There’s no denying the pandemic’s sweeping impact on how we do our jobs. Remote working and digital collaboration are here to stay. But COVID-19 didn’t cause this transformation – it accelerated it. The industries supported by Autodesk tools were already headed toward a more digital, connected, and virtual future. So, what’s the fundamental force behind the shift? Rising customer demands for better. Businesses are being called on to unleash innovations that deliver new benefits, experiences, and value. And they must meet this demand while also reducing time, cost, and waste.
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.
Those who embrace this changing landscape are solving some of their most enduring business challenges. In the manufacturing space, there’s long been a disconnect between decision makers and conditions on the factory floor. Today, digital twins are bridging this gap, providing visual representation of real-time performance data that can be acted on, from anywhere. In the lifecycle of building and infrastructure projects, workflows and processes are fragmented and inefficient, but that’s changing too. Now, virtual reality and automation are connecting everyone, from architects and engineers to construction managers and their trade partners.
Among the key threads enabling convergence is the cloud. And Forge is Autodesk’s cloud platform that provides a range of APIs and services that help innovators customize solutions and create entirely new ways of making. We’ll be talking about the exciting ways our partners and customers are using Forge during the Forge Keynote at Autodesk University on November 17, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
The keynote will be led by Susanna Holt, Vice President of Forge, and Greg Fallon, Vice President of Platforms & Technology Strategy. Here’s a preview of some great examples they’ll be introducing.
BamCore custom fabricates a proprietary stud-less wall system. When their team set out to create a more sustainable way to build walls, they chose bamboo. When they wanted to eliminate error and waste in the construction industry, they chose Forge. BamCore is using Forge to open up access to the full 3D building information model (BIM), making it viewable in a browser and usable for those without advanced computer skills. From design to manufacturing to construction, the platform connects every part of a once siloed workflow and facilitates better collaboration, faster installation, clash reduction, mass customization, among many other benefits. BamCore CEO Hal Hinkle will join us during the Forge Keynote to describe in greater detail how their solution works and the problems it solves.
Holobuilder is an Autodesk construction ecosystem partner that provides a virtual tool for tracking construction progress. Using 360-degree cameras to capture jobsite conditions, Holobuilder allows stakeholders to virtually “walk” the site from anywhere. Holobuilder has chosen Forge to integrate that jobsite data with design models, allowing teams – from the field to the office – to compare real-world conditions with BIM. Stakeholders can even do measurements and generate markups remotely. Holobuilder is seeing its customers have better communication, less confusion, improved schedule compliance, and fewer errors. Tune in to hear Holobuilder Head of Product Mayra Soto explain how they’re doing it.
Toshiba Elevators will come to us from Tokyo, Japan, to share how they’re reinventing the way elevators are made. Toshiba is using Forge to bring together data from different sources – store specifications and CAD systems – to create a sales configurator. With our Design Automation APIs, they can automate the creation of 3D models in the configurator, allowing those models to be customized on-demand and with greater input from their customers. Toshiba’s Managing Director Kazuhiro Hatano will show us how their solution creates a more streamlined, personalized process throughout every stage of a project lifecycle: sales, design, manufacturing, delivery, and installation. He’ll also share how Toshiba is planning to use Forge to optimize their elevators, long after they’ve been put into operation.
In each of these examples, Forge is enabling convergence, and we hope you find these stories as inspiring as we do. You can watch the Forge Keynote to start reevaluating your business and how you can achieve breakthroughs for your toughest challenges. Sign up today for Autodesk University at no cost. If you’re interested in learning more about how to start your convergence journey, visit https://www.autodesk.com/industry/convergence/get-started.