Autodesk announces cloud-based solutions that extend the digital thread, drive sustainability

Digital transformation is knocking down silos one by one—and with better collaboration comes bigger questions.

Questions like: Can owners and operators optimize their assets today and reduce future costs? Can design and engineering teams share data without giving up intellectual property? Can electrical engineers adopt new tools and workflows to design for a future of renewable energy?

Three big questions. One answer: Yes.

Today, at Autodesk University (AU) 2022, we announced advancements that will improve collaboration and unify workflows across the teams that design, build, and operate the built environment. Read on to learn more.

Extending the value of BIM for owners and operators

Autodesk continues to expand support for the full building lifecycle, downstream into the owner/operators’ segment with Autodesk Tandem, iOffice + SpaceIQ and Innovyze. Image demonstrates a summary of BIM for owners, relevant icons, and a graphic.

Tandem extends the digital thread to facility monitoring

Data is becoming a defining business asset. Yet 95%[1] of all data goes unused in engineering and construction.

Autodesk Tandem harnesses BIM data to establish the existence and location of assets, enabling digital transformation for owners by connecting disparate operational systems and contextualizing them within a 3D environment, or digital twin.

Last year we introduced our digital twin solution, Autodesk Tandem, for delivering a digital twin as an outcome of the BIM process. This year, we’re extending the value of Tandem’s powerful digital twin to monitor facility operations. Customers can now connect Tandem to operational systems and data to create a digital twin that provides insights for reducing cost and improving occupant experiences. As an example, Autodesk Tandem will be able to connect to the building management system and environmental sensors to continuously monitor a facility’s energy consumption patterns. This information can inform decisions about adjustments that optimize energy savings without sacrificing occupant comfort levels.

The public beta for Tandem Facility Monitoring is coming soon.

BIM insights and asset operations come together in one digital management solution

The post-pandemic shift to remote work has driven building owners and operators to maximize value and increase the efficiency of their facilities. Analyst firm Verdantix reports that 30% of facility executives are making cost reduction their top priority, with 22% focused on decarbonizing their building portfolio. That is why Autodesk collaborated with iOffice + SpaceIQ to enable smarter facilities and better decisions, empowering the industry to drive down costs and carbon.

iOffice + SpaceIQ represents the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio for integrated workplace and enterprise asset management solutions, focused on the operational and performance components of the building lifecycle. Archibus is the company’s integrated workplace management system (IWMS) software.

The new Archibus and Autodesk AEC Collection Bundle tightly integrates BIM, building operations and workplace software for centralized data management. This helps building owners and operators get more value from their BIM data both upstream and downstream. They can glean important insights using design and construction data in their building operations and start using operations data in future design decisions.

The alliance enhances Autodesk’s capabilities for operational building management to better support customers across the building lifecycle.

Info360 Plant brings operational, analytical platform to water industry

In the era of climate change, water and energy conservation measures are not nice-to-have, they are must-have. According to the EPA, municipalities and utilities could save up to 30% on energy costs by incorporating energy efficiency practices into water and wastewater treatment plants, leading to improved sustainability.

With Info360 Plant, Autodesk is building on our commitment to a more secure water future. We’re expanding the operation and maintenance insights of the Info360 platform to water and wastewater treatment facilities.

Info360 Plant is a cloud-based operational analytics platform built specifically for the water industry and designed by water experts. It provides real-time, automated, actionable analysis and insight to reveal and resolve issues with justifiable data.

Info360 Plant uses the power of digital twins to help plant operations teams deliver clean water, reduce their carbon footprint, manage and mitigate operational risks, reduce operating expenses, manage compliance, ​and justify facility improvement projects.

Increased cloud collaboration

Autodesk advances cloud collaboration and coordination for AEC customers.

We’re also continuing to invest in cloud collaboration and coordination for AEC customers to help optimize design workflows, detect issues early in the design process, and speed up project delivery time to reduce risk and cost and achieve better project outcomes.

Intellectual property stays protected with advancements to project sharing

The anytime, anywhere collaboration and project management of Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro helps design teams drive better coordination with their construction partners and owner clients. But while data sharing is great, oversharing is… not.

Using the Bridge tool in Autodesk Construction Cloud, released in March and available to any user of Autodesk Docs, Autodesk Build, Autodesk BIM Collaborate, Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro, and Autodesk Takeoff, engineers can control what they share across projects and accounts.

Bridge enables cross-collaboration between accounts, meaning firms can establish their project information in their own account, then share that information in a controlled manner eliminating errors and reducing project risk. Today, files and sheets can be shared using Bridge, and we are working on adding support for packages from Design Collaboration. This level of project control allows users to maintain their data in their account or project and prevent external stakeholders from accessing it prematurely.

Enabling better organization and collaboration for Civil 3D

Data management and collaboration are crucial for complex civil engineering projects. BIM Collaborate Pro leads the way in how civil engineers collaborate across project teams using the power of the cloud. With the upcoming Desktop Connector, collaborators can access the appropriate Civil 3D project data on a web browser or on their local machine more quickly than ever before. No matter where you work, you’ll have the most up-to-date information on your projects.

When you are ready to create production deliverables, you now can generate Civil 3D and AutoCAD sheet sets for drawings in the Autodesk Construction Cloud using the new cloud-first Sheet Set Manager. With the launch of the new and improved Sheet Set Manager, users can more efficiently manage and edit their documentation deliverables. This allows users to create, remove, reorder, and make edits to existing sheets. Improved collaboration support enables publishing directly to PDF and the ability to share drawings with external stakeholders – all from the cloud.

Mobile access connects the office to the field

Coordination and communication hiccups between the office and field can hinder productivity and contributes to more than $280 billion[2] in annual rework expenses in the United States.

The PlanGrid Build mobile app, available to Autodesk Docs, Autodesk BIM Collaborate and Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro users, helps eliminate the information gap and enables project teams to make critical decisions faster. Project teams that use Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro and Autodesk Docs can access the most up-to-date project information, navigate models in 3D, and check the status of issues, all in one place.

With the new AutoCAD Web subscription, field teams can review the latest design from their laptop or mobile device. Teams can also view designs stored in Autodesk Docs, Autodesk Drive, and other leading cloud storage providers and collaborate with the office through the Trace feature. Trace allows you to review and add feedback directly to DWG files without altering the existing drawing.

Web and mobile support like this allow teams to get the right information into the hands of those who need it when they need it, keeping teams in sync through all phases of the project lifecycle regardless of location.

Teaming up for sustainability

New tool from Autodesk and Schneider Electric helps electrical engineers design for a future powered by renewable energy.

Climate change is prompting innovation in energy generation, storage, and consumption. By 2040, 40%[3] of the energy we use will come from renewables. And industry-disrupting forces deserve paradigm-shifting solutions.

Recognizing the challenge, Autodesk partnered with Schneider Electric to develop an electrical engineering design solution that integrates directly with Revit, creating a more complete and robust software that simplifies electrical design, analysis and equipment sizing with real-time calculations in a single BIM platform.

Advanced Electrical Design for Revit now extends the benefits of BIM to electrical engineers and designers, streamlining how they work and filling critical gaps in BIM-based workflows. Engineers and designers can now work in one environment to develop designs that meet local and regional standards, increase efficiency by eliminating repetitive data entry across multiple platforms, and simplify the design process with dynamically linked diagrams and automated reporting. This comprehensive and connected workflow improves execution, reduces waste and project timelines, controls costs, and optimizes energy efficiency.

The Advanced Electrical Design solution will empower electrical engineers to drive long-term digital transformation, providing greater value to customers on their journey into the new energy landscape – a must for a sustainable future.

Together, the innovations announced at AU 2022 will help our customers plan, design, build, and operate a more sustainable world.

Check out the live and on-demand classes at AU, and read on for more AEC news from Autodesk University:

• Autodesk introduced a new AEC industry cloud, Autodesk Forma, which unifies building information modeling workflows across teams who design, build, and operate the built environment. The first Forma offering will help customers extend the BIM process into planning and early-stage design.
• Autodesk announced a strategic collaboration with Epic Games to accelerate immersive real-time experiences across industries, with an initial focus on Architecture, Engineering, and Construction. The first integrated offering will be Epic Games’ Twinmotion for Autodesk Revit.

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Sources:
[1]FMI Big Data = Big Questions for the Engineering and Construction Industry
[2]PlanGrid and FMI Construction Disconnected 2018 Report
[3] 2021 IEA World Energy Outlook Report