We recently partnered with TD Synnex to host a webinar, Using Autodesk for Government: Secure and Efficient Projects in the Cloud. After a brief overview of the Autodesk for Government (AFG) products - Autodesk Docs for Government and Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro for Government - we held a live Q&A session with our AFG experts:
- Allyson Higgins, Director of Public Sector Sales at CADD Microsystems, An ARKANCE Company
- Wes Newman, Federal Solutions Executive at Autodesk
- Jason Kunkel, Senior AEC Practice Manager at CADD Microsystems, An ARKANCE Company
If you weren’t able to attend or didn’t get your questions answered live during the session, here’s a recap of the questions and answers.
1. When using Autodesk for Government, will it still copy a file to your desktop to work from, and then return it to the cloud?
When using Revit through Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro for Government, the application will download a local version of the cloud model to improve performance, but this is invisible to the Revit user. Just like working with a workshared model on a local file server, SAVING the model will update the local copy, and SYNCING will update the cloud hosted model.
-Jason Kunkel
2. For accounts that already are assigned licenses, do they need new licenses for Revit in AFG?
If Revit users are using the same email address for their AFG login as they use for their Revit access, they do not need a new license. In some situations, organizations who require a higher level of security may create a distinct domain and email addresses for AFG use. In this case, these new emails need to be assigned to a Revit license.
-Jason Kunkel
3. Is BIM Collaborate Pro for Government also for Civil 3D models, not just Revit?
At this time, BIM Collaborate Pro for Government only supports working on Revit models directly in the AFG project. The commercial BIM Collaborate Pro does support Civil 3D. This is achieved, partly, by using the Desktop Connector, which at this time is not supported for Autodesk for Government.
-Jason Kunkel
4. Jason stated that users can bring their own licenses, but those licenses can't be commercial. What if we want the selected Contractor to have access to the project files; would they need an AFG license?
Jason is clearly very smart and handsome, too. To log in to an AFG project, users need an AFG license – either Docs for Government or BIM Collaborate Pro for Government.
-Jason Kunkel
5. If the prime hosts the project on BIM Collaborate Pro, does the entire team need to subscribe to BIM Collaborate Pro?
Any user wanting to take advantage of storing and editing a Revit model in the cloud through AFG needs to have a BIM Collaborate Pro for Government license. If you do not need to use Revit and only need to view the model through the AFG project website for review and markup, only Docs for Government is needed.
-Jason Kunkel
6. Is Docs like Bluebeam Revu?
For PDFs, Docs has a set of similar markup features to Bluebeam Revu. However, Docs is also able to markup Revit models and DWGs in the same interface.
-Jason Kunkel
7. Is the Government Suite CMMC qualified?
CMMC is a certification for organizations to demonstrate their security protocols. CMMC does not directly apply to cloud software. But, in CADD’s experience acquiring our CMMC-2 certification, having access to and using AFG was key to demonstrating the security to host certain data in a cloud project environment. Please consult your own CMMC experts for your specific needs.
-Jason Kunkel
8. What are the main differences between this and regular ACC other, than security features?
The security features are the key difference. But that can lead to a significant difference between the kind of data organizations can work with and what kind of projects they many be able to work on.
-Jason Kunkel
9. How does AFG manage the different (and changing) security levels for the individual files and the security clearances of the users?
Autodesk for Government stays current with evolving security threats and federal standards by following FedRAMP’s continuous monitoring requirements, which include monthly vulnerability scans, regular reporting, annual third-party assessments, and documented security change controls to maintain its authorization.
-Wes Newman
10. What’s the difference between ACC Pro and AFG?
Autodesk Docs for Government vs Autodesk Docs | Compare Features | Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro for Government vs BIM Collaborate Pro | Compare Features | Autodesk
-Wes Newman
11. I thought that Autodesk was discontinuing BIM 360, so will there eventually be ACC for Government
Autodesk for Government is built on the BIM 360 technology stack. Evaluations are underway with regards to integrating ACC into the secure FedRAMP environment.
-Wes Newman
12. Any ETA on an ACC or "Build" version of AFG? OR will this reside in BIM 360 land for a few years?
There isn't an ETA on ACC or "Build" being incorporated into Autodesk for Government at this time.
-Wes Newman
13. Is the AFG price similar to the commercial version of BIM 360/ACC? Or is there a premium for AFG licenses?
Autodesk for Government's cost is higher than the commercial environment due to the increase cost associated with deploying and maintain the platform in a higher security environment.
-Wes Newman
14. Is there an ACC option or is AFG only available in BIM 360? Also, is Model Coordination/Clash Detection available?
Currently AFG runs on the BIM 360 platform only. Model Coordination is not a feature that is supported in AFG.
-Jason Kunkel
15. Are models automatically linked or does that have to be done prior to upload?
Revit models will actually most likely need to be linked AFTER upload, so Revit can recognize the path as the cloud project. But, this can be done at any point when needed in the project. There is practically no difference to how Revit users will interact with the vast majority of the application, and only minor changes to their workflows.
-Jason Kunkel
16. What are the specific security features that will be utilized?
Autodesk for Government is FedRAMP Moderate authorized. FedRAMP moderate utilizes 323 security controls. https://www.fedramp.gov/assets/resources/documents/FedRAMP_Security_Controls_Baseline.xlsx
-Wes Newman
17. Has this been approved by DoD yet?
Currently Autodesk for Government has no active Authority to Operate (ATO) approvals from any Department of Defense (DoD) agencies.
-Wes Newman
18. Do you have to have a second email address for a second Autodesk account or are you allowed to use the same email address you are using for the commercial product?
You can use the same email address for both AFG and your “standard” Autodesk account. The key for AFG is to have the domain properly set up with SSO during the initialization.
-Jason Kunkel
19. Please go into the process for achieving FedRAMP compliance. Who audited the system for compliance?
Autodesk for Government is FedRAMP Moderate compliant and has received its Authority to Operate (ATO) through the General Services Administration (GSA) - a federal agency - which officially sponsored and approved the authorization.
-Wes Newman
20. Does a new Autodesk user need to be created for the AFG vs the standard ACC/Docs usage?
Yes. Every user will need a new login on the Autodesk for Government websites. You can consider the commercial and government Autodesk servers to be wholly independent of each other. This is required and expected for the high level of security in AFG.
-Jason Kunkel
21. Is this using BIM 360 Backend or ACC? Or is it something completely new that is a mix of both?
AFG is using BIM 360 as its foundation.
-Jason Kunkel
22. Has AFG been approved for use on NAVFAC projects?
Currently Autodesk for Government has no active Authority to Operate (ATO) approvals from any Department of Defense (DoD) agencies.
-Wes Newman
23. I am a Project manager working for the government. My architects already have Revit models created. Can they be converted to the AFG environment?
Yes. Once your Revit users have access to an AFG project, they can open the model detached, and then save it to the cloud. This is a process that experienced Revit users or your BIM Manager should be familiar with.
-Jason Kunkel
24. Can AFG be used to share scan point clouds (Recap)? Which (Docs or BCP) would be better for that, or do they both have that capability?
Autodesk for Government currently does not support the sharing or viewing of point cloud data.
-Wes Newman
25. If someone is using Flex tokens, how do they get a license?
Civilian government contractors with an EBA in place with Autodesk can use tokens. Current Autodesk customers must sign an amendment to their EBA to have access to the Autodesk for Government offerings. Revit Cloud Worksharing as part of Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro for Government is tokenized at 1.5x the commercial token rate. The token consumption for the Design Collaboration and Docs modules of Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro for Government will be based on annualized project value (unlimited users).
-Wes Newman
26. What is the level of FedRAMP for AFG?
Please refer to the AFG website for details on its status. https://www.autodesk.com/industry/government/autodesk-for-government
-Jason Kunkel
27. Are there plans to incorporate Autodesk Desktop Connector into this workflow or have it auto shutdown ADC when switching to the AFG environment?
Autodesk Desktop Connector is high on the priority list for future incorporation into the platform.
-Wes Newman
28. Would each user need to have a subscription for both ACC and AFG?
Users that need to work on projects in both ACC and AFG will need a subscription for both. Users that only work in one or the other only need a license for that platform.
-Jason Kunkel
29. Is there a price difference between the AEC Collection and AFG? Also, is there a small bump in price if we already have AECC?
Autodesk for Government's cost is higher than the commercial environment due to the increase cost associated with deploying and maintain the platform in a higher security environment.
-Wes Newman
30. If you are working on both commercial and government projects, how will Revit know which cloud to send a model to?
Revit has a small application called “Switch Autodesk Environment” that users run before launching Revit. The interface is simply a toggle between “Commercial” and “Autodesk for Government.” Once selected, they can open Revit and it will work in that environment. You cannot access ACC projects while having Autodesk for Government toggled, and vice-versa.
-Jason Kunkel
31. Related to the "Switch Autodesk Environment" application, can you have multiple Revit applications, one running AFG and one for ACC?
This is not supported.
-Jason Kunkel
32. Can you clarify that Revit from the AEC collection works with BIM Collab Pro for Government via the environment switcher?
You do not need to install a different version of Revit. All versions since 2024 have come already installed with the environment switcher… you just probably didn’t need to know about it. Please refer to the AFG help page for details. https://help.autodesk.com/view/DOCSGV/ENU/?guid=Start_Revit_In_Autodesk_For_Government
-Jason Kunkel
33. Other than US govt security certification, what other global security certification does AFG have…or is looking to obtain?
Autodesk for Government maintains FedRAMP Moderate authorization exclusively for U.S. government use and has not been certified under any additional global security frameworks. As a FedRAMP-designated platform, it cannot be used for international or non-governmental projects or for data requiring other compliance regimes.
-Wes Newman
34. If a user is working on both commercial and government projects, do they need separate license types?
Users will need both a license to access the commercial ACC platform plus a license to access the AFG platform, if they need to work on both platforms concurrently. Revit licenses only need to be the commercial license, but will need the BIM Collaborate Pro for Government license to save and work on their models in the cloud.
-Jason Kunkel
As you can tell, we had a lively and inquisitive group and we were happy to get so many questions!
If you have additional Autodesk for Government questions, feel free to reach out to our experts here. We can get you the answer you need, and help you get started with Autodesk Docs for Government and Autodesk BIM Collaborate Pro for Government.