Burlington, Mass.-based cloud and mobile technologies company Vela Systems announced today their acquisition by 3-D design, engineering and entertainment software maker Autodesk. According to a company statement, “The addition of Vela Systems field management products to Autodesk’s growing portfolio of cloud and mobile products is helping to extend the value of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and project data to construction customers in the field.” The terms of the deal were not released.

Building Information Modeling is a process that provides  analysis for “creating and managing building and infrastructure projects faster, more economically, and with less environmental impact,” says Autodesk’s website.  “Autodesk BIM software includes a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for design, visualization, simulation, and collaboration that uses the rich information in the intelligent model to inform better decision-making and break down the barriers to better business.”

Vela Systems and Autodesk have been “longstanding” partners, but the acquisition will allow Autodesk to take BIM into the cloud and spread its capabilities to mobile devices, helping “contractors, owners, architects and engineers accelerate project schedules, reduce project risk, and improve the flow of information, including key data and project photos, between project stakeholders.”

“With the acquisition,” Vela Systems co-founder Josh Kanner said in the press release, “we will accelerate this revolution in field management through a broader solution and greatly enhanced distribution.”

Take a look at BIM in this video by Autodesk: