BIM 360

Autodesk BIM 360

Autodesk is growing its cloud-services for the AEC industry and in its latest incarnation has additional collaboration capabilities for those in the infrastructure disciplines.

by Martyn Day

Autodesk is unabashedly keen to exploit the cloud. The company sees cloud-based services as a way to offer what it calls ‘infinite computing’ for processor-heavy applications to its customer base, and a mechanism to deliver additional value to subscribers.

First called Autodesk Cloud and then quickly rebranded to Autodesk BIM 360, the online service initially provided a few megabytes of cloud storage to aid file portability. This linked in with AutoCAD WS, a mobile DWG and DWF viewer that offers some basic drawing editing capabilities on phones and tablets. The cloud service then expanded to enhance collaboration through the connection of its data management software, Vault Collaboration, and its range of applications (Revit, Civil 3D, Navisworks) with the Buzzsaw online service.

To make use of the power of the cloud servers, Autodesk also included online photorealistic rendering, energy analysis for Revit users, and whole building analysis computation via Green Building Studio.

Up until this month, this is where Autodesk’s cloud capability stopped. It was a place where Autodesk’s mobile apps could look for drawings. It linked with some of Autodesk’s data management tools and provided a few niche applications for subscribers — the main benefit being that machines would not ‘hang’ doing big calculations, with the cloud taking the load. New features Autodesk has now expanded its online services for the AEC space with three new capabilities targeted at civil engineers, transportation and urban planning professionals. This includes structural analysis, clash detection and collaborative conceptual design for infrastructure. These new features will benefit users of Autodesk Building Design Suite and Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite. At its base level, BIM 360 provides a place where infrastructure-scale models can be sorted and collaboratively shared anywhere.

Clash detection capabilities come via ‘Glue’, a new data-centric management service, which simplifies multidiscipline model coordination. The software Autodesk BIM 360 ing this much more of an essential backbone to its AEC products over time, but for seems like a thinned out Autodesk BIM 360 is now now it is a case of making use version of Navisworks, available in English, and will of the services that provide the which operates via a thin be available in other languages soon. Some greatest benefit. client. Models are upload- services may be available In many cases BIM 360 ed to the cloud where they exclusively for Autodesk access will depend on what can be merged, explored and analysed for clash Infrastructure Design Suite 2013 and Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013 subscribers Autodesk applications users have (or do not have) and that detections. There is a clash is where the matrix seems to report to keep track of get very complicated indeed. problem geometry and re-analysis can be Rendering, for instance, can be done from run as soon as a new model is updated. almost any product on subscription but the

The infrastructure conceptual modelling online conceptual capability requires a copy capability is an extension of Autodesk’s desk- of Infrastructure Modeler, which is included top Infrastructure Modeler, where designs in Autodesk Building Design Suite (BDS) can be uploaded to the cloud and other users Ultimate and Autodesk Infrastructure can be invited to access, download and edit Design Suite (IDS) Premium. Other BIM 360 these models simultaneously. services such as rendering and energy

Static structural analysis provides number Analysis are subscription benefits for BDS crunching server power for Revit customers. and IDS subscription customers. Simply upload the analytical structural There are many multiples of this, with all design model and carry on working while of Autodesk’s Suites. Some capabilities are the analysis is performed. The results are also exclusive to the 2013 Suites. sent back and can be seen in Revit. It is even In addition to having the right application, possible to run parallel analysis to find the there are things called ‘cloud units’, which design that gives the best results. A report is Autodesk describes as a currency: “...a unit of generated for quick viewing and the full measure that assign a value for how much results can be downloaded into Revit. cloud capacity is needed to perform different tasks using Autodesk 360 cloud services.” Vela Systems acquisition Users will be allocated different cloud Autodesk recently announced the acquisi- units depending on which subscription they tion of Vela Systems, a provider of cloud and have: 100 CU per seat for standalone prodmobile field management software for the ucts or Standard Suites; 250 CU per seat for construction industry. Vela technology will Premium Suites; and 500 CU per seat for be quickly brought to the Autodesk BIM 360 Ultimate Suites. Twenty seats under subenvironment to enable access to BIM data, scription would get 20 x the Cloud Units. automate field processes such as quality, As an example of costs: to render a file safety and commissioning checklists and using Autodesk 360 Rendering cloud serassist in the distribution of drawings. There vice, it will take five cloud units; while runis some overlap with what Buzzsaw can do. It ning an analysis on Autodesk 360 Structural will be interesting to see how this is resolved. Analysis is three CU per run. This could be an entire annual allocation. Conclusion At present users cannot buy more cloud Right now Autodesk BIM 360 is a work in units, but will be able to in future. It will be progress that features many point solutions, interesting to see what Autodesk charges per some niche, some generic. But it is not the full unit. Until then, users can access BIM 360 as 360 holistic solution that the branding would much as they like, with the right Autodesk indicate, more ‘BIM 45 degrees’. Autodesk products and subscription. has every intention of adding to it and mak- ■ autodesk.com/bim360