Jim Lynch

Autodesk launches complete project lifecycle management platform

Yesterday, Autodesk announced a new set of products for Autodesk Construction Cloud that further connect data, workflows and teams throughout the entire building lifecycle, from design to operations.

Built on a unified platform and common data environment, the new products – Autodesk Build, Autodesk Quantify and Autodesk BIM Collaborate – empower general contractors, specialty trades, designers and owners to drive better business outcomes.

“Almost a year ago we introduced Autodesk Construction Cloud, sharing our vision for the most powerful and complete portfolio of construction management products. The new products we announced today represent a huge milestone for connected construction, with Autodesk Build providing an entirely new approach to project management,” said Jim Lynch, vice president and general manager of Autodesk Construction Solutions.

Construction teams will have a comprehensive construction management platform with all data in one central location to simplify collaboration, proactively anticipate project changes and provide data-driven guidance for organizational improvement.

“We’re continuing to deliver on our promise of helping builders across the world catalyze their digital transformation and make construction more predictable, safe and sustainable,” Lynch said.

The three new product offerings announced today include:

  • Autodesk Build: Unites the best of PlanGrid and BIM 360 with additional new functionality to create a comprehensive field and project management solution. Autodesk Build also includes the PlanGrid Build mobile app with additional new capabilities for field workers.

  • Autodesk Quantify: Empowers estimators to automate 2D and 3D quantification from a single comprehensive platform.

  • Autodesk BIM Collaborate: Enables project teams to align and execute on design intent by managing the entire design collaboration and coordination workflow from a single solution to reduce rework, improve productivity and accelerate project delivery.

As part of the unified Autodesk Construction Cloud platform, every new product is reinforced by:​

  • Autodesk Docs – underpins the common data environment for every unified product with centralized document management, providing users with seamless navigation and integrated workflows to create a single source of truth across the project lifecycle.​

  • Insights – delivers analytics from the data collected and analyzed, as well as the ability to export that data; encompasses Construction IQ artificial intelligence to identify and mitigate risk.

  • Administration – provides centralized user management and permissioning, templates and other tools for project setup, as well as a single authentication method for any unified product.

“The continuous and fluid flow of data is the backbone of our teams’ success, with our healthcare projects in particular requiring tremendous scrutiny in inspections and documentation,” said Amy Kozlowski, project manager at Herrero Builders.

“Autodesk Construction Cloud delivers a unified platform where data and information are centralized. We can immediately get new design details into the hands of preconstruction and construction teams, proactively make adjustments in the field and better understand the health of our project portfolio. With Autodesk Build, we will be able to connect critical field and project management workflows, powering seamless collaboration across locations and devices. Just as importantly, the new products are intuitive and simple to use. Autodesk inherently understands the construction industry and provides technology that fuels success across the entire building lifecycle.”

“Construction is about building, not learning how to navigate complicated software,” said Sameer Merchant, head of product development, Autodesk Construction Solutions.

“Technology should be easy-to-use and effortless to scale – if a construction company grows, its software should grow with it. In developing our new offerings, we incorporated the best-in-class features of existing Autodesk construction products into a common web and mobile framework and integrated them with a shared data platform. As a result, the most loved capabilities will be immediately available within Autodesk Build, Autodesk Quantify and Autodesk BIM Collaborate.”

Autodesk’s new construction management products will connect construction teams, data and workflows across the headquarters, office and job site. Products will be available in early 2021.

Autodesk acquires AI-powered software

Autodesk, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Pype and its portfolio of cloud-based software solutions for the construction industry.

This acquisition and resulting product integrations will provide additional value for Autodesk Construction Cloud users, allowing general contractors, subcontractors and owners to automate workflows such as submittals and project closeout to increase overall productivity and reduce risk throughout the project lifecycle.

Pype’s solutions use artificial intelligence and machine learning to extract and process data from project plans and specifications. The resulting data provides unprecedented insights on project management workflows, helps teams identify actionable information to close communication gaps between design, construction and operations teams, and ensures a higher level of quality, efficiency and risk management on projects.

Pype marks Autodesk’s fourth construction-based acquisition in recent years, joining the acquisitions of Assemble in July 2018, PlanGrid in December 2018 and BuildingConnected in January 2019.

“We are thrilled to officially welcome the Pype team to Autodesk,” said Jim Lynch, vice president and general manager of Autodesk Construction Solutions at Autodesk.

“Pype’s machine learning capabilities can be applied to multiple field and office workflows, and directly supports our aim to consistently provide customers with the most advanced construction project management technology. The acquisition of Pype is representative of our ongoing commitment to the construction industry, and our continued vision of how cloud-based, collaborative technology can drive the era of connected construction,” Lynch said.

Autodesk plans to integrate Pype within its Autodesk Construction Cloud portfolio, which encompasses best-in-class solutions Assemble, BIM 360, BuildingConnected and PlanGrid. Pype’s product suite includes:

  • AutoSpecs: Automates a highly manual process, using AI to quickly read and extract specs to generate submittal logs with a high level of accuracy

  • Closeout: Accelerates the construction closeout process via an easy-to-use, centralized dashboard and automated document collection

  • eBinder: Automatically converts hundreds of closeout documents into a fully indexed, hyperlinked and searchable turnover file

  • SmartPlans: Extracts submittals, product schedules and contract compliance requirements from drawings

“Pype’s mission was always to help construction teams avoid seemingly ubiquitous challenges facing a document-intensive industry – inefficient workflows, disjointed collaboration, schedule delays, cost overruns and more,” said Sunil Dorairajan, CEO and co-founder of Pype.

The transaction was subject to customary closing conditions and occurred during Autodesk’s third quarter of fiscal 2021, ending October 31, 2020. The acquisition will have no material impact on fiscal year 2021 guidance presented on June 3, 2020.