This month, Autodesk will be rolling out its next generation of BIM 360 products that will include BIM 360 Design and BIM 360 Build modules (https://bim360.autodesk.com), making this suite the industry's first unified design-construction platform. BIM 360 is built on top of Forge, Autodesk’s cloud-based software platform, which the company launched in 2015.
In fact, all of Autodesk’s products are now built onto Forge, which makes it easier for the company to “expose the innards of technology” through a variety of application program interfaces, says Jim Lynch, Vice President of Autodesk’s BIM 360 Construction Line Group.
By opening Forge to the industry’s eco system, more of Autodesk’s customers have been building products that integrate seamlessly with that platform. One such example is Assemble Systems, a preconstruction planning tool. Indeed, since introducing this partnership program last November at its Autodesk University event, there have been 46 completed integrations on the exchange (https://integrations.bim360.autodesk.com), and another 90 in the works.
Expanding this eco system is important, explains Lynch, because it would be nearly impossible for Autodesk alone to meet all of the AEC industry’s different needs and requirements.
The goal, says Lynch, is the make the construction process easier, from design to commissioning, “so that there’s more end-to-end transparency.”
Third-party suppliers that want to become part of this network need to apply, although Lynch says that the entry bar is “pretty low.” In fact, competing companies that offer software that does pretty much the same thing as others on the exchange are welcome onto the Forge platform. (Lynch says that Autodesk might even invest in the ones it prefers.)
However, in building this app exchange, Lynch says Autodesk more interested in cultivating quality than quantity to help users connect and store their data. “What we’re trying to say is, if you work with Autodesk, you have the opportunity to put all of your information into one place. We’re putting everything on the cloud and offering customizable solutions.”Â
Related Stories
3D Printing | Oct 9, 2024
3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas
Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.
Brick and Masonry | Oct 7, 2024
A journey through masonry reclad litigation
This blog post by Walter P Moore's Mallory Buckley, RRO, PE, BECxP + CxA+BE, and Bob Hancock, MBA, JD, of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC, explains the importance of documentation, correspondence between parties, and supporting the claims for a Plaintiff-party, while facilitating continuous use of the facility, on construction litigation projects.
AEC Tech | Sep 25, 2024
Construction industry report shows increased use of robotics on jobsites
Nearly two-thirds of contractors surveyed, who cited use of robotics on jobsites, are either using monitoring and/or service/labor robotics.
3D Printing | Sep 17, 2024
Alquist 3D and Walmart complete one of the nation’s largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures
Walmart has completed one of the largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures in the US. Alquist 3D printed the almost 8,000-sf, 20-foot-high addition to a Walmart store in Athens, Tenn. The expansion, which will be used for online pickup and delivery, is the first time Walmart has applied 3D printing technology at this scale.Â
Building Technology | Aug 23, 2024
Top-down construction: Streamlining the building process | BD+C
Learn why top-down construction is becoming popular again for urban projects and how it can benefit your construction process in this comprehensive blog.
Curtain Wall | Aug 15, 2024
7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks
It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus.Â
Geothermal Technology | Jul 29, 2024
Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network
The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.
Smart Buildings | Jul 25, 2024
A Swiss startup devises an intelligent photovoltaic façade that tracks and moves with the sun
Zurich Soft Robotics says Solskin can reduce building energy consumption by up to 80% while producing up to 40% more electricity than comparable façade systems.
Codes and Standards | Jul 25, 2024
GSA and DOE select technologies to evaluate for commercial building decarbonization
The General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy have selected 17 innovative building technologies to evaluate in real-world settings throughout GSA’s real estate portfolio.