Between the Lines

Poor Mervin Learns an Important Construction Safety Lesson

An Autodesk colleague Justin Taylor spent time teaching his 6 year old son the importance of construction site safety using a small tomato named “Mervin”. “I combined work and home schooling with my 6 year son today – the topic this lunch time was safety on the construction site. I showed him: The importance of proper site planning The importance of PPE How to capture an incident on a phone And how useful kitchen roll is for cleaning up accidents” Read more →

COVID-19 Design Challenges – Call To Action

My longtime friend and Autodesk colleague Kean Walmsley and I have been talking about ways Autodesk technology might assist our customers, and even us at Autodesk in these changing times or the “new normal”. How might we evaluate social distancing, points where people could congregate or HVAC flows all based on best health and safety practices being publicly discussed in this potential new normal environment when many self isolated communities slowly phase back in public settings and buildings. I would... Read more →

Enter the AEC Excellence Awards 2020

Do you have an outstanding architecture, engineering, or construction project that deserves recognition? Showcase it to the world in the AEC Excellence Awards 2020. Enter now: autode.sk/34DBTOC Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your outstanding design and construction projects. The call for entries opens on April 15, 2020. Deadline for submission is June 10, 2020. https://youtu.be/LSC8yxbvJVQ Read more →

Autodesk Gets Even More Serious on Industrialized Construction

Industrialized construction (IC) is a construction system that uses more innovative and integrated techniques that connect the design to-make process. Just this past Friday it was announced that that Amy Marks aka “Queen of Prefab” has joined Autodesk as the Head of Industrialized Construction Strategy and Evangelism. Amy Marks joining shows one more proof point on how serious the commitment is from Autodesk that Industrialized Construction is critical to the future of construction. Read the announcement: Insights from the Queen... Read more →

AEC Hackathon Copenhagen 2020

"The world is becoming too fast, too complex, too networked for any company to have all the answers inside." Yochai Benkler This past weekend myself and consultants Jan Liska and Paolo Serra from Autodesk Global Consulting Delivery participated in the public AEC Hackathon in Copenhagen Denmark. These AEC Hackathon events are where experts from the built environment and tech innovators get together to break silos in the AEC industry. This AEC Hackathon was hosted by the inspiring innovation lab BLOXHUB... Read more →

Join Us Next Week to Innovate and Break AEC Silos

There is a great AEC Hackathon event being held next week in beautiful Copenhagen Denmark. The goal is to break down the silos in AEC design, technology, and the workflows to result in better cities. I will be joined by two of the expertly skilled and amazing Autodesk consultants from our Autodesk Global Consulting Delivery organization. It’s going to be a lot of work and fun. You should consider attending if you will be in Copenhagen end of next week,... Read more →

Mass Timber Summit and Hackathon in Portland Oregon

Are you passionate about technology, AEC design, sustainable wood, and mass timber design and construction? If you answered yes to any of these, you should consider attending the Mass Timber Summit Hackathon being held in beautiful Portland Oregon March 20-22, 2020. Join leading architects, engineers, researchers, builders, fabricators, real estate professionals and technologists for a weekend of innovation focused on mass timber, digitalization of construction, automation, robotics and software. Mass Timber Workshops and Hackathon Link to Event Page www.masstimberhackathon.com Presenters... Read more →

Tomorrow's Construction - 2020 Trends

A webinar was recently held and recorded with some good information covering the future of the construction industry. This Autodesk online event was moderated by Matthew Steere and had panelist Olivier Lepinoy and Ryan McMahon. All three know the current state of construction and have research and ideas on how the future of construction will develop. “The construction industry of 2010 looks dramatically different than the one at the end of 2019 – and for good reason. Today’s jobsites are... Read more →

Innovations Are Coming to Disrupt the Construction Industry

“You’re on the construction site, outfitted in your Terminator-like robot suit that gives you exponential strength, letting you effortlessly lift hundreds of pounds as integrated sensors send your vitals and atmospheric data to the cloud. Meanwhile, your augmented-reality glasses superimpose 3D models over your work while your colleagues back at the office guide your movements, tracking your exact location through your GPS-enabled boots. Sound like sci-fi? This scenario is not far off. From wearable tech and roads made out of... Read more →

AEC Hackathon 7.0 Copenhagen

One of my favorite events filled with innovative thinking and ideas combined with collaborative fun and technology are the AEC Hackathons held around the world. The next big AEC Hackathon is being held next month in one of my favorite cities in the world, Copenhagen Denmark. ] Feb 21 2020 18:00 - Feb 23 2020 20:00 In a nutshell, the hackathon starts with a group of people from industry, academia, tech, architects, and programmers that for the most part don't... Read more →

Step Inside the Jobsite of the Future

Allison Scott Director, Head of Construction Thought Leadership & Customer Marketing recently gave a great talk on the big stage at Autodesk University 2019 with the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Keynote and recently published this great article on the the Autodesk Construction Blog. I'm a big fan of Allison Scott, and I think you will be as well if you aren't already a fan. “Construction is a highly collaborative process, but it’s also very fragmented. Poor data and disconnected information are leading... Read more →

The Autodesk Group Network – Find Your Group

There are currently 70+ groups around the World and growing of thousands of Autodesk product and technology users just like you. Go have a look and find your group or enter your existing group (add a group) to the growing list. Local groups are an invaluable resource and network as I remember running the Portland Autodesk Users Group years and years ago and many awesome local people looking to share ways of using the software and back then it was... Read more →

AEC Excellence Awards 2019

Every year we recognize some customers for their AEC designs. Every year I am amazed, inspired, and in awe of their projects and the innovative ways they used Autodesk software. These nine winners and the Innovator of the Year will present at Autodesk University 2019 in only a couple of weeks. Read about the winning customers and their projects. ”When it comes to the AEC industry, projects come in all shapes and sizes. So does the innovative use of technology—whether... Read more →

Learn Autodesk BIM 360 - FREE

Are you looking for some training on using Autodesk’s BIM 360 to better manage your construction risk, improve quality, and deliver projects on time and on budget, and the training courses for free? Here is a great resource for you to learn BIM 360 Document Management, Approvals Workflow, Quality Management, RFI Workflow, Submittals Workflow, Cost Management, and Design Collaboration. Get started now at https://learnbim360.autodesk.com/ Read more →

Happy Labor Day

Many of my US based readers celebrated Labor Day yesterday, except for those preparing for possible hurricane in the Southeast US. Next door to the Autodesk Portland office is a new 17 story building 5MLK as been under construction for the past year by Hoffman Construction. In the office we have been spectators to the entire process of construction of the building, after all AEC construction is a major focus of Autodesk to transform the AEC design and construction industries... Read more →

Portland Autodesk Employee Mass Timber Field Trip

Almost Two weeks ago I arranged a special tour for Autodesk Portland employees with two of our customers a field trip of a mass timber building designed by Skylab Architecture constructed by Anderson Construction and located a block from our Autodesk Portland office. Following the building tour, we loaded up on a shuttle and went to Northwest Portland for a tour of CutMyTimber’s NW Portland shop with Hundegger Speed-Cut SC-1, Hundegger K2, and Kuka automation which was used in making... Read more →

Autodesk Portland Office and Our Changing Neighborhood

The Autodesk Portland is surrounded by an ever changing Central Eastside Industrial District neighborhood of Portland. This neighborhood has historically been fruit and produce wholesalers and manufacturing shops but that has been changing over the years. While a great deal of it is being planned and nurtured for the future and some areas protected by the Portland Innovation Quadrant and an Industrial District. Portland is changing and depending on who you talk to and their perspective it is for the... Read more →

Got My Bags Packed for My Mars Condo!

A great story of smart young minds tackling a challenge put forth by NASA helped AI SpaceFactory Win NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge for additive constructed habitats. NASA awarded AI SpaceFactory $500,000 for the successful construction of a 15 foot Mars habitat with three windows named MARSHA. Read more →

Realtime Revit BIM Models in Unity in Just One Click

Today, the awesome fi9ne folks at Unity announced the collaboration with Autodesk for a Revit importation product named Unity Reflect. Unity provides a platform for all sorts of immersive 3D possibilities in AR/VR and more that have bent my mind at times. Now with Unity Reflect you can import your Revit BIM 3D model in one click. Get a hands on look at Autodesk University London in just two weeks! https://unity.com/event/au2019 “Announcing Unity Reflect, a new product for architects, building... Read more →

Machine Learning Unleashed to Aid in Construction

Machine learning has been a growing in this ever growing world of growing data. It has been in your hands surfacing tips and reducing tasks on your phones, in your bank statements, everyone and now in construction. Autodesk has released a preview of Construction IQ after several years of research and testing to help customers identify risk, Construction IQ Preview available for Quality and Safety for customers using BIM 360 Field. Using machine learning can surface insight into your construction... Read more →

AEC Hackathon in Seattle was Amazing and Inspiring

The 41st AEC Hackathon event was held in Seattle this past weekend and was great and filled with many smart and inspiring people and several new friends and connections. First, the Seattle weather was amazing and I got in a morning run and flight in South Lake Union area. The AEC Hackathon was held in the University of Washington campus Department of Construction Management CERC. Friday the event began with introductions, speakers including Damon Hernandez the AEC Hackathon Executive Director,... Read more →

Power of AI & Machine Learning in Construction

Subscribe to our BIM 360 Newsletter and get access instantly to this PDF report on AI and Machine Learning in AEC Construction, and much more. AI and Machine Learning will be a big part of all of our future from how our personal phones process our photos, provide navigation, and deliver data tips from the massive amounts of data we use daily to make it beneficial and personalized and AI and Machine Learning will also have a great benefit to... Read more →

Shaping the future of construction using BIM tools and an innovative design approach of DfMA

The acronym DfMA stands for Design for Manufacture and Assembly and is a growing in popularity process to make sure that the manufacturing and assembly on site is considered in the design phase to save materials, labor, time, and bottom line costs. DfMA is not really what we have known historically as prefab as it is much more like the growing offsite construction for homes and buildings and considering in the design process how to manufacture and install efficiently and... Read more →

Autodesk AEC 2019 Showreel

Are you ready for some AEC design and construction inspiration? Look no further than this link for a showreel highlighting some of our amazing customers and partners. https://youtu.be/vBJX5e2NEkQ Read more →

Autodesk Launches Construction IQ – AI to Reduce Construction Risk

Increase your project’s intelligence and reduce risks by using some artificial intelligence trained using machine learning models from data from over 30,000 projects. Autodesk just introduced Construction IQ in a public preview where an artificial intelligence service works with Autodesk’s BIM 360 project management platform. ”Formerly known as Project IQ, Construction IQ for quality and safety analysis started in private preview in 2016. Altogether, the algorithm was developed with 150 million construction issues and checklist observations. Subcontractor assignments and historical... Read more →