It is Alive in the Lab

Get Ready for AUv

Manager of AU Program Development, Joseph Wurcher, shared some information regarding virtual Autodesk University.

---

Tomorrow AUv will launch at the same time as AU.

The first session will be a live broadcast of the Keynote session with Carl Bass, Jeff Kowalski, and Amory Lovins. Later that afternoon we will broadcast about 20 session with live Q&A. During the conference we will broadcast a total of approximately 150 sessions, some scheduled to be available during regular business hours in EMEA (Europe, Middle east, Africa) and APAC (Asia Pacific) which means 6 am and 9 pm PST broadcast times. The AUv experience was built from scratch by the AU team. At this point many It's alive in the lab readers have not seen the AUv Player.

The below link is a 4 minute demo by Lynn Allen of the AUv Player wherein she explains what the AUv experience will be like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6FngK_xiEs

So far we have over 13,000 folks signed up for AUv from 137 countries. You can add to that number.

---

Thanks Joseph.

Autodesk Labs at Autodesk University 2009

Autodesk Labs will have two exhibits at Autodesk University 2009. Representing our team this year will be: VP Brian Mathews, Software Architect Ben Cochran, and Software Developer Frederic Loranger. Technical Evangelist Brian Pene will also be lending us a hand.

1. Community Pavilion
   Though both exhibits have the same array of Labs technologies that can be demonstrated, the Community Pavilion exhibit will have an AEC focus. Visitors may wish to inquire about and see a demonstration of AutoCAD or Revit via Project Twitch, Project Newport, the Google Earth Extension, Solar Radiation Technology Preview, Project Cooper, Project Dragonfly, or Project Showroom.

2. Autodesk Pavilion
   This exhibit has all of the same items as the Community Pavilion, but will have a manufacturing focus. Visitors may wish to inquire about and see a demonstration of Inventor via Project Twitch, Inventor Fusion, or Project Showroom.

This year our emphasis is on one-on-one contact. Our team would like to know what you do and what challenges you face. A team member can then show you some of the technologies available on Labs that may be related to what you do. You can then come to the site when you get back home, give the technology a try, and let us know what you think via one of our feedback mechanisms.

Please stop by and say hello.

Autodesk University Extension - A Free Training Event

Senior Manager, Corporate and Channel PR, Angela Simoes, shared this with me.

---

The Autodesk University (AU) conference held each year in Las Vegas is the world’s largest learning and networking event for Autodesk product users. But not everyone can travel to Las Vegas. So this year, Autodesk is extending the benefits of AU by sharing classes and content from the event with Authorized Training Centers (ATC®). The result is a new worldwide initiative called Autodesk University Extension.

From December 4 – 11, 2009, there will be over 100 free training events, held in 35 countries hosted by over 90 Authorized Training Center sites, so chances are there may be an event near you! This is a great new opportunity to upgrade your skills and connect with peers and experts—without the cost of traveling to Las Vegas. Our program is free and we invite you to join us.

The Autodesk University Extension event combines expert-led class content from AU in Las Vegas with face-to-face interaction with local instructors and other users. At the event, you will receive:

• Free training, including classes recorded at AU in Las Vegas
• 90 days of free access to 350 classes recorded at AU, archived on AU Online, and available to you on-demand

Plus, you may purchase additional training and certification (where available) at significant discounts. To find out what’s available, select a participating country and an Authorized Training Center (ATC) to view event details. http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=event_autodesk_university_extension.

---

Thanks Angela.

Revving up for AU is alive in the lab.

AU: Register so as not to miss Advanced Design Integration for Radical Energy Efficiency by Amory Lovins

Brian Mathews, VP of Autodesk Labs, shared some cool information with me about Autodesk University.

---

Autodesk has been very fortunate to sign up Amory Lovins to be the keynote speaker at AU. Autodesk Labs has been involved in his selection. What is great is that beyond the Keynote address at the General Session on main stage, Amory has been gracious enough to teach a 90 minute class before the general session! As his class was added at the last minute, many attendees are unaware of his class and may have signed up for other classes. It's Alive in the Lab readers would be particularly interested to know that we have such an influential person at AU and would want to attend his class. From the AU web site: Amory Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute joins Autodesk CEO Carl Bass and Autodesk CTO Jeff Kowalski at this year's General Session. Lovins, author of Winning the Oil Endgame, is among the world’s leading innovators in energy and its connections to resources, development, security, and the environment. His latest awards include the National Design Award (Design Mind), an Hon. AIA, Foreign Membership of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and selection by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Lovins will also be teaching "Advanced Design Integration for Radical Energy Efficiency," a look at how integrative design—optimizing a whole system for multiple benefits, not isolated components for single benefits—can yield radical energy efficiency, often at lower capital cost, while giving the designers competitive advantage, bigger profits, and more fun. As a precursor, check out these videos: Charlie Rose: a conversation with Amory Lovins TED: Amory Lovins on winnin the oil end game Date: Monday, December 1 Time: 8:00 AM (getting up early will be worth it) Register: http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_class&session_id=5566

---

Thanks Brian.

Something new to blog about - Autodesk University Virtual

Sales Programs Contractor, Daniel Teeter, shared this with me.

---

It’s official, customers from around the world can now attend Autodesk University "virtually"!

While the flagship event (AU 2009 Las Vegas, Dec 1-3, 2009) remains a not-to-be-missed experience, many are not able to physically attend. To that end, Autodesk University Virtual promises travel-challenged customers, "some of the best of AU right to your desktop."

Complete details are on the AU Virtual website, but here are the highlights:

• Event date: December 1-4, 2009.
• 50+ Classes and Sessions- streamed "live" http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=virtual_class_listing.
• A "Premium Pass" (full access) is only US$99.
• All Subscription customers receive a free "Premier Pass".
• A "Free Pass" (limited access) is available to anyone.
• How AU Virtual compares with AU "On-Site"

---

Thanks Daniel.

Getting ready to be virtually at AU is alive in the lab.

Join the Autodesk Seek team for a lively discussion about product content at AU, and earn CE credits along the way

Lively but maybe not this lively

Autodesk Seek Marketing Manager, Jim Wilson, asked me to post this. I was happy to do so.

---

You’ve heard of BIM. Maybe you’ve even worked with BIM. Now’s your chance to let building product manufacturers know how they can build the product information that you need, when you need it, where you need it. We’ll debate standards, content development best practices and your requirements for how best to deliver manufacturer-specific content for your workflow. This lively and interactive content panel – hosted by the team from Autodesk Seek, a recent “graduate” of Autodesk Labs in 2008 - will be of particular interest to sales and marketing executives for building product manufactures in the AEC industry, and design professionals from top firms who are regular users of Autodesk® Revit® and AutoCAD® in the AEC industry.

We hope to see you at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino for Autodesk University. Please register below to reserve a seat now. Oh, by the way, your attendance at the Autodesk Seek panel discussion qualifies for AIA learning credits.

Customers Are From Venus and Manufacturers Are From Mars: Connecting the Dots with Content
Class ID: AB308-3
Class Type: 90-Minute Panel
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_class&session_id=5357

Just like the commercial for Ginsu knives - But wait, there’s more! If you’re interested in learning about how to maximize 3D visualization content for online commerce and web-based services using 3ds Max, Autodesk’s 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution, you’ve found your class. Register below. We look forward to seeing you.

Best Practices: Using Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design to Build Content for Online Commerce
Class ID: DV318-1
Class Type: 90-minute class
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_class&jid=29034&session_id=5199

---

Thanks Jim.

Got a design challenge? Ask Nature, Thank a Genius!

 

RMI 2009

This past weekend I [Brian Mathews] attended the excellent RMI 2009 Conference.  RMI is the Rocky Mountain Institute, which is a non-profit think-tank formed in 1982 concerned with promoting an economically favorable path towards sustainable design and energy efficiency.  As founder Amory Lovins puts it: "It is cheaper to save fuel than to buy fuel, and your investment returns are guaranteed."

Autodesk's CEO, Carl Bass, was on an all-star panel with Amory Lovins, and several other luminaries I'll blog about later.

Asknature.org

One panelist was Janine Benyus, a founder of the Biomimicry Institute (third from the right in the picture).  What is Biomimicry? it is the idea that many of the design challenges you face every day have already been solved by 3.8 Billion years of evolution.  Janine's great idea is that while biologists have tons of information about organisms, that information was organized by organism rather than by function.  She started the non-proffit Ask Nature to organize the biology world's data in a form more useful to designers, engineers, and architects: by function for industry.

Need a non-toxic way to color the outside of your home?  Need a way to deal with rainwater?  How do I keep pipes from clogging?  What's the most lightweight shape for a car that is still strong?  All these questions can be answered by gaining inspiration from organisms who have field tested the approach for 3.8 billion years.  So if you have a design challenge, why not Ask Nature?  And if you find a solution, be sure to thank a Genius (a living organism who gave you the inspiration).

After the panel, I got to spend 90 minutes talking to Janine and hearing the most incredible examples of how vairous organisms have solved industrial problems.  One client of theirs had industrial pipes that were eventually clogging due to scale that formed inside.  She helped them learn how seashells form, and more importantly how organisms stop their shells from growing once the desired shape is realized.  The chemistry in pipes is almost the same, and now there is a natural protein that keeps the pipes clear.

Every time I meet Janine I come away energized and inspired.  Check out her TED videos too.

AU2009 YouTube Contest: Lights, camera, action!

Autodesk is sponsoring a YouTube video contest. Upload your own video to YouTube that explains reasons to attend Autodesk University 2009. How about a Top 10 Reasons to Attend Autodesk University a la Late Night with David Letterman? You can find out more about the contest at:

The Autodesk University 2009 YouTube Contest

You could be one of three winners to receive an AU 2009 Las Vegas 3-Day, All-Inclusive Pass (includes conference, classes and hands-on labs, hotel, meals, and social events).

Hopefully cameras will be alive in your lab.