30 Nov 2020

Forge for Construction - AU continuous learning

Forge for Construction

Autodesk University was a fully virtual, global event this year—with no cost to attend. That meant there was an extraordinary amount of product and feature announcements, customized learning content, and opportunities to meet and network with fellow professionals! But with the vast amount of content this year, it can be overwhelming to sort through it all. So we've created a few tailored lists of content specifically for Construction professionals to get the most out of Forge classes and programs this year.

Forge for Construction Program

Remote working, cloud collaboration, and ever-increasing ways to improve safety are all hallmarks of the “connected construction” revolution taking place in the Construction industry. These shifts were gaining importance before the COVID-19 pandemic, but in this “new normal,” they’re absolutely critical.

In the Forge for Construction Leadership Presentation at Autodesk University, Allison Scott, Director of Construction Thought Leadership, and Ron Locklin, Director of Global Business Strategy and Marketing for Forge, discuss how Forge is helping businesses not just adapt to these shifts but make giant leaps forward. We’re seeing customers use the Forge platform to solve industry challenges that have been as hard to topple as the buildings you build.

BamCore

The team at BamCore saw two separate problems facing the construction industry – one was climate change and two was an uncoordinated, un-automated, “old-school” way of building buildings. They wanted to do better. 

They tackled the inefficiencies by creating an industrialized construction workflow. They were able to bridge the gap from design through manufacturing and build. And they've made it sustainable using bamboo.  Yes, bamboo. 

HoloBuilder

Using Forge to link digital and physical worlds, Holobuilder is bringing the jobsite to life virtually. They call themselves “a 360-degree street view for construction sites.” They demonstrate the value that comes from interacting with captured data to improve existing workflows around project controls such as:

  • Remote site access and the reduction of travel    
  • Payment and invoicing verification based on the latest site updates   
  • Having solid as-built documentation for the closeout of the job   
  • Better team collaboration between stakeholders by being able to virtually walk the job during OAC meetings as well as trade coordination.   
AECOM

AECOM struggled to improve quality and coordination on their projects, as their current processes collectively cost them an estimated $100M in lost revenue. Project teams were under a lot of pressure to provide visibility to executives and project managers so they could understand challenges early and change course.  

AECOM addresses these challenges by using technology and actually constructing the project twice – once virtually and the second physically - this allows them the ability to solve issues before they arise in the field (which are more costly to resolve).  

 

Want to learn how Forge can help you tackle your own challenges? Watch the Forge for Construction program below and learn how you can take advantage of the accelerated digital transformation.

 

 

 

Forge for Construction classes

Looking to extend your learning with some classes specifically focused on Forge for Construction? You're in the right place! Here are 9 classes to help with Construction-specific industry needs.

1. 90 Minutes to Build an Autodesk Forge Application for Project Management

In this class, you will learn how to build a Forge app to visually manage project progress by utilizing BIM models. You will be introduced to Forge APIs by walking through some sample code demonstrations to help you gain access to your BIM data. Forge APIs also provide you the way to manipulate and update more information in BIM model on cloud.

2. Integrating Construction Project Management & Accounting Platforms

This class focuses on high-level workflows between BIM 360 Cost and various standard industry ERP packages. It also introduces the middlewares making these connections, and the importance of connecting project controls with construction ERPs.

3. Forging Industrialized Construction

Learn how different technologies to improve and augment your current workflows. This session will review several technologies including Autodesk Forge in the application of an Industrialized construction workflow. The conversation includes the workflow from design to commissioning.

4. Release Your Hands: Automate Your BIM 360 Project Setup with Forge

In this class, we show you a tool that help setting up projects in bulk by importing from CSV files. The tool consists of a collection of commands which you can run in combination. The features include: creating projects, populating users and company, setting up services, adding users to a projects, creating folders with users permissions.

The tool is a desktop application written in .NET using Forge API.  For those who wish to further customize the tool to integrate with your ERP system, we share the source code and explain implementation detail.

5. Efficient Ways to Visualize and Analyze Data in BIM 360 Project with PowerBI

BIM practitioners are seeking more efficient ways to analyze the accumulated data in BIM 360 projects in daily bases. One of the popular, powerful tools, Microsoft Power BI, provides intelligent dashboards to inspect the data.

In this class, we show you three different ways to analize BIM 360 projects data with PowerBI for BIM coordination and communication purposes: 1) with no coding, 2) with a little bit of coding, 3) with real programing (yet with handy templates). You will also learn how to build a simple app that integrates PowerBI and Forge.

6. Serverless, Rules Based Design Automation with Forge and Azure

This class describes Goldbeck's experience in the development of their very own cloud services for the automation of model checking.

Goldbeck's BIM department is cooperating with Autodesk in the definition and creation of a framework for automating the execution of standard checks. The project aims at leveraging cloud computing to increase the overall quality level and free up resources for other tasks.

7. Sustainable Construction Solutions that Reduce Time, Labor and Cost

The traditional method of site building walls using studs is labor and time intensive, and results in a fundamentally flawed product, with a substantial percentage of the wall being thermally and acoustically bridged. BamCore has developed a wood-bamboo hybrid panel that is structural and load bearing and enables us to build walls from panels that are pre-fabbed to customer specifications and eliminate 80-90% of the internal framing, along with the thermal and acoustic bridges that framing creates in traditional walls. This also reduces the need for hard to find job-site labor.

This class covers the design steps they use, CAD-CAM workflows, the marking of MEP locations and their job-site app, giving a comprehensive view of BamCore's industrialized construction processes. They also talk about the tremendous sustainability of the BamCore system, which comes both from the use of incredibly fast growing timber bamboo and the dramatically improved thermal envelopes that their walls provide.

8. Brownfield Projects: Applying a Scalable AWP Approach with BIM 360 & Forge

This session provides an overview of how to successfully apply AWP best practices to a portfolio of small brownfield projects. 

O3 Solutions powered by Forge and BIM 360 provides an automated approach that eliminates spreadsheets and manual processes. The combined solutions address the overall AWP strategy and right-sizing AWP for each project.

9. Leveraging Data Through PlanGrid Connect and Forge

The “Leveraging data through plan grid connect and forge” masterclass covers how to link PlanGrid with NextGen BIM 360 Docs by utilizing the power of data collection through BIM 360 workflows and PlanGrid field reports. The speaker demonstrates the added benefit of being able to leverage data for trend analysis via PowerBI and automatic modeling by integrating the output with Dynamo. Basic principles of PlanGrid and usability for the average user are covered alongside best practices, workarounds, shortcuts, limitations and benefits. An array of case studies are also explored, giving live project application examples and how they have integrated with external tools, such as What3Words.

 

Forge for Construction

 

Convergence

The way forward is to challenge how we do things, rethink our agility and productivity, and harness technology. As that happens, we’re seeing compressed or new processes emerge, and tighter connections between industries take shape. This phenomenon, in a word, is convergence. In this new era of convergence, workflows are coordinated and seamless, products are customized on demand, virtual creation gives us actionable insights, and continuous reshaping brings forward a never-ending cycle of improvement.

In the era of convergence, supply chains will be forever shorter and more resilient through collaboration between AEC and manufacturing companies and their suppliers. People will be able to make and build things that are more sustainable and better fit customers’ wants and needs.

Check out the class All You Ever Wanted to Know About Convergence—and Why You Should Care to learn all the possibilities that can come from stepping outside of your comfort zone and merging once-disconnected processes and industries. 

 

Construction learning

 

Looking for more resources?

While these are just some of the Construction-focused resources that premiered at AU 2020, there is a lot more to discover. Visit the Forge Industry Destination page for must-see Forge sessions, as well as exhibitors you won't want to miss. All on-demand content and classes will be available throughout the year, but the live roundtables, panels and Q&As are only available until December 20th. Make sure you check them out before then.

And if you really want to round out your AU construction experience, check out these blog posts and recommendations from the Autodesk Construction Solutions team.

Thank you for supporting Forge at Autodesk University 2020.

 

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