A big inefficiency in MEP design lies in communicating data between disparate design software. What if all of these applications could communicate seamlessly with a single data model? This class will showcase a solution in which disparate applications communicate via a common schema (GraphQL) and a cloud database (Neo4j). Introducing the design-as-a-service concept, we’ll consider the huge potential unlocked by moving the primary data model from Revit software to a connected cloud service. We’ll see how a common data model can store data beyond that which can be stored in the Revit model, and explore how you can easily integrate your own apps and services. Examples will include integrating an electrical calc service, and how the cloud data functions as a digital twin, where live sensor data is visualized within the Forge Viewer. Finally, we’ll consider how we can work together to further define and improve the data schema as something we can all own as innovators in MEP design.

This class is all about how to get your Inventor data into 3ds Max software. Come and learn how to render high-quality images for marketing and sales activities.

Mechanical and architectural design relies on visualization technologies to showcase designers’ ideas. Increasingly, that relies on generating highly realistic materials. This class will examine how to incorporate the use of OSL shaders along with the physical material in 3ds Max 2020 software to render photorealistic images and animations. Learn where to find and download OSL shaders that can be used in a visualization, and how to customize your own OSL shaders. Use multiple shaders to create a unique material for your models. Get ahead of the competition by learning to create visually compelling, photorealistic renderings using OSL shaders and compositional rules in a streamlined workflow.

Fiat is one of the top car manufacturers in the world and is using the power of simulation extensively in their product development. In this class, we will show how simulation technology can be used to validate design and quantify defects that can show up during manufacturing and final assembly. We will visualize production defects in plastic parts using Autodesk® Moldflow® and Autodesk Showcase®.

BIM (Building Information Modeling) and digital solutions together make a great opportunity for performance improvement and value creation. It’s all about increasing human capital value by managing the performance and agility of the building and facilities to the indicators that are important for the customer’s business. Let’s take the Incity Tower in Lyon, France's third-tallest skyscraper. In this class, we will showcase the comprehensive web digital solution, building lifetime manager, implemented together with the landlord. You’ll see how the solution, integrating asset and real-time data (3D mockup, building management system, IoT, IWM), is built on linked data technology using Forge software. We’ll present the platform’s architecture, the visualization, and the data integration features. You’ll then get insight into the customer’s journey, taking into account the customer’s needs. Benefits include the ability to use BIM in operations to remotely analyze technical equipment, visualize key performance indicators, and create new standards in workplace management.

As technology continues to advance for architecture and engineering, a major practice component of quality assurance and quality control continues to be done by hand: markups. This process is as old as drawings are, and it is now locked in the ability of individuals who are not very adept in computer use of any kind. These are the most experienced individuals from whom we have everything to learn. Empowering the experienced practitioners has become a paramount topic within my firm, and we're using A360 cloud-based collaboration service coupled with a short projection throw monitor on a drafting table to enable them to markup drawings digitally. This session features A360 and Collaboration for Revit. AIA Approved

The class presents an overview of storytelling, which is the human side of communication. Thought-provoking case studies of master storytellers are presented to stimulate the principle that design matters. Storytelling guidelines are discussed to formulate the combination of best practices, CAD/visualization tools, empathy for the client's perspective, and passionate delivery of design intent. A special emphasis is placed on storytelling in the physical world where the words are actually the visualization of architecture and landscape elements. Workflow case studies that use mixed media Autodesk® software such as Showcase®, Revit®-based software, AutoCAD®, and 3ds Max® Design are presented as real-life examples of storytelling's integration with technology.

Let's take a look at how architectural visualization meets VFX with 3ds Max, MotionBuilder and Shotgun. We used Shotgun to help our team collaborate during the crazy-short production timelines, with 3ds Max and Motion Builder to integrate more storytelling and bring our stories to life via motion capture. …Or simply put, rendering 5760 8K frames of NYC city. Yes, the entire city! At Neoscape we have been creating future landscapes for over 24 years, every time striving for higher quality and higher standards. Software comes and goes, it evolves. However, we have always relied on 3ds Max as our workhorse. Every year we think we have achieved the impossible, yet every year we are asked for more and more. In this presentation we will share some of Neoscape’s latest endeavors to date, including those that were technically challenging as well as creative.

This class will help to demystify mental ray rendering and present it in a simple way. The class will review seven different design workflows that users will face when rendering with mental ray. It is targeted at Autodesk 3ds Max Design software users who have a good understanding of the 3ds Max Design interface and basic understanding of rendering and photorealistic rendering workflows. This is a rerun class from last year's AU.

This class will look at how we can apply animation techniques to 3D printing—from laying out geometry to hiding support structures to creating interesting new models. Animation can be a great design tool. This session features Print Studio, 3ds Max, and Maya. AIA Approved

Team ‘Zero’ will present an overview of how they have made use of the range of Autodesk products to generate CAD models, produce assemblies, analyze aerodynamic aspects and produce photorealistic renders. The easy user interface and the ability to move files from one environment to another in Autodesk has been a significant aspect in choosing this software over other forms. This coupled with Autodesk’s policy of free software for students has made it an easy choice.

Animations typically have a polished and time-intensive connotation. However, increases in computing power and program interoperability have begun to bend this notion. This class will focus on the benefits of quick animations—animations that help designers form, shape, understand, and present a design. We will explore the methods that are required to take Autodesk® Revit® software models and move them into Autodesk® 3ds Max® software in ways that allow designers to make active design decisions. We will show quick, functional animation workflows, covering a variety of topics, including solar glare, form, constructability, programming, scheduling, and more through animation. This class hopes to show that designers can effectively study and explain their designs through fast-production animations. We will show start-to-finish methods through case studies.

Connected structural workflows are no longer science fiction but a stark reality that is delivering newfound accuracy and performance. In this class, we will show what a connected structural Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflow in Revit software looks like, which will include exploring augmented reality on site. You will see firsthand how intelligent BIM data in a connected workflow can enable common structural elements (such as footings, columns, and beams) to be quickly designed to local codes, and automatically modeled, detailed, and scheduled all within Revit software. We will explore the essential steps that enable you to utilize default or your own custom structural Revit families to automate the creation of designed 3D reinforcement cages in Revit software, while using standard Revit families to configure automated drawings, views, bar schedules, and comprehensive design reports. You will take a virtual trip to site to visualize the reinforcement of your Revit project model using your mobile device without leaving your seat in the class. This session features Revit, Revit Structure, and Robot Structural Analysis. AIA Approved

Join Russell Paul, award-winning visual effects artist, as he shares some of his experiences with design, visual effects (VFX), and visual communications. During this class, you learn about techniques to lay down ideas and create stunning visuals. Learn about visual communication techniques and how the the process of design has been impacted by modern technology.

Back by popular demand! Learn how to maximize productivity between designing in Revit software and rendering in 3ds Max software with NVIDIA’s Iray rendering engine. Discover all the settings and tricks you can use to properly set up a Revit model to make the transition into 3ds Max software as effective as possible. Once in 3ds Max software, all the work done in Revit software will transfer over, enabling more time for rendering and less time spent worrying about the design. The simplicity, accuracy, and speed of Iray will help the user create believable-looking renderings in the same way that a photographer would photograph a physical space. In the end, users will gain the knowledge of how to set up a seamless pipeline between Revit software and 3ds Max software in order to help streamline the rendering process across any scale of a project. This session features 3ds Max and Revit Architecture. AIA Approved

This class will touch on various topics around materials and finishes that are defined for high-quality visualizations and renderings. You will learn tips and techniques to define materials in Autodesk® 3ds Max® softwareby using accurate acquisition techniques while dealing with color calibration issues. Also, we will demonstrate the use of procedural textures to introduce subtle, but important variations that bring images to life. Learn how to make wood look like wood, paint look like paint, and so on. No more cartoon looks!

There is a rapidly emerging market for net-zero and positive energy design and construction in the home building industry. Learn how to use Revit software and Insight 360 software along with external research sources to create trustworthy energy and solar simulations or net-zero design. Including real-world case studies and software demonstrations, this class will teach you how to utilize your simulation results in conjunction with cost-benefit analysis in determining the most economical path to zero energy, balancing energy-reduction measures with energy production. You will learn architectural methods of integrating photovoltaic (PV) panels into home design, as well as successful methods of marketing and financing net-zero and positive energy homes. You will see demonstrations and examples of Revit software techniques for design and visualization of integrated solar. This class will empower you with the knowledge and confidence to design, build, and sell net-zero and positive energy homes to an emerging market. This session features Revit, Collaboration for Revit, and Revit Architecture. AIA Approved

In the construction industry, we've found that iPads have become extremely useful. However, most of the time we give an iPad to a new user and decide they know how with very little training. In this class, we are going to discuss using a tablet such as an iPad to do the work of BIM 360 Field software and BIM 360 Glue software. First, we are going to familiarize ourselves with the programs. Then, we are going to use some of the hidden tools available with BIM 360 Field and BIM 360 Glue. For instance, we may want to put pushpins in our documentation and have those sync up between users. We would also like to explore getting viewports to sync up in both BIM 360 Field and BIM 360 Glue. Lastly, we will learn how to take pictures in dark rooms using the flashlight on the iPad. At the end of class, you'll be a more proficient user of BIM 360 Field and BIM 360 Glue.

As an experienced educator who has trained many people live and online, I find the rendering world is full of technical information. The technical layer has been covered extensively and many learning options are available, but what’s missing is the building and educating of the abstraction layer. This knowledge is fundamental, but many times we think it’s only applicable to talented people. As visualization artists, we should know much more about photography—specifically, composition, lighting, and color theory. A better understanding of this fundamental abstraction layer will facilitate a better understanding of the technical side of visualization. There’s a great deal to learn about lighting before realizing the promise of a compelling photograph—recreating the illusion of the tridimensionality. After all, even if it sounds absurd, the final render is many things, but it is not 3D.

Today, there are more than 16 billion active wireless-connected devices, and that number will more than double and exceed 40 billion by 2020, according to ABI Research. With more and more smart things surrounding us in smart homes, offices, streets, and cities, can our 2D and 3D design also become smarter and connected? Can our design data become a smart living thing that connects to the physical world, monitors and interacts with the surrounding environment, and helps deliver performance visibility toward predictive maintenance and reduced downtime? The answer is yes! In this class we will explore new ways of building “smart connected” design and demonstrate how you can connect your design with physical microcontrollers and communicate with sensors in real time. We will also show you how to turn your design into an interaction-on-demand system that enables anyone to interact with any device at any time, all with the power of Autodesk 360 web service and Internet of Things (IoT).