It is Alive in the Lab

AU Exhibit Hall Opening Night: Perceptive Pixel Multi-touch Wall

2008-12-03T07:49:04-07:00

We love our Perceptive Pixel Multi-touch Wall. Last night Ben Cochran, John Schmier, and I manned the device as part of the Exhibit Hall opening. We allowed AU attendees to interact with the wall to experience the gestures software developer, Eddy Kuo, programmed our copy of Autodesk Design Review to recognize.

Dimension	Touch Points	Action
2D	1 finger	pan (move with finger)
2D	2 fingers	zoom in (fingers move apart) zoom out (fingers move closer) pan (move both fingers) - The guiding principle is that the two points under your fingers stay there.
3D	1 finger	rotate (move with finger)
	2 fingers	zoom in (fingers move apart) zoom out (fingers move closer) pan/zoom/roll (move both fingers) - The guiding principle is that pan, zoom, and roll all happen at the same time so that the object “held” under the two fingers says under the two fingers as they are moved.
	3 fingers	orbit (two fixed fingers define axis, third moving finger rotates about that axis)
	6 fingers	enter pull apart mode (grab the model with one hand (5 fingers); then use 6th finger to pull apart)
	10 fingers	reset the model - very convenient for demos

The Perceptive Pixel Multi-Touch Wall is leading the way in the advancement of multi-touch devices. With Microsoft Windows 7 being multi-touch enabled, in the not-so-distant future it is quite possible that other form factors, e.g. surface computing, may provide multi-touch capabilities at different price points in a vast array of sizes. For example, the Apple iPhone is two-finger touch-enabled today at a reasonable cost, and we hope to see design-capable sized displays in the not too distant future

Demoing multi-touch is alive in the lab.

Autodesk University Discovery Space: software as a service

2008-12-03T04:00:00-07:00

While John Schmier and I set up the Perceptive Pixel Multi-touch Wall, Gyorgy Ordody set up Project Newport. David Falck and Jay Gao set up our software as a service stations. I snapped a few seconds of thsi set up process:

Our software as a service exhibits at AU include:

Project Freewheel is our technology preview to experiment with the idea of design visualization. We allow customers to post their 2D and 3D designs to our server. They view their designs using a browser. Other colleagues or customers can freely view and comment on the designs – so it is a powerful tool for collaboration.
Project Draw is our technology preview for 2D design creation. Again this uses just the browser. Anyone can sign in and create a vector-based drawing. This could be especially helpful to a designer who frequently works with colleagues or clients who are not well-versed in CAD. They can sketch their ideas, and you as the designer can bring those ideas into a drawing. A picture is worth a thousand words. It can also save time and rework.
Project Showroom is our technology preview for realistic rendering using real products in realistic settings. This experiment allows users to customize a kitchen or bathroom and see their choices rendered in real time. Our aim is to make the rendering look more and more realistic as advances in hardware and rendering technology advance.

Demonstrating software as a service is alive in the lab.

Full Scale 3D Printed Motorcycle on Display in the AU Exhibit Hall

2008-12-02T16:06:11-07:00

3D printing is one of the ways Autodesk customers can experience their designs before they are real. One of the highlights of this morning's main stage presentation at Autodesk University was the unveiling of a full scale motorcycle that had been printed from Inventor using a 3D printer. After the main stage presentation, the model was brought to the Exhibit Hall. The AutoCAD booth is right next to the Autodesk Labs Discovery space. Being in such close proximity, I got to watch them raise the motorcycle into position.

Some of you might be familiar with the movie, Raising Arizona. Well this is raising the bar of 3D printing in more ways than one. It's incredible what 3D printing technology can do.

AU is in full swing and is alive in the lab.

Assembling the Multi-touch Wall for Autodesk University

2008-12-02T04:00:00-07:00

Today the Autodesk Labs team spent the day setting up our Discovery Space in the Exhibit Hall. I helped John Schmier assemble the Perceptive Pixel Multi-touch Wall. Although this was my second time assisting with this task, this was the fourteenth time for John. Our multi-touch wall really gets around, e.g. Civic Center North in San Rafael, Customer Briefing Center at One Market in San Francisco, TED Conference in Monterey, and Autodesk University in Las Vegas. I filmed snippets of our work.

We look forward to showing off Autodesk Design Review and Autodesk Mudbox running on the multi-touch wall. The gesture-based updates we have made to these applications specific to multi-touch interaction demonstrate different and better ways to work with design data.

Multi-touch is alive in the lab.

Pre-AU Activity: A walk along the Las Vegas Strip

2008-12-01T08:56:12-07:00

courtesy of John Schmier, Scott and Gyorgy of Autodesk Labs

Once AU really starts, none of us will have any time to leave the Venetian. It's a whirlwind like that every year. With this in mind, Autodesk Labs software developers John Schmier, Gyorgy Ordody, and I took a walk along the Las Vegas strip last night. John took a picture of Gyorgy and I next to one of those fancy cars you can rent by the hour. As our colleague, Jay Gao will be joining us today from Shanghai, we joked that we should rent one to pick him up at the airport. That would definitely not fly on any expense report as we do try to be prudent with our spending.

While we were out, we did see the dancing waters show outside the Bellagio. I thought I'd share a few minutes of that.

Although the economy is not currently at its most vibrant, on our walk I also noticed lots of contsruction along the Las Vegas strip. This is welcome news to us since these projects need solutions like AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit, and 3DS Max.

From here on out, the rest of my AU reporting will all be indoors.

Project Newport in the Autodesk Labs AU Discovery Space

2008-12-01T04:00:00-07:00

Today we will set up our Discovery Space in the Exhibit Hall for AU. We also have a briefing on Project Newport - a technology that we did not have in our space last year. Project Newport is a 3D story building technology for architectural visualization and presentation. Its goal is to allow architects to convey their design intent.

More Project Newport information on Autodesk Labs

Project Newport provides story building tools, for engaging an audience in an interactive presentation with high quality real-time 3D Revit models. As a Revit-based solution, Project Newport understands native Revit metadata, and keeps in synch with changes to Revit files. Project Newport uses one set of physically-based materials for viewport display, Mental Ray rendering, and non-photorealistic ‘sketch’ effects.

From our briefing kit:

With breakthrough game-engine technology, Project Newport is easy to use and enables architects to show their designs in context. They can explore design options, visualize changes instantly, and create vivid, immersive 3D presentations. Project Newport brings architectural designs to life and dramatically improves the ability to convey design intent to stakeholders - throughout the entire design process.

Project Newport is just one of the many things we will enjoy showing in our Autodesk Labs booth at AU. Design visualization has always been near and dear to our hearts. Project Newport is alive in the lab.

AU Registration Check-in was as easy as 1-2-3

2008-11-30T18:15:15-07:00

If you are pre-registered for Autodesk University, check-in is easy.

Registration is in Venetian outside of Hall B. You enter and walk up to one of many check-in terminals (i.e. laptops). You enter your first and last name and verify that you wish to check in.
The system instructs you as to which "Materials Pick Up" line to enter. You walk over to your designated line.
When it's your turn, you show your ID and collect your Autodesk University materials.

It was as easy as one, two, three.

In Las Vegas for AU

2008-11-30T09:43:42-07:00

I am in Las Vegas for AU. My 6:35 AM flight from Phoenix had 27 people. Only 5 of us got off with the remaining 22 continuing on to Oakland. Of the 5, only 2 of us had checked luggage. With such small numbers, you would think that baggage claim would be a snap. Alas, Southwest Airlines misplaced my and the other passenger's luggage. They were able to resolve the problem for both of us. Normally Robin Capper comes from New Zealand each year.and often has a travel-related anecdote. He will be miseed this year.

32-bit and 64-bit MEP Analysis Extension Downloads

2008-11-28T04:00:00-07:00

The MEP Analysis Extension contains 25 simple "green" HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) utilities for tasks like sizing duct work or piping or calculating cooling and heating loads. This application is a companion to AutoCAD MEP or Revit MEP.

free download of MEP Analysis Extension on Autodesk Labs

Though the MEP Analysis Extension comes in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors, looking at the download numbers, 32-bit is still more popular, but 64-bit usage is significant:

32-bit downloads outnumber 64-bit almost 3 to 1 but not for long

Taking a peek at 64-bit popularity for the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing industry is alive in the lab.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T04:00:00-07:00

Today is an Autodesk holiday. We are thankful for many things in life. Today is a day to celebrate them - most notably family and friends. Last year I diagrammed a turkey using Project Draw, For this year I have exported that same diagram to DWF using Project Draw, uploaded it to Project Freewheel, and included it in this blog posting.

Thanksgiving Turkey 2008 DWF. Zoom in!

Note that I used the URL parameters to turn off the UI and leave only the Navigation Wheel. The code is very simple and looks like:

When I upload the design data into Project Showroom and photorealistically render it, I see:

OKAY maybe that last part is a fabrication, but had I actually done it, it would have looked real. It is a holiday after all. Enjoy the day.