Autodesk University

A brief history of AU

It’s official—we’re in the thick it. With just over 150 days left till AU 2015 Las Vegas we’re firing on all cylinders and getting ready to blow the top off this thing for you. Did you know AU has been around for 23 years? (Yep, we’re Gen Y.) While some of you have been with us for years, we thought it might be fun for those of you who are new to AU to take a look back at how it all began and how we got here.

Autodesk, Inc. introduced AutoCAD software to the market in 1982, leading the technological revolution from manual drawing to the computer-aided variety. In 1993, the first Autodesk user conference that became AU was hosted near our headquarters in San Francisco. It was a chance for designers, architects, and engineers to get together and geek out, teach each other practical tricks and tips, compare notes from the field, and rub elbows with peers. Above all, it was a chance to learn from the best in the industry. Autodesk University was born.

It was a big hit, so we decided to make AU an annual event. As we added new products for industries like media & entertainment and construction, our audience expanded too. We began inviting industry leaders to speak, and AU became more than just a place to learn about software. It became the showcase for thought-leadership and forward thinking that you know today.

After bouncing around the country for a few years, we settled in Las Vegas in 2000. In 2008 we added international events to our roster, packing our bags and heading for Shanghai, China, followed by Tokyo, Japan. Last year we reached 23,000 participants globally, at 13 events. We have 13 events lined up again this year, and kicked off the first one in Johannesburg last week. Almost 500 designers and creators came together to discuss the Future of Making Things with a focus on Africa’s unique challenges. Next up is AU India in Mumbai on August 7, which will be the first international AU to host the AU Gallery.

AU online began as a place to get information about the conference. But as AU evolved and expanded, we started thinking about how we could help people learn year-round. We began making classes available online in 2004. Each year our archive of incredible learning content grows. Now anyone can access classes and inspirational talks from experts and industry leaders anytime, anywhere. At AU online, class is always open and always free.

And that takes us up to the present day. We’re all in overdrive working to make 2015 the best AU yet. See you in Vegas. 

Get your head in the cloud with Fusion 360

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about the cloud. You know cloud-based apps let you work from any computer or device that’s connected to the Internet. You know you can use the cloud to collaborate with anyone, anywhere in the world. You know the cloud gives you access to greater computing power for way less money compared with traditional desktop software. You know all this, because you’re a smart and savvy professional, at the top of your game. But here’s the thing. Knowing all that isn’t worth a dime to you unless you’re using it.

So, are you using the cloud? 

If you answered no, stop what you’re doing and head straight over to AU online and learn how to get started with Fusion 360. Do not pass go. Do not collect  $200. Go directly to AU online.

 

Fusion 360 is the first 3D CAD/CAM tool of its kind. Fusion 360 is cloud-based, so you download it to your computer or device but it’s powered by the cloud. That way you stay connected to the mother ship at all times. Autodesk delivers new functionality every 6 to 8 weeks, so if you like having the latest and greatest software, Fusion 360 is a great way to get it. Plus, your data files are stored safely in the cloud, and you can access them from anywhere.

Working in the cloud enables you to connect your entire product development process in a single cloud-based tool. Power your designs, quickly iterate on ideas, and explore forms and details. Do all your engineering in Fusion 360 too—test fit and motion as well as create assemblies, photorealistic renderings, and animations. With Fusion 360 you can do it all, from anywhere, and collaborate with your team wherever they are. And this class is the best way to get your bearings, learn the interface, basic tools and commands, and processes for designing, sharing, and publishing your models.

What are you waiting for? Head over to AU online and watch Jo-Ann Hogan’s lively class, Getting Started with Fusion 360.

We’re learning about learning—help us out

Here at AU, we’re always looking for ways to improve learning for you, our faithful and brilliant followers. Right now we’re trying to learn more about what Autodesk products you use and how you learn to use them. Where do you turn when you need help with new tasks or features? A colleague? A book? The help feature within the software? Knowing who or what guides your learning will help us improve the AU learning experience for everyone.

Do you have a few minutes to help us out?

We’ve put together a brief online survey—it just takes about 10 minutes to complete. Will you take the survey for us? If you do, we’ll totally be your best friend. And to show you how much we appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day, you can enter a drawing to win some sweet prizes. Because that’s what best friends are for.

The survey is completely anonymous and pretty simple. We’re just trying to collect some stats about who’s using our products, how they learn to use them, and how they create and share learning resources with other users. Sounds easy enough, right? 

Head on over right now and take the survey.  

Elevating visualization with drones

Have you ever seen a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)? Not to be confused with a UFO (although if you didn't know what you were looking at, it would be an honest mistake), UAVs, also called consumer drones, have exploded onto the scene in the last few years. They’re so popular they made it onto an episode of Modern Family. You might have even seen 1 buzzing around your neighborhood.

In addition to spying on your neighbors, UAVs are a great tool for scene re-creation through reality computing. A drone can capture images from every angle. By processing the images with Photo on Recap software, you can use them to create true-to-life models. This new approach to visualization has a ton of useful applications in everything from construction to disaster recovery to infrastructure concept design. You can create models of individual houses and buildings, potential construction sites, remote areas affected by floods—any area you can fly a drone over, you can capture. Larger scenes can also be broken up into smaller scenes, which can then be used in AutoCAD Civil 3D or Infrastructure software. We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with UAVs and reality capture. And Autodesk is leading the way.  

Watch as Autodesk drone whiz Mike Gemmell take us up, up, up and away, with his class on UAVs and reality computing. Mike has spent the last few years experimenting with different equipment and methods to figure out the best way to capture and process images for making reality computing models. Mike will tell you everything you need to know about equipment, including UAVs and cameras, how to select and set up your equipment for different use cases, photo sequencing, processing, editing, and more. You’ll also get to see current use cases for construction, and hear the latest on FAA regulations for commercial drone operation. If you work in the fields of infrastructure, construction, engineering, or natural resources exploration, you don’t want to miss this glimpse into the future of visualization, preliminary design, and project development.

            Watch the full class: Extreme Reality Computing from a Hexacopter.

Fasten your seatbelts. We’re about to take off.  

Higher learning at AU

You know AU is a great place to learn, right? (Hint: that’s why we called it Autodesk University, not Autodesk Get-together.) You can choose from hundreds of sessions to learn tips, tricks, and insights for the software you use every day from experts in your field. But there’s another level of schooling at AU that’s even more exciting. We might be going out on a limb here, but it’s the kind of thing that can change your life.

We’re talking about thought leadership.

We think all Autodesk users are smart. (We might be biased.) But we’re honored, humbled and blown away each year by the standout leaders in their fields who speak at AU. When they share their visions of the future, it’s like they’re letting us in on a secret.  They’re making us part of a fantastic,  headlong journey.  And they’re asking all of us to help shape the future of making things. Learning new tips and tricks is great, but sometimes we need to think bigger. Thought leadership gets us there. It’s about sharing what’s been learned, and looking at how we can keep learning together. 

You might think you’ll only catch thought leaders giving keynotes. Not true. Of course the keynote speakers are a-mazing. (Check out Emily Pilloton’s 2014 keynote about sparking creativity in kids through teaching them to design—things like tiny transitional housing for homeless people. You might want to grab the tissue box for this one.) At AU and at AU online you can catch all kinds of classes that focus on new ways of doing things, in every field, classes that ask you to think outside the box. Hear case studies about people breaking new ground and making waves. Changing the world. A great case study is as powerful as a great speaker.

If you really want your socks knocked off, check out the Innovation Forums. These sessions are dedicated to exploring how technology continues to change the way we design and make things. And by things, we mean everything from products to infrastructure. Innovation Forums transcend industries and show us how the industries we serve are converging and changing together. So even if you’re in manufacturing, an Innovation Forum about architecture might just be the place to find  your next big idea. See how the top minds are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and get motivated in your own work.

Take Ben Davis’s 2014 talk about The Bay Lights project. He begins: “I love infrastructure… [These systems] are the embodiment of the human spirit at the highest order… We evolved as humans to the point where we could shape [infrastructure], and now this infrastructure is going to shape our evolution, going forward.”

Check out Ben’s whole talk here and get excited to hear from, and learn with, thought leaders at this year’s AU.

Things are starting to heat up around here.