Generative design is one of the most incredible design and engineering tools available on the market. It allows us to maximize artificial intelligence to help us design structures that are optimized for multiple material options, manufacturing methods, and load requirements. Thankfully, there are plenty of learning resources to help us get started. However, it's hard to find advanced content that shows us how to get from being a beginner all the way to expert status—that shows us how to generate the BEST results we can using the tools available. In this session, a generative design expert will show you the most-effective techniques to achieve the highest-quality results. If you're interested in taking your generative design skills to the next level and beyond, this class is for you!

This class is all about actually getting the (promised) benefits of building information modeling (BIM) by connecting and integrating MEP engineering and Revit BIM data and workflows. We'll build on our 2022 session, and provide more insights into the actual benefits our colleagues have experienced and how we take on this challenge, as well give the specific technical details that make these integrations work. We'll share the lessons we've learned about how to take on the challenge of developing connected workflows, who you should include in the process, and how you can make it work. We'll cover the whole spectrum, from idea to testing to global rollout, also highlighting the benefits that our colleagues have shared with us. We'll also focus on the technical side of the implementation, to make sure you get some useful tips when creating the tools to facilitate connected workflows. You'll gain an understanding of how this connected and integrated way of working can positively benefit your business outcome.

The steady ascent of powerful building information modeling (BIM) environments has made 3D modeling the unrivaled industry standard for building design professionals. But how do you critically evaluate whether your structural engineering team is keeping pace with industry standards? In today's rapidly evolving landscape, BIM usage for structural engineering production intersects with analysis and design, interdisciplinary coordination, documentation, construction administration, and beyond. Awareness of both current mainstream practices and emergent technologies is critically important for structural teams to remain competitive and vibrant. This class will take you inside the daily BIM workflows of an industry-leading structural engineering firm. In this session, we'll cover practical use of Revit software for structural projects, we'll explore use of innovative structural design tools that integrate with the Autodesk BIM ecosystem, and we'll examine actual case studies of successful projects using these approaches.

Data Exchange is a powerful neutral format you can use to store a subset of your design models in the cloud. Teams can easily use Data Exchange to share design data between Revit software, Rhino, Inventor software, Civil 3D software, and other authoring software through Autodesk Docs using connectors. This class will explore the capabilities of Dynamo and Grasshopper connectors to build interoperable workflows between applications and systems to share and receive graphical and metadata. You'll learn the step-by-step process of setting up connectors in Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit, and Rhino. Using the connectors, users will be able to easily create, update, and manage data exchanges between authoring software to share the model geometry and property data. You can use Dynamo and Grasshopper Connector nodes to retrieve available data exchanges, receive and send data exchanges, and convert them to geometries and parameters via the DxData object.

The design process has undergone significant changes in the last decade. Building information modeling (BIM) has revolutionized the way professionals design, plan, and manage projects. However, despite the numerous advantages of BIM, there is still untapped potential in the data generated throughout the design process. Analyzing data from Revit software and other sources can help designers make informed decisions about a design, ensuring that it meets the project's goals and objectives. Moreover, data empowers designers to explore more design options, and AI-assisted generative design tools can analyze data and provide optimized solutions. The data is stored in a centralized cloud database that's easily accessible, enabling the designers to quickly access and analyze it, making the design process more efficient. In this class, we'll identify four key phases to successfully capturing design data on projects: connection/integration, data syncing, visualization, and monitoring.

The dynamic between technology and design has shifted and will continue to shift, but this evolving relationship is not always seamless. We can tackle challenges of adoption, integration, and collaboration through open dialog that enables change and works with the transformative qualities of technology. Drawing on experience from Grimshaw, as well as wider industry conversations, Andy Watts will provide thoughts and insight on how industry participants need to work together to embrace technology.

The current pressing issue of sustainability in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is changing the way buildings are designed and made. The basis of a sustainable project is the design and engineering principles that are used to achieve specific sustainable-development goals. But it's not always clear how we can meet sustainability goals with the use of specific technology. In this class, we'll focus on a piece of the technology landscape that Autodesk offers in the AEC industry, called Generative Design. We'll show some practical sustainable-design use cases that are solved with Generative Design in Revit software, going from architectural concept through building engineering to fabrication optimization. At the end of this session, you'll have some fresh inspiration on how to solve your own sustainable-design challenges with the use of automation and generative design methods.

Generative Design in Revit software was released last year for the first time in Revit 2021. This new suite of emerging tools enables generative design workflows that automate the creation and analysis of design options directly in the Revit context. This session will showcase the value that generative design brings to the design process, and demonstrate how analyzing more data-backed design options can lead to an enhanced design process. We will show how customers are using the tools to automate design exploration in their projects to optimize sustainability and efficiency and reduce construction waste. We’ll cover the product principles we use to prioritize new work and future directions. Finally, we’ll address the future of the product, where we intend to invest, and the road map for achieving our vision.

We developed A-SPEC, a computational design tool that aims to be a partner for architectural designers, based on the concept of "thinking together about RESTROOMS.” For any specified space, the cloud-based A-SPEC program will run multiple simulations and propose some better restroom-layout plans from tens of thousands of ideas. The design know-how that we’ve proposed in the past is utilized throughout the program to evaluate both the automatic calculations and the layout of the automatic design results derived from those calculations. The design results are converted into a 3D model using Forge Viewer, with veracity confirmable by the human eye. Finally, the results can be linked to Revit software and AutoCAD software via the Design Automation API. In addition to reducing design work time, this tool enables generalization and uniformity of design accuracy without relying on the individual know-how of designers.

Exhibition design of any sort has a unique set of needs based on event diversity, and equine and livestock venues are no different. The frequent transition of layouts demands a wide variety of designs. The Populous Equine and Expo team recently implemented Dynamo and Generative Design in Revit software to provide optimized outcomes driven by underlying data and customer requirements for future growth. Through this effort, Populous was able to produce detailed higher-quality layouts at 95% efficiency. This panel discussion will review the outcome of this exercise, focusing on time savings during stall and pen layouts at the conceptual phase, and providing a look into planned developments around automation and resulting BIM (Building Information Modeling) content. We will highlight the value of building your own tools and maximizing automation workflows, and discuss our plans for the next steps in expanding the applicability to other market sectors.

The assessment of Generative Design in Fusion 360 software is based on the capability assessment model related to the key capability areas of generative design for general applicability and their associated criteria outlined in the intrinSIM Market Report entitled “A Vision for Generative Design,” which explores the potential of a shift enabled by generative design and what is required to enable that design shift. intrinSIM has developed a process with a quantified assessment for each key capability area in the capability assessment model and criteria outlined in “A Vision for Generative Design.” The same capability assessment model can be used for determining requirements for specific generative design applications, and the suitability of generative design workflows for specific applications.

Teaching Tectonism to AI"" is an exploration that focusses on the convergence of AI and tectonism. Tectonism, as a leading subsidiary style of parametricism, poses a unique challenge for current text-to-image AI tools due to their limited comprehension of structural dependencies in architectural representations. The presentation will showcase the potential of merging structural topology generation tools with Generative Artificial Intelligence across various architectural typologies and how this is integrated into early stage ideations at Zaha Hadid Architects.

This presentation will dive into a groundbreaking case study of BRK Ambiental, Brazil's second-largest water utility, which implemented advanced automation techniques in the design of water and wastewater treatment facilities. We will explore how the use of generative design software not only streamlined the utility's infrastructure design processes, but also significantly reduced project timelines and costs, while enhancing compliance with stringent environmental regulations. Attendees will learn about the specific challenges BRK Ambiental faced, including the need for rapid design of wastewater infrastructure to meet increasing demand and compliance pressures. The session will highlight how automated design tools facilitated innovative solutions and accelerated project delivery, setting a new standard for efficiency in the water utility sector.

This class will cover how the Autodesk AEC Collection for Infrastructure can be used for detailed bridge design using InfraWorks, Inventor, and Revit. Leverage Inventor assembly of structural elements into subcomponents for design detailing in Revit, components tagging for cost estimation and carbon calculator for sustainability purposes. We will apply InfraWorks advanced features on an actual project that results in Rapid Engineering Modeling (REM) for bridges.

Revit 2023 software has completely overhauled the analytical modeling workflow. Now the physical and analytical models have the freedom to act independently. The analytical model elements must be created separately from the physical structure; however, you can still "link" them together. This ultimately gives better control over the analytical model and what it is allowed to represent. These changes are drastic, but don't worry. We're here to help explain how it all works, and have you give it a try in this hands-on lab. You don't need to be a structural engineer or a Revit structural modeler, because we'll show you how you could use the Revit analytical elements to help in the creation of physical walls, physical beams, and many other fun creations. In this lab, we'll also show you how to create your own workflows using Dynamo to customize the automation of the creation of the analytical elements.

In this session, we’ll discuss how design for additive manufacture (DFAM) can influence the performance of additively manufactured parts. This session will focus primarily on laser powder-bed fusion, but concepts can be transferable to other additive techniques. We’ll explore lattices, hollow geometries, and thin walls as common features in lightweight designs, including the challenges that these can pose in design, post processing, and actual performance. Autodesk Research is currently undertaking research to characterize how as-built features perform (mechanically) compared to idealized conditions—generic bulk-material values found in literature. This will enable better representation of these features at the design stage to facilitate more accurate simulation and optimization. Attendees will leave more familiar with DFAM, considerations during the design process, and the impacts these have on overall part performance.

The presentation will open with veteran cycle designer Mike Burrows, who will introduce the design strategy behind his initial frame design for the vehicle. He will describe the proof-of-principle model created to road test rolling resistance, wheel size and tyre selection. From that data, he designed and fabricated a carbon frame through a craft, analogue process, building on his considerable experience but without the use of any digital design aids. The courses were modelled mathematically in respect to the drag induced by the terrain. By the end of 2017 an initial prototype vehicle was ready for track testing and evaluation. This prototype will be used for UK speed and hour records in early 2018. Following Mike's introduction, Glen Thompson of London South Bank University will describe the aerodynamic considerations. Concurrently to the frame design, he was developing the external faring for the vehicle around datum points from Mike?s design. Approximately 30 iterations of form were generated over a period of 2 years, slowed by the requirement to solve models locally. The drag coefficients of early designs were benchmarked against models of the existing world record holder, Varna, and subsequently refined to absolute values with a goal to minimise the size of the transition zone to reduce drag. The second half of the presentation will be made by Barney Townsend of London South Bank University, and will focus on Autodesk's contribution to the project: the use of generative design and cloud computing to develop the next generation HPV design for the world speed record. Autodesk CFD will be used to validate existing results, and employ cloud computing to massively accelerate design improvements on the faring. This second-generation, hopefully world-record-breaking, vehicle will be manufactured in June with help from the Autodesk Advanced Manufacturing facility. At time of writing this abstract, the existing frame has been 3d scanned and imported to Fusion ready for subsequent rebuilding of the model for use with Generative Design. The presentation will conclude with the latest road test results and designs, and future plans for the record attempt at Battle Mountain, Nevada in September 2018. It will also summarise plans for a future spinout of the project as an HPV design project for STEM education in schools.

To meet global demand for affordable and sustainable housing, the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry must streamline the design-to-construction process. Modular builders—like Factory_OS—are doing just that by productizing their building systems to generate customizable buildings from a catalog of construction-ready unit types. With Factory_OS, Autodesk Research has developed new design methods that connect their building unit catalog with AI-powered generative design to create multiple design options. This case study demonstrates how new procedural design systems enabled rapid, no-code design exploration while balancing trade-offs between cost, carbon, and habitability. The study also showcases how the prototype made it onto Autodesk Forma using the developer extension model to deliver customized novel design functionality and metrics. Going beyond existing capabilities, Autodesk Research and Autodesk Forma enabled Factory_OS to rapidly and intuitively evaluate new development projects in a data-informed manner.

Human bone is a unique material that grows based on the mechanical loading applied to it. This can cause problems for astronauts, as the loading through their bones is reduced and conditions such as osteoporosis can set in. Surgical implants, which are often used to stabilize bone fragments following a fracture, can inadvertently create similar problems, by reducing the force transferred through the bone itself. This can permanently reduce bone mass and increase the risk of future fracture. This class will discuss the ongoing research into this problem, and will demonstrate how researchers are using generative design in Fusion 360 software to explore new designs for these implants that better aid the natural bone-recovery process.

Challenging the deconstruction and decontamination of a former industrial site: the refinery of Dunkerque in France. From a huge data sets of 30 000 old plans and a dynamic scan of a 90Ha area, the low LOD Revit models were made manually but also automatically using IA with image recognition. The representations of the contamination and lithology is modelled with voxels and informed using interpolation scripts with Dynamo directly from georeferenced boreholes stored in excel datasheets. The aim of this BIM model is to create scenariis of depollution depending of what is located underground : pipes, concrete and pollutants.