The AEC and manufacturing industries are experiencing incredible changes driven in large part by exciting and revolutionary new technologies. Today, the people that make things – whether they design/create buildings, public infrastructure, or military equipment and products – have a host of new tools at their disposal – including advanced visualization, design and simulation tools that leverage the power of AI, machine learning and the cloud.
In fact, for some AEC, product development and manufacturing professionals, it may seem like it is difficult to keep pace with all of the digital design changes and new technologies. But, thankfully, that is what the annual Autodesk University (AU) conference is for.
Autodesk University 2020, which will be held online beginning on November 17, will provide a number of valuable networking opportunities, as well as keynote addresses and side sessions about a number of interesting topics across design, engineering, visualization, product lifecycle management, simulation, advanced manufacturing and other segments of digital design.
To learn more about what to expect at this year’s event, the GovDesignHub recently surveyed a pool of eight digital design experts who have attended Autodesk University in the past. These experts included:
- Staci Mensen, Director of Marketing at KETIV
- Shaun Herring, Services Manager at Prosoft
- Jerry Bond, Government Solutions Consultant at Applied Technology Group
- Bill Grimm, Government Account Executive at Applied Technology Group
- Hope Findley, Senior Sales Consultant at Topcon Solutions
- Vince Daniele, Team Manager at IMAGINiT Technologies
- Jeff Bowers, Reality Capture Solutions Manager at IMAGINiT Technologies
- T.J. Meehan, Vice President of Technology Solutions at CADD Microsystems, Inc.
- Todd Weyandt, Director of Creative Marketing, Applied Software
In part one of our two-part discussion, we asked them why people that make things for the government should attend, and what trends will dominate discussion at this year’s show. Here is what they had to say:
GovDesignHub: What do you think government and public sector organizations can expect to gain by attending?
Staci Mensen: Public sector organizations and professionals will gain an understanding of Autodesk’s investment in new technologies that connect design and manufacturing. It will enable government organizations to optimize processes, learn new tools, and ultimately grow their skillset.
Shaun Herring: They will gain further insights into industry trends and technological advances.
Jerry Bond: Attendees will get the latest news and updates in technology, industry best practices and workflows to fit the government marketplace today.
Bill Grimm: They will certainly get an increased knowledge of Autodesk products and solutions.
Hope Findley: Autodesk University is always a great opportunity to get ahead on changes and improvements that will be coming [to Autodesk solutions] in the future.
The government historically requires longer to prepare for change. Any advanced notice is helpful in being prepared for things that can hit the budget or change how they do business.
Vince Daniele: They will gain insight and knowledge from industry leaders that they will be able to apply to their organizations. They will also be able to network and develop relationships with other individuals that are searching to achieve common productivity goals.
Jeff Bowers: By attending they will acquire knowledge of new and existing technologies that will potentially increase their productivity in their daily tasks and improve their workflows.
T.J. Meehan: As always, they can gain a tremendous amount of Autodesk product knowledge. They will also learn about industry trends, best practices and what other organizations are doing.
Todd Weyandt: Government attendees will gain valuable insights and connections with others within the industry. Especially those that plan ahead and make the most of their virtual meetings.
GovDesignHub: What are some of the large, overarching trends and new technologies that you think will be discussed?
Staci Mensen: I think one of the key trends will be the shift in businesses and organizations to remote work. There will be a lot of discussion about the tools, technologies and policies that make organizations able to work and collaborate remotely – and how to do so safely and effectively.
Shaun Herring: I think we will learn more about reality capture and work from home best practices.
Jerry Bond: I expect some topics that will be covered will be advancements in the BIM 360 Portfolio, Autodesk/ESRI integrations and updates to the subscription license model.
Bill Grimm: BIM for Civil 3D is a topic that is trending. Also, infrastructure that is needing to be updated is an expected topic.
Hope Findley: The move to named user will be a topic of focus. Also, the expansion of the BIM products. I think they will be focusing on how they will be making the BIM products more integrated into the regular Autodesk workflow.
Vince Daniele: One of the biggest ideas that will be discussed will be “Digital Twins.” The idea that we will be able to virtually replicate buildings, infrastructure, and entire cities to simulate and analyze many different things – like pedestrian traffic patterns, environmental impacts, and an infinite number of other data points.
Jeff Bowers: I believe reality capture is still at the forefront of new and emerging technologies. I would also include facilities management as an important topic of discussion.
T.J. Meehan: Autodesk’s new digital twin solution, VR/AR and scan to BIM technologies have a lot of relevancy.
Todd Weyandt: One of the largest trends and hottest topics will be the digital transformation of construction. I anticipate significant discussion about better leveraging and utilizing remote teams. There will also be a focus on using technology to bridge the efficiency and productivity gap.
To learn more about this year’s Autodesk University, and to register online, click here.
Featured image courtesy of Autodesk.
