Autodesk buys long-time partner Vela Systems

Vela helps Autodesk bring construction management systems to tablets

Autodesk, a major player in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced this morning that it acquired a cloud management software service Vela Systems. Vela Systems field management products will now be a part of Autodesk’s growing portfolio of cloud and mobile products to expand the services of its Building Information Modeling (BIM). 

BIM is model–based process that provides insight for creating and managing building and infrastructure projects faster, more economically and with less environmental impact. Autodesk BIM solutions for building and infrastructure lifecycles are based on intelligent models created with Autodesk Revit building design software products and AutoCAD Civil 3D civil engineering software. 

The exact terms of the acquisition was not publicly disclosed.

Massachusetts-based Vela Systems has been a long-time partner of Autodesk's and the new absorption will streamline their services by virtual shifting around project process such as inventory management, document tracking, and construction plans to the cloud for easier editing and organization. 

“BIM has tremendous value in the planning and design aspects of construction projects, but if you can’t get that rich data into the field, at the point of construction, you are leaving out the critical ‘last 100 yards’ in the process. Integrating Vela Systems and its cloud and mobile products with the Autodesk BIM portfolio transforms the business of construction, delivering valuable information to job sites anywhere in the world,” said Amar Hanspal, an Autodesk Senior Vice President, Information Modeling and Platform Products Group, in a statement this morning.

Vela Systems was founded from research at the MIT Center fro Real Estate and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2010, Vela Systems received a $6 million Series B round from Autodesk as well as backers Commonwealth Capital Ventures, GrandBanks Capital and unnamed private individuals.

Vela Systems software and services are integrated with current Autodesk integrated project management software including Autodesk Navisworks, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry’s standard comprehensive set of integration, analysis, and communication tools for project review.