Autodesk announced today that it has entered an agreement to acquire Horizontal Systems, a provider of cloud-based Building Information Modeling (BIM) collaboration solutions for the AEC industries. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in Autodesk's fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 (which ends on Jan. 31, 2012). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal was announced at the AutoCAD manufacturer and producer's annual Autodesk University user conference in Las Vegas.

Corecon Technologies, Inc., a  web-based construction software manufacturer, recently introduced three new options for its flagship product Corecon V7. The new Collaboration, Standard and Estimating Only Editions of Corecon V7 are specifically designed to provide value to architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms that do not require all the functionality included in the current Project Management and Pro Editions.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently announced a marketing partnership agreement, designed to foster a greater understanding and exchange of ideas between architects and contractors in the construction community.

Autodesk Senior Vice President of AEC Solutions Jay Bhatt has left the company to become CEO of Bedford, Mass.-based enterprise software developer Progress Software. Autodesk, the largest manufacturer of AEC software in the US, announced Bhatt's departure on day one of its annual user conference, Autodesk University, in Las Vegas. Jim Lynch, Autodesk Vice President for the building group within the AEC division, will take over Bhatt's responsibilitiies on an interim basis.

The National Building Information Modeling Standard-United States (NBIMS-US) Project Committee has approved 18 submissions to be included in version two of the standard. The approved documents fall into three main categories, reference standards, information exchange standards (which are built upon the reference standards) and best practice guidelines that support users in their implementation of open building information modeling (BIM) standards-based deliverables.

Rand Worldwide, a global  provider of technology solutions to organizations with engineering design and information technology requirements, recently announced its IMAGINiT Technologies division is deploying HP Workstations and Mobile Workstations certified and optimized for Autodesk products. From coast to coast, IMAGINiT’s North American classrooms, mobile labs, as well as service and sales teams, will be outfitted with HP Workstations specifically engineered to maximize the performance of Autodesk software.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently announced that it has added 31 documents to  its web-based AIA Documents-on-Demand service, bringing the total number of documents available through this service to 79. This is the largest addition to Documents-on-Demand and includes most of the G Series forms for contract administration and project management, which are widely-used among contractors.

LotInfo, a provider of location intelligence that assembles property, owner, building and location data for planning, site selection, geo marketing and asset management, announced recently that Version 9 of LotInfo Pro for NYC is now available with updated property, sales and building permit information for the 5 Boroughs of New York City, new links to web-based property data and imagery, and enhanced ability to upload, map and edit in-house data.

Thirty-four construction professionals received a first-ever new national accreditation in the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), a process that relies on computer-generated models to better manage construction projects. The professional accreditation, which is being offered by the Associated General Contractors of America, is the first assessment-based credential to recognize construction professionals on their ability to use the process.

MWH Global, an engineering firm that specializes in wet infrastructure projects and programs, including water, hydropower and civil infrastructure, has been selected to receive an Autodesk BIM Experience Award. The firm is being honored for using a Building Information Modeling (BIM) process, together with Autodesk BIM software, to help design the "Third Set of Locks" project for the Panama Canal, intended to double the canal’s shipping traffic capacity.