As audiences demand higher quality content and productions grow in scope, managing data, workflows, and teams is becoming increasingly complex.

Thousands of artists collaborate across many departments and studios to bring these massive projects to life. A single project involves countless shots and assets and hundreds of scenes. Collaborators use a wide array of tools that store data in different ways and in various places, ultimately fragmenting workflows, slowing artists down, and limiting creativity.

But the pieces are now in place for a major industry transformation. To solve these challenges, we’re connecting every stage of production, unifying people, data, and workflows to unlock new opportunities for innovation and creativity.

Autodesk Flow sets stage for new, open ways of working 

At AU, I’m sharing how we’re building a more connected, creative and resilient future with Autodesk Flow, Autodesk’s industry cloud for Media & Entertainment (M&E).

Flow helps accelerate the development of connected workflows by putting data, not files, at the center of collaboration.

Underpinning Flow is our cloud data model, built with open APIs, that structures all the data created and consumed throughout the production pipeline. It allows you to capture, re-use, and track data, acting as the single source of truth for all assets, versions, and feedback in a production.

From individual artists to entire departments and studios, everyone can work on tasks simultaneously, rather than waiting for one group to finish their work before another can take over.

Short film created and produced entirely in Autodesk Flow tells the heartwarming story of a girl and her robot.

Flow connects entire production pipeline

With the introduction of Flow Capture, currently known as Moxion, and Flow Production Tracking, currently known as ShotGrid, we’re connecting on-set and post-production data to the M&E data model. This enables the seamless management of assets from the camera to post-production.

Enabled by open standards, Flow will allow our existing content creation tools, starting with Maya, and third-party tools from SideFX, Avid, and The Foundry to plug into an open ecosystem. Artists will no longer have to chase down files, as they’ll have access to everything they need to get started—including storyboards and production data—right in the tools they already use every day.

Over time, we’ll unite the entire production pipeline to enable seamless workflows that expand out from post-production to all other areas of the production pipeline. Flow will provide immediate access to production data, strengthening the connections between phases of production and improving efficiency.

As we’re building Flow, games are top of mind too. We’re working with customers like Electronic Arts to gain critical insights on enhancing game production workflows to help manage the many project assets, stakeholders, and complexity.

AI-powered future possible maximizing use of data

By using data in a connected environment, we have more opportunities to use artificial intelligence as a force for automation and productivity.

AI-powered Generative Scheduling on Flow automates production workflows.

One example is scheduling, where constantly shifting variables between teams and budgets have long been managed manually, often by one person. With AI-powered Generative Scheduling on Flow, we are automating a process that could easily take days, instead delivering faster results in minutes. You can predict, plan, and right-size your resources to make space for creative bandwidth when you need it. When last-minute changes arise, it’s easy to grasp the impact–not just on a single production’s schedule and budget, but across the studio’s entire portfolio.

New Maya plug-in enables Maya users to seamlessly export CG characters from Autodesk Maya into Wonder Studio.

We’re also collaborating with Wonder Dynamics to automate creative workflows with AI. In this case, we’re using it to automatically animate, light, and compose CG characters in a live-action scene. With the new Maya plug-in, we’re enabling Maya users to seamlessly export CG characters from Autodesk Maya into Wonder Studio. On top of that, artists will be able to export 3D scenes out of Wonder Studio back into Maya, with animation, camera, and lighting data so artists can have full creative control of each individual element. Previously, complex workflows like this could only be pulled off by studios with large budgets, but automation is giving studios of all sizes the capacity to build epic stories. The power gained by combining AI solutions with Flow will create more opportunities for everyone.

Connected workflows, creative content are the future

Autodesk is changing the industry for the better by connecting data, workflows, teams, and studios across the production pipeline. Streamlining collaboration will help navigate the complexity and pressure of our industry so artists can focus on what matters—their art.

We’re sharing the full story of Flow at AU 2023 and giving media and entertainment professionals opportunities to connect, interact, and discover how visionary studios are using Autodesk’s design and make solutions to bring the full context of a production into focus to create incredible stories.

Walt Disney Animation Studios delights audiences with Wish, in theaters from Nov. 22.

Among those visionaries is Walt Disney Animation Studios, joining us on stage to give a sneak peek at the intricate process behind making their latest masterpiece, Wish, a culmination of technology, animation and human ambition.

I invite you to join our keynotes, theater sessions, and classes on demand.

Safe Harbor Statement

This communication contains forward-looking statements regarding Autodesk AI and the Autodesk Design and Make Platform and are not intended to be a promise or guarantee of future availability of products, services, or features but merely reflect our current plans based on factors currently known to us. Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial results of Autodesk are included in Autodesk’s Form 10-K and subsequent Forma 10-Q, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Autodesk disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.