Blog: Capacity, Connected Clients, and the Road to 2028
Las Vegas, September 15–17, 2026 — Dustin South
Capacity, Connected Clients, and the Road to 2028
Autodesk University returned to Las Vegas on September 15–17 after 2 years outside “Sin City”. The word tying the keynotes and announcements together was “capacity”. CEO Andrew Anagnost argued that the constraint in design and making has never been ideas; it’s been time and resources. AI, as we have seen in many industries, can help teams get more done with the people and hours that they already have. The technology story was less about any single feature than about the ecosystem of tools and applications. Cloud data and AI services are increasingly being designed to work as parts of a connected system rather than isolated tools. The centerpiece of the conference was Autodesk Assistant, previewed as an AI agent that brings together specialized AI agents, Autodesk tools, and your specific project information. The keynotes were filled with live demos of the AI agents in real-world situations. One example was a Fusion demo where an Assistant conversation handled a motor shortage by finding an approved substitute part and preparing a change order.
For Inventor users, the manufacturing news was a mix of practical and ambitious. Assistant capabilities are expanding across Inventor and Vault, and Autodesk has discussed Inventor becoming a Fusion Connected Client. That would keep Inventor as the detailed desktop authoring tool while Fusion's cloud supplies shared data and automation. Autodesk also showed Fusion working with external AI systems such as Claude through MCP, so not every AI workflow has to start inside Autodesk's own Assistant. Many of these features are still in beta or development, so don’t plan a workflow around them just yet.
Revit was the most closely watched product, and the message was more nuanced than many had expected. Revit 2027 shipped in April with the Forma Connected Client, Autodesk Assistant, a public MCP server, expanded embodied-carbon analysis and fully supported Accelerated Graphics. At AU, Autodesk added AI-powered room and documentation workflows in Revit, made Civil 3D a Forma Connected Client, and put Forma Street Design and Forma Bid into beta. The talking point was Autodesk's FAQ answer on whether Forma will replace Revit: “over time, yes”, though it set no retirement date and promised no sudden transition. In practice, Revit is becoming one detailed authoring environment inside a larger cloud project context. The catch, as several commentators noted, is that AI is only as useful as the data behind it. Clean families, structured parameters, and solid standards matter more than ever.
Looking toward 2027 and 2028, expect a gradual rollout more than a single big bang. Autodesk said expanded next-generation Assistant capabilities are planned for 2027, including Personal Pulse, Assistant Spaces, and Assistant Builder. Drawing Compliance Review, which checks drawings against customizable code and standards rules, is also coming, and Forma Street Design is on a closed-beta waitlist. Autodesk hasn't announced Revit 2028 details, but the trajectory points to more Forma integration, deeper agentic AI, and further movement of early-phase design work into the cloud. For Inventor, the Fusion Connected Client direction is the one to watch. The practical advice is to pilot the tools that are available now, tidy your data and standards, and decide which decisions you're comfortable letting AI handle. AU 2027 returns to Las Vegas September 14–16, 2027, where we'll see how many of these previews turned into reality.
Video V
