Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) Reviews & Product Details

As a daily user of ACC, I really appreciate being able to connect with my general contractors at any time about RFIs, submittals, issues, and drawings uploaded to the cloud.

It’s also a huge time-saver to add members to a project, assign them a role with the right permissions, and have them immediately gain access to drawings and request statuses without much waiting.

Overall, ACC has reinvented the AE platform by enabling real-time sharing with a professional experience. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As we extend our use of ACC Build in the areas of specifications and submittals, I’d appreciate the option of a chatbot, a text-based help line, or a direct connection to a help desk person who can provide immediate answers to questions related to specs, rather than having to send an email and wait for a reply.

I’m also looking forward to more information on when the submittal module will have more flexible permission settings within the module, so that only the members you want to have access to the activity log and uploads are the ones who truly have access. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I particularly like Forma’s browser-based interface. It feels very fluid and clearly improved. Generating and adjusting 3D volumes is intuitive and fast, which saves time for the design team. The “Send to Revit” option is also pretty cool. Another feature I appreciate is how you can present performance data (for example, sun exposure); it makes for visually pleasing client presentations and is especially useful for non-technical stakeholders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find that, although the interface is very intuitive, it still takes quite a lot of time to learn some of the advanced features. From a cost perspective, I would say it’s necessary to have another licensing option for secondary stakeholders, or for those who are only going to review the model. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The best part is how easy it is to share models with consultants—just a few clicks and it’s done. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some permissions are lacking. It would be helpful if we could grant access based on a company name. It seems like this might be possible, but in the end, all individuals still need to be project members.

In the Design module, the three dots in the drop-down menu aren’t intuitive, and users often overlook them and the information hidden behind them.

I also struggle with consultants who still insist on dragging and dropping models to the cloud instead of publishing them.

It’s difficult to work with consultants who operate on their own network and then upload to the cloud for sharing. They end up having to rename their files every time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Autodesk Forma has truly been a game-changer for me and my construction team. It gives us a centralized hub for all our project data, making it easier to collaborate and stay coordinated in real time from anywhere. The analytics features provide invaluable insights that help me make data-driven decisions and keep projects on track.

Between its mobility, seamless integration using Autodesk Connect, and time-saving tools, this cloud platform has made my day-to-day work much easier. It keeps my team connected, productive, and far less stressed throughout the entire construction process. Overall, it feels like a must-have solution for construction professionals who want to streamline workflows and deliver projects more efficiently. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing I will say, though, is that the platform can sometimes be a bit confusing with all the abbreviations and construction jargon it uses. As someone who's not super tech-savvy, it took my team a little while to get used to all the lingo.

But the customer support team at Autodesk has been absolutely incredible I have worked with them to automate multiple processes which has indeed. Whenever I've had a question or needed help understanding something, they've been right there to walk me through it, step-by-step. Their patience and expertise have really made the learning curve much more manageable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the one stop type approach it is becoming, being able to use it instead or along with other software, it is quick to load, very useful for allowing non technical/site staff to view collaboration models. It can always be less expensive. Support is also very good with ACC guides, learning tools and near instant support. I have not yet used the AI side but look forward to using. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I feel there may be some systems that are duplicating such as transmittals and packages. I have also had too many notifications and the notifications manager should be more accessible and easier to use and understand. Every new project we set up, we have to go in and mess with these to ensure team members are not flooded with emails. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The thing I like most about Autodesk Forma is that it creates a central location to store all information and documents pertaining to a project in one place and the various modules of the program link together starting all the way in the preconstruction stage. All project team members are able to access the project and any updates made are reflected immediately in real time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The thing I dislike about Autodesk Forma is that in order for your subcontractors to use the system to enter their own pay applications they must register for an account and learn how to use the system properly. Subcontractors must learn the various processes for each different General Contractor they work for so getting them on board can be difficult at times. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the centralized access to projects and drawings offered by Autodesk Forma, which makes collaboration easy and ensures reliable version control, all within a single platform. The initial setup was relatively straightforward for our team, especially since we were already familiar with Autodesk Construction Cloud. I use it along with tools like AutoCAD and Autodesk Revit to create, review, and coordinate drawings across different stages of the project. I also appreciate how it solves the problem of scattered project data and poor collaboration by providing a centralized platform for managing projects and team communication. I would rate Autodesk Forma as a 10 out of 10 for its strong project collaboration and centralized data management. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One area for improvement in Autodesk Forma is its lack of offline access, as it requires a stable internet connection to view and manage projects. I know this can be achieved with Desktop Connector, but the system tends to slow down when Autodesk Desktop Connector is installed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use the issues module a lot because it helps track all the changes of the project and manage the change situation. It allows me to create reports to see which issues affect our process safety management. With so many people working on each project, it is helpful to have all changes in one place, so they can be sorted and evaluated independently and together, ensuring they don't conflict. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I think if we had the ability to edit a PDF, like, if a PDF is uploaded to Forma, and have two people editing the PDF at the same time, that would be very helpful. It works fine for DWG's but to have that functionality on PDFs would also be helpful. Another thing we'd like is if we could show both people in a Microsoft Word or Excel document at the same time, similar to how Microsoft Office 365 does it, that would be helpful. We'd use it more if we were able to give read only guest access to our contractors *for free*. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Facilitated sharing and visualization of models with stakeholders not working on Revit. Visual and automatic conflict management with the Model Coordination Module. Project administration with the invitation of external stakeholders to the company. The ability to choose which views are published and their content, to publish with or without a link. It would also be beneficial to be able to configure publications more easily than by going through sheet sets, then publication sets. As well as to define by default the publication with or without a link. Issues are easy to create and their navigation is smooth. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is necessary to have an AEC license + a BIM Collaborate PRO license to resume collaborative model functioning, which seems to me the most interesting asset on Autodesk Forma. The choice of a specific folder for Coordination Spaces is somewhat limiting since it is impossible to change without recreating it. The deletion of elements remains a problem for the moment, even though it is planned in the Roadmap. Many applications are necessary and need updating, for example, Desktop Connector. Management of georeferencing is not flexible (impossible to publish coordinates), its modification involves downloading the models, modifying them, and publishing them again. For Conflict management in the Model Coordination module, a model that is not georeferenced initially and then georeferenced later sometimes fails to display conflicts in color code. Better integration of point clouds. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like all the features with AI capabilities in Autodesk Forma. Having everything on one platform, including design collaboration, design build, and the capability to work on RFIs in a single environment, is a great experience. It's also awesome to create site locations and view them on a 3D map, which can be achieved on the Forma side. The AI capabilities offer more options at the initial design stage, providing wide-ranging design and cost calculations, height restrictions, and setbacks on real 3D maps. These features help me make informed decisions and project the values and costs effectively. It's convenient to handle design build and coordination with ease. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Autodesk Forma still needs some improvements. I’d like more control over which features are enabled, especially within ACC—for example, the ability to turn off certain elements if we’re not using Fusion. The Desktop Connector also needs work, because trying to manage it through ACC isn’t very straightforward when you don’t want to log into other sites like Fusion. Also, our engineering team isn’t using Revit, and the cost of ACC Forma should be waived for the Site and Design collaboration online tools. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.