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Forma Is the Roadmap; Revit Is Still the Production Desk — giantA's Reading of Autodesk AU 2026

20 September 2026 by
Forma Is the Roadmap; Revit Is Still the Production Desk — giantA's Reading of Autodesk AU 2026
giantA Pty Ltd, Franz Phan

At Autodesk University 2026, Autodesk put more AI direction into Revit and Forma — but Revit remains the production desk for detailed design and documentation. AU 2026 adds announced workflows with architects reviewing and accepting results, not a flip to Forma tomorrow. Here is giantA's Revit-first reading for NSW practices.

What Autodesk said about AI inside Revit at AU 2026

On 15 September 2026, Amy Bunszel's Autodesk News piece on Forma, AI and connected AEC workflows stated that in Revit, "new AI-powered workflows can autocomplete room elements, optimize annotations, and automate documentation across multiple views, with architects reviewing and accepting the results." The same article frames those capabilities as directional — "these new capabilities show where we are headed" — and the FAQ highlights "AI-powered room and documentation workflows in Revit."

That wording matters for a documentation desk. Autodesk announced the three workflows with an explicit human accept step. It did not label them generally available in that AU 2026 article (unlike, for example, Forma Bid described as available in beta on the same page). For giantA, treat AU 2026 room, annotation and multi-view documentation AI as announced / directional, not as a shipping date for every Revit seat.

Primary source: Autodesk Forma AI AEC connected workflows 2026 (Bunszel, 15 Sep 2026).

Autodesk Assistant in Revit today (Tech Preview)

Separately from the AU 2026 announcements, Autodesk Assistant in Revit already has a named baseline: Tech Preview, not generally available. Autodesk's April 2026 AEC Tech Drop describes focused workflow areas including Model Query, Export, Sheet Management & Documentation, Room Management, Schedules & Data Management, and Element Operations & Manipulation. Demo language covers generating a floor plan, applying a view template, automatically tagging rooms, creating sheets, layout and PDF export.

Autodesk's own caveats are clear: Assistant in Revit is "intentionally designed to support a focused set of workflows, rather than every Revit task," and Tech Preview means "early access to new pre-release capabilities" with "no commitments or warranties during this phase."

Do not blur this with Assistant being generally available across many other Autodesk products (including Fusion, Forma and Flow). Revit Assistant remains Tech Preview on the April 2026 product blogs.

Sources:

Forma is the roadmap; Revit is still the path

Autodesk is candid about direction. Bunszel (15 Sep 2026) writes: "Over time, more of the design, analysis, coordination, and documentation work architects do in Revit today will happen directly in Forma. We will continue to advance Revit and connect it more closely to Forma to give our customers a practical path towards that future."

The FAQ on the same page ("Will Autodesk Forma replace Revit?") answers: "Over time, yes. More and more of the work that happens in Revit today will happen directly in Forma. That is intentional. … We will not force a sudden transition, but the direction is clear: more AEC work will happen directly in Forma. We will continue investing in Revit to give customers a practical path toward that future."

The 15 September 2026 press release on agentic AI puts it another way: "Forma is the future of AEC products like Revit, bringing the capabilities customers rely on today into a more connected, cloud-based, and AI-native way of working."

Practical today, from Dan Lohmeyer's August 2026 Q&A on Revit as a Forma Connected Client: Revit remains essential for detailed design, documentation and coordination; Forma Site Design / Building Design cover earlier stages; and Revit is the first Forma Connected Client, still in Tech Preview as of that August piece. That is a path, not a flip-the-switch replacement of the production desk.

Sources:

What's preview for 2027 (don't confuse with shipping)

Keep three bins separate:

  1. Assistant in Revit Tech Preview — already named (April 2026); focused workflows; not GA.
  2. AU 2026 Revit AI announcements — autocomplete room elements, optimize annotations, automate documentation across multiple views, with architects reviewing and accepting; directional, no GA badge in the AU 2026 article.
  3. 2027-planned items — next-gen Assistant and Drawing Compliance Review.

On next-gen Autodesk Assistant, the 15 September 2026 press release is explicit: Autodesk is previewing the next generation (agentic, cross-product / project / team). "The next-generation experience is not yet generally available." Expanded capabilities are "planned to begin rolling out in 2027." "Availability, rollout timing, subscription terms, and regional details … will be announced in 2027." A standalone experience is likewise "planned for 2027." Andrew Anagnost's AU 2026 vision piece the same day aligns with that timing language.

Drawing Change Analysis was announced at AU 2026 under Forma Data Management: Autodesk Assistant "can search inside drawings and take users directly to relevant sheets, while Drawing Change Analysis helps teams identify meaningful differences between revisions faster." Autodesk used announcement present tense without a clear GA / beta badge in that bullet — so do not treat it as confirmed GA from the AU 2026 text alone.

Drawing Compliance Review is "planned for early next year" — early 2027. Autodesk says it will evaluate drawing packages against "building codes, design standards, and owner requirements you bring to the project," "surfacing potential issues earlier while professional review remains part of the process."

Sources:

NSW / giantA practice notes

For NSW documentation leads, Autodesk's own limits are as important as the demos.

Australia data region for Connected Client Tech Preview. Autodesk Help for Forma Connected Client Tech Preview (Revit 2027) states that Tech Preview features are currently supported only for projects stored in data regions for the United States (US), European Union (EU), and Australia (AUS). So AUS is in the supported set for the preview — that is not the same as production readiness.

Not for production. The same Help page says: "We do not recommend using these features and capabilities on production projects."

Human-in-the-loop. Bunszel ties Revit AI documentation workflows to architects reviewing and accepting results. Compliance Review language keeps "professional review" in the process. The press release on next-gen Assistant stresses that it "keeps professionals in control," should "support professional judgment, with appropriate controls and human oversight," and points to AI Transparency Cards.

What we will not claim. No Autodesk primary source in the research pack claims NSW NCC / BCA auto-compliance, AU-region GA of next-gen Assistant, or that Drawing Compliance Review is live today. giantA will not treat AI output as a stamp on NSW drawings or as a substitute for registered architect / certifier judgment.

Roadmap and Safe Harbor language from Autodesk also applies: purchasing decisions should not rely on roadmap statements; timing may change (Lohmeyer 20 Aug 2026; press Safe Harbor).

Help source: Forma Connected Client Tech Preview (Revit 2027 Help).

Practical next steps for giantA teams

  1. Pilot Assistant Tech Preview off production. Use named workflows (rooms, sheets, tags, schedules) on non-critical models. Keep production QA human.
  2. Bin AU 2026 announcements as directional. Watch for product pages that actually label GA or beta before you change documentation SOPs for live DA / CDC / CC packages.
  3. Watch 2027 for next-gen Assistant rollout timing (regional details TBD) and Drawing Compliance Review (planned early 2027, with professional review still required).
  4. Treat Forma Connected Client as a path, not a cutover. Keep investing in Revit production standards while following Autodesk's own "no sudden transition" stance.
  5. Soft CTA — documentation, not software sales. If you need coordinated architectural documentation or DA packages in NSW, request a review with giantA. We sell design and documentation service — not Autodesk seats.

FAQs

Does Autodesk Forma replace Revit after AU 2026?

Autodesk's direction is that more AEC work will happen in Forma over time, while it continues to invest in Revit and will not force a sudden transition — so Revit remains the production desk for detailed design and documentation today. See Bunszel, 15 Sep 2026.

Is Autodesk Assistant in Revit generally available?

Autodesk labels Assistant in Revit as a Tech Preview (not GA), focused on named workflows, with no warranties during the preview phase. See the 22 Apr 2026 Tech Preview post.

Is the next-generation Autodesk Assistant available in NSW now?

No. At AU 2026 Autodesk previewed the next-generation experience; the press release states it is not yet generally available, with rollout and regional details planned to be announced in 2027. See the 15 Sep 2026 press release.

Is Drawing Compliance Review live?

No. Autodesk describes Drawing Compliance Review as planned for early 2027, and says professional review remains part of the process. See Bunszel, 15 Sep 2026.

Related links

Autodesk primary sources cited

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