Sara Rahme
Digital transformation is no longer optional. Design firms increasingly adopt advanced digital tools to streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and enhance collaboration as infrastructure projects become more complex. One such individual leading this transformation is Brian Jacob, the Design Technology Manager at Rodgers Consulting. Brian’s innovative use of AI and Autodesk Platform Services (APS) is an inspiring example of how AI can augment technical abilities, help in-house custom development, and accelerate the adoption of collaboration workflows on civil projects using Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro.
Rodgers Consulting recognized very quickly the impact that Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and BIM Collaborate Pro could have on their business: Reduced IT costs, enhanced security and data protection, scalability for all project sizes, centralized project data management, improved collaboration across teams, and real-time access to project updates and information. But these benefits were being stalled due to the time it took to migrate project data. Using Desktop Connector, Brian estimated it would take two years of continuous uploading to transfer 300 projects. And that is when he decided to prompt AI for a solution.
ChapGPT guided Brian towards the readily available Autodesk Platform Services documentation and also pointed him towards specific code examples and steps to follow. The AI-chat bot provided recommendations around Visual Studio Code and libraries. This guidance led him to develop a Python-based application that would interact with the APS’s Data Management API to streamline data uploads. With the help of his Autodesk team, he debugged and refined his code.
The outcome was significant. The developed application could upload 610 GB of data in just 13 hours and 45 minutes, achieving an average upload speed of 44 GB per hour—a drastic improvement over the 1 GB/hour using the standard drag and drop upload methods and the manual recreation of folder structures. The application could also migrate entire folder structures including their content, creating a faster way to transfer information.
Brian says the APS-enabled application can migrate all of Rodgers’ projects within weeks as opposed to years. What would have taken days to transfer now only took mere hours. The firm’s largest project, consisting of over 66,000 files and 10,000 folders, was uploaded in just under 14 hours.
By eliminating the inefficiencies associated with VPNs and LAN-to cloud data transfers, Rodgers Consulting has now access to all of its projects inside Autodesk Construction Cloud, allowing a faster adoption of the BIM Collaborate Pro cloud-based workflows for the entire design team. Autodesk Collaboration for Civil 3D allows project teams to collaborate on Civil 3D data shortcut projects in Autodesk Docs. Autodesk Collaboration for Civil 3D is available as an entitlement to BIM Collaborate Pro subscribers.
Brian’s success is a testament to how accessible these tools have become. His accomplishments were made possible through the power of AI and the robust support of Autodesk, but most importantly, Brian had no prior coding experience when he began this journey. This underscores the most crucial takeaway: Anyone, regardless of technical background, can leverage AI and Autodesk Platform Services to drive innovation and transformation in their workflows.
Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM Collaborate Pro streamline civil design workflows by enhancing collaboration, boosting accuracy, and increasing project efficiency. With Autodesk Construction Cloud, teams can seamlessly share and access updated designs, models, and documents, reducing miscommunication and errors that often lead to costly rework. The platform’s robust coordination tools ensure design alignment across all phases, from early planning to construction, keeping stakeholders connected and informed in real time. Additionally, its data-rich environment enables faster decision-making while integrated cost and schedule tracking helps meet project timelines and budgets, resulting in smoother, more predictable project outcomes.
