Frequently Asked Questions

Autodesk Forge is a cloud-based developer platform that unlocks design and engineering data to fuel creative problem solving. It is a growing ecosystem of APIs and web services that accelerates application development, letting you extend the Autodesk portfolio and build custom solutions that solve today’s challenges. By helping you connect workflows and enabling data to flow easily across projects and industries, Forge lets you focus on creating the design and make experiences that will power a better future.

• Accelerate your existing online workflows or create new solutions
• Helps streamline the complexities of manufacturing, engineering, and construction industries by connecting players, components, and processes
• Centralize your data and connect it to all points of the industry supply chain, empowering you to transform the manufacturing process
• Create digital experiences that access any kind of design and engineering data—virtually anywhere, any time
• Scale as your customers’ needs change or as you innovate
• Improve existing software or build new, custom solutions using industry-standard web technologies

Check out our customer stories to see how our customers use Forge to make the future.

Forge helps companies in the engineering, construction, and manufacturing industries. Forge APIs and services help them address challenges by enabling the development of customized, scalable solutions that meet the digital needs of tomorrow. Building a new application or upgrading an existing product? Forge can help by offering APIs (application programming interface) and services that leverage design data to create opportunities for innovation and collaboration.

Forge is the only PaaS from a leader with over 35 years of industry expertise in 3D design, engineering, construction, and entertainment software that offers SaaS (Software as a Service) for BIM (Building Information Modeling), manufacturing, CAD (Computer Aided Design), PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), and more. In addition, it runs on the same foundational cloud services and IT infrastructure that powers our partner and customer solutions.

Viewer displays 2D and 3D design files including basic VR (virtual reality) and associated data from more than 50+ file formats. It allows users to share design information via web browsers and create tailored customer experiences for project dashboards, cost estimations, bills of materials, and schedule views. Viewer also leverages information from other applications.

Model Derivative API represents and shares design files in different formats, prepares them for online viewing, and extracts geometry and object property data. Design data can be quickly and easily integrated with other systems such as ERP (enterprise resource planning), PLM (product lifecycle management), cost estimating, and scheduling.

Design Automation API runs AutoCAD as an engine in the cloud. Use it as a drawing generation engine for web applications or convert thousands of DWG files to PDF files in batch. Coming soon: Autodesk Inventor and Revit engines.

Data Management API manages files across A360, Fusion 360, and BIM 360 Docs, as well as Forge’s native Object Storage Service. Use a unified interface to upload/download data files from different Autodesk products and web services. Access project- and file-level data for integrating with other enterprise or project systems.

To view all other APIs and services, visit APIs Documentation.

New APIs and additional software components will be released on an ongoing basis. Sign up to our Forge Community Newsletter to receive updates about new releases.

No.

When you run out of Cloud Credits, you may contact us at forge.sales@autodesk.com to purchase additional Cloud Credits for consumption. We will not turn off access to APIs without notifying you. We do reserve the right to limit excessive usage and will communicate with you before API usage is affected.

Forge is a set of RESTful APIs. As such, you can use the development languages and tools of your choice. In addition, the Forge Viewer is a client-side JavaScript component and so it exposes a JavaScript API.

The Forge trial and Cloud Credits are available worldwide. If you have additional questions please email forge.sales@autodesk.com.

1. We build security into our products by following secure development practices throughout the product lifecycle. By doing so, Autodesk creates products that are more resilient to threats and makes it harder for attackers to develop exploits, which helps us protect our customers and their assets.
2. Autodesk uses active monitoring and threat intelligence to help detect and contain threats to Autodesk’s cloud.
3. We respond effectively to reduce customer risk. No matter how stringent we have been in building defenses, attackers may still find a way to compromise them. We work proactively to prioritize and address security weaknesses so we can quickly neutralize the threat. Additionally, communicating transparently with our customers so that they can take steps to protect themselves is a critical part of product security.
4. We comply with industry regulations and standards. We use third-party attestations to make sure we are focusing on the right elements and activities to secure our environments. Our philosophy is that compliance should be a by-product of good security.
5. For more information about our security practices, visit the Autodesk Trust Center. If you want to learn more about developing a secure application, check out our RSA conference presentation.

For more information about our security practices, visit the Autodesk Trust Center. If you want to learn more about developing a secure application, check out our RSA conference presentation.

Forge is a platform that we currently offer via purchase order. However, we see a huge opportunity for our reseller community to join our growing team of certified systems integrator partners, selling solutions and applications to third parties on the Forge platform.