Autodesk University

Your daily dose of inspiration

We’re all about innovation and inspiration. So we were thrilled to see Autodesk’s own J. Sassaman mentioned in a recent 7x7 article, “4 Women Makers Who Inspire Us.” J. manages the Autodesk Pier 9 Artists in Residence (AIR) program, which helps artists and makers push their ideas and skills to the next level. She says she loves “work that tells a story,” whether it’s a set of ceramic bowls or Beyonce’s “Flawless” video. (We love you too, Bey.) When asked what creativity and innovation mean to her, J. says, “I’m not convinced there’s any difference between these 2, besides the fact that creativity is more whimsical and offbeat, and innovation gets applied to business and industry. They both work by combining familiar things in unexpected ways.”

As workshop manager and creative projects manager at the Pier 9 workshop, Ms. Sassaman gets to see creativity and innovation at work every day. The Pier 9 program gives artists and makers a chance to work with Autodesk’s digital fabrication tools, plus get expert training and be part of a unique creative community. We give them equipment and resources they may not have access to on their own to bring their wildest visions to life. And the creativity and innovation at Pier 9 are the same stuff that fuel so much of the great work engineers and designers do around the world each day—the very stuff you’ll find at AU online in tips, tricks, trainings, and more.

Check out some recent Pier 9 work, including these stunning animated 3D printed sculpture Blooms by artist John Edmark, who also teaches design at Stanford University. Watch the video—it’s incredible. Equally incredible is this beautiful Strata Bench inspired by Death Valley and created with stacked plywood by artist Adrien Segal. 

Everything resident artists create at Pier 9 belongs to them. All we ask is that they publish their work on Instructables.com (a.k.a. DIY Heaven). If you’ve never been to Instructables.com—go now. (Warning: you might lose yourself down the DIY rabbit hole for hours.) You can learn how to do everything from making your own pickles to converting headphones to Bluetooth wireless. It’s a lot like the Autodesk Gallery, an online destination where designers, engineers, and makers from around the world share what they do and get inspired by others. Autodesk Gallery will soon be a part of the AU web experience, giving AU speakers, attendees, and others around the globe a chance to share their own inspirational design and engineering work.  

Check out the 7x7 article, “4 Women Makers Who Inspire Us.”

See more inspirational Pier 9 projects.

 

 

Take the wheel

Calling all automotive industry designers, engineers, and manufacturers. Are you coming to AU 2015? You certainly should. Be sure to sign up for the Automotive Tailored Experience, which is for anyone who has a passion for the automotive industry and an eye on the future. If you’re keen to learn about the latest design technologies driving excellence throughout the auto industry—design, visualization, simulation, and factory planning workflows—this is the way to go. Connect with innovators from around the world, hear from industry and solutions experts, and be inspired by thought leaders paving the way for the future of making cars. 

Speaking of inspiration, Autodesk’s Line//Shape//Space recently posted an “Inside My Design Mind” piece on Buick’s Director of Interior Design, Liz Wetzel. Liz was born and raised in the Motor City and she’s the fourth generation in her family with an automotive career. She’s currently overseeing the design of the sleek new Buick Avenir (um, we want 1 please). Liz talks about the importance of sculpting—both digital and clay—in design, connecting with customers on an emotional level, and collaborating with designers on the other side of the world. On her design philosophy, Liz says, “Unleashing creativity in the design studio is a catalyst for fresh thinking and solutions.” Hear, hear.

Check out Liz’s story. And don’t forget to sign up for the Automotive Experience during AU registration, which opens next month. (Next month!)

AU Extension Johannesburg: Go do. Go make.

The first AU International event of 2015 is done and it was a huge success. AU Johannesburg took place on June 18 and was attended by nearly 400 design and engineering professionals who came to explore The Future of Making Things.

Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk’s director of strategic initiatives and senior advisor to the CEO and CTO, as well as a respected voice on future trends (his business card says “Explorer”—we love this guy) kicked off the event with a keynote in which he announced that Autodesk is making its software free for African students, teachers, and startups with a turnover of less than $100,000 last year. “Makers, students, startups—you have the same tools as the big guys,” Knowles said. It’s another way Autodesk is supporting education and the growth of generative design and digital fabrication techniques worldwide. To again quote Jonathan Knowles, “The better everyone is doing, the better we all do.” Well put, sir.

Johannesburg attendees chose from sessions in the following tracks: manufacturing, architecture, engineering, construction, and general sessions which included a little of everything; and hands-on labs. Notable speakers included renowned trend analyst Dion Chang, who explored what design for a new world order means for the current socioeconomic climate. Chris Combrink spoke about the new 3ds Max tools for technical artists, and Marek Suchocki talked about global BIM adoption. The event also featured a Future of Making Things graffiti wall—because everyone loves a can of spray paint—and a Lego Man photo wall and competition. And of course cocktails and networking to end the day.

Thanks to everyone who came out for AU Johannesburg and congratulations to the team behind this event for making it a huge success. Next stop for AU International: Mumbai on August 7. 

To see more from AU Johannesburg, check out #AUxJHB2015. Read more about Autodesk’s free software for education initiative in this great interview with Jonathan Knowles. 

The next generation of makers

Future makers have fun at the 2015 Kids at Autodesk Day on June 25 in San Francisco. 

Last week we held 1 of our favorite events: Kids at Autodesk Day, or KAAD. Each year we open our doors to Autodesk employees’ kids, ages 5-18, for an exciting day of hands-on learning and exploring how to create, build, and make things. It’s almost like a mini AU just for the littles—they are the future of making things. This year over 300 kids came along for the fun. 

 

After a quick welcome session, we launched straight into a packed morning of hands-on activities and tours. We offered sessions for different age groups in Sketchbook, Tinkercad, Tinkerplay, Fusion 360, and 123D Sculpt. Kids got to do fun things like design their own iron-on to take home, enter a robot competition, and make solar panel bugs and stomp rockets—which were launched at the Bocce Courts. (Woo-hoo!) We also took kids on tours of the Autodesk Gallery and Marin County Library, and played games like big Jenga, Soccket ball, PULSE jump rope, and more.

All in all it was a huge success, and we’re not sure who had more fun—the kids or the employees. Thanks to everyone who volunteered, and especially to all the kids who came out to make this a great day for all of us.

Classes for AU 2015 have been chosen

After weeks of nail biting and hair tearing, the wait is over. Our industry experts and track managers have selected the class sessions for AU 2015. If you submitted a class proposal, you should have heard from us by now. We want to take a minute to thank each and every 1 of you who put in the time and effort to submit proposals this year. We know how hard you worked and we want you to know how much we appreciate your efforts. Without you, AU just wouldn't be. So thank you, gracias, danke, arigato. You rock.

If your proposal wasn't selected this year, don’t be discouraged. We received nearly 2,100 great proposals and were able to approve fewer than 700 of those. We were once again blown away by the high quality of work and depth of thought we received from everyone. Year after year, we’re in awe of your expertise and how that expertise supports the AU community and Autodesk users worldwide.

With plans for AU Las Vegas now well underway, we’ve got some time to start thinking about what comes next. Top of mind: How can we harness even more of the learning, energy, and expertise behind all those great submissions? How can we bring that many more Autodesk users into the AU expert community? In what other ways can we connect Autodesk users worldwide who are grappling with new ways to design, engineer, and build?

We’ve got some ideas in the works, a few we pulled from the cutting room floor, and a few still pinned to the ideas board. Most are still in need of a spit polish and a road test, so they aren’t ready for the showroom just yet. We’re kicking around a way to open the Call for Proposals year-round so that anytime an “a-ha!” moment strikes, you can bring it right to us. We also want to be able to help you bring that epiphany to AU—which may mean AU online becomes the first destination for your teaching. Maybe it’s a webinar series, a webcast, or something else entirely. Time will tell.

In the meantime, we’re super excited to start working with this year’s newly selected speakers. Getting a class approved is just the first step in an arduous—but totally rewarding—journey.

So a final word of thanks to all who submitted proposals this year. We’re humbled, grateful, and just downright stunned by what you do and how you do it.