SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Autodesk Inc. has introduced Autodesk BIM 360, what the company is calling the next generation of building information modeling (BIM). According to Autodesk, it provides cloud services that enable users to access BIM project information at any time, and anywhere, throughout the project lifecycle. Autodesk BIM 360 will work with BIM solutions for design, construction, and operations including the Autodesk Building Design Suite and Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite.

“Cloud-connected workflows are giving our customers worldwide a better way to work with colleagues across their organizations and with business partners, clients, and stakeholders,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, information modeling products. “Autodesk BIM 360, the next generation of BIM, will revolutionize the way building and infrastructure owners, designers, engineers, and contractors create, share, and use project information.”

Autodesk recently announced the acquisition of Vela Systems, a provider of mobile field management software for the construction industry. The combination of the Vela technology with Autodesk BIM 360 will bring the BIM process to the project site, helping contractors to automate field processes such as quality, safety and commissioning checklists, and distribution of plans and drawings, said the company.

Another capability is moving computational intensive tasks to the cloud, enabling rapid visualization with rendering services and the ability to simulate early and often with energy and structural analysis services, the company said. Autodesk BIM 360 will also help support the project handover and lifecycle by providing intelligent information to building and infrastructure owners for operations and maintenance.

Autodesk BIM 360 is now available in English, and will be available in the near future in other languages. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/bim360.

Publication date: 7/23/2012