Comparison
Autodesk Construction Cloud alternatives
Mirage vs Autodesk Construction Cloud, now Autodesk Forma
Autodesk Construction Cloud is now part of Autodesk Forma, and Autodesk Build, Docs and Takeoff now appear as Forma Build, Forma Data Management and Forma Takeoff. Mirage replaces none of them. It is a set of AI agents that produce and check the documents behind takeoff, bid leveling, change orders and pay applications, then write the result back. To replace the platform, compare Procore, Oracle Aconex or Trimble ProjectSight.
Executive Summary
Autodesk's construction site now states that Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is part of Autodesk Forma and that ACC product names have been updated. The former Autodesk Build, Autodesk Docs and Autodesk Takeoff pages redirect to Forma Build, Forma Data Management and Forma Takeoff, listed alongside Forma Estimate, BuildingConnected Pro, Bid Board Pro, TradeTapp and ProEst for preconstruction. This page uses both names, because most buyers still search for the old one.
Autodesk builds AI into those products. Autodesk Assistant answers questions from project data, Construction IQ flags design, quality and safety risks, AutoSpecs generates submittal logs from the specifications and suggests missing items, Forma Takeoff's Automated Symbol Detection counts every match of a symbol the user traces once, and RFI drafts can be started with Autodesk AI. Autodesk's own FAQ says the expert stays in control.
Mirage is not a platform and does not reproduce one. Its engineers observe the team, map the workflow with its exceptions, build agents around the steps still done by hand, run them in production with a person reviewing what they flag, then expand to the next workflow. The result is written back into Autodesk Construction Cloud and, where the workflow needs it, into the ERP or the estimating system.
That leaves three honest cases: Mirage alongside Autodesk on a document-heavy step, Mirage instead of one manual step such as on-screen takeoff, or another platform instead of Autodesk. Each case is set out below.
Key Takeaways
- Autodesk Construction Cloud is now part of Autodesk Forma; Build, Docs and Takeoff appear as Forma Build, Forma Data Management and Forma Takeoff.
- Mirage is not a replacement for the platform: Autodesk stays the system of record, and Mirage writes into it.
- Autodesk's own AI covers submittal logs, spec sectioning and symbol counting; Mirage fits where work starts outside Autodesk or follows a named regime such as AIA G702/G703, NRM or NEC4.
- The one step Mirage replaces is manual on-screen takeoff. To replace the platform, compare Procore, Oracle Aconex or Trimble ProjectSight.
At a Glance
| Aspect | Mirage | Autodesk Forma (ACC) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI agents for construction document workflows, built and operated by Mirage's forward-deployed engineers | Construction management platform: Forma Build, Forma Data Management, Forma Takeoff, Forma Estimate, BuildingConnected and model coordination tools |
| System of record | None of its own: Autodesk, your ERP or your estimating system stays the record, and Mirage writes into it | Forma Data Management holds drawings, documents and models; Forma Build holds RFIs, submittals, issues and cost |
| Quantity takeoff | Produced from PDF, DWG and IFC sheets in one pass, every quantity traced to its sheet, detail and spec reference, for an estimator to review | Forma Takeoff: 2D and 3D takeoff; Automated Symbol Detection counts every match after the user traces one symbol |
| Specifications and submittals | Spec clauses cross-referenced against the drawings on every revision; specs and submittals organized by CSI MasterFormat division | The Specifications tool splits spec books into sections; AutoSpecs generates submittal logs and suggests missing items |
| Bid leveling | Each subcontractor bid read in the format it arrives, every line mapped to your scope, exclusions and gaps flagged | BuildingConnected, with bid leveling functionality and TradeTapp subcontractor qualification |
| Change orders and pay applications | Change orders checked against the original scope and contract; AIA G702/G703 built from the schedule of values and progress | Cost management, including change order management and forecasting |
| How AI is delivered | Agents built for one workflow at a time and run with your team | Autodesk AI features built into each product: Autodesk Assistant, Construction IQ, AutoSpecs, symbol detection |
| Getting started | Proof of concept on your own documents one week after the first meeting; first workflow in production in 4 to 6 weeks | Software your team sets up and configures, with Autodesk professional services available |
| Pricing | Fixed-price pilot, then an annual subscription priced by volume; from $10,000 to launch and $1,000 a month | Contact Sales for Pricing, on the Forma for Construction Operations bundle page |
| Integrations | Connects to Autodesk Construction Cloud, Procore, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage and others; 200+ systems connected so far | Over 400 pre-built integrations, plus Forma Construction Connect, a no-code integration platform |
Key Differences
A platform, and a layer underneath it
Autodesk Forma is where the project's documents, models, issues and costs live. Mirage holds none of that. It reads the documents a step depends on, does the part a person was doing by hand, and hands the result back to Autodesk, or to the ERP, for the team to approve.
Built-in AI features, and agents built for one workflow
Autodesk's AI features work inside its products, on the spec books, drawings, issues and bid invitations they hold. Mirage's agents start from the documents as they arrive (email, supplier PDFs, scanned forms) and from the checks your team already makes by hand, and they can write to more than one system.
Assisted counting, and a produced takeoff
Forma Takeoff gives the estimator 2D and 3D takeoff tools, with symbol detection that counts every match of a symbol traced once. Mirage produces the takeoff from the whole drawing set, PDF, DWG or IFC, and the estimator reviews it line by line with the source of each quantity attached.
Advantages and Limitations
Mirage
Advantages
- Works on documents that arrive outside Autodesk as well as inside it, and writes the result back
- Every quantity and every flag traced to its sheet, detail, clause or line
- Built and operated with your team, around the checks it already makes
- Covers US and UK document regimes: AIA G702/G703, CSI MasterFormat, NRM, NEC4
Limitations
- Not a platform: no document management, model coordination, field app or cost module
- Each workflow is a deployment, 4 to 6 weeks to the first one in production
- Does not check drawings against US building codes
- No Autodesk partnership claimed
Autodesk Forma (ACC)
Advantages
- Connected tools from design to closeout, model coordination included
- AI built into the products: Autodesk Assistant, Construction IQ, AutoSpecs, symbol detection
- Over 400 pre-built integrations, plus a no-code integration platform
- BuildingConnected, which Autodesk calls the largest crowd-sourced construction network, for finding bidders
Limitations
- A product family to assemble: Build, Data Management, Takeoff, Estimate, BuildingConnected, ProEst
- Product names have changed, and Autodesk notes that some resources may still show the old branding
- Takeoff is run by the estimator in Forma Takeoff, with symbol detection to speed up counts
- Bundle pricing goes through sales, with no list price on the bundle page
Real-World Use Cases
Specs and submittals already in Autodesk
If the specifications are in Autodesk and the need is a submittal log, AutoSpecs is built for exactly that. Mirage adds nothing by duplicating it.
A takeoff the estimator reviews instead of measuring
The bid set arrives as PDFs, some scanned, some vector, sometimes with DWG or IFC files. Mirage produces the takeoff from the whole set, each quantity traced to its sheet and detail, exported to Excel or your estimating system's import format.
Change orders and pay applications on a US job
Each change order checked against the original contract and scope, each AIA G702/G703 built from the schedule of values and progress, with Mirage connected to Autodesk Build for the schedule of values and billing history.
Replacing Autodesk as the platform
If the platform itself is the problem, Mirage is not the answer. Compare Procore, Oracle Aconex and Trimble ProjectSight, described further down from their own sites.
Mirage Workflows
Takeoff & Estimating
Quantities from PDF, DWG and IFC drawings, each traced to its sheet, detail and spec reference, exported to Excel or your estimating system.
See the pageBid leveling
Subcontractor bids read as they arrive, every line matched to your scope, exclusions and price gaps flagged before award.
See the pageSpecification review
Spec clauses cross-referenced against the drawings and checked again on every revision.
See the pageChange orders
Each change order checked against the original scope and contract, separating what is already covered from what is genuinely new.
See the pagePay applications
AIA G702/G703 pay applications built from the schedule of values and progress, every line traced to its source.
See the pageRFIs and submittals
RFIs and submittals tracked to resolution from email, uploads or the platform, every answer with its source document and revision.
See the pageHow to Choose
Start with what you want to replace. If it is the platform, compare platforms: Procore, Oracle Aconex and Trimble ProjectSight each present themselves as construction management software on their own sites. Mirage does not belong on that list.
If Autodesk stays, look at the steps your team still does by hand. Where Autodesk's own AI covers the step on documents already in its products, such as a submittal log from the specs, use it. Where the work starts outside Autodesk, spans several systems, or depends on checks specific to your team or your contract form, that is where Mirage is deployed, one workflow at a time.
If the step is on-screen takeoff, the choice is narrower: measure it yourself in Forma Takeoff or another takeoff tool, or have Mirage produce it from the drawing set and review it. That is the only place on this page where Mirage replaces something, and what it replaces is the manual measuring, not Autodesk.
When Mirage complements Autodesk Construction Cloud
Autodesk stays the system of record. Mirage takes the document-heavy steps the team still does by hand and returns a result Autodesk can hold, with the source attached for review.
- Takeoff from drawings. Quantities produced from PDF, DWG and IFC sheets, scanned or vector, in one pass, with confidence flags and the sheet, detail and spec reference on every line.
- Bid leveling. Subcontractor quotes read in whatever layout they arrive, including those that never pass through BuildingConnected, each line mapped to your scope, exclusions and missing scope flagged.
- Specification review. Spec clauses cross-referenced against the drawings and checked again when a revision lands: a spec-to-drawing check, not a submittal log.
- Change order checks. Each requested item compared with the original scope and contract, so the team prices only what is genuinely new.
- RFIs and submittals. Read as they arrive by email, upload or from the platform, tracked to resolution, every answer carrying its document and revision.
- Pay applications. AIA G702/G703 built from the schedule of values and progress, each line traced to its source and checked against the prior period.
When Mirage replaces one step, not Autodesk
There is one narrow case. If your estimators measure on screen, in Forma Takeoff or in a separate takeoff tool, and you want the takeoff produced from the drawing set and traced for review instead, Mirage replaces that manual measuring step. The estimate, the bid and everything after them stay where they are.
At John Cockerill, Mirage's takeoff agents cut the time spent on piping takeoff by 80 to 90% and produced the fabrication bill of materials ten times faster, with engineers reviewing the output instead of measuring, and without a 3D model built first. At OCBM, every quantity is traceable to the drawing it was measured on.
When another platform is the real alternative
If the goal is to leave Autodesk, these are platforms that present themselves, on their own sites, as construction management software. Mirage is not one of them. Which fits depends on your contract forms, your ERP and what your owners require.
- Procore. Preconstruction, project management, invoice management, and quality and safety on one platform with unlimited users, priced per product on Annual Construction Volume, with its own library of AI agents for RFIs, submittals, bid leveling and change analysis.
- Oracle Aconex. A common data environment with document and process management, bid and tender management, integrated cost control and model coordination, backed by an audit trail Oracle describes as unalterable.
- Trimble ProjectSight. RFIs, submittals, specs, drawings, punch lists and photos in one place, with budget and change order management and Vista and Spectrum integrations among its plan features, and a free tier announced on its site.
- For takeoff alone. Bluebeam Revu measures on PDF drawings with Dynamic Fill, VisualSearch and Quantity Link to Excel; Procore Estimating takes off from 2D drawings or 3D models; Togal.AI describes itself as an AI-powered takeoff tool that detects, measures and compares directly from drawings.
Where Mirage fits on US and UK projects
Autodesk's platform is sold in both markets. The documents that run through it follow different rules on each side, and Mirage's construction workflows are built on those rules.
- US, pay applications. The AIA G702 summary and G703 continuation sheet built from the schedule of values, with retainage and stored materials tracked as their own lines. See pay applications.
- US, specifications and submittals. Specs and submittals organized by CSI MasterFormat division, each item traced to its source. See CSI MasterFormat extraction.
- US, certified payroll. Certified payroll checked against the federal Davis-Bacon or state prevailing wage determination, each mismatch named by classification and rate. This would be Mirage's first deployment on that document type. See prevailing wage compliance.
- UK, quantity surveying. Quantities taken from the drawings into an NRM2-structured bill of quantities, each line traced to its source drawing. See NRM quantity surveying.
- UK, NEC4 contract administration. Early warnings and compensation events tracked against the contract's own deadlines, so a time bar is not missed. See NEC4 contract administration.
- UK, CDM. The CDM 2015 health and safety file built from project documents, each entry traced to its source. See CDM compliance.
- What Mirage does not do. It does not check drawings against US building codes (IBC, IRC, NEC, IPC), and it keeps no material catalog or labor-unit database of its own: it feeds yours.
Sources
Every statement about Autodesk, Procore, Oracle, Trimble, Bluebeam and Togal on this page comes from their own public pages, checked 1 October 2026. The product renames were confirmed by the redirects from Autodesk's former Build, Docs and Takeoff pages. Figures those vendors publish about their own customers are not repeated here.
Sources: Autodesk Forma, construction home page, Forma for Construction Operations, Autodesk AI for construction, Autodesk, bid management, Autodesk, project management, Autodesk, document management, Procore AI agent library, Procore, Estimating, Oracle Aconex, Trimble ProjectSight, Bluebeam, takeoffs, Togal.AI
FAQ
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