On July 8, 2026, Linkage Design, Mechdyne, and Autodesk brought industry professionals together at the Autodesk Technology Centre in Birmingham, UK for Automotive Innovation Day — an event focused on the latest developments in digital design, visualization, high-performance computing, and collaborative review workflows.
The day was designed to give attendees practical insight into how today’s design and engineering teams can move from concept to decision more efficiently through connected tools, immersive environments, advanced display technologies, and expert workflow support.
A Full Day of Insight, Demonstrations, and Discussion
The event opened with breakfast and networking before moving into a packed agenda of presentations from Autodesk, Linkage Design, Mechdyne, and Silverdraft. Attendees heard from Christoph Frandrup of Autodesk Product Management on the Autodesk ACX roadmap, including what’s next for Autodesk’s design ecosystem and how future developments may support more connected and efficient workflows.
Phil Botley of Linkage Design followed with a detailed look at what’s new in Alias and VRED, covering updates across sketching, SUBD, visualization, and emerging capabilities such as Gaussian splats. Amy Gile, CEO and Founder of Silverdraft Supercomputing, shared perspectives on on-premise AI and high-performance computing, including how secure compute architectures can support XR, graphics, AI, and advanced visualization workflows.
The afternoon continued with an introduction to Linkage and Mechdyne, followed by a session on software development and digital design futures, and a presentation from Ryan Young of Mechdyne on what makes an effective automotive design review environment. Ryan’s presentation emphasized that review spaces must evolve alongside faster development cycles, larger design data sets, distributed teams, and more complex stakeholder involvement. He outlined common barriers such as poor display selection, limited audio/video quality, XR environments that isolate individual users, and workflow friction around accessing or preparing content.
The event concluded with a group Q&A and wrap-up, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss challenges, ask questions, and share feedback directly with the speakers and event partners.
Connecting Tools, Teams, and Workflows
A key theme throughout the event was how automotive design teams can reduce friction and make faster, more confident decisions by connecting software, compute, visualization, and collaboration environments.
Attendees also had the chance to experience visual demonstrations and learn how solutions such as Alias, VRED, immersive review spaces, high-performance computing, and practical workflow support can help teams improve the way they review, iterate, and communicate design intent.
Positive Feedback and Continued Interest
Automotive Innovation Day was very well received, with strong engagement throughout the sessions and clear interest in additional opportunities for future events. Feedback gathered from attendees will help to shape the next phase of the program: the second day of the event, originally planned as an exclusive Screen2Machine training focused on SUBD tools, has been rescheduled for Fall FY26 to better align with group availability and the topics participants would like to see included.
This change will allow Linkage Design and its partners to tailor the upcoming training experience around attendee needs, ensuring the next session provides even more value for designers, modelers, and teams looking to expand their use of advanced digital design workflows.
Want to join our next session? Register here
Thank You to Our Partners and Attendees
Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making Automotive Innovation Day a success. We would also like to extend a special thank you to Autodesk, Mechdyne, Silverdraft, and all participating speakers for sharing their expertise and helping create a valuable day of learning, discussion, and connection.
With continued interest from the group and more opportunities planned for the future, Automotive Innovation Day marked an exciting step forward in bringing together the people, tools, and technologies shaping the next generation of automotive design and visualization.