What's the difference between topology optimization and generative design and why does it matter when you're building components with strict safety factors and manufacturing requirements? In this session for both CAD beginners and pros, we'll explore the tools and workflows that helped Elara Aerospace design a launch-ready, record-breaking rocket capable of surviving the extreme forces of space. You'll work through guided exercises in Autodesk Fusion software, learning how to apply both generative design and topology optimization to reduce mass, increase strength, and improve overall performance under tight constraints. By the end of the session, you'll have built and optimized a component ready for spaceflight-level performance.

This presentation will demonstrate the integration of Femap with Autodesk Inventor Nastran software to elevate CAE and finite element analysis capabilities. Focusing on Femap's advanced hex-dominant meshing and midsurfacing techniques, we'll reveal how these features enhance simulation accuracy and efficiency in Inventor Nastran. Attendees will explore the benefits of this synergy through case studies showcasing improved model fidelity and computational performance. Ideal for engineers and designers, this session will highlight practical strategies for incorporating Femap's functionalities into Inventor Nastran workflows, unlocking new potentials in product development and engineering analysis and boosting productivity and solution accuracy.

This session will focus on serial additive manufacturing using Autodesk Fusion software, with practical insights into designing and producing functional parts. We'll cover real-world use of FDM and SLA technologies, including workflows with UltiMaker and Formlabs printers, and working with high-performance, flame-retardant, and rigid materials. Key topics will include defining proper tolerances and clearances, optimizing designs for repeatable production, and preparing parts for testing and certification requirements. Special attention will be given to early-stage design decisions including integration of assembly fixtures and quality control features considering material behavior and process limitations.

Evolved Structures, a technology based on generative design and digital manufacturing, has the potential to revolutionize spaceflight system components. This presentation explores "prompt engineering" for guiding generative design artificial intelligence (AI) using textual and geometric information to create parts that meet functional, structural, and manufacturing requirements. By integrating essential design elements, engineers can maximize AI-driven optimization for innovative, high-performance spaceflight systems that are cost-effective and efficient to produce. The presentation will also showcase examples of fabricated hardware developed using this approach, which are slated for integration in future NASA missions.

In this class we will look at various examples of using AnyCAD software and the workflows associated with using this feature in Inventor 2016 software.

The aerospace industry has always necessitated a high degree of precision-be that in the aerofoil designs of the wings or the complex electronics on board. Designs may be as detailed as possible, but these ideas need to be accurate when they become a reality. This class will provide insight into how certain aerospace parts are manufactured, such as bladed disks (blisks) for a turbine. Blisks often need to be machined near perfectly, as any change in geometry has the chance to drastically reduce the fuel efficiency of an entire system. They are also usually created from incredibly strong materials like titanium or Inconel-further increasing the difficulty of manufacture. The Autodesk Advanced Consulting Team in Birmingham, United Kingdom, has a lot of experience with this sort of process, working with a wide variety of customers within the industry. We'll share some of the experiences we have encountered over recent years and how their related engineering challenges were overcome.

Autodesk Inventor Nastran simulation capabilities are embedded in Inventor software. However, the trend is to use simulation as a back-end check on the design. But why not use simulation earlier in the workflow? This presentation will show you how to start thinking about strength and stiffness as you evolve the design. With idealization techniques, you can get an early feel for how much material and where to place it, ignore details until the design is more fully fleshed out, and roll the design backwards and forward, using simulation as you go. The presentation will also take a hard look at shell and beam idealizations. Are they worth the effort? When should you use them? We’ll use several case studies to explore these ideas in the presentation.

Printing metal parts using additive manufacturing is expansive. Most of the commercialized metal 3D printers involve cutting the metal component off the metal substrate after deposition and subsequent removal of support structure, which itself could be made of metal. Incorrect design considerations can result in distorted parts and impossible-to-remove support structures. Conformal cooling molds are a prime example of where complexity involved in design requires metal additive manufacturing. This class will follow design workflow for a conformal cooling mold using Autodesk, Inc., tools, and it will teach attendees how to account for machine constraints during design process for a successful build using metal 3D printers. This session features Within.

The role of engineering simulation is changing—it’s really about business benefits. However, achieving those benefits and associated growth of the engineering simulation market is tempered by a lack of available expertise. The ASSESS Initiative has brought together thought leaders in engineering simulation to better understand the opportunities, issues, and challenges associated with significantly broader use and benefit of engineering simulation. This session will explore the activities of the ASSESS Initiative, including efforts related to democratization of engineering simulation, engineering simulation credibility, and generative design.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the most disruptive and fastest-evolving manufacturing technologies available. How will you be prepared to take advantage of its benefits and adopt your 3D printing investments to where the industry is moving? Join the "Future of Additive Manufacturing" talk to learn about where AM is heading with new capabilities like generative design; how and why the software, materials, and machines that drive the industry are speeding adoption; and why all manufacturers and engineers should seriously consider AM as a viable, powerful, and unique alternative to traditional manufacturing techniques.

Generative design in Fusion is not just for complex aerospace components that require expensive and time-consuming additive manufacturing or 5-axis CNC. In this session we will demonstrate an end-to-end workflow from 2.5-axis Fusion generative design through CAM for “everyday” CNC parts which can be programmed and machined in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. Starting with generative design, we will explore how to make the best use of the new 2.5-axis machining constraints with one of the Autodesk nerds behind the technology, then discuss editing and refining outcomes. Finally, one of the Autodesk experts in CAM for generative outcomes will share strategies for programming and producing the generative parts. The emphasis will be on improving designer and manufacturing engineer productivity, reducing CAD, CAM, and machining time, and going from problem definition through production in hours, not days.

Will my part fail? Will it be cooled effectively? Simulation can answer these and other critical questions early in the design process. This class will show how these simulations can be taken a step farther by examining fluid structure interaction (FSI) or, more specifically, taking advantage of the thermal results from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to use as input into a mechanical stress and strain calculation. We will examine new workflows for running a thermal analysis in Autodesk® Simulation CFD software, processing the results, and using the thermal data within the setup of a thermal stress analysis.

In this class we will take a look at Fusion 360 software’s simulation environment, and we’ll focus specifically on ensuring that you gain a solid understanding of how to get the most from each of Fusion 360 software’s different simulation types. We will work with a practical example for each of the study types, and we’ll learn how to make the best use of the options available in each of those studies. This session features Fusion 360.

Have you ever wanted to move a feature in your model or assembly but can’t because the History Tree fails? Don’t you wish you could just move that rib feature 2 millimeters to the right, but you spend forever trying to figure it out? And have you ever wanted to de-feature a model quickly and easily without spending countless hours scrambling through the History Tree? Well, you can! With Fusion 360 software! It has Direct Modeling built right in! In this class, you will learn tips and tricks regarding how to edit imported geometry with Direct Editing commands. Need to remove that embossed logo from a model, or move a rib 2 millimeters to the right? No problem! You’ll also learn how to heal corrupted geometry using the “Wound and Heal” methodology in Direct Modeling. And, finally, you’ll see how you can use Direct Modeling techniques inside a parametric workspace to quickly and easily get your concept from your head onto the screen. This session features Fusion 360.

Fusion Simulation software offers a rich set of analysis types to simulate real-world problems. Whether it’s simple static stress, optimizing a shape to reduce weight, or simulating a bird hitting an airplane, it’s all there. One of the biggest challenges is to set up the simulation properly so the results are reasonable. Interpretation of results to selecting the best alternative for manufacturing is another challenge. While demystifying simulation with tips and tricks from community forums, we will also highlight the pitfalls one needs to avoid. Collaboration and knowledge sharing is key to mastering simulation tools.

Join Amar Hanspal, Autodesk Sr. Vice President of the Information Modeling and Platform Products Group, as he explores the theme What If. Curiosity is the spark behind every great idea, and in this closing session he will explore how our customers and Autodesk have used What If to prompt solutions to todayês biggest dilemmas. ¾Weêll also welcome special guest Randall Munroe, former NASA roboticist, author and the creator of the webcomic xkcd, who will entertain us with his special brand of What If humor

Avalanche Energy operates a high-mix prototype shop where parts must move from design to machining in hours, not days. This session will show how the team uses the Autodesk Fusion Manufacture workspace with CloudNC's CAM Assist to automate toolpath generation and accelerate CAD-to-CAM workflows. See how standardizing tooling, fixturing, and machining strategies enables consistent, repeatable programming across evolving designs. Learn how automation reduces programming time from hours to minutes, allowing programmers to focus on setup planning and process optimization. You'll leave with practical workflows to identify high-impact automation opportunities, structure CAM setups, and scale fast, reliable part production.

Machinist dynamics models may be used to predict milling performance and select optimal parameters at the computer numerical control (CNC) path planning stage. The intent is to select parameters that enable first part correct performance and avoid trial-and-error parameter identification. This requires that chatter, or self-excited vibration, does not occur, and that acceptable accuracy and surface finish are achieved. This session will demonstrate dynamic force prediction for Autodesk Fusion toolpaths, which incorporates the tool tip vibration response to predict the dynamic cutting force and tool vibration and the effect of relative vibration between the cutting tool and workpiece on the milling stability. This enables us to identify and correct locations where chatter occurs before part production. It introduces a feed rate optimization capability that modifies cutting times by updating the feed rate. And it has been shown to reduce cycle times by up to 50%. We’ll select an aerospace part and show results.

What’s the difference between topology optimization and generative design—and why does it matter when building advanced components? In this hands-on lab, we’ll explore the tools and workflows that helped Elara Aerospace design a launch-ready, record-breaking rocket built to survive the extreme forces of spaceflight. You’ll follow guided exercises in Autodesk Fusion software, learning how to harness both generative design and topology optimization to reduce mass, increase strength, and improve overall performance under tight constraints. We’ll walk through how to define loads, constraints, and materials. We’ll cover how to interpret and compare outcomes. And we’ll explore post-process geometry for manufacturability. You’ll gain practical experience in setting up a generative design study, comparing it with topology optimization, and understanding when and why each approach is appropriate. By the end, you’ll understand the theory—and have built and optimized a component for spaceflight-level performance.

CAM Assist, a new software system from CloudNC, leverages AI to autocomplete much of the difficult work involved with programming a computer numerical control (CNC) machine to manufacture a component. The CAM Assist add-in for Autodesk Fusion 360 is newly available for Autodesk customers. In this session, CloudNC founder Theo Saville shows how CAM Assist generates machining strategies in one click, enabling any user to reduce their CAM programming time and operate at a more advanced level, with greater consistency. CAM Assist helps workshop operators fill the manufacturing skills gap and optimize their team to scale revenue by enabling less-experienced programmers to do far more and machine more-complex components.