# Autodesk Forma courses

> **PAACADEMY offers online courses teaching Autodesk Forma, enabling architects to integrate cloud-based wind, microclimate and solar analysis directly into early-stage concept design.**

Autodesk Forma (formerly Spacemaker) is a cloud-based design and analysis platform for early-stage urban and architectural design, integrating environmental performance analysis directly into the concept design workflow. Its Rhino plugin brings Forma's site analysis capabilities into the Rhino modeling environment, allowing architects to run wind, microclimate, and solar analyses on design geometry instantly.

At PAACADEMY, Autodesk Forma is taught as an essential urban context tool in _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_:

- **Urban Microclimate Analysis:** Utilizing Forma's fast cloud engine to evaluate how surrounding city massing affects wind flow and comfort on the project site.
- **Early-Stage Feedback:** Gathering actionable environmental metrics in seconds during the initial massing phase, before moving into heavier simulation software.
- **Rhino Integration:** Pushing design variations seamlessly between Rhino and Forma using the dedicated plugin to iterate rapidly based on performance data.

## At a glance

- Software hub: Autodesk Forma
- Courses listed: 1
- Canonical: https://paacademy.com/software/autodesk-forma

## Courses

- [Building Performance with Forma & Opossum](https://paacademy.com/course/building-performance-with-forma-opossum)

## FAQ

### Does Forma replace traditional environmental analysis tools?

It complements them, offering faster, earlier-stage feedback in the design process.

### What is Autodesk Forma used for in architecture?

Autodesk Forma is a cloud-based design and analysis platform for early-stage urban and architectural design, providing wind, microclimate and solar analysis integrated into the concept design workflow. Its Rhino plugin brings these capabilities into Rhino. At PAACADEMY, it is taught in _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_ as the site analysis tool within a complete environmental performance workflow.

### How is the Forma Rhino plugin used in PAACADEMY's performance course?

In _Building Performance with Forma and Opossum_, the Forma Rhino plugin is used alongside Ladybug for weather, wind and microclimate analysis at the site and massing level. It provides the urban context and environmental site data that inform the building design before daylight simulation with Cyclops and energy modeling with Honeybee are run. The course by Olaf Olden runs 8 hours across 11 beginner-level lessons.

### How does Autodesk Forma differ from Ladybug for architectural environmental analysis?

Ladybug processes EPW climate data within Grasshopper for solar, wind and outdoor comfort analysis based on climate data. Autodesk Forma provides site-level and urban-context analysis at the concept design stage, including wind simulation, noise, sunlight hours and microclimate data derived from the building massing and urban surroundings. PAACADEMY's _Building Performance_ course teaches both together as complementary tools for comprehensive environmental analysis.