Autodesk at TED: Social Space and Lunch

Today's TED schedule includes:

As I mentioned yesterday, TED is a nonprofit that started out focused on Technology, Entertainment, and Design but whose charter quickly expanded to cover many aspects of humanity. On Sunday through March 2, the TED conference is being held in Long Beach, California.

As part of the conference, Autodesk is hosting a lunch with TED executives. Autodesk's involvement with TED has grown each year, which makes sense, since we are a Design software company serving the Entertainment industry (as well as other industries) with our own Technology. TED is practically our middle name. This should prove to be an interesting event as the following are in attendance:

• Carl "Ted" Bass, President and CEO
• Jeff "Ted" Kowalski, CTO
• Chris "Ted" Bradshaw, VP of Reputation, Consumer, and Education
• Jon "Ted" Pittman, VP of Corporate Strategy and Engagement
• Tom "Ted" Wujec, Autodesk Fellow
• Jonathan "Ted" Knowles, Director of Strategic Initiatives to the Office of the CTO
• Maurice "Ted" Conti, Innovation Strategist
• Brian "Ted" Mathews, VP of Reality Capture

TED conferences are premiere events that bring together leaders in business, technology, media, entertainment, education, and philanthropy. This is a great place to discuss how to imagine, design, and create a better world. Oh to be a fly on the wall!

As I also mentioned yesterday, the social space features some exhibits from our Gallery at One Market. Our aim is to illustrate how design and visualization operate across a vast spectrum of scales. We have eight exhibits planned.

1. Power of Design

   

   Design considerations apply at the very small to the very large. Check out the range of scales in this Power of Design Brochure. Download ted_2012_power_of_design.pdf (5964.7K).

2. CADNano Simulator

   

   Design tools are being used to visualize and design at nanoscales. It is possible to design living matter. Biology is now technology. This notion will revolutionize industries. Visitors can design a cancer curing robot.

3. Nike Shoe Design

   

   The things we love don't just fall out of the sky. They have to be designed. Digital tools make this possible. Designers decide what things look like, what they are made of, and how they work. Digital tools allow these decisions to be made before the object is made. Visitors can get a sense of how objects such athletic wear demonstrate the importance of design in the things that surround our lives.

   Bespoke Innovation Prosthetic Limbs

   

   Carl Bass wants Autodesk to be a good, great, and important company.

   • Good in that we are a good corporate citizen in that we pay attention to sustainability issues such as how much we travel, how much energy our computers use, and LEED certification of our facilities.
   • Great in terms of the return to our stockholders.
   • Important in that the work that our customers do makes a difference in the world.

   Clearly this is an example of important work. Bespoke's work turns something that is a liability (Parents scolding their children not to stare.) into an asset (Strangers approaching wearers remarking "Hey that is a cool looking leg."). Bespoke helps make a better world using technologies such as scanning and 3D printing combined with customization to match each recipient's style and activities. Visitors can appreciate the beauty of Autodesk tools in action.

4. Mercedes Design

   

   Yes a car can take you from place to place; however, it's about more than just getting there. Mercedes put a lot of thought into the both the experience of driving as well as being a passenger. Visitors can recognize that human centered design and engineering are at the heart of what goes on inside an automobile. In the future, Mercedes may grow a car from biofibre that converts sunlight into energy and stores it in chemical bonds.

5. Shanghai Tower

   

   When it is completed, the Shanghai Tower will be the second tallest building in the world. It will be the tallest in China. With any tall building, a concern is that it will fall over. The design of the Shanghai Tower features a twist and a taper which reduces its wind resistance. As a result of its innovative shape, the building is very sustainable in that less steel was required for its construction, rain water can be collected for the HVAC, and wind turbines on the roof can generate electricity. All of this was made possible through the use of building information modeling and analysis tools. Visitors can see that the Shanghai Tower represents how buildings can be designed for performance yet still maintain aesthetic qualities.

6. Tools to Design Cities

   

   Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler started out on Autodesk Labs as Project Galileo. Project Vasari is still on Autodesk Labs today. Research on Project Dasher is underway. These are examples of software tools that allow urban planners to play with infrastructure models, adjust the parameters, and visualize the results. Urban planning professionals create, evaluate, and communicate infrastructure proposals and make trade-offs for features like transportation, land use, water consumption, or energy. Visitors can understand that all of these trade-offs can be evaluated even before the first shovel hits the ground.

7. Cosmic Simulator

   

   I haven't watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos series in years, but the other day I was thinking about how things are grouped from large to small: Universe, Galaxy, Solar System, Planet, Continent, Country, Region, State, County, City, Neighborhood, Street, House, Room, Object, Part, Material, Compound, Element, Molecule, Atom, Proton/Neutron/Electron, Quark, Preon, Singularity. Have I missed any? Although design tools have typically been applied to things at the House, Room, Object, and Part levels, there's no reason they can't be scaled up to address larger groupings. Visitors can see how visualization tools allow the sky to be viewed in several wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays.

8. Play Space - Pinball Machine

   "Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball." Pete Townsend, 1969.

   

   Q: What would an exhibit hall be without a play space? A: A library.
   
   Autodesk's presence at TED includes a hands-on fun place for TED attendees to play pinball. All work and no play makes Ted a dull boy.

Exhibition is alive at TED.