One of the greatest challenges of working with project data or BIM data is getting it to move between your software and your partner’s software, or even two pieces of software that you use in-house. It costs time and money that would be better spent elsewhere.
If you use Autodesk and Trimble products, this problem may soon be a thing of the past, because the two companies have entered into an interoperability agreement aimed at reducing the problems of “workflow efficiency across different suppliers’ technologies.”
The partnership is aimed specifically at AEC clients, with the goal of “meeting the evolving needs of the building and infrastructure industries” by enabling “reliable, fluent exchange of information among multiple stakeholders and platforms” within the same projects.
Specific terms of the agreement have the two leading AEC software companies exchanging application programming interfaces, or APIs. An API is a tool or library that lays out the “programming instructions and standards” that a platform uses to operate. Simply put, giving a developer the API for your platform gives them the ability to write software that talks to your platform.
This means that Autodesk and Trimble will be able to increase the interoperability of their products, both by improving the ways that they currently exchange data and finding new ways for exchanging data.
From the language of the official statement, it seems that these APIs will be exchanged between the two companies but not made available to outside developers. It also appears that APIs will not be made available for all Autodesk and Trimble software. The release indicates that the exchange will affect “select Autodesk and Trimble solutions.”
“This interoperability agreement, like others we’ve signed, speaks to Autodesk’s commitment to openness,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Autodesk. “This collaboration with Trimble speaks to our shared dedication to making the building process more efficient and productive for all involved.”
“This collaboration demonstrates our mutual commitment to provide design and construction professionals with a seamless experience from both Autodesk and Trimble design-build-operate solutions,” said Bryn Fosburgh, vice president at Trimble. “As a result all stakeholders across the construction lifecycle can optimize their workflow efficiency.”
