Technology

Autodesk brings AI to construction design

Autodesk has extended its Autodesk Revit program to offer generative design technology for the architecture, engineering and construction industries.

The new feature is available with the release of Revit 2021 within the company’s AEC Collection. With the introduction of Generative Design in Revit, industry professionals can harness its algorithmic problem-solving technology to explore design alternatives, identify improved outcomes and make data-informed decisions faster than ever before.

By engaging with generative design tools directly in Revit, designers can generate design solutions, which are presented in a visual format for easy exploration, as well as responsive result graphs with sorting, selection and filtering capabilities.

Nicolas Mangon, vice president of Autodesk AEC business strategy, said: “With the launch of Generative Design in Revit, we’re accelerating the design process and enabling AEC Collection users to explore design solutions for any given project, faster than ever before. Leveraging generative design capabilities, our customers may now be more confident in the design decisions they are making, optimise workflows and have more productive conversations with project stakeholders.

Autodesk has been exploring generative design for a number of years with companies such as Airbus and Volkswagen. This is the first time it has applied the technology outside the manufacturing sector.

Several design companies are currently using the new application, including Stamhuis, a Netherlands-based retail shop designer, Royal HaskoningDHV, an engineering and project management consultancy, also in the Netherlands, and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), an international design practice which used the technology in designing the largest soccer stadium in the Netherlands, Feyenoord Stadium.

Key customisable use cases for Generative Design in Revit include:

  • Three Box Massing creates simple massing models and calculates areas.
  • Maximise Window Views scores the quality of views to the outside from any position in a room.
  • Workspace Layout optimises the placement of desks in a room based on user-selected criteria.
  • Customisable Studies are available when using Dynamo. New studies may be defined to serve the needs of varying design firms and their practices.
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