Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you've ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you've experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything, but some segments of the general public are not yet aware of that.
The Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco celebrates design — the process of taking a great idea and turning it into a reality. With about 60 different exhibits regularly on display that showcase the innovative work of Autodesk customers, the gallery illustrates the role technology plays in great design and engineering. Autodesk Gallery Ambassadors conduct gallery tours as a sideline to their day jobs. The tours provide ambassadors with opportunities to practice public speaking in front of small groups by informing visitors about what our customers imagine, design, and make using our software.
Sometimes exhibits from the gallery go on the road and appear at special events, like pop-up galleries that we have hosted in Paris, London, Tokyo, and Toronto. In contrast, sometimes exhibits are created for special events and then make their way to the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco. For example, at last year's Autodesk University in Las Vegas, we debuted 19 new exhibits. Some of these may resurface in San Francisco.
The BIM, VR, and AR for Smart Buildings exhibit is one such exhibit from AU:
People
Software
A global provider of facilities management solutions, VINCI Facilities worked with Autodesk's Consulting Team to explore new methods of incorporating Building Information Modeling (BIM) data with a variety of third-party Smart Building site applications. The goal was to find a way to pull together all of a building's data and various systems into a single view, allowing operators to more easily monitor conditions and respond to problems. VINCI Facilities is part of VINCI, a world leader in concessions and construction.
VINCI Facilities was able to pull together all of a building's data and various systems — allowing operators to more easily monitor conditions and respond to problems.
Autodesk Forge is our application program interface (API) platform and supporting materials (sample code, manuals) as well as a community of developers who uses those APIs. Although Forge is intended for our customers and 3rd party developers to be able to use our web services, we use Forge for our development of the cloud-based services that we offer. Hence, customers and partners can leverage Forge in the same ways that we do.
Given this, Autodesk's Forge developer platform VINCI Facilities offered the solution, integrating 3D models, sensor data, Internet of Things systems, and asset management software into a cloud-connected, mobile model viewer.
VINCI Facilities used the Autodesk Forge platform to integrate 3D models, sensor data, Internet of Things systems, and asset management software into a cloud-connected mobile viewer coupled with an immersive AR/VR experience.
VINCI Facilities worked with the virtual reality (VR) specialists at DAQRI to develop VR and augmented reality (AR) versions of the application, resulting in the immersive model of BIM and facilities data. DAQRI is a leader in Professional Grade AR, empowering workforces to be more effective and bring AR to scale. Using this system, facility management operators are given a holistic view of a building's internal systems, accessible on-site or remotely. It's a future technology that can be applied to both existing and newly constructed buildings, leading to greater operational efficiency, easier maintenance, and smarter buildings.
Thanks to the Autodesk Gallery team for the descriptive text for this blog post.
Autodesk has always been an automation company, and today more than ever that means helping people make more things, better things, with less; more and better in terms of increasing efficiency, performance, quality, and innovation; less in terms of time, resources, and negative impacts (e.g., social, environmental). The construction and manufacturing industries are converging. Customers who make buildings are adopting processes traditionally employed by customers who make things. Practices like mass production and quality control are being applied at construction sites. This approach helps builders do more and better with less. BIM aggregates all of the project data into a common source of truth, and AR allows all stakeholders to view that data before it becomes physical. Early and accurate visualization help VINCI do more and better with less.
This is a moment that matters. The inevitability of more demand and the reality of less means an opportunity for something better. With advances in design and automation, lessons learned through adjacent industries and peers, and integrations across the technology spectrum, we can design and make a better world. Together, we can make anything.
The Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is a guided tour on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm and a self-guided audio tour available anytime. Admission is free. Visit us.
Augmented Reality is alive in the lab.