Every year, Autodesk holds a major conference called Autodesk University to celebrate technology updates and innovations fashioned by users. What I appreciate about this event is the focus on the creativity and ingenuity of the designers that use their software. Using their experimental methods as a compass, Autodesk can create better software that bridges the gap between design information and the built environment.

I had the chance to go to Autodesk University 2014 and present one of our recent projects – which used civil BIM and visualization – as an example of the integration between infrastructure and building systems.

Future Design Tools Will Use A Constant Stream of Information to Create a Community of Things

The future of design technologies was summarized in the event's keynote: smarter and more adaptable designs are evolving that have the potential to bridge the digital and physical environments by directly connecting to people and their communities.

For the first time ever, design teams have access to an almost limitless amount of processing power through cloud technologies. Pair that with the ever-expanding portfolio of big data, and the future of this software is clear. Designers will soon be able to analyze a number of automated variations and evolve a series of generative solutions that conform to project requirements, allowing us to find optimal solutions faster than traditional drafting methods that require significant manual production time.

The other benefit to connected design systems is the ability to create a "community of things." Coined by Autodesk CIO Jeff Brzycki, the community of things stems from the theory that big data will soon not only be digestible, but connected. Connecting objects to each other and the community will create an adaptable infrastructure – one that allows us to design for reconstruction.

To understand the concept of the community of things, first consider traditional design and building methods. Once a brick is placed, it's not easily moved. Our designs are static, the materials we lay deteriorate over time, and newly constructed systems often ignore what was previously built. Now consider a built environment given life through a constant stream of information. Our designs, empowered by connected systems that monitor and communicate with owners, operators, and design teams, will be able to intelligently adapt to dynamic environments.

Experimental Visualization Methods

A great example of how data can bridge the gap between design information and the built environment is our work on the Loudoun Water Potomac Water Supply Program, summarized by this community outreach video.

To visualize how the water utility would create an independent raw water supply, we used BIM to model the utilities and their interactions with regional terrain and infrastructure. Experimenting with data connectivity allowed us to add the proposed utility systems to a geographically accurate site and mirror existing conditions. Using site models, we translated the data to and from GIS services and BIM systems to see the proposed utilities and buildings within the site. The final video depicted the models in an accurate and visually rich format using previously developed BIM content.

I have no doubt that the way we experimented with data connectivity, intelligent design, and connected visualizations during the project will push the boundaries of how design software is used.

Cody Pennetti referenced civil BIM extensively in his discussion on designing better water systems at Autodesk University 2014, which is summarized here.

WHAT IS CIVIL BIM?