More and more people are using smartphones and tablet computers like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. We have reported several times on Architosh just how prevalent iPads have become on construction sites, for example. And our special feature report from last year at this time noted the response prominent AEC software company CEO’s have had to the iPad in particular. (see Architosh: “The iPad: How the CAD/3D industry is being changed,” 10 August 2011).
According to a Forrester Research report, “Mobilize Your Collaboration Strategy,” 82 million US consumers are expected to have tablets and 159 million to have smartphones by 2015, with one third or approximately 27 million and 53 million using those tablets and smartphones, respectively, for work.
The Forrester report urges companies to shift their collaboration strategies now to encompass mobile work and mobile device support. 41 percent of the information workforce is highly mobile.
01 - Autodesk introduced the new Design Feed in AutoCAD WS 1.5.
Additionally, the Forrester Research report highlighted eight collaboration apps that matter most on smartphones and tablets. Areas addressed by Autodesk include its apps AutoCAD WS 1.5 and Autodesk 360 Mobile updates which include feature areas such as:
- Document-based collaboration – 62 percent of information workers spend more than an hour per day working with documents, reports or other information that must be available to them via any device
- Activity streams — emerging as a critical resource for organizations that work “collectively”, activity streams-based applications alert people to critical information flows wherever they are
- Social Collaboration — mobile access to internal blogs, wikis, community sites and social networks accomplish two goals. First, senior staff probably won’t access it any other way. Second, every mobile professional remains connected, in touch, and in part of the collaborative process.
Autodesk’s AutoCAD WS 1.5
Autodesk has been one of the foremost proponents of placing key mobile technologies for design professionals in the hands of users wielding Apple’s iOS based smartphone (the iPhone) and the iPad. Version 1.5 introduced this summer unveiled new social collaboration capabilities.
02 - Commenting. New comments are added to the Design Feed.
02 - File management screen shot in AutoCAD WS 1.5.
04 - Editing within AutoCAD WS 1.5 with basic editing tools.
A new Design Feed in AutoCAD WS 1.5 mobile app tracks and captures the evolution of design across multiple collaborators and stakeholders, all within the design itself. (see image 01-02 above). This is accomplished via:
- Intros Design Feed, a powerful feed that organizes comments within a drawing into a feed stream of data, allowing stakeholders to be tagged and invited into the conversation for further input
- Users can pin photos to specific locations within the drawings, providing visual clarity and feedback
05 - AutoCAD WS 1.5 3D view.
To learn more about AutoCAD WS 1.5 go here. For more on Autodesk in general visit them online at: www.autodesk.com