Autodesk University 2024 report

12,000 customers, partners, media, and professionals gathered at this year's Autodesk University 2024 conference in San Diego, California, to network, and to discover new ways to streamline digital design, engineering, and manufacturing workflows using advanced technologies such as AI. This year, ARKANCE was again the Premium partner of this conference, presenting its own solutions, complementary applications of the Be.Smart product line, and services helping customers on their way to digital design.

In the opening keynote (recorded video, after registration) Andrew Anagnost, CEO of Autodesk, recalled the revolutionary benefits of AI and other new technologies. While these are often preceded by media hype and then users' own attempts at real-world use can be disappointing, AI in particular is still a young, fledgling technology and its true benefits will only be appreciated in the future. Users don't have to test its capabilities themselves, they don't have to become AI experts - Autodesk and its partners are not running on promises - they are looking for ways to effectively deploy this technology on practical tasks and start using it today.

The key is the productivity gain. Just as many companies today are already using ChatGPT, Copilot and other LLM AI tools to create and analyze and summarize textual or visual content (not suitable for CAD), Autodesk is working on AI models specialized to work with precise 3D CAD data.

For companies, this means that they are about to re-invent their business, reinvent their business model and the ways in which they create added value in a new world using AI tools. And even Autodesk and its partners are also undergoing this reinvention.

At the heart of all the activity around AI and machine learning is data. Autodesk helps your design data be better structured so that it can be better "understood" by AI tools. These will bring new ways to synthesize and analyze design data in the future, and enhance your creativity by generating and assessing derived results based on that data.

In previous years, Autodesk has already introduced its data model for design data and the entire associated infrastructure of 3 industry clouds - for building and infrastructure (Forma), manufacturing (Fusion) and media (Flow) - see AU 2023 - and related APIs for secure access to this data from any application, on any device, using Autodesk Platform Services (APS, formerly "Forge"). A number of "Connectors" are also available to link the data of these clouds with other applications (competitors' CAD/BIM applications, PowerBI, etc.). The essence is highly granular data, small chunks of data that are significantly more "digestible", efficient and faster than the huge monolithic files of current 3D CAD and BIM applications.

This isn't just a future prospect, all 3 industry clouds are already up and running and thousands of customers are using them today and every day to streamline collaboration on huge projects. Examples were the Olympic Village project in Paris led by EGA, giant projects by Norconsult, Avixi, Bridgestone, etc. Easily accessible data is available throughout the entire design lifecycle.

You can already encounter Autodesk's AI tools every day in your AutoCAD, Forma, Fusion, Alias, ACC applications, in quite "boring" practical tasks. Examples include analyzing carbon impact in concept BIM projects in Autodesk Forma, generating and annotatting drawings in Fusion, retrieving markups in AutoCAD, animating characters in a 3D scene in Maya, or Autodesk Assistant - an AI tool that monitors the efficiency of your workflows and recommends more efficient alternatives. Autodesk Assistant will now help you analyze and extract information also from projects in the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC).


Impacts on the world around us

Manufacturing

The ongoing digital transformation is accelerating manufacturing. In the US, for example, investment in new and upgraded factories has increased by 70%. Technology brings a competitive advantage. Yamaha and Final Aim successfully used AI to accelerate a project to design and manufacture a small agricultural machine - completely on the Autodesk Fusion platform.

The typical task of dimensioning assembly drawings is nothing creative for the designer, it's an inavoidable and more or less routine job. Thanks to AI automation, this step can now be left in the hands of Fusion's AI tools. The same can now be done with sketches - the necessary relationships, connections and dimensions of sketches, so important for the subsequent life of the model, can be made right the first time using AI.

Project Bernini shows promising results - using natural language or a rough sketch or point cloud, it synthesizes a 3D concept and creates accurate 3D CAD geometry as specified. This is based on the Foundation Models concept and works purely with public, non-commercial 3D data.

Data protection is an important part of AI. In general, the more data, the better the AI. But Autodesk's AI tools strive for transparency - for all tools working with CAD data, you have the option to turn off training AI on your data (even if it's just aggregated - e.g. for creating sketch constraints).

Let us emphasize that AI is not a replacement, but rather an extension of the designer's capabilities. For example, AI can help identify potential supply chain risks. Many companies (like TOSHULIN, or KIA) already routinely use generative design, a tool for devising optimal product geometry. This concept is now being extended to generative manufacturing, where CAM tools in Fusion or add-on applications such as CAM Assist will "invent" machining strategies and toolpaths for machining.

Building and Infrastructrure

In the AEC industry, analysis of design data or point clouds will easily allow project progress, violations of standards and regulations to be checked and relationships inferred. In the AEC/AECO industry we have access to a lot of data, maps, BIM, parcels, etc. But 95% of the data remains unused. Yet it is a gold mine. The reason is that they are locked in monolithic files today, let's free them.

Autodesk Cloud, CDE, integrates this data in a structured granular form and makes it available in Autodesk Docs (part of ACC). The latter is the core of the future "single source of truth" - through APIs, your granular, "easily digestible" data is available to other applications. Autodesk Docs is already connected to: AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, Tandem, Workshop XR, Inventor, Informed Design, ACC Build, BIM Collaborate, ArcGIS, Archibus, Forma, or dASH-ER robot. The dASH-ER robot from dConstruct is a moving robot that scans data (points+images) with instant synchronization to Autodesk Docs - so all team members can see the current status.

Thanks to the connection, e.g. Forma offers new workflows - you can see the impact of decisions/variants already at the BIM concept stage. You have a wealth of historical data of past projects, building components, your intelligence and experience. Currently you use it manually, intuitively. What if the AI learned from this data and Autodesk Docs was able to offer you new building components, variant designs, on its own, according to the criteria you specify? A Bernini project variant for Revit design is under development.

Media

In media and game development, new technologies are enabling even small, independent studios to create advanced effects previously only available under huge efforts or for large creative teams. One example is the Wonder Studio tool for easily inserting 3D characters into live-action scenes. Creativity hates barriers - new tools help break them down.


And the general Autodesk Assistant tool learns to understand your work and is already helping AutoCAD, Revit, ACC users, web visitors, and technical support.

Olympic Games LA 2028

Autodesk is a design technology partner of the LA2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its design tools will be involved in the construction and, most importantly, in retrofitting of venues and accommodation for the Olympic participants. Unlike other Olympiads, most of the structures already exist and are currently in use. Therefore, most of the construction work will take place in the last 18 months before the Games. This requires very careful planning. In terms of speed of spending ($150 M$/week) this will be the largest construction project in the US.

It will be the largest peace gathering of people in the world. Interestingly, the organizing committee is providing the entire Olympics without any "government" subsidies from the pockets of taxpayers.

ARKANCE organized a social evening for business partners on the battleship USS Midway


New products and cloud services

MFG News
  • MFG Data Model and API - publicly available, read/write design data via API
  • Automatic AI-derivation of constraints and relationships in Fusion sketches
  • Form Explorer - learning shape designer for Alias
  • Autodesk Assistant for Fusion - AI answers questions about manufacturing CAM practices (based on Fusion knowledge) - see also the much more advanced CAM Assist (based on CAM knowledge)
  • Associative assembly mirroring - coming soon to Inventor (attendees of our CADforum 2024 conference have already heard about this new feature)
  • Linking Fusion to ERP systems - granular CAD data accessible via the new Manufacturing API
  • Fusion - AI constraint inference in sketches - coming soon
  • Fusion - AI recognition of fasteners (standard parts) in imported 3D models, auto-replacement with purchased parts (in Q1)
  • Bernini - conversion of "invented" 3D models to CAD geometry in Fusion
  • Announced acquisition of the German Navasto company - AI in CFD, physical wind-tunnel model - will be in Autodesk Alias (Q1)
  • Vayve Mobility's Eva and CT5 cars were completely designed in Fusion, from electronics to shock absorbers
64 chairs

AEC News
  • AEC Data Model and APIs - publicly available (this is not just a technical innovation, but a change in the way we look at data, an opportunity for application development)
  • Linking Forma with Docs (links "from the map" to Docs documents)
  • Autodesk Assistant for Docs - AI queries for document content/specifications
  • Esri data (ArcGIS maps) in Forma - e.g. The Living Atlas of the World or cadastral data
  • Autodesk Data Exchange - Connectors - for other applications
  • Revit 2025.3 - addon manager and other enhancements
  • AutoCAD 2025 now opens 2D DWGs 2x faster than 2024
  • Forma Board - through Docs - shared board for demonstrations, reviews, workshops...
  • Forma designs context, directly referenced from Revit (terrain, roads, existing buildings)
  • AEC data model API - both properties/features and GEOMETRY
  • Form Embodied Carbon analysis (AI)
  • Hydraulic modelling with AI - InfoDrainage
  • ACC Assistant - natural language specification, one of many upcoming Assistants
  • Workshop XR (team collaboration on ACC projects in VR) is immediately available globally
  • Content Catalog for Docs (families, blocks)
  • New FedRAMP cloud security certification
  • New MEP Content Editor with component management - Fabrication from Revit
  • Revit Insight - carbon analysis, dashboard
  • GeoDin - Civil 3D - data on existing underground infrastructure
  • PowerBI Connector - instantly available: Revit, Rhino, Civil 3D, AutoCAD
  • ACC Bridge tool - synchronisation of BIM data subsets (Data Exchange and Bridge at the same time)
  • Tekla Connector for Tekla Structures - coming soon
  • ARKANCE Bluebeam Connector is a new advanced connector linking Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and Bluebeam that improves collaboration on construction projects
  • Cloud-based Autodesk Viewer, the universal CAD/BIM data viewer, is now 10x faster
Media News
  • AI tools in film and game production increase efficiency, both in the creative process itself and in the production pipeline.
  • Easier to use cloud-based Flow Graph production tools, including the new Flow Graph Engine API (e.g. for Bifrost graphs in the cloud)
  • Faster denoising tools (AI)
  • The ML Deformer tool is now available in Maya. The algorithm learns how a complex figure moves based solely on the data in the scene. Animators can then pose the character in real-time as the tool approximates complex deformations for them.
  • Wonder Studio for easily inserting 3D characters into live-action scenes with a powerful new AI feature, motion prediction, that predicts character poses even when the actor's view is obscured by an object.
  • Dope sheet for Maya (scenarios, storylines)
  • Smart extrude for Max/Maya
  • Open Standards development - OpenPBR (materials), USD
  • Flow Capture - camera-cloud workflows - new organization of footage, productivity
  • Flow cloud, Flow APIs, Flow Graph API - open ecosystem
  • Retopology service in the cloud - optimization of 3D meshes (Max+Maya)
  • DigitalFish - use of APIs, pre-visualization of effects on set (3D scan of scene, cloud calculation, 3D glasses) - director and actors can see the effects directly, cinematographer can choose the best angle
  • Linking Maya with cloud data from Flow - animation of the shot gets a wider context (story before/after the shot)
  • AI denoise feature in Arnold
  • Slow motion shots in Flame - AI generation of intermediate frames
  • AI motion approximation in Maya
  • Using Bernini model generator for game development

Conclusion

Think about the way how your business creates value or adds value is changing. Both Autodesk and ARKANCE are uniquely positioned to help you. They bring real, practical, and easy-to-use features.

AI tools won't replace you, they'll just help add value to your work.

We are partners in your transformation journey. Your transformation is in your hands.

Make anything!

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