AutoCAD Raster Design is one of those modules for AutoCAD software and industry-specific AutoCAD-based applications that doesn't get much attention. Many AutoCAD users are not aware of the power and capabilities of AutoCAD Raster Design. Let's walk through some of these tools and see what it can do for you.

This session will be a case study presented by engineers Martyn Sheard and Trevor Chou from CRAFT Engineering Studio, supported by Ralph Pullinger from IDEA StatiCa. The case study will show how CRAFT designed and coordinated a complex single-family residence in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. The structure was originally conceived primarily in steel, but both client and architect wished to move to a wood solution, requiring imaginative structural solutions and workflows. Using AutoCAD software, Revit software, and BIM 360 for drafting and coordination—alongside Robot Structural Analysis software for analysis in combination with a specialist third-party timber design package—the design culminated in CRAFT maximizing the IDEA StatiCa connection for the complex joint design.

Managing geotechnical data in Civil 3D software has been a challenge throughout the years. Autodesk has introduced the Geotechnical Modeler extension for Civil 3D 2022. With this free extension you can export subsurface data from gINT or other methods and create CSV files that will import directly into Civil 3D. This data will enable you to display your borehole sticks in plan view or on a profile, and even export them for 3D use in InfraWorks software. We’ll review the workflow of how to manage your data with a local database, then import that data into an existing Civil 3D project. Then we’ll focus on creating stratum surfaces and subsurface profiles from that data. We’ll also review the sample files and the config file, manipulating them to change the styles of our boreholes—including hatch patterns at a certain scale. The end result will be a dynamically linked drawing containing geotechnical data completely compatible with your Civil 3D design.

At the project A16 de Groene Boog, we’ve implemented building information modeling (BIM) with the real “single source of truth” (SSOT) principals based on the ISO 19650 standards. This is not only for use of the “basic” BIM subjects like 3D, 4D, and clash detection, but also for the SSOT for geographic information system (GIS), TWIN16 (the digital twin product for virtual testing of tunnel technical installations for this project), and the communications department for stakeholders like visual (360-degree) presentations and external communication platforms.

Since 2015, engineering companies have been developing their abilities to use Autodesk technologies in the automation of the modeling of linear civil infrastructures such as bridges and tunnels. But what about all the other railway linear infrastructures disciplines—such as fencing, hydraulic structures, track, catenary, and tunnel MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) elements—that need to be fully integrated in the design? In this class, we’ll review how we can enhance intelligent modeling automation workflows in Revit software and Civil 3D software for these disciplines. We’ll use the example of the Etihad Rail project where SYSTRA has developed a large-scale automation strategy using the in-house solution BIMinOneClick. This class is subject to our customer agreement, “Etihad Rail.”

Service disruptions are inevitable regardless of your water source, and they often result in chaos for operators, administrators, and residents. Even as communities move toward more proactive water system management, unanticipated disruptions will always occur. Utilities should be as prepared as possible to respond quickly and effectively. This presentation will explore the innovative ways the City of Livonia, located outside Detroit, is planning for and exploring potential water service disruption scenarios with hydraulic modeling through InfoWater Pro and ArcGIS Dashboards. With aging assets the city has experienced increasingly severe water system failures. Susan Knepper (OHM Advisors) will share the tools and practices she used to help the city plan for its water service disruptions, and she’ll cover the creative way she documented the city’s disruption protocols. Tim Medearis (Autodesk) will briefly share how Info360 can make this workflow even easier in the future.

The ability for teams to address and adapt to change is becoming a critical element of survival for many organizations in the current digital transformation landscape. We can acquire new tools and design new processes, but how do you ensure that your employees apply these technologies in their daily work? Equipping our staff for the future is one of the essential pillars of Royal HaskoningDHV’s (RHDHV) digital transformation. Our ambition is to provide 90% of colleagues with relevant digital skills and competencies in order to prepare the organization for the future. Together with Autodesk and Eagle Point Software, RHDHV has managed to increase productivity around learning and ensure targeted learning for its employees. In this industry talk, RHDHV will share how to prepare the workforce for the future of work, improve workforce ROI, and create a training strategy that meets industry requirements, energizes employees, and is aligned with company culture.

In this session, we’ll combine the power of InfraWorks software and InfoDrainage to locate and design basins for a proposed 5,000-lot subdivision in Colorado. You’ll learn how to import the architect’s lot layout and overlay on the existing Civil 3D surface in InfraWorks. We’ll cover how to export new locations into Civil 3D, and how to lay out basin, pipes, swales, channel, and so on in InfoDrainage. Once set up and fully tested, repeating the process with new architect layouts will be a breeze!

Have you ever spent time iterating conceptual designs of a project to realize it’s not the preferred layout, or, even worse, it’s not the optimal design? Ambitious targets for high-quality, resilient, sustainable infrastructure require accelerated digital transformation. Join our case study that examines the use of generative design in the horizontal infrastructure space, specifically applying it to the layout and design of a rail maintenance facility. By combining the use of Civil 3D software for optimization and Dynamo for computational design, we’ll explore solutions to complex design problems—helping to make a more informed final design decision closer to the beginning of the project. By the end of the session, you’ll see that, combined with setting parameters, design automation tools reduce repetitive manual work and demonstrate operational efficiencies, allowing more time to innovate and focus on design accuracy and quality while improving business growth and profitability.

For civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, multidisciplinary firms, and many others, the question of primary authoring software can be a complicated one. Should it be Civil 3D software? Should it be Revit software? Or is there a need for both? This industry talk will discuss and evaluate the criteria for how to decide the most appropriate software for a range of project types. We’ll also consider what sort of project may be best served by using both software platforms, and we’ll cover the challenges and some suggestions of best practices involved in executing such a project. Join us as we share what we’ve learned while navigating this intersection of these two platforms.

The ability to customize has always set AutoCAD-based technology apart from other drafting and design software. But most people either don't know how or are intimidated by unleashing the power of simple customization. This class explains why customization plays a major role in achieving greater productivity and improved quality, ultimately raising you and your company to a higher level of success. We’ll introduce you to the basics of all the possible ways you can customize AutoCAD-based software, and show you how to take advantage of previously existing customized apps and tools. You’ll leave this class with a better understanding of what's possible, and you’ll have greater confidence to take advantage of this unique and powerful feature of the AutoCAD family of products.

Real-world problems are rarely linear or static. Nonlinearities often impact the prediction of a product's behavior in unpredictable ways. These add uncertainty and risk to decisions made from either virtual or physical test results for engineers and designers who don't understand them. In this presentation we’ll use Inventor Nastran software to mid-surface a thin-walled assembly and weld the parts together. We’ll then go through the process of validating our model and then performing a nonlinear static analysis with linear and then nonlinear materials. Once the existing design is validated, we’ll perform a light-weighting design optimization to reduce the assembly’s weight, and then we’ll perform a nonlinear verification analysis on the final, reduced-weight design.

In this class, FSTechnology will showcase how to achieve up to 40% in overall time reduction for some site supervision activities by automating the estimation of the site’s physical progress and of cut-and-fill volumes. This class will illustrate two workflows that you can apply to both building information modeling (BIM) projects and traditional project drawings. The first fully automated workflow calculates the progress of the construction works, starting from the exchange on Autodesk Construction Cloud of all point cloud data coming from drone surveys. The main steps are the production of simplified railways track path models in Revit software, the performance of a bespoke clash detection in Navisworks software to assess the works’ progress, and the interpretation of the XML output with .NET scripts to feed a Microsoft Power BI dashboard. The second workflow generates DEM (digital elevation model) surfaces from point clouds via a Python script to then calculate cut-and-fill volumes with Dynamo in Civil 3D. The results are also exported as a structured data source for a Microsoft Power BI dashboard.

This session will discuss how building information modeling (BIM) should fit into a company’s digital transformation strategy, drawing on the experiences and lessons learned from undertaking this exercise at multidisciplinary design consultancy Khatib & Alami (K&A). For K&A, BIM has been well-established across all types of building projects since 2011. In 2018, we developed a further road map to drive quality and consistency across all levels of the organization as part of the company’s digital transformation. This road map included assessing current staff; building a strong team of modelers, auditors, and developers to achieve an internal critical mass; implementing BIM across all four K&A design centers; and ensuring one consistent set of standards, in accordance with ISO 19650. BIM implementation has been a cornerstone of K&A’s digital transformation, and its success has established strong momentum across the wider program.

See how to maximize technology convergence from a digital twin over the entire building assets and operations lifecycle. There are many key topics related to corporate real estate management (CREM). Real estate has a substantial effect on all three main financial statements (cash flow, income, and balance sheet), and is one of the largest costs for manufacturing companies outside of material and personnel. CREM influences tactical operational performances such as labor productivity, well-being, satisfaction, and motivation, as well as strategic ones such as corporate identity fit. For brownfield projects, the aim is to achieve an optimum of the lowest possible vacancy rate, as well as flexibility and adaptability to changes in the company. Technology solutions for CREM are improving project collaboration, energy consumption, and space management, with a proven ROI that includes 10% space reduction of the entire portfolio, 18% reduction in non-value-adding tasks in facility management, and 3% reduction in construction material cost.

Parsons will highlight the capabilities available within an airport digital twin by showing our work to support the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport digital twin project. The digital twin includes a main runway and passenger terminal. We’ll detail our work to help define digital governance standards, develop a runway-specific asset ontology, and integrate data across multiple source systems: Civil 3D software, Revit software, Infor EAM, Johnson Controls, Veoci Part 139 airfield inspection software, Esri GIS, and ViewMondo weather station data running within the Microsoft Azure Digital Twins cloud. The twin provides real-time updates via Internet of Things (IOT) runway sensors that specify temperature, surface temperature, humidity, and water film. This session will share unique insights and lessons learned regarding the technical and management workflows to plan and execute a digital twin for critical infrastructure assets. A digital twin addresses the industry challenge of how to automate and unify the management of complex civil infrastructure.

Believe it or not, digital twins are more than just a buzzword! Owners are realizing there’s a lot more they can do with the (on average) 95%+ of design and construction data that goes to waste—and they’re turning to us to help them put that data to meaningful use. In this session, you’ll hear about some real-world case studies showcasing why digital twins are here to stay. Of course, the path to development and integration is never without bumps along the way. We’ll discuss common obstacles and challenges in getting started with digital twins, and we’ll evaluate the growing digital twin ecosystem with platforms like Autodesk Tandem technology, Esri ArcGIS, EcoDomus, Unreal Engine, and many others that can serve a variety of owner needs. Join this vibrant roundtable and share your thoughts and experiences with digital twins and digital transformation in general. Let’s discuss ways we can help transition our industry toward a better future!

Microdesk Co-Innovation Lab collaborated with BamCore through the Autodesk Foundation to show the value and benefits of their products to industry clients. Using the Autodesk-provided design analysis ecosystem, we showcase the energy and carbon advantages that BamCore’s products can bring to the design. The developed custom workflow allows BamCore to rapidly obtain comparative energy and carbon impacts and present them to their clients without future support. We’ve also set up the groundwork and created a phased journey to navigate the Future of Work, aiming to include an interactive user interface dashboard for rapid ROI analysis. We compare BamCore technology versus typical constructions to ensure Microdesk and BamCore co-create meaningful and inspirational future impacts toward resilient and low-carbon buildings.

Now’s the time to discuss and define the hard and soft costs of building information modeling (BIM) and virtual design and construction (VDC) in terms of capital spending (CAPEX), operational spend (OPEX), and whole-lifecycle total expenditure (TOTEX). How we budget for BIM within our organizations and on our projects is challenging and confusing, and business value needs to be defined in order to further technology integration and advancement. It’s not the technology that’s holding us back, it’s the procurement of that technology. Creating a BIM procurement and budgeting plan that addresses short- and long-term value for both users and viewers along the supply chain and at different phases of the project will optimize the usage of BIM, while increasing return on investment. Join this roundtable discussion to get your questions answered, and to hear how others are addressing BIM procurement and budgeting issues and how they’re getting clients and their companies to invest in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) technology.

Did you know that 95% of construction data goes unused during building operations? Digital twins may change the way owners interpret and ultimately use that data, but owners have to know where to start. “Digital twin” is an industry buzzword these days, and there’s no shortage of companies who claim to be experts on these data-rich models. However, if the concept of a digital twin is going to survive its initial 15 minutes of fame, we must stop viewing digital twins as products and start seeing them for what they really are: intricately detailed processes. Every digital twin solution on the market looks and functions differently from the next. However, they all share a similar goal: to re-create a physical space in a dynamic 3D environment. But the true appeal of a digital twin lies in the data. While most digital twin solutions have figured out how to integrate data and models, only a few have figured out how to present that data in an immersive, interactive and useful way.