Autodesk University 2008: What's Coming!!!

I have been fortunate enough to gain access to Inventor 2010. New "ribbon" interface is really, really well done. I think like everyone, I wasn't a huge fan of the ribbon when it came out, but have grown to really love it in many different applications (Office, SnagIt, Spaceclaim, SolidWorks etc). I have downloaded Solid Edge, but need to brush up my Edge skills before I can comment on the UI.

AU attendees were privileged enough to get a peek into the future. Here is a quick list of what I could type while watching..

2d design kinematics- so you can have linkages, mechanism sketched and interacting in 2d- saves from having to have a full 3d model when working on kinematic stiff.

dynamic simulation - so you can take the reaction forces from a fully kinematic simulation and automatically go into a stress analysis.

parametric optimization - structural simulation design studies on different geom in Inventor based on a goal.

industrial design sketcher- I'm not an ID guy, but it looked very much like a pencil sketching on paper, but it was actually creating 3d sketches that can be turned into surfaces and solids, it was amazing realistic

tech pubs- really cool exploded view and tech publications a la Inventor

inventor fusion- really cool hybrid modeling that will be available in Labs very soon.

Check out Al Dean's site for the videos...


Future of Autodesk Inventor from DEVELOP3D on Vimeo.

Autodesk University 2008: Innovation occurs during the "bad" times

I sat through one of the keynotes kicked off by Buzz Kross this am. I have to admit, I agree with the messaging coming out of Autodesk. Always one to try and stay impartial - Autodesk is definitely heading down the right path.

Grossly paraphrasing, Mr. Kross, but here are a few blips that I jotted down.

"Digital Prototyping is Innovation..."

"..if you make a physical prototype, you are limiting innovation..."

"..much more design choices can be made if Digital Prototyping is used..."

This was echoed by an awesome presentation by Burt Rutan, founder of Scaled Composites. His presentation was really interesting. Paraphrasing a bit, but a big take away for me in regards to design engineering in a troubled economy.

"...breakthroughs occur when we are threatened, during the bad times, not the good times..."

He gave a reflection of the 1960w when we put a man on the moon. It was a fragile time- fear of the cold war, Cuban missile crisis, unpopular Vietnam war etc, yet INNOVATION still occurred.

So, yes, times are tough. But, there is plenty of opportunity out there to come out on top and fix what is broken. The tools are there, we as engineers need to use them smartly and get back to the basics and innovate. Lead the charge and show the world what we are all about.

Autodesk University 2008: Day One

What a day! Autodesk truly has some amazing products. I learned a ton of stuff in fields that are pretty foreign to me, (GIS, Architecture, Urban Planning etc). I also learned quite a bit about products that I use everyday.

Here are some of my take aways..

"The future is innovation led by design." This was the overwhelming message that was emphasized over and over again throughout the keynote led by Carl Bass and some of the guest speakers. Seems pretty obvious, but Autodesk is positioning themselves as a design company and are raising the bar to include some pretty amazing optimization across numerous industries.

"Experience it before its real" The CTO, Jeff Kowalski, showed some of the things being worked on in the Labs at Autodesk. It involved, high end rendering and visualization, combining 2d & 3d mapping software and optimization where the software selects the optimal design for you.

I sat in on an API course for Inventor. It has come along way. There are a ton of things that can be automated in Inventor that users should be using everyday. Levels of detail is only scratching the surface.

But by far the coolest thing I saw was Inventor Fusion Technology. In essence, it is super streamlined hybrid modeling for Inventor. I saw it as a standalone product, which personally, I think they should offer it in both varieties- standalone and inside Inventor. But coming from a Simulation perspective, it is one of the coolest, modelers I have ever seen.

No doubt, it is in direct response to Spaceclaim, Synchronous Technology from Siemens and other hybrid modeling solutions. Its pretty convincing that hybrid modeling will play a major role in the future of MCAD. From a user's perspective, the more the merrier. Meaning, each vendor will be fighting for to be the best, which should result in some awesome technology.