Autodesk Platform Services (APS), formerly Forge, is a set of cloud APIs and services for building custom software on top of Autodesk design data. Instead of working around the limits of off-the-shelf tools, engineering organisations can use APS to view models in a browser, automate repetitive design and documentation work, extract data from CAD and BIM files, and connect Autodesk data to the rest of their business systems.
The core services cover most integration needs. The Viewer renders 2D and 3D models in any browser with no plugin; the Model Derivative API translates files and extracts their data; Design Automation runs Revit, AutoCAD, Inventor, and 3ds Max jobs in the cloud with no desktop involved; and the Data Management and AEC Data Model APIs give programmatic access to files and granular BIM data. The building blocks are well documented — the work is in combining them correctly around a real workflow.
