You connect 12d Synergy and Autodesk Forma with a CDE integration that moves documents, models and metadata between a 12d Synergy project and a Forma project on rules you set. CDE Sync™ links both platforms through service accounts, maps 12d Synergy attributes to Forma fields and keeps the folders you choose in step, in one direction or both, so civil and survey teams keep working in 12d Synergy while the wider project works in Forma.
Why 12d Synergy and Forma meet on civil projects
12d Synergy is common among civil engineers, surveyors and contractors who work in 12d Model, because it manages the large, interrelated files those teams produce. Autodesk Forma is common among design teams, building services consultants and contractors working in Autodesk tools. On roads, rail, land development and water projects, both are often in use at once, and the client may require deliverables in yet another platform.
Without a connection, civil teams export from 12d Synergy, rename files to suit the Forma project, re-enter attributes and upload. When Forma teams issue something back, the process runs in reverse. Each manual step is a chance to lose a revision or break the link between a model and the documents that depend on it.
What carries across
CDE Sync™ moves documents and models with their version history. 12d Synergy custom attributes map to Forma custom attributes, so classification, revision and status data carries across without re-keying. Folder structures can mirror each other or be mapped to suit each team, and ISO 19650 naming fields are handled where the project uses them. Every transfer is logged for audit.
12d also offers its own connection product, 12d Synergy CDE Connect, which its public material describes as moving files, models, folders and supported metadata between environments. CDE Sync™ is a vendor-neutral alternative that connects 12d Synergy alongside every other platform on the project and can feed the same record into your own Azure for AI. Read CDE Sync for 12d Synergy for connector detail.
How to connect 12d Synergy and Forma, step by step
Agree what should flow: for example issued civil models and drawings from 12d Synergy into Forma, and reference files from Forma back into 12d Synergy.
Ask the 12d Synergy administrator for a service account with access to the relevant project and folders.
Ask the Forma account administrator to add a service account to the target project.
Connect both platforms in the CDE Sync™ wizard and select the source and destination folders.
Map 12d Synergy attributes to Forma custom attributes, including revision, status and document number.
Choose one-way or two-way sync and set the schedule.
Run a test on a small folder, check versions and attributes in both platforms, then extend the scope.
Practical points for civil teams
Civil files can be large and closely related, so it pays to agree which files the wider project actually needs. Many teams send issued drawings, reports and exported models to Forma, and keep working files inside 12d Synergy where 12d Model manages them. Agree the status values that should trigger a transfer, so only issued material leaves the civil team. Agree the naming convention the Forma project expects, because 12d Synergy projects often follow their own numbering. Recording these rules in the BIM execution plan gives both sides a shared reference and keeps the configuration simple to maintain.
Security
CDE Sync™ streams files directly between 12d Synergy and Forma without storing them. Data is encrypted in transit and processed in the Azure region you choose. Utopia Digital holds SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials, and the detail is on the Security Trust Portal. The available regions are on the global data region map.
12d Synergy, Forma and the Utopiaverse™
A 12d Synergy to Forma connection is part of the Utopiaverse™, Utopia Digital's connected record across every platform. CDE Sync™ keeps both aligned, CDE Backup™ keeps an independent copy in your own Azure, CDE Migrate™ handles platform changes and CDE Archive™ captures the record at completion. AI Insights then searches civil and design content together, with answers that cite their sources. The 12d Synergy and Autodesk Forma integration pages have more, and How Do I Connect ProjectWise and Autodesk Forma? covers a related pairing.
See 12d Synergy and Forma connected in the monthly live demo, or talk to the team about your project.
