably the oldest commercial Autodesk web based tool
   
   
2. Constructware
   
   Construction Management
   
   
3. Green Building Studio
   
   Energy/Sustainability Analysis - globalized recently and now available for all AEC subscription customers; we have developed one of the first GBS plugins, for Architecture Desktop 3.3
   
   
4. Autodesk Seek
   
   Product content and search
   
   
5. Project Butterfly
   
   2D SaaS CAD and Collaboration - a "web-based AutoCAD" tool, a very clever technology allowing to work in a graphics-intensive CAD application in "real-time"
   
   
6. Homestyler
   
   2D/3D Consumer Home Design & Content - former Dragonfly, very nice tool, for non-CAD users, even your grandma can use it - definitely try it
   
   
7. Project Showroom
   
   Consumer Home Design, Rendering - little bit hidden among all these Autodesk's rendering technologies
   
   
8. Project Freewheel
   
   2D/3D Drawing Viewing, Collaboration - DWF online tool/viewer
   
   
9. Project Draw
   
   2D Diagramming Tool - IMHO this technology is now being replaced by Butterfly
   
   
10. Project Twitch
    
    Rapid Application Delivery, Remoting, Trials - not applicable in our part of the globe
    
    
11. Inventor
    Optimization
    
    Cloud Design Optimization Service - currently N/A in Europe
    
    
12. Project Neon
    
    Cloud Rendering Service - a perfect example of cloud computing - this is an ideal use of the "unlimited" computing power of web clouds - definitely try it
    
    
13. Project Cumulus
    
    Cloud FEA/CFD Computation Service - TBA?
    
    
14. Project Photofly
    
    Cloud Image to Model computation Service - another good example of complex computations performed as "black magic" somewhere in the cloud, but some steps in the photo-to-model workflow are still missing
    
    
15. Project Bluestreak
    
    Cloud collaboration platform - web file manager, good interactivity employing Ajax, but one of many
    
    
16. CommunityCommands
    for AutoCAD
    
    New command discovery based on community - a small web tool, not really a true "cloud" application
    
    

My favorites are the Project Neon and Homestyler.

See Match made in heaven