Lay out a factory floor in AutoCAD or Inventor with a library of real conveyors, racking, machines, and robots. Check clearances, visualize material flow, and catch clashes before equipment ships.
Factory Design Utilities turns building and equipment data into a working 2D or 3D layout, so you can test a floor plan, spot interferences, and schedule installation before anything gets bolted down.
Drag in thousands of parametric assets, conveyors, racking, machines, and robots, and resize or reuse them across layouts instead of modeling equipment from scratch.
Edit a factory layout in AutoCAD or Inventor and changes propagate both ways, so your 2D drawing and 3D model never drift apart.
Detect interferences between equipment, racking, and building elements in a detailed design review, before a conflict shows up on the shop floor.
Visualize how parts and materials move through a proposed layout, so you can compare options for throughput and travel distance before committing.
Plan and schedule equipment installation and commissioning against the same layout model already built for design review.
Bring a Factory Design Utilities layout into Autodesk FlexSim to run discrete-event simulations and test what-if scenarios on throughput and staffing.
| Best for | 2D and 3D factory, warehouse, and facility layout planning inside AutoCAD and Inventor |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, as an add-on toolset for AutoCAD and Inventor |
| Included | Factory asset library, 2D/3D layout sync, clash detection, material flow analysis |
| File format | Native DWG (2D) and Inventor assembly files (3D) |
| Licensing | Included with the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection, not sold standalone |
| From DSI | Deployment help, certified training, and local technical support included |
Buy Factory Design Utilities through DSI, an Autodesk Platinum Partner. Get deployment help, certified training, and support from specialists who use the software every day.
Factory Design Utilities plans factory, warehouse, and facility layouts in 2D and 3D inside AutoCAD and Inventor. Teams use it to lay out equipment, check clearances, and validate a floor plan before installation.
No. It's included with the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection alongside AutoCAD, Inventor, and Navisworks Manage, not sold as a standalone subscription.
Factory Design Utilities is layout planning: placing conveyors, racking, machines, and robots in 2D or 3D and checking clearances. FlexSim is discrete-event simulation, modeling how a layout performs over time under real variability. The two connect, so a Factory Design Utilities layout can feed a FlexSim simulation.
Yes. It generates 3D models directly from existing DWG files, and keeps 2D AutoCAD drawings and 3D Inventor layouts synced in both directions as you edit.
No. The same asset library and layout tools are used for warehouses, distribution centers, and other facility types wherever equipment and material flow need planning.
Talk to a DSI specialist about Factory Design Utilities licensing, bundles, and training built around how your team works.