The best leaders may not be great managers. The best managers may not have the skills to lead. We will look at the skills of each position and see how you can blend them together to make you the most effective at both. You can improve your effectiveness by knowing what skill to apply to each situation. We will show you how to identify the situations where leadership is the most effective approach and the situations where management skills need to be applied. Making the wrong call about which hat you need to wear can get you into hot water. Come away with the tools you need to be more nimble and productive.

This 60-minute round-table session will discuss methodologies for standardizing multidiscipline style collections, which are the associated libraries and methodologies available to monitor and enforce project-wide adherence to those standards. This discussion will bring into focus the challenges that arise when working with not only multiple firms but also for inner company departments tasked with developing cohesive plan sets that are both 'intelligent' and congruent throughout. Topics open for discussion will include the use of software to check standards; custom programming to effectively check that system configurations match inside each company; and preconfigured add-on packages provided to each consultant with standards embedded into the templates. We will also discuss the questions of which consultant should lead the standard/style development and whether there should be a project-based standard and what it is that should drive those standards. Further topics will include agency requirements, project document consistency, and content management systems for the project.

Adoption is growing for AutoCAD Utility Design software. Yet many small and mid-size utilities—as well as engineering organizations that provide services to utilities—view deployment as a daunting challenge. This session will break down the core requirements for an AutoCAD Utility Design implementation and walk through a practical process to identify the requirements, plan a phased implementation, develop a test plan, and document use cases and job aids so designers can make practical use of the software.

How often have you gone to a training class, returned to the office, and forgot what you've learned? This class covers reasons for training (or not training) your employees and what managers can do to make sure their people are in the right classes at the right times. We will also look into the ways individuals learn when they attend a training class and how they can retain that knowledge. Finally, it covers ways in which managers can help their employees to retain class knowledge.

Enterprise data requirements are not new to us, but the solutions and solutions opportunities are. How do we manage datasets across organizations and an entire enterprise? How do we manage compliance, backup and disaster recovery? How do we choose technologies that potentially solve these problems and how do we bring standardization to this rapidly evolving space? What do enterprise security concerns or requirements look like, not just in terms of localized file/record access, but from an enterprise perspective with issues like Corporate Intellectual Property, Government IP restrictions, departmental restrictions and how do we manage compliance? The EDM landscape is rapidly evolving, especially with the flexibility offered by the cloud. In this roundtable, we will consider current challenges in the light of new (or yet to exist) technologies. This class promises to be highly collaborative and challenging, so bring your ideas and voice because we definitely need to meet.

The United Kingdom Highways Agency (US DOT equivalent) has recently standardized all design work for Major Roads Civil Engineering projects to be completed in Autodesk Civil 3D® Software. This provides a powerful platform for designers and architects to produce complex and detailed design information such as alignments, surfaces, linework, but also raises a question of how the data gets to the project in a seamless and often instant on-demand work flow? How do contractors, engineering surveyors and machines to have access to the design data in a format that they can use instantaneously without out the need for file conversion on the project site. In partnership with Autodesk, Topcon has provided such a solution working inside Civil 3D with a plug and play ribbon that allows all design files required for the project site to be created inside Civil 3D and sent seamlessly to the machine or contractor either through the cloud or using conventional data transfer methods.

Come to this informative session to learn from HoneyPoint3D (HP3D) how to foster and nurture embracing 3D printing and 3D design for the "non-technical" people in your lives or in your workplace. HP3D has launched Kickstarters around 3D design, taught over 5000 people 3D printing, and has been selected by Maker Media to write the book, Getting Started with 3D Printing. This session will give you techniques and insights on how to start or enhance 3D design-related activities in your workplace and your personal life. HP3D will teach you quick and effective 3D techniques (using free Autodesk, Inc., software) that are the "low-hanging fruit" to position yourself as a creative 3D expert in your sphere of personal or workplace influence. HP3D will also share our insights into corporate engagements to help attendees figure out how to bring more 3D design into their businesses without jeopardizing the chances of 3D acceptance taking hold.

Autodesk, Inc., and AutomationForce Inc. partnered to develop Substation Design Suite software for Inventor software. Substation Design Suite software is a big part of the future of substation design. The functionality of the Substation Design Suite tools provides the ability to configure for your situation while meeting industry-wide standards. This class will give examples of using cloud-based content to do job takeoffs or estimates, configuring the Substation Design Suite template file and Content Editor, and placing station layouts and design checks.

The rapid pace of technological developments and the emergence of disruptive technologies such as cloud and mobile computing mean that the opportunities in capitalizing on such advancements have never been greater. However, successfully implementing technology in your business is not just about purchasing software and getting some training. The biggest benefits come to those who step back and reevaluate how they do business, as well as take a strategic approach to changing management. This class will look at the art of business process re-engineering and change management.

The manufacturing landscape has changed drastically in the last 35 years, with many large firms in any given region being replaced by small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). Many of these newer companies lack the capital or resources to investigate new technologies that could improve their business models or be used to develop new products or increase their market shares. The role colleges and institutes play in the manufacturing landscape is an important part in preparing work-ready graduates, up-skilling the existing workforce, and fostering entrepreneurial mindset and innovation-particularly through applied research and advanced manufacturing technologies such as 3D design, additive manufacturing, and reality capture. Practical project examples from companies like Airbus Helicopter and THK will give attendees a better understanding of the applied research and innovation ecosystem, and of the value that academic partnerships can bring to SMEs in reducing the risk of technology adoption.

CAD standards matter. We are aware of this, yet so few of us have taken the time to develop, document, and deploy the CAD standards we need. We have the best intentions; we say we will "get to it when things slow down." But it just doesn't happen. The reason is simple: developing CAD standards is hard work. Never fear—we are going to outline the entire process of installing CAD standards in your company. This class will show you the way, including knowing when it is right for you to create standards, identifying which standards are needed, and deploying your new CAD standards. Learn tried-and-true steps that everyone can put to use, regardless of how busy they are. Get supportive milestone information and a checklist to help you go home and document your own effective practices. This is the class you've been waiting for. Don't let another day go by without you and your staff having excellent CAD standards at your fingertips.

This class will examine the challenges and the most efficient practices to effectively implement a comprehensive Data Management Solution for capital projects. We will explore the various components of data management and the different roles in these projects. Covering both Vault software and Microsoft SharePoint software, we will reveal how to most effectively utilize both tools. We will touch upon document control, master document register management, transmittals, model management, deliverables, progress tracking, and much more.

Many AutoCAD software add-ins are limited in their reach to the computer on which they were installed. When a need arises to reach out and tap enterprise resources such as Microsoft SQL Server data, a few strategic lines of code is all that’s needed to pull that data in from SQL Server or push data out to SQL Server. Learning those few lines of code is a good start, but we can do so much more if we take more than 10 minutes. So we’ll use every minute of this class to do so much more. Stored Procedures—perhaps you've heard of them but haven't used them. Scalar Functions—they can be good and they can be bad. Views? Indexes? They can all be yours if you attend this 90-minute instructional demonstration.

This session examines 2 recent advances in BIM in the field of geotechnics. The first case study relates to the sharing of site-generated data, that is gathered electronically on-site, processed, and then uploaded to the BIM model, all automatically. In this way the stakeholders are seeing the object attributes updated in the integrated model in real time as the work is done. The advantages of this process include the obvious savings in time and effort, avoiding mistakes, self-certification, and the manifest openness that supports collaboration.

This is an update to last year's class, Choosing Autodesk PLM 360. This class provides a customer perspective regarding the ease of enhancing and maintaining a Autodesk PLM 360 software tenant. After go-live, Greenpoint Technologies, Inc., has continually developed and enhanced its tenant reporting capabilities, Vault software integration, and enterprise resource planning integration. In this class we will discuss what was easy, what was difficult, and what you should look out for.

Schools have widely adopted the Tinkercad design tool for 3D printing. It can also be a very powerful tool for teaching other concepts through project-based learning. In this class you will get to know experiences and effective practices around the introduction of Tinkercad in its use for teaching several STEAM topics for audiences that include children as young as 8 years old. Discover how kids end up getting involved in 3D printing while learning about math, sciences, and art—all while playing with a surprisingly intuitive tool.

This class will present the automated process used to perform structural assessments for water infrastructure projects. Historically, manned inspection was the means for data collection; for example, rappelling down a dam taking photos, notes, and sketches. In remote assessment process, high-definition images are collected with small drones combined with terrestrial LIDAR (light detection and ranging) scanning. Drones offer an ideal solution because often these facilities (such as dams) are isolated but have aerial visibility. The reality capture of the structure-instead of individual images-provides a useful tool for assessment. The collected data can be transformed into 3D models utilizing AutoCAD Civil 3D software or Revit software-models which are also shareable with the remote team on the BIM 360 platform. The data can be used to monitor structure performance by taking several surveys over time. Use of a systematic approach for the survey improves the delivery quality and schedule. This tool empowers stakeholders to make informed decisions on critical structures.

Learn how the use of Advance Steel detailing software helped our company to lower production costs. See how it helped to minimize the errors and discover clashes prior to construction, and how it also helped us to improve the checking.

Are your subdivision layout exhibits flat and boring? Do you ask stakeholders to imagine key design features because your 2D plans and Photoshop software renderings do little to differentiate your design from those denied by your municipalities planning commission? Do you avoid generating 3D models of your proposed layouts because of the time involved? Add some depth to your proposals by combining AutoCAD Civil 3D software and InfraWorks software to quickly generate and present 3D subdivision layouts in the context of their surroundings. This session will focus on establishing efficient workflows for generating subdivision layouts using AutoCAD Civil 3D software, and then we will visualize those layouts in 3D using InfraWorks software. You will learn how to use the automated parcel layout tools in AutoCAD Civil 3D software, exchanging layout information between AutoCAD Civil 3D software and InfraWorks software. Then you'll learn how to build a complete 3D model of your subdivision ready for an expedited approval at your next planning commission meeting.

Client relationships are the very foundations on which great businesses are built and maintained. While major corporations like Hewlett-Packard Company and Lockheed Martin have famous brands and hundreds of account managers who specialize in dealing with clients, the small business has to take a much more direct approach. Whether you are an owner of a sole proprietorship, a head of a growing firm, or a project manager working in a small company, communicating with your client is the most important skill you can develop. Join us in a discussion to bring out the common, everyday difficulties that your peers face. Learn how to build solid relationships and create open communication with your clients. Also, learn how to repair client relationships that may have gone awry. Whatever your title, role, or goal, this discussion will help you relate to your clients and open the communication necessary to transform clients into advocates.