Autodesk Forma: Our vision for a connected AECO industry

April 04, 2023 3 min read

Autodesk News

From Autodesk News: Amy Bunszel


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At Autodesk, we have a track record of helping customers embrace technological transformations.   

First by enabling the shift from the drafting table to the computer with AutoCAD in 1982.  

Then with Revit in 2002, introducing modeling-based design and building information modeling (BIM).  

A few years ago, we extended the value of BIM by connecting architects and engineers to a shared Revit model in the cloud and to construction and operations with the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), allowing all stakeholders to collaborate on shared information.   

But thearchitecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry continues to change at a rapid pace.  

Expanding urbanization is driving demand.  Complex projects are stressing timelines and budgets.  Talent shortages are straining teams that are already stretched.    

These challenges aren’t going away, soBIM as we know it must evolve to meet industry needs. Too much data gets lost and recreated between the BIM phases of plan, design, build and operate.   

We believe connected data will help our customers overcome these challenges. But first we must unlock the power of your data: to make it easier for you to move data between stakeholders and connect workflows, build intelligent processes on top of data, maintain a single source of truth in the cloud, and to deliver what customers like Arco are asking for.    

“The architect’s workflow has evolved over hundreds of years.” said Richard Hogan, Project Lead & Architect at Arco. “Now we’re entering a world that is data rich. We must evolve our workflow to create better performing, more sustainable buildings that fit into our cities.”  

Investing today to transformtomorrow 

You may recall that we firstintroducedAutodesk’s industry clouds at AU. I want to walk you through what’s nextand importantly, what it means for the software you already know and love, including Revit.   

Autodesk Forma will be the industry cloud for AECO. It will reimagine BIM by leveraging next generation technology to connect data, teams, and workflows and enable more collaborative concurrent ways of working.  

I’m excited to share that our initial Forma offering is almost here. On May 8,we’ll usher in a multi-year journey when we launch the first set of capabilities with Autodesk Forma.  

We’re thrilled to be taking this leap forward and it’s just the beginning.   

Learn more about Autodesk Forma

Woman and men working at a computer

Autodesk Forma will be the industry cloud that unifies workflows across teams that design, build, and operate built environments.

The first Forma offering will leverage Spacemaker’s powerful AI engine to deliver new conceptual design capabilities, predictive analytics and automations. Autodesk Forma will empower planning and design teams to digitally deliver projects with outcomes in mind from day one–creating a solid foundation for all subsequent project phases.  

With bi-directional data exchange, you will be able to work fluidly between Revit and Forma, between initial planning and detailed design, between the cloud and the desktop, to improve the performance of your projects while you’re designing. Being able to work on the same cloud model across Revit and Forma will give architects the agility to work iteratively rather than sequentially. And that’s a big, big change.   

We’ll also continue to invest in Revit, as we have with today’s release. The new capabilities in Revit 2024 are critical to getting your work done today. And they set the stage for next month’s launch of Autodesk Forma and its first set of capabilities.   

See what’s new in Revit 2024

The “huge promise” of a cloud-connected industry 

With your data, teams, and processes connected in the cloud, you can make better decisions earlier in projects. You can harness AI, machine learning, and the Internet of Things to speed processes, reduce errors, and predict and solve problems before they happen. 

Our customers like Hogan at Arco acknowledge this is a “big cultural change for the profession,” but the rewards of embracing data and the cloud, he says, are worth it. 

Join me for a launch event on May 8 as we reveal the first set of Forma capabilities and bring together industry leaders to discuss how data will shape architecture practices of the future.

Register for the Autodesk Forma launch event on May 8




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