About Autodesk Platform Services (APS)

Autodesk Platform Services (APS) or formerly Forge, is a connected developer ecosystem comprised of web services, technical resources, and an engaged community, and the Autodesk App Store. APS operates in a common data environment and leverages Autodesk industry expertise, technology, and global network, enabling companies to get started quickly and focus on developing customized and scalable solutions to solve design, engineering, and manufacturing challenges. 

  • Accelerate your existing online workflows or create new solutions
  • Helps streamline the complexities of manufacturing, engineering, and construction industries by connecting players, components, and processes
  • Centralize your data and connect it to all points of the industry supply chain, empowering you to transform the manufacturing process
  • Create digital experiences that access any kind of design and engineering data—virtually anywhere, any time
  • Scale as your customers’ needs change or as you innovate
  • Improve existing software or build new, custom solutions using industry-standard web technologies

Check out our customer stories to see how our customers use Autodesk Platform Services to make the future.

Autodesk Platform Services helps companies in the engineering, construction, and manufacturing industries. APS APIs and services help them address challenges by enabling the development of customized, scalable solutions that meet the digital needs of tomorrow. Building a new application or upgrading an existing product? Autodesk Platform Services can help by offering APIs (application programming interface) and services that leverage design data to create opportunities for innovation and collaboration.

Autodesk Platform Services offers developer tools and resources from the only leader with over 35 years of industry expertise in 3D design, engineering, construction, and entertainment software that offers SaaS (Software as a Service) for BIM (Building Information Modeling), manufacturing, CAD (Computer Aided Design), PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), and more. In addition, it runs on the same foundational cloud services and IT infrastructure that powers Autodesk's products and solutions.

  • AEC Data Model APIs

  • Authentication API 

  • Autodesk Construction Cloud APIs

  • Autodesk Forma API

  • BIM 360 APIs

  • Data Exchange APIs and connectors 

  • Data Management API 

  • Data Visualization SDK 

  • Design Automation APIs 

  • Manufacturing Data Model APIs 

  • Model Derivative API 

  • Parameters API

  • Premium Reporting API 

  • Reality Capture API

  • Tandem Data API

  • Token Flex API 

  • Viewer SDK 

  • Webhooks 

  • More being added every year! 

For more information, visit our documentation page.

New APIs and additional software components will be released on an ongoing basis. Sign up to the newsletter to get the latest updates.

No.

Pricing

The costs will depend on how you plan to use the Forge APIs and services. To use Autodesk Platform Services all you need to do is have a positive balance of Flex tokens or Cloud Credits. Then you can enjoy unlimited use of free APIs at no charge. If you call premium APIs, you will incur a charge based on the number of processing hours, jobs, or photos processed. See pricing page for exact API pricing details. The price will vary dependent on the number of premium API calls you make.

Autodesk Platform Services is a pay as you use it model. So, you start with a free trial. Then at the end of your free trial your account will be rolled into Full Access. That means you will have access to all free and premium APIs available. If you plan to call premium APIs then you must maintain a positive balance of Flex tokens or Cloud Credits to retain access to all APIs and services. If your balance becomes negative, you may risk suspension. You can purchase Flex tokens or Cloud Credits in packs of 100 starting at $300 USD.  

Flex tokens and Cloud Credits are the unit of measurement required to perform certain tasks, such as translating a file in a cloud environment using Autodesk cloud services. They are like virtual currencies.

Additional Flex tokens or Cloud Credits can be purchased based on estimated consumption. For more information, visit our pricing page or contact us at aps.sales@autodesk.com to discuss ongoing consumption needs.

Visit the pricing page and select your country to learn which currency is right for you and how to purchase.

There are a variety of ways to integrate the Autodesk Platform Services business model into your own application, including passing the costs incurred through consumption usage onto your customers.

Yes. Contact us at aps.sales@autodesk.com to learn more.

All Flex tokens and Cloud Credits expire within 12 months of purchase.

Usage & Availability

When you run out of Flex tokens or Cloud Credits, your account will enter a 14-day grace period. During that time, you can purchase more Flex tokens or Cloud Credits. If your account remains negative beyond the grace period, you may risk suspension. We will not turn off access to APIs without notifying you. We do reserve the right to limit excessive usage and will communicate with you before API usage is affected.   

Autodesk Platform Services contains a set of RESTful APIs. As such, you can use the development languages and tools of your choice. In addition, the Forge Viewer is a client-side JavaScript component and so it exposes a JavaScript API.

The Autodesk Platform Services trial and Full Access accounts are available worldwide. General availability of APIs may vary by region. Please see API's documentation for more details.

Training & Support

We maintain a range of online resources to help you get up and running on Autodesk Platform Services, including sample code on GitHub, developer blogvideos, and tutorials in each respective API documentation pages. If you can't find what you need there, then you can pose your questions to our community on StackOverflow.

Yes. We recommend you first review resources available on the Autodesk Platform Services developer portal for more information about how you can best use our APIs for your business needs. If you still have questions, then consider joining the Autodesk Developer Network for premium support and guidance.

The API documentation on the Autodesk Platform Services website includes tutorials for all our APIs. We also have guided tutorials available at the Get Started link in the main nav. There are also lightning talks which are short videos you can review as well as our YouTube channel. Then lastly there are often events both online and in-person happening. To learn more check out our events page.

The Autodesk Platform Services (APS) team runs regular accelerators virtually and at Autodesk offices around the world. These typically last one week (Monday to Friday). During the Accelerator, participants will work intensively on a chosen project with the help of our team of Autodesk Platform Services experts. Upcoming Accelerator dates and venues are posted on the Accelerator Page and on the APS Community Blog.

Security

  1. We build security into our products by following secure development practices throughout the product lifecycle. By doing so, Autodesk creates products that are more resilient to threats and makes it harder for attackers to develop exploits, which helps us protect our customers and their assets.
  2. Autodesk uses active monitoring and threat intelligence to help detect and contain threats to Autodesk’s cloud.
  3. We respond effectively to reduce customer risk. No matter how stringent we have been in building defenses, attackers may still find a way to compromise them. We work proactively to prioritize and address security weaknesses so we can quickly neutralize the threat. Additionally, communicating transparently with our customers so that they can take steps to protect themselves is a critical part of product security.
  4. We comply with industry regulations and standards. We use third-party attestations to make sure we are focusing on the right elements and activities to secure our environments. Our philosophy is that compliance should be a by-product of good security.

For more information about our security practices, visit the Autodesk Trust Center. If you want to learn more about developing a secure application, check out our RSA conference presentation.

Integration With Other Autodesk Offerings

In order to access Autodesk Platform Services APIs you must sign up for an Autodesk Platform Services account. With your account you can enjoy unlimited access to free APIs and will incur charges for premium API usage. See pricing for details.

If you call the Model Derivative API directly, you will be charged regardless of where the file comes from. However, if you translate the file through BIM 360 Docs, you will not be charged and can access that translation through the Data Management API.

Channel Partnerships

Yes! If you need support developing your APS application, you can leverage the systems integrator program. Feel free to reach out to any of our tried and tested Certified Partners who have been through formal Autodesk Platform Services vetting and have a track record of success in building similar solutions for other end users.  

Ways To Get In Touch

Still have questions? Let us know!

 

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