Autodesk Clear on Cloud and Collaboration

At this year's Autodesk University (AU), which was attended by 10,000 people, Autodesk made several announcements that make its software quite attractive for manufacturing firms of all sizes. The company and its partners showcased several applications that address latest trends

Autodesk's core strategy has been to democratize design software so that smaller companies with limited resources can use them to design and deliver the latest high-quality products. Subscription-based cloud delivery fits the core strategy of making its software affordable and enables collaboration in and among teams. The company is on a trend away from desktop applications, with an emphasis on delivering applications in the cloud.

Autodesk is building a cloud portfolio for each industry that it says is complete, connected and on-demand. Its cloud-based Fusion 360 and BIM 360 are built on the Forge developer platform that will now be available through a browser in addition to native mobile applications.

Although the company does not have a commercial product for manufacturers that focuses on AR, VR and IoT, it has developed a generic platform to aid others in creating solutions that can be implemented in manufacturing and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). Currently, Autodesk research has successfully developed conceptual IoT solutions that apply to AEC space and intermingle with AR/VR, such as measuring building performance while virtually walking through a building.

Autodesk is heavily into the topic of machine learning. Design Graph is an active step towards utilizing machine learning. Design Graph is a machine learning system that uses algorithms to extract large amounts of 3D design data. It then categorizes every component and design by classification and relationship to create a living catalog that can provide results to changes and to provide guidance for design.

At AU 2016, Autodesk's message was loud and clear that it will develop and support software that helps teams collaborate, unlike desktop applications that it has delivered in the past. Its Forge platform best supports the company's strategy of democratizing software. While most of the small- and medium-size businesses that constitute the Autodesk customer base may not have fully embraced cloud-based offerings yet, the company can view this as an opportunity or room for growth. Its partners have shown some eagerness to start working in the cloud with Fusion platform as they see this opportunity for business advantage.