Industry Collections

In an effort to reduce the product portfolio and make the customer’s decision easier Autodesk announced the introduction of the Industry Collection. These new Collections are replacing the Design & Creation Suites

“As we continue our transition to a fully subscription-based business, we remain committed to providing you greater value, more flexibility, and a simpler way to access the Autodesk software you need.”

“On August 1, 2016, we will introduce Autodesk industry collections and end the sale of Autodesk Design & Creation Suites” – Jeff Wright, Vice President, Customer Engagement ,Autodesk, Inc.

Design Suite sales end July 31st of this year. All existing premium and ultimate suite subscribers can be upgraded to the appropriate Collection for “free“, for the remainder of their subscription term. Except for AutoCAD premium / ultimate subscribers who will need to pay an upgrade fee to move to the collection. Here are two answers from the Industry Collection FAQ

Will I be able to switch my subscription to an industry collection subscription? Yes, Autodesk will provide a convenient way for you to switch your existing subscription(s) to an industry collection.

Will I be able to switch to industry collections during my subscription? Yes, in October 2016, you will be able to switch during your current subscription term

However, be warned that at the time of your renewal expect to pay more… more value = higher subscription costs.

Three Industry Collections will be available: Architecture, Engineering, & Construction, Product Design, and Media & Entertainment. What are the main advantages of the new Collections vs the old Design Suites (according to Autodesk)?

  • Greater Value – more software
  • Continuous Improvement – collections designed to continuously evolve
  • Greater Flexibility & Choice – available as single or multi-user in different term lengths
  • More Cloud Services
  • Simplified Packaging – one product to choose from

For a listing of what’s included in each Industry Collection visit the Autodesk website.

Is it better?

Let’s compare one of the Ultimate Design Suites to its Industry Collection replacement.

Product Design Suite Ultimate includes Inventor Professional, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, and AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Raster Design, 3ds Max, Alias Design, Navisworks Manage, Vault Basic, and Showcase. For cloud-based services, it includes Fusion 360, ReCap 360, A360, and Rendering in A360

The Product Design Industry Collection removes Alias Design, AutoCAD Raster Design and Showcase, but includes AutoCAD Architecture and the Factory Design Utilities. The included cloud services are Rendering in A360, AutoCAD 360 Pro, Fusion 360, and Recap 360 Pro.

The suggested retail price on the Autodesk website is US$2,460 / year for the Industry Collection vs US$3,730 for the Product Design Suite Ultimate. From an initial cost, the Industry Collection is the better deal in dollars. However, some may find the new collection a step down in functionality as AutoCAD Architecture and the Factory Design Utilities don’t necessarily replace Alias Design.

As a primarily Product Design Suite user I will admit to a bit of envy when I look at the Architectural Industry Collection. For an extra $200 / year it includes Revit,  AutoCAD P&ID, Plant 3D, and the Structural Analysis cloud tools for Revit (amongst much more included software). But if I was a structural detailer or required both Inventor and Revit I might be a bit choked with the removal of Inventor from the bundle as migrating to the collection, unfortunately, means needing to add on a subscription for Inventor.

Final Verdict

I for one am in favour of the reduction of options and was not a fan of having multiple suites to choose from. I do however wish there was a bit more flexibility to swap out software or add-on software at a reduced cost, but it just isn’t in the cards.

Whether you love or hate the changes is really going to depend on your industry and the software you rely on day-to-day. For example, if you are in AEC and don’t require Inventor I think you will love the new bundling of software as it provides great value for the dollar. If you are an Entertainment Creation Suite user you will probably feel indifferent to the changes as nothing has really changed. But if you rely on software that is no longer included in the bundle (like Alias Design) then you’ll probably be sticking with the existing Design Suite for as long as you can..

 

.

Feature Image Young woman trying to check and repair her broken car BY VIKTOR HANACEK