Looking forward to AU this year in the flesh

I will be attending Autodesk University this year.

We have a variety of things going on at AU this year. In the Exhibit Hall, Autodesk Labs is hosting an interactive Discovery Space where you can see and try all kinds of cool technology. We encourage everyone to visit. This is your opportunity to play around with multi-touch interfaces, navigate with the Wii remote control … and have fun. Labs team members are also teaching several sessions: two are in General Design; one is a Customization class, and one is a Business class. All focus on emerging technology to solve real design challenges.

One of our challenges for Autodesk Labs is awareness. We like to get the word out. Having people come to the Autodesk Labs site and try out what it has to offer is our way to get feedback. We want the technologies that people like to improve based on that feedback. We want the technologies that people do not like so much to die a quick death. Autodesk University is our chance to spread the word about the Autodesk Labs process.

I have been active in the Autodesk discussion forums since the late 1900's. I am on all of the feedback email aliases for Labs. I respond to comments on this blog. All of these forms are electronic. AU is my chance to look people in the eye, shake hands, and learn about how they use Autodesk solutions.

AU is a great place for people from anywhere in the world to come together in one spot, take classes and experience design technology that is relevant to their business. Not everyone has a multi-touch wall and not everyone is using augmented reality to build a building or train a factory team. But they may be curious about it, want to see what it’s like, and hear how it’s going from people who are using it … at AU they can do all that.