Connect AutoCAD to Autodesk Projects using Desktop Connector

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While working in AutoCAD, you can use Desktop Connector to access your AutoCAD projects in the cloud.

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Begin in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC)

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to view the projects that have been successfully created,

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and that you have access to.

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On the My Home tab, a map shows where the project hubs are located.

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Switch back to the Projects tab, and in the Account column, note the hub name for any project you want to access from AutoCAD.

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On your desktop, this cloud data appears in File Explorer under Autodesk Docs,

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with each project listed under the associated hub.

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However, you can access this data directly from within AutoCAD.

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If you are using a previous version of AutoCAD, click the Start tab, where Autodesk Docs is an option.

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Click Autodesk Docs, and you see the project hub and selected project.

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To change the project, simply select the hub, and then click another project in the drop-down.

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Notice that Autodesk Docs automatically creates a Project Files folder for you,

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where you populate your project data.

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Here, the example folder contains drawing files and a sheet set.

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In the most recent version of AutoCAD, clicking the Start tab produces a separate Projects panel,

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and in the Start tab, the name Autodesk Docs is replaced with Autodesk Projects.

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That change was made because in the future, there could be multiple connectors for Autodesk to load different projects.

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Open the Project Files folder to view the files for the selected project.

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If needed, switch to a different hub using the drop-down, or you can select a different project.

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From the Projects panel, expand a project and then expand Project Files to view the folder structure.

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For this example, it was created using a project template in AutoCAD Construction Cloud.

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Open the Project Files folder and select a file, such as a DWG.

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The file opens in AutoCAD and includes the Sheet Set Manager for the Web,

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as if you were accessing the file from your desktop.

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Returning to the Project Files folder, you see that the open drawing file is now locked, as indicated by the icon.

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This is consistent with automatic file locking.

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In a File Explorer window, open the Project Files folder to see that any locked files appear locked there as well, also indicated by icons.

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Once the AutoCAD files are closed, click Project Files to refresh the data, and the files now appear unlocked.

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Re-open the File Explorer window to see the files unlocked there as well.

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However, they do remain synced with the Autodesk cloud, indicated by the icons in the Status column.

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As you have seen, from AutoCAD, you can easily connect to projects in the Autodesk cloud using Desktop Connector.