About the Autodesk Group Network
The mission, vision, and history of the Autodesk Group Network.
The Autodesk Group Network is a global network of user groups, developer groups, and online groups focused on Autodesk products and associated industry practices.
Go to the Autodesk Group Network website to see groups that are part of the network and learn more about the program.
The program was founded in 2019 and is part of a long history of community groups for Autodesk products.
It started by simply building relationships with group leaders to connect and support existing groups.
The Community Dojo is the program’s first major collaborative and generative project.
Mission and Vision
The Autodesk Group Network envisions a world where people connect in community to share knowledge and collaborate across firms and industries to improve the use of design technology and make a better world.
The mission is to create a global network of user groups and underpin this community with the tools and resources they need to:
Manage user groups
Grow their communities
Connect and collaborate with other leaders
Reach personal and professional goals
Adopt new and better ways of working
Autodesk supports without centrally controlling or owning user groups, and aims to create deeper connections between groups and with Autodesk.
Timeline of Autodesk Community and Groups
The Autodesk Group Network appreciates and recognizes the long and rich history of the Autodesk community and user groups that came before the program's founding.
Jan 30, 1982 - Autodesk founded
1983 - CADalyst magazine launched as the first magazine for AutoCAD users.
It began as a newsletter for the AutoCAD User Group, then became the “journal” for AutoCAD users a year later. Autodesk initially helped fund the printing and distributed the magazine to all registered users. (source)
1986 - there are over 50 local user groups in North America, many of which published newsletters or maintained on-line bulletin boards
1986 - A/E/C SYSTEMS conference was the first National AutoCAD User Group meeting (source)
1989 - The Jacksonville AutoCAD User Group is founded. As of Aug 2020, it is the oldest continually operating local user group.
Late 80's & early 90's - CADCamps were the premier AutoCAD dealer event of the year
Aug 1990 - NAAUG is founded (The North American AutoCAD User Group eventually becomes AUGI)
Autodesk helped in establishing and managing this group
NAAUG had a significant impact on Autodesk’s product direction. Previously customers could only communicate ideas and grievances to Autodesk through dealers or a CompuServe bulletin board. (source)
Oct 1993 - first Autodesk University in San Francisco California.
The first AU was hosted by NAAUG/ AUGI. Autodesk and Miller Freeman Publishing expanded the educational elements of the NAAUG annual meeting. (source)
1996 - North American Autodesk User Group becomes Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) (source)
1999 - AUGI becomes a financially independent organization from Autodesk
1999 - Autodesk establishes forums in English and French
2003 - AUGI forums were established (replacing AUGI's e-mail-based guilds)
2007 - Autodesk forums extended to Spanish and Portuguese languages
2008 - First Autodesk University international (in Japan & China)
2008-2010 - Autodesk forums extend to Russian, Chinese, and Japanese, languages
2012 - the first Autodesk Expert Elite was inducted at AU 2012 (November)
2011 - Autodesk Dynamo is created. This exciting and powerful open-source project eventually catalyzed many Dynamo User Groups (DUGs)
2014 - Autodesk forums extend to Turkish language
2019 - Autodesk Group Network is launched at AU 2019 (November)
Nov 2018 - AUGI decides to focus on its publications and disinvests from its program of supporting local user groups (LUGs).
Feb-April 2019 - Autodesk Group Network program is co-designed between the Autodesk Community team and current Autodesk group leaders. The program is designed to include online groups in addition to traditional physical/ local user groups.
Sept 2019 - First group leader call as the Autodesk Group Network
2020 - The Community Dojo website is launched. It is the first collaborative, generative, open source project by leaders within the Autodesk Group Network.
Other articles on Autodesk community history
Autodesk University History (by Shaan Hurley in the Between the Lines blog)
CADHistory.net (BOOK: The Engineering Design Revolution - The People, Companies and Computer Systems That Changed Forever the Practice of Engineering by David E. Weisberg)
Digging the DUG: Dynamo User Groups (by Colin McCrone)
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