AU Las Vegas 2018—Better by Design
What does “better” mean to you? In how you do your job, how you deliver your projects, and how your industry functions, what’s “better” at the end of the day?
Over the past week at AU 2018, we learned how new technologies are creating new opportunities to do better, design better, make better, and build a better future. We learned how we can make better decisions, collaborate better, and share data for greater efficiency. In other words, it was a great week in Vegas. Here are a few highlights.
In the opening General Session, Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost and other industry leaders shared a vision for how automation can help us create more meaningful buildings and products, and also more meaningful work for ourselves. And we learned that the ways we adapt and the attitudes we adopt will have profound effects on what we can achieve. Automation is here to stay, and it presents new opportunities for all of us.
The Architecture, Engineering & Construction Keynote emphasized how we’re moving toward a single, connected design and construction process. John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity Technologies, joined Andrew on stage to talk about the new partnership between the 2 companies that will make it easier than ever to create immersive experiences from your models. Mott MacDonald’s Cory Dippold shared how BIM and GIS integrations are helping push the boundaries of what’s possible in civil infrastructure. Andy Leek of PARIC walked us through the digitization of construction. Nidhi Sekhar of LERA+ discussed how computational design can help us automate mundane tasks to focus on greater creativity. And we learned through a hands-on demonstration how to cloud-enable our work in Revit with a one-click connection to BIM 360.
But that’s not all.
The Product Design & Manufacturing Keynote focused on the convergence of manufacturing and construction and enabling automated workflows. Autodesk’s Greg Fallon, VP of Industry Strategy and Marketing, Design & Manufacturing, and Account Executive Kelley Dumont spoke about how customers are demanding more choice, more flexibility, and better performance, and shared how automation is making that possible. Product data is being centralized, teams are uniting for better collaboration, and cross-discipline processes are becoming seamless.
And there’s more.
In the Expo, we test drove the latest technologies, explored groundbreaking projects, and networked with colleagues. From better design for Formula 1 race cars to 3D printing habitable structures on Mars, the Expo was all about connecting new ideas to our own work.
There was so much more, too. 11,000+ people. 650+ classes. Dozens of presentations in the Theater. Hundreds of parties, networking events, meetups, and feedback sessions. And even an escape room (hope you made it out).
We’ll have a lot more to say in the coming weeks and months, but for now, thanks to everyone who took part in AU 2018 to help build this incredible learning community. Please fill out your surveys and rate your classes in the app—we’ve made it easier than ever. Your feedback helps us improve AU every year.
If you couldn’t make it to Vegas, you can watch recorded live stream sessions including the General Session and keynotes. Check the AU website soon for hundreds of additional AU 2018 recorded sessions.
We’re already looking forward to seeing you next year at AU 2019. See you back at the Venetian, November 18-21, 2019.
