It is Alive in the Lab

Earth Day: Looking for a Halo Effect

Autodesk Labs Marketing Manager, Amanda Collins, filed this report.

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At Autodesk’s recent Earth Day celebration, Autodesk Labs presented its work with “Architecture for Humanity” (AFH), an international non-profit organization. AFH unites volunteer architects throughout the world to design sustainable housing for communities devastated by disaster.

The Labs team discussed AFH projects in Africa, India, Colombia, and Mississippi; answered questions from interested attendees; and explained how Autodesk is working with AFH and others to provide technology for sharing design information globally.

Project Halo
AFH volunteers currently collaborate over the Web via an open-source community called the Open Architecture Network. They post images and share files with other community members. According to its website, the network grew out of a “collective frustration in sharing ideas and trying to work together to address shelter needs after disaster, in informal settlements and in our own communities”. The vision was “a truly collaborative online community and gathering place for those dedicated to improving the built environment”.

What volunteers need now is the ability to display CAD data directly over the Open Architecture Network. That’s where we hope to help.

sustainable child center in Africa

As part of “Project Halo,” Autodesk Labs is mashing up Project Draw, Project Freewheel, and Autodesk Design Review so that AFH volunteers can view designs and share actual CAD files. Our goal is to enable volunteers a level of virtual collaboration that is platform independent. Without having to download any software, designers across the world will be able to use the Internet to contribute ideas, offer comments, make annotations, and mark up actual drawings -- so that building, and rebuilding, can get off the ground faster.

Note to readers: The recent cyclone in Myanmar means that, once again, communities will face the difficult task of reconstruction. Architecture for Humanity offers support and technical expertise to rebuild clinics, schools, community centers, and other critical infrastructure, as well as housing. They are currently raising funds for work in Myanmar.

We very much hope that the outpouring of initial contributions will have a halo effect. If you are interested in getting involved, contact:

volunteers@architectureforhumanity.org or http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/donate.

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Thanks Amanda!

STL Exporter for Revit Family 2009 Now Available

The Revit team has developed a tool to export STL files from the Revit family of applications (Architecture, Structure, and MEP). Senior Revit Platform Line Manager, Emile Kfouri, contacted me about sharing it with you via Autodesk Labs. I was happy to add it to the site. STL is a popular file format for stereolithography used for rapid prototyping and computer aided manufacturing. An STL file describes the surface geometry of a 3D object. You can get the STL Exporter for Revit at:

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/revit_stl

The exporter is compatible with Revit Architecture 2009, Revit Structure 2009, and Revit MEP 2009.

"How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read if they can't even fit inside the building?"
-- Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander in the movie Zoolander

Though fashion model, Derek Zoolander, was not sophisticated enough to know that he was looking at a model of a school - not the actual school - that won't be a problem for the rest of us. Imagine holding a to-scale model of your building in progress. As part of the export process, you can replace windows with holes so you can peek inside. This is a great way to experience your design before it is real. Alternatively this is the easiest way to create the ultimate Barbie dream house for that little girl with upscale taste in real estate. :-) Check it out.

Sharing technologies for proof of concept evaluation based on your feedback is alive in the lab.

Autodesk Labs: You've got mail...

At Autodesk Labs we love hearing from customers. That's why we've set up an email alias for each technology or utility we make available.

Type	Labs Item	Feedback Email
New Technology	Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview 2009	labs.inventorlt @autodesk.com
	Project Showroom	labs.showroom @autodesk.com
	Project Draw	labs.draw @autodesk.com
	Project Freewheel	labs.freewheel @autodesk.com
	Multi-touch Human-Computer Interfaces	thelabs @autodesk.com
AutoCAD Utility	Drawing Cleanup for AutoCAD	labs.drawing.cleanup @autodesk.com
	Command Complete Bonus Tool for AutoCAD	labs.command.complete @autodesk.com
	3D/2D ShareNow Add-in for AutoCAD	labs.freewheel @autodesk.com
	Google Earth Extension for AutoCAD	labs.acad.google @autodesk.com
	DWG Export for Maya	labs.maya.dwg @autodesk.com
Inventor Utility	Sustainable Materials Assistant for Inventor	labs.iv.sustainable @autodesk.com
	AliasStudio Direct Reader for Inventor	labs.alias.iv.trans @autodesk.com
	JT Translator Add-in for Inventor	labs.iv.trans @autodesk.com
	XVL Translator Add-in for Inventor	labs.iv.xvl @autodesk.com
	Frame Generator Customization Tool for Inventor	labs.iv.frame.generator @autodesk.com
	3D/2D ShareNow Add-in for Inventor, Inventor LT	labs.freewheel @autodesk.com
	Translator Add-ins for Inventor	labs.iv.trans @autodesk.com
	2D to 3D Tool for Inventor	labs.iv.2dto3d @autodesk.com
	Feature Recognition for Inventor	labs.iv.feature.recog @autodesk.com
Revit Utility	3D/2D ShareNow Add-in for Revit	labs.freewheel @autodesk.com
Maya Utility	DWG Export for Maya	labs.maya.dwg @autodesk.com

We'd love to hear from you. In addition to the teams dedicated to each technology and utility, I read each and every message. Your early feedback helps us make improvements before these concepts go prime time. Alternatively your feedback helps us put to rest ideas whose time may never come. Either way, your feedback is critical.

Ideas for redesigning the Autodesk labs home page

The Autodesk Labs web site has lots of technologies and utilities. We are in the process of looking at new designs for our home page to make things easier to find. One way of looking at the content is based on what Autodesk product you are using. I have loosely modeled this idea with a blog page called:

Some people are frequent visitors to the Autodesk Labs home page. These people want to know what's new. I have loosely modeled this with a blog page called:

These two pages contain links to the same Autodesk Labs information but presented in diferent ways. What are your ideas for our home page? I would love to hear them. Please send your feedback to TheLabs@autodesk.com.

Google Earth Extension for AutoCAD relies on the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package

The Google Earth Extension for AutoCAD lets you publish your designs from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architectural, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and AutoCAD Map. You can download this extension from:

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/google_earth_extension_beta/

PROBLEM: After downloading and installing, some people encounter a problem when they attempt to publish their designs to Google Earth. They see an error message that AeccDWGToGE.arx (AutoCAD Runtime eXtension) is unable to load.

WORKAROUND: This happens when the extension cannot find all of the supporting operating system capabilities it needs. The Google Earth Extension was developed by the AutoCAD team in C++ using Visual Studio 2005 SP1; hence, it relies on the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package. Users who encounter the problem can update their system DLLs (dynamically loadable libraries) to allow the Google Earth Extension to run by following the steps in the Microsoft article:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)

Identifying OS dependencies so you can give our technology previews a whirl is alive in the lab.

Updated Inventor 2D to 3D Tool Now Available

Inventor Product Manager, Simon Bosley, provided me with an updated 2D to 3D Tool for Autodesk Inventor. I was happy to update the Autodesk Labs web site:

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/2d_to_3d_tool/

The updated version adds support for the 32-bit version of Autodesk Inventor 2009. It continues to support Inventor 2008 and Inventor 11. Please download it, convert some 2D data to a 3D model, and let us know what you think: labs.iv.2dto3d@autodesk.com.

Keeping technology previews compatible with our most recent products is alive in the lab.

Visual Search technology experiment reaches its end

We have ended our Autodesk Visual Search technology preview. Today I updated the Autodesk Labs site to unlink this capability. A form of this technologies continues to be available as VizSeek from Imaginestics.

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback we received with regard to searching for designs based on shape. Your feedback will be considered in planning future uses of this technology.

Gasoline Evaporation at the pump: full of hot air?

I don't usually read those emails that I get from friends that say "read this and pass it along." Normally I just delete them. But I got one the other day that I do not believe. It concerned the cost of gasoline. Basically this long-winded email made the following points.

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

1. Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. All service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. As such, the colder the ground, the more dense the gasoline gets. When it gets warmer, gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening, your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.
   I live in Arizona where it gets to be 115 degrees. This can't be real.

2. When you're filling up, do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has 3 stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less for your money.
   Great. Now I can wait in line 3 times as long while people fill their tanks.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL (or HALF EMPTY depending on how you look at it). The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
   It has not been my experience that miles per gallon goes down as my tank empties.

4. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up - most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
   This one seems a little more plausible; however, if it were significant, stations would close their pumps when their storage tanks were being refilled.

See why I normally just delete these things. This can't be real, can it? The union of concerned scientists does not mention these things in their green tips for helping save the planet at the pump. As Labs scientists, we want the truth. And despite what Jack Nicholson's character said in A Few Good Men, we can handle the truth. So what's the truth? Let's hear from some chemists out there: TheLabs@autodesk.com.

Hoping to lay this urban legend to bed is alive in the lab. Other sites list this one as "undetermined."

Check out the DWF Community Updates

Check out the recent updates to the DWF Community:

http://dwfcommunity.autodesk.com/

Autodesk Labs has been a community since May 1, 2007. Autodesk has many communities and Labs was certainly not the first:

1. Autodesk.com
2. Autodesk Developer Network
3. Autodesk Labs
4. Autodesk University
5. ATC - Authorized Training Centers
6. AUGI - Autodesk User Group International
7. Civil Engineering Community
8. DWF Community
9. Impression Community
10. Industrial Design Community
11. Manufacturing Community
12. My Feedback
13. Student Community
14. The Area - 3D Animation Community

So wander over to the DWF Community and see what's up. Making a DWF is the first step in using Project Freewheel. Actually if you use the 3D/2D ShareNow Add-in, then even that step happens behind the scenes.

Autodesk and FIRST Robotics - Another Success!

In December I posted See winning Cybersonics robotics entry without installing additional software. In March I posted FIRSTbase: The Autodesk Source for FIRST Robotics Competition Teams. PR Manager, Channel and Education, Angela Simoes, filed this report:

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"Robot coming through! Robot coming through!" We heard this countless times throughout the four-day FIRST Robotics Competition National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. Pictures and stories really do not do this event justice. Everyone should go to FIRST at least once to experience the genius that is our youth.

10,400 students from more than 20 countries
524 robots
5,000 mentors
700 volunteers 6 playing fields

Autodesk has been a proud sponsor of this competition since it began in 1992, and in total has provided more than $106 million in free software, training, mentoring resources, and funding. This year alone our support totals $17 million.

We often get mention of the fact that we are sponsors, but the more important message is the WHY. So why is Autodesk involved? The answer is very simple and is best summed up in one line from an article in metromode media, a local Detroit online news outlet that covered the Detroit regional competition:

California-based Autodesk began sponsoring the competition 17 years ago, not just for fun and games, but to attract teens to careers in engineering.

As part of our support, Autodesk held two speaking engagements:

1. Brenda Discher, Senior Director of Marketing, Manufacturing Solutions, emphasized the need for more engineers at the FIRST Tech Challenge Judged Awards Ceremony.
2. Senior Director, Worldwide Education Programs, Paul Mailhot, reminded everyone why engineering is cool and why Autodesk is committed to engineering education at the FIRST Robotics Awards Ceremony.

Paul gave out the awards for the prestigious Autodesk Design Competition.

1. Team 234, Cyber Blue of Indianapolis, Indiana, was awarded the Autodesk Inventor Award.
2. Team 867, Absolute Value of Pasadena, California, won the Autodesk Visualization Award for their 30 second animation that best reflected this year’s theme, "Designing an Invention for their Community."

We created our own home-made B-Roll of students working on their robots, utilizing Autodesk software, and the competition itself and have posted it to Autodesk’s YouTube Channel. As part of our FIRST "Championship" sponsorship, Autodesk staffed a booth in the middle of the FRC pits area where teams worked on their robots. Educational presentations were conducted all three days of the event on both Inventor and 3DS Max by Phil Dollan and Ted Boardman. Expert Autodesk staff members were available at kiosks in the booth for one-on-one questions and demos on Inventor, 3DS Max and Education. Ted and Phil also hosted their 9th annual show where they highlighted entries from the Autodesk Design Competition and awarded teams Teddies and Phillies for their work. (See Flickr photos.)

FIRST Robotics continues to be a key event as part of Autodesk’s overall commitment to providing students and teachers with the resources and technologies to increase the number of qualified engineers that graduate globally every year.

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Thanks Angela!