Autodesk University 2026
Autodesk AEC/manufacturing/media & entertainment software user conference
About this event
Autodesk University is Autodesk's annual conference for design, engineering, construction and manufacturing professionals, held at the Venetian in Las Vegas from 15 to 17 September. The programme's industry keynotes for 2026 cover AECO, design and manufacturing, media and entertainment and the Autodesk AI roadmap, alongside a full class catalogue spanning CAD, BIM, simulation and manufacturing workflows.
Who it's for
Highly relevant for hands-on Autodesk software users and technical leaders across architecture/construction, manufacturing, and media and entertainment, session tracks (Technical Deep Dives, Hands-on Labs, Roadmap Sessions) and featured speakers (mostly product/engineering executives) skew toward practitioners and platform decision-makers, with a dedicated small-business track this year. Less relevant for buyers focused purely on enterprise IT asset or licence management, content is Autodesk-product-centric design and engineering workflows, not software-portfolio or procurement strategy.
Social media & coverage
“A full event recap published on 17 September 2026 from an AEC angle. It covers the Day 1 keynote "Building AI for the Real World" from Andrew Anagnost, the three industry clouds Forma, Fusion and Flow, Civil 3D becoming a Forma Connected Client, the Forma Street Design beta, Esri ArcGIS and Fugro geolocation, Revit AI workflows, construction agents, Forma Bid and a preview of the next-generation Autodesk Assistant.”
“A first-person attendee diary from an Autodesk employee, published on 16 September 2026. It follows the trip to Las Vegas, the Platform Leadership Forum, the Speaker Social, watching the Day 1 keynote in the Expo Hall, a Braindate, and a private session on neuroarchitecture research for AECO customers.”
“The second half of the same attendee diary, published on 18 September 2026. It covers the Day 2 keynote and the Autodesk Operations Solutions update including Tandem and FlexSim, a class co-presented in Casanova 501, the Research and AI Zones on the Expo floor showing agentic design workflows, and the evening events and closing party.”
“Autodesk's official announcement, published on 15 September 2026, of new AI capabilities for design and manufacturing. It covers Fusion additions AutoTimeline, AutoAssemble and System Modeler, Autodesk Assistant across Inventor and Vault, and Inventor becoming the first Fusion Connected Client.”
“A first-person attendee recap published on 22 September 2026, written by a presenter at the event. It covers the invite-only track and product team meetings, the Day 1 keynote on Autodesk AI and Industry Clouds including a live demo that failed on stage, and the author's session AS1411 on AI and the CAD manager role, which filled the room with people turned away. It also covers the Day 2 keynote, the Day 3 classes and AU party, and a Sunday Wizard of Oz screening at the Sphere.”
“Autodesk University official Instagram”
“JUST ANNOUNCED: Clara Shih will be a guest speaker during the Day 1 Keynote, taking the stage with Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost for a fireside chat”
“Autodesk University notes that AU 2026 is approaching and will bring together creative people to share ideas.”
“Cyrille Fauvel looked ahead to PLF and Autodesk University 2026, the Design & Make Conference.”
“Autodesk University invited the Design & Make community to register for AU 2026, where thousands gather in one place.”
Official hashtags
Used by the organiser on X and LinkedIn. Follow along before, during and after the event.