Nashville, Tennessee, September 17, 2025
News Summary
Autodesk unveiled a major expansion of its Forma platform into a full AECO industry cloud, linking design and construction workflows through cloud-connected, AI-native tools. Demonstrations showed end-to-end workflows from site modeling and cloud simulations to estimating, field issue capture with AI photo features, and handoff into operations with Tandem Insights. New offerings include Forma Board for collaborative design, a Forma Connected Client for Revit, Autodesk Assistant for natural-language project queries, and Autodesk Estimate for preconstruction. The announcements aim to reduce rework, speed decisions, and create a shared data environment across planning, construction, and facilities management.
Autodesk University 2025 Opens in Nashville with New AECO Industry Cloud, AI Tools and Cloud Workflows
Autodesk University (AU) 2025 opened in Nashville on September 16, kicking off a three-day gathering that focused on cloud workflows, artificial intelligence, and tighter links between design and construction. The event’s opening general session presented a major shift in Autodesk’s AECO strategy: an evolution of its site and building platform into a single AECO industry cloud, plus a slate of AI-driven tools and end-to-end cloud demonstrations meant to connect design, preconstruction, field, and operations teams.
Top-level announcements and purpose
The headline development on Day 1 was the announcement that Forma has been expanded and positioned as a comprehensive AECO industry cloud, now integrated directly with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC). The move intends to bridge the long-standing divide between design work and construction execution by tying site planning, building design, and construction data into a continuous workflow.
Event leaders framed this strategy around known industry pressures: labor shortages, strained supply chains, and rising building demand. The new tools on display aim to let teams react faster to changing project conditions by automating routine tasks and keeping project data in a shared, live source of truth.
Product highlights and demonstrations
Day 1 included a full on-stage walkthrough that started with an architect launching a sustainable multifamily housing project. The demonstration showed site creation from standard terrain data and enriched GIS feeds via expanded Esri ArcGIS extensions. From that starting point, the session moved through design, estimating, construction, and operations to show a single connected thread across tools.
Key product items introduced or expanded during the session:
- Forma as an AECO industry cloud—integrated with ACC to create linked workflows between planning, design, and construction.
- Forma Board—a digital whiteboard connected to Forma Data Management for collaborative design decisions in real time.
- Forma Building Design—real-time analysis and continuous monitoring during detailed design.
- Forma Connected Client—Revit was shown as the first client to operate directly as a connected Forma client, with live analysis of adjacent buildings.
- Cloud simulations—analysis running in the cloud without disrupting local design work, demonstrating desktop-to-cloud continuity.
- Autodesk Assistant—an AI tool moving into Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D to automate tasks such as generating sheets, pulling up project information, and drafting routine communications. A new beta lets users ask natural-language questions about expanded project data like RFIs, submittals, change orders and schedule tasks.
- Autodesk Estimate—a new preconstruction tool that links 2D/3D takeoff quantities directly to estimates. A demo showed an estimator updating concrete pricing to reflect local market changes.
- Field and mobile tools—new mobile features for progress photos and daily logs, and an upcoming AI photo capability that will auto-populate issue fields from a captured image.
- Tandem Insights—operations dashboards that bring together warranties, manuals, spatial context and performance metrics so facilities teams can move from reactive fixes to prioritized, proactive work.
Partner ecosystem and real-world use cases
Partners were presented as extending Forma across a broader AECO Technology Partner Ecosystem. A case study spotlighted a major international airport using the construction cloud and Tandem to coordinate hundreds of contractors and thousands of project contributors, enabling hundreds of active projects to be tracked in parallel and helping teams identify issues earlier.
Other sessions and customer stories on the first day highlighted integrations with financial systems, AR for on-site traceability, fabrication-ready MEP workflows, national rollouts for subcontractors, and data center migrations driven by regulatory needs. Several project examples showed measurable efficiencies such as reduced paper use, faster approval cycles, better earned-value tracking and tighter cost control when cloud tools are paired with analytics dashboards.
Roadmap, access and practical takeaways
Presenters emphasized a strategic push to make AI a core, embedded capability across the design and construction lifecycle rather than a bolt-on feature. The roadmap discussed expanding cloud-based estimating inside ACC and rolling out broader Assistant capabilities. The message to attendees was to consider connected, cloud-native workflows that let projects adapt as new data arrives.
AU 2025 runs through September 18 and offers hundreds of sessions, hands-on workshops and expo floor demonstrations. Attendees can connect with product teams, partners and peers to discuss implementation and give feedback. Registration details were shared, including an early-bird discount available through a stated deadline.
What to expect next at AU
The conference agenda will cover digital transformation, sustainable practices, improving communication, AI in construction and workflow refinements. Product teams from the construction cloud and allied platform groups will continue to present demos and collect input from practitioners across architecture, engineering, construction and operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AU 2025 and where is it held?
AU 2025 is a three-day industry conference focused on design and construction technology. The event takes place in Nashville from September 16–18, 2025.
What was the main announcement on Day 1?
The main announcement expanded Forma into a comprehensive AECO industry cloud integrated directly with the construction cloud to support end-to-end workflows from site planning through operations.
What new AI tools were mentioned?
AI capabilities highlighted include Autodesk Assistant moving into Revit, AutoCAD and Civil 3D, a natural-language beta for project data questions, and AI-driven photo capture features for field issue reporting.
How does the Forma and ACC integration help projects?
The integration connects design analysis, takeoffs, estimates and field data in a single chain so project teams can run cloud simulations, share a living source of truth, and reduce data handoffs between disciplines.
Were there real project examples?
Yes. Presentations included major airport coordination using Tandem, national subcontractor rollouts, a battery plant workflow, and other customer stories demonstrating cost and time efficiencies.
How can I access sessions and demos?
AU provides a session catalog and on-site expo access. Attendees can join workshops and visit product teams on the expo floor to see demos and ask questions directly.
Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Forma AECO Industry Cloud | Unified platform for site, building design and construction workflows integrated with the construction cloud. |
| Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) Integration | Direct bridge between design and construction tools to keep data live across teams. |
| Autodesk Assistant | AI assistant for Revit, AutoCAD and Civil 3D with natural-language project queries and task automation. |
| Autodesk Estimate | Preconstruction estimating that links 2D/3D takeoffs to cost data for faster decisions. |
| Cloud Simulations | Background analysis that runs in the cloud without interrupting local design workflows. |
| Field AI Photo Capture | Upcoming capability to auto-populate issue fields from mobile photos to speed documentation. |
| Tandem Insights | Operations dashboard combining manuals, warranties, metrics and spatial context for facilities management. |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Autodesk Blog: AU 2025 — Top Autodesk Construction Announcements
- Wikipedia: Autodesk University
- Autodesk Blog: Register Now for Autodesk University 2025
- Google Search: Autodesk University 2025 registration
- Autodesk Blog: Top Sessions for Project Managers at AU 2025
- Google Scholar: Autodesk University 2025 project management
- Autodesk Blog: Session Preview — Preconstruction at AU 2025
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Preconstruction
- Autodesk Blog: AU 2025 Top Sessions for Subcontractors
- Google News: Autodesk Forma AECO industry cloud
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