As technical professionals we spend years in school, then years studying for licensing exams. And we spend our entire careers pouring over code books and technical manuals. By the time we reach management positions, we’re technical experts and excellent project managers…but we never learned how to manage people. As it turns out, soft skills are just as important as technical skills. This session will offer a forum to discuss various management skills and techniques that will help us all improve our management skills. During this presentation, we’ll share and discuss experiences, successes, and failures as managers. We’ll share resources and have an open discussion, so we can all learn from each other. Everyone must find their own management style, and undoubtedly along the way you’ll discover that the bottom line is this: We are all just people . . . wouldn’t it be easier if we were numbers!

As technical professionals, we spend years in school and then years studying for licensing exams, and we spend our entire careers pouring over code books and technical manuals. By the time we reach management positions, we are technical experts and excellent project managers . . . but we never learned how to manage people. As it turns out, soft skills are just as important as technical skills, and in the current world climate, much of these management activities are now happening at a distance. This session will offer a forum to discuss various management skills and techniques that will help us all improve our management skills, especially in a remote environment.

In an ever-changing and increasingly automated world, the need to develop and improve individual skills is vital. Our people and their skills are the key to our future success, and it is our imperative to create an environment where they thrive. To do this, we need to integrate learning insights with project and individual development. We need to chunk up learning to make it digestible, and we need to make it easy to apply that learning. Mott MacDonald and Autodesk are partnering to explore how product usage and other data can inform individual and organizational software skill development through Autodesk Insights, Skill Tree, and Mott MacDonald’s own learning systems to build a stronger business and a more equitable team. We’ll share how our partnership has developed an innovative approach to growing and maintaining skills that allows us to connect people, projects, processes, and data to transform our approach to building skills and scaled technology adoption across projects.

The first ever "BIM in Construction" competition for World Skills was held at the national level in Ireland, hosted by the Technological University Dublin in June 2018. This competition was designed to draw out the students’ knowledge, understanding, and ability to construct an intelligent model to be used by a multidisciplinary team for a building design, tender, construction, and operation. The competitors worked to industry standards and used the BIM 360 cloud server to host their models. This competition had a set of 11 assessed deliverables to test their skills both in graphic modeling and information creation and coordination. Further national competitions were held in the United Kingdom, where the original framework was developed to test other core skills. Based on the success of these national competitions, the World Skills organization included a BIM (Building Information Modeling) competition in the Future Skills portfolio in Kazan, Russia, in 2019. This presentation will outline the development of the competition, report on the experience of the national competitions, and cover the amazing experience of the winners of the first World Skills BIM competition in Kazan. The presentation will show how third-level educational institutions can tailor their BIM education programs within their domain-specific courses so they can enter and be competitive in the national heats of World Skills BIM competition, and in turn respond to industry needs while improving students’ employment prospects.

Hear from ASME experts as they share the in-depth research results and insights that predict how new workflows will shape the future of work in manufacturing throughout the next five to ten years. A panel of industry and technology experts will discuss the overarching industry implications and business outcomes driving the advancement of manufacturing and how the roles of mechanical engineers, manufacturing engineers, and machinists will evolve—and we’ll identify the new set of hard and soft skills required to succeed. Learn how new workflows are taking hold in the industry. And discover the workforce training, technology, and operations infrastructure that is required to achieve fundamental improvements in productivity, quality, and profitability. Finally, learn how industry, academia, and government can support the development of the skills and knowledge among students and professionals.

Studies show that watching someone perform a task doesn't really teach students how to do it. In fact, it often gives a false sense of confidence in one's ability to perform a task. This talk will outline a proven, highly effective process that is in use at Georgia Institute of Technology to teach professional-level software certifications. Not only is this a remote teaching strategy, it's a remote teaching strategy that is more effective than many in-person teaching strategies! The talk will use content from the speaker’s introductory college-level CAM class using Fusion 360 software, as well as Canvas Network for the instructional materials. But you can apply the principles to any skill or process, including hands-on technical skills, and any classroom platform, including Blackboard, Microsoft Teams, and Google Classroom.

BDP has moved from a practice with workflows solidly grounded in 2d to becoming the first BIM Level 2 business globally. As part of this transition it was recognized that the change required could only be achieved through ensuring staff had appropriate skills to successfully deliver technological change across the business. The class will describe the strategic decisions made by BDP and the influences on the direction the business took. It will further outline the structure put in place to support BIM adoption, the skills gaps identified and how these were addressed. A review will also be presented of the challenges encountered at each stage, from pilot project through to the current position with over 70% of technical staff regularly using BIM Software across some 620+ projects. Issues encountered at various project stages will be highlighted with solutions to overcome these also described. BDP's forward looking strategy will also be discussed with staff sit at it's heart.

Autodesk Inventor Nastran simulation capabilities are embedded in Inventor software. However, the trend is to use simulation as a back-end check on the design. But why not use simulation earlier in the workflow? This presentation will show you how to start thinking about strength and stiffness as you evolve the design. With idealization techniques, you can get an early feel for how much material and where to place it, ignore details until the design is more fully fleshed out, and roll the design backwards and forward, using simulation as you go. The presentation will also take a hard look at shell and beam idealizations. Are they worth the effort? When should you use them? We’ll use several case studies to explore these ideas in the presentation.

Computational design enables architects to design parametrically, using visual programming to automate design processes and simulate, script, customize the parameters of, and generate design solutions—making it easier to explore ideas and innovate. Design practices big and small are turning to computational design to solve problems in new ways. Students with experience in computational design have a distinct advantage in their careers. Hear how Autodesk Dynamo is helping the next generation design structures and buildings and create using digital fabrication.

Computational design is the “new black” for design practices, but how can an organization take a specialized skill set and turn it into a core practical capability? Matt Goldsberry and Nathan Miller will present strategies for developing a computational design network in architectural practice that addresses skill-set growth, tool creation, and content management. Using HDR Architecture as a case study, this class will explore tactics for growing this specialized skill set to be a core capability within a design practice. We will discuss computational strategies that have contributed to the ability to win work, create design efficiencies, and improve building performance. This session features Dynamo Studio and Revit. AIA Approved

Everyone nationwide is feeling the skills gap. With the increasing breadth of this issue looming over manufacturing, automating processes have become paramount to every business. Many CAM products offer solutions that come close; however, they leave your team with a learning process that’s more of a setback than a solution. Let us show you how technologies within Autodesk’s advanced manufacturing solutions PowerMill and FeatureCAM—such as AFR (Automatic Feature Recognition) and Custom Macro creation—can help you close the gap. Automating the basic functions in your workflows lets new talent pick up processes faster and gives you the time to train your team for true success.

Here is the key that will unlock the door to increased Inventor software productivity. This class takes a fast-paced approach to discovering little-known tools for the modeling, assembly, and drawing environment in Inventor software. A must-see for the Inventor power user.

The best leaders may not be great managers. The best managers may not have the skills to lead. We will look at the skills of each position and see how you can blend them together to make you the most effective at both. You can improve your effectiveness by knowing what skill to apply to each situation. We will show you how to identify the situations where leadership is the most effective approach and the situations where management skills need to be applied. Making the wrong call about which hat you need to wear can get you into hot water. Come away with the tools you need to be more nimble and productive.

Fusion 360 software has four unique design workflows: Solid, Surface, Sculpt (T-Spline), and Sheet Metal. Each workflow has unique tools that are specialized for the different types of modeling. The Sheet Metal workflow can be simple, yet confusing. Certain tools have multiple functions and use. There are Sheet Metal Rules and it is important to understand the role they play. Join this class to better understand the proper workflow for modeling sheet metal components in Fusion 360. We will discuss how to capitalize on the Sheet Metal Rules and the multiple applications of the Flange command. During this demonstration, we will recreate a component and show how to document the formed part and flat pattern with a 2D drawing.

Everything in your technology environment is changing. In order to lead, you need to be nimble enough to change with it. We will look at the skills of your position and see how you can blend technical skills, management prowess, and leadership dynamics together to make you the most effective leader. You can improve your effectiveness by knowing what skill to apply to each situation. We will show you how to identify the situations where leadership is the most effective approach and the situations where management skills need to be applied. Making the wrong call about which role you need to take can cripple your effectiveness. Come away with the tools you need to customize your methods to the moment and be more nimble and productive.

You've heard the stories of humble startups who create a hit game that brings them fame and fortune. Although many of your students will sign on with larger companies when they graduate, some of them will go off and create amazing work on their own or with small teams. Learn how you can incorporate the entrepreneurial spirit and skills in your curriculum and help your students be prepared for whatever path they choose.

BIM Management Careers is a course that explores the various career paths and opportunities available in the field of building information modeling (BIM) management. Join us as we cover the roles and responsibilities of BIM managers, as well as the technical skills, software knowledge, and project management skills required for success in this field.

Manufacturing in Autodesk Fusion 360 software continues to expand within the wider Autodesk community. While it expands, there is very limited knowledge on manufacturing as a whole. This course aims to level set, upskill, and provide an appreciation of subtractive manufacturing. This deep dive will focus on capturing manufacturing intent from the design, and we will cover available subtractive methods, programming techniques, and part alignment.