What is Autodesk
Construction Cloud
the platform we use every day
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is Autodesk’s cloud platform that brings together the BIM models, drawings, documents and workflows of a project in a Common Data Environment, with role-based access. It is the reference platform on which A3D safeguards the documentation of the industrial plants it digitises and keeps it up to date.
Keep reading: which modules ACC offers and which one matters for your plant ↓
From BIM 360 to Autodesk Construction Cloud
You will see the platform written as “ACC”, “autodesk acc” or “acc autodesk”: they are the same thing. And anyone who has been in the BIM world for a while knew it by another name before.
Autodesk Construction Cloud is the set of cloud applications with which Autodesk covers the life cycle of a construction project or a facility: design, coordination, construction and operation. The underlying idea is a Common Data Environment (CDE): a single place where the models, drawings and documents reside, with role-based permissions, version control and a 2D/3D viewer in the browser. Every discipline works on the same information, in its current version.
Where it comes from: ACC is the evolution of BIM 360. For years, Autodesk’s collaborative BIM work in the cloud relied on the BIM 360 family (BIM 360 Docs, Design, Coordinate and Build). Autodesk unified that ecosystem under the umbrella of Autodesk Construction Cloud, with renewed modules that share a single document repository and a single account administration. Anyone coming from BIM 360 recognises the ideas: the module names and the way they are administered change, and you gain a single repository for everything.
It helps to be clear about the right term: Autodesk is the manufacturer of the platform, and ACC is its product. At A3D we use it every day as the reference platform for managing the documentation of the plants we measure and model.
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is Autodesk’s cloud platform — the successor to BIM 360 — that brings together the BIM models, drawings and documents of a project in a Common Data Environment with role-based access.
The modules of Autodesk Construction Cloud
ACC is made up of several products that share the same repository. These are the four that come up first in day-to-day engineering work, explained by what each one is for.
- The one that matters for your plant Autodesk Docs The common repository for documents and models, and the heart of ACC. This is where the as-built BIM model, the drawings and the files reside, with version control, role-based permissions and a 2D/3D viewer in the browser. For the document management of a plant that is already built, Docs is the module in charge.
- Construction phase Autodesk Build Construction and field management: tracking of issues, RFIs, work reports, checklists and quality control during execution. Aimed at on-site teams and construction coordination.
- Coordination between disciplines BIM Collaborate / Pro Model coordination and clash detection in the cloud. The Pro version adds co-design directly on the shared model from Revit, Civil 3D or AutoCAD Plant 3D, so that several engineering firms resolve clashes before they reach site.
- Measurements Autodesk Takeoff Quantity take-off and measurements on 2D/3D drawings and models, to budget and extract works quantities from the same source as the rest of the project, instead of from loose files.
For an industrial plant that already exists, new-build design and construction coordination weigh less: what solves day-to-day issues is having the documentation organised, up to date in a single place and accessible by role. That is why, of the four modules, the one that governs our work is Autodesk Docs, delivered in formats you already work with — .rvt · .nwd · .ifc — and browsable in the viewer.
ReCap Pro: from point cloud to BIM model
ReCap Pro is Autodesk’s tool for working with point clouds. It is the piece that turns what the laser scanner measures into the basis on which modelling is done.
When A3D laser-scans a plant, each scan station produces a cloud of millions of points with the coordinates of the real condition: structure, equipment, piping and ductwork exactly as they are. ReCap Pro registers and joins those scans into a single point cloud project (.rcp / .rcs format), cleans it and leaves it ready to serve as the basis for modelling.
On that registered point cloud the BIM model is rebuilt in Revit or AutoCAD Plant 3D: each element is drawn over the measurement, so that the twin matches the real geometry of the plant, including whatever has gone out of square over the years. The cleaned point cloud is also shared in ACC as part of the deliverable, measurable and browsable by your team.
ReCap Pro registers and cleans the point cloud from the laser scan and leaves it ready as the basis for BIM modelling: it is the bridge between the scanner’s measurement and the model rebuilt in Revit or AutoCAD Plant 3D.
How much Autodesk Construction Cloud costs and how it is licensed
How to purchase the platform and where to look up the current fee, with the right source for the amount.
ACC is purchased by subscription through Autodesk. It is licensed per product — Autodesk Docs, Autodesk Build, BIM Collaborate or BIM Collaborate Pro, Takeoff — or in bundles that combine several modules, with a seat or user model depending on the scope. ReCap Pro and Revit are licensed separately, also by subscription, and are part of the toolkit with which the model is produced.
As for the amount, the valid source is Autodesk’s official price list, which Autodesk publishes and updates on its website for each product and subscription period. Amounts are reviewed over time and vary by country and channel, so the reliable reference for the current fee is always Autodesk’s official price list.
And the licences, when A3D manages your documentation
When A3D safeguards and keeps your plant’s documentation up to date on ACC, the necessary licences are included in the management plan: your team works on the platform at the contracted level, with a single point of management and a single invoice.
A3D’s service — managing the digital twin so it stays up to date — starts at around €400/month (estimated), and the scope and fee are agreed after a 15-minute conversation about your model. The details of the plans are in Pricing.
How A3D uses Autodesk Construction Cloud
At A3D, ACC is the Common Data Environment where the BIM digital twin of your plant resides and is kept up to date. The platform is the medium; the maintained twin is the result.
The as-built BIM model we rebuild on the point cloud, the drawings and the documentation are safeguarded in Autodesk Docs, with role-based access and a single current version for engineering, maintenance and purchasing. That is the starting point for your plant to have a single trusted source, the one that has the final say, instead of network folders and emails with attachments.
On that basis, A3D structures document management in three cumulative levels, so that you choose how far to go according to your operation:
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1
Custody
Your as-built documentation in a single, backed-up environment on ACC, owned by you and with role-based access. Each person opens and downloads what applies to them, always in the current version.
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2
Traceability
Everything in Custody, and in addition every change is recorded with name, date and reason, with review and approval workflows on the model. An audit or a claim is answered by looking at the history.
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3
Up-to-date twin
Everything in Traceability, and in addition the twin is updated as the plant changes, with scheduled rescans of the areas under intervention. The day a job starts, the model is today’s plant.
A3D uses Autodesk Construction Cloud as the Common Data Environment of the BIM digital twin: the as-built model, drawings and documentation reside in Autodesk Docs and are kept up to date level by level — Custody, Traceability and Up-to-date twin.
See how document management works at three levels →, detailing what each level includes and what is resolved at each one.
Frequently asked questions about Autodesk Construction Cloud
The answers to the most common searches about “acc autodesk”, with the right source for the price and the role of each piece.
What is Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC)?
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is Autodesk’s cloud platform for managing the information of a construction project or a facility throughout its life cycle. BIM models, drawings, documents and workflows reside in a Common Data Environment (CDE) that each person accesses according to their role. It brings together modules such as Autodesk Docs, Autodesk Build, BIM Collaborate and Takeoff on a single repository and a single account administration.
How does ACC relate to BIM 360?
Autodesk Construction Cloud is the evolution of BIM 360. Autodesk unified the BIM 360 family (Docs, Design, Coordinate, Build) under ACC, with renewed modules that share a single document repository and a single account administration. Anyone who worked in BIM 360 will recognise the concepts; the module names and the way they are administered change.
How much does Autodesk Construction Cloud cost?
ACC is purchased by subscription through Autodesk, per product (Autodesk Docs, Autodesk Build, BIM Collaborate or BIM Collaborate Pro, Takeoff) or in bundles that combine several modules. For the current fee, see Autodesk’s official pricing, which lists the amounts per product and period on its website and is updated over time. When A3D manages your plant’s documentation, the necessary licences are included in the management plan; that service starts at around €400/month (estimated), and the scope is agreed after a 15-minute conversation.
Which modules does Autodesk Construction Cloud include?
The main modules of ACC are Autodesk Docs (a common repository for documents and models, with version control and role-based permissions), Autodesk Build (construction and field management: issues, RFIs, daily reports and quality control), BIM Collaborate and BIM Collaborate Pro (coordination between disciplines, clash detection and co-design in Revit, Civil 3D or AutoCAD Plant 3D) and Takeoff (measurements and quantity take-off on drawings and models). All of them share the same Docs repository.
What is ReCap Pro for?
ReCap Pro is Autodesk’s tool for working with point clouds. When a plant is laser-scanned, the result is a cloud of millions of points with the coordinates of its real condition. ReCap Pro registers and joins the individual scans into a single point cloud project, cleans it and leaves it ready as the basis for BIM modelling: on that point cloud, the real geometry of structure, equipment and piping is rebuilt in Revit or AutoCAD Plant 3D. It is the bridge between the scanner’s measurement and the model.
Which ACC module matters for a plant’s document management?
For the document management of a plant that is already built, the module that matters is Autodesk Docs. It is the common repository where the as-built BIM model, drawings and documents reside, with version control, role-based permissions and a 2D/3D viewer in the browser. On top of Docs, A3D safeguards and keeps up to date the plant’s documentation in a single current version for engineering, maintenance and purchasing.
The platform is the medium; the up-to-date twin is the result
Autodesk Construction Cloud is an excellent platform for safeguarding and coordinating information. What turns it into value for your plant is having inside it a BIM digital twin that is true to reality and kept up to date: the as-built model of your assets, measured by laser, updated as the plant changes. That is A3D’s work on industrial plants that are already built.
A3D builds the BIM digital twin of your plant on Autodesk Construction Cloud and keeps it up to date, so that you decide on works and interventions based on the measured real plant, across three levels of document management.