Autodesk University is where customers come to "take classes" on how to use what Autodesk has to offer. It is a global event. Look at the ones Autodesk has conducted and will be conducting this year.
- 06/18 — AU South Africa
- 08/06-07 — AU India
- 08/20-21 — AU Australia
- 08/26-17 — AU Japan
- 09/03 — AU Brazil
- 09/16 — AU Russia
- 10/13-14 — AU Germany
- 11/05-06 — AU China
- 11/11 — AU Mexico
- 11/11-12 — AU Korea
- 12/01-03 — AU United States (Las Vegas)
- 12/09-10 — AU UAE
I received an email sent by an attendee from AU India. With his permission, I am sharing it with you.
From: Deepak Sivakumar
Date: 10 August 2015 11:55:39 am IST
Subject: An account of my experience at Autodesk University India 2015
Greetings!
As this is a fairly long mail, giving an account of my experiences at AUIN-2015, I request you to read it when you are free!
This is Deepak Sivakumar, son of M.Sivakumar of ICTACT. At the outset, I would like to thank you a lot for allowing me to be a part of such a thought provoking, enriching and enjoyable conference like Autodesk University and the Education Summit. To witness such a humongous event of such magnitude and listening to some of the greatest minds in the design industry was surely an eye-opener for a guy like me who eats, sleeps and lives with only SMAC technologies! I learned that design is an integral part for any product and the importance of design in various domains such as construction, architecture, manufacturing, transport, city infrastructure, etc. was shown in its full glory in both the Education Summit and Autodesk University. The products of Autodesk and its contribution to the various exhibits which were displayed outside the ballroom of the Education Summit is testimonial to the fact that these are used to its fullest potential and exploited maximally to create many wonderful products and solutions for today's relevant problems. It was also a pleasure to listen to the awe-inspiring speeches of Mr. Tom and the panel discussion which followed chaired by the professor of IIT Kanpur. The articulated speeches conveying the views and needs of today's education (which has to be aligned to suit the industry needs) were simply superb. Representatives from both the industry, institute and the committees like NASSCOM ensured that there was a wholesome discussion where all the relevant pain-points and improvement areas are put forward and there was an amiable solution which can be found to each and every aspect of industry-institute interaction. I personally enjoyed the speeches and all of the speakers were spot-on in their arguments.
Special mention to all the promotional videos which were aired for both the Education summit and Autodesk University. They were really mind boggling and superbly cut. With the music and the innumerable use-cases displayed in the videos, it must have surely captivated everyone watching it.
The individual break-out sessions during the Education summit offered more food for thought with the in-depth keynotes on AEC, Manufacturing, BIM, etc. (I attended the BIM session.) A professor from the civil engineering department of IIT Madras explained in detail about the importance of introducing BIM as part of the curriculum in colleges. Some of the various use-cases, benefits, technology and technical know-how of BIM were explained in very lucid terms that could be understood by even a layman. The detailed training sessions were very informative and interesting. Some of the projects shown (Dream House by Thiagaraja College of Engineering) using the Autodesk software such as Revit were really out-of-this-world. The fact that the software not only helps in designing the house but also customizes it to select the desired location, temperature, ventilation, amount of breeze entering the rooms, climatic study of the location, etc. helps architects and designers to view various pros and cons before actually proceeding with the final design for construction. The use of simulation and data analytics are really a boon for several architects and designers who can actually "experience" the house. In addition, cities using Autodesk InfraWorks 360 understand the various use-cases of InfraWorks in designing smart cities. Some of the various features including navigation through cities, knowing the climate levels, soil/land statistics in that region, positioning of buildings in the spaces, etc. were really interesting. It was like playing an upgraded version of Sim City or City Tycoon!!!
Autodesk University was on an entirely new level altogether. Right from the magnificence of the SVP Stadium to the elegantly designed LED and stage and efficient handling by the event management, the entire event was a visual spectacular! With such a huge number of delegates from colleges, companies, partners and students attending, I am sure this was one of the grandest events ever attended in the recent past. This was a perfect platform for many design enthusiasts and entrepreneurs focusing on building new products to exchanging ideas and discuss some of the cutting edge technologies present around the world. No wonder the CM of Maharashtra Mr. Devendra Fadnavis expressed his intentions to adopt BIM in the future construction activities. Many of the points in the inaugural keynote "The future of making things" not only illustrated the expected technologies and best practices to be followed in the coming years, but also gave the relevance of using the given technologies for our day-to-day lives. For example, the Panama Canal with its construction has resulted in the saving of billions of dollars for ships and also the designing of calipers and other equipment which helped a lot of handicapped people to move with ease. These stories not only spoke about the achievements and progress made by several individuals using Autodesk software but also acted as an inspiration to contribute for the betterment of the society. The various advancements in 3D printing, which were until now seen by me only in videos was experienced in person at the stalls. Many of the stalls were really an eye-opener for me in learning about the various intricacies of design, CAD/CAM/CAE software, knowing their application in various fields etc. Special mention for the India Maker Contest stalls which helped in bringing the various models and prototypes into reality. This initiative by Intel was very praiseworthy and highly sought after by various creators and artists. Kudos to them!
The entire session in the auditorium screamed of lavishness right from the intros of Mr. Dilip Chabbria with his awesome super cars (DC Avanti) which were entirely made in India to the superb speeches by Mr. Amit Sharma, Mr. Amar Hanspal, Mr. Guruprasad Rao, and Mr. Pradeep Nair who seamlessly connected with every speaker. Some of the industry's biggest names had gathered for this show of grandeur which reached an all new height with the closing keynote of Mr. Steve Blum with his MISSION IMPOSSIBLE entry! This conference not only enriched people's minds but also gave them a chance to get freely certified in the products of AutoDesk and also opens up huge networking opportunities for many them.
Mumbai is dubbed as the city of dreams. Autodesk aims at converting many dreams, aspirations and visions of artists, designers, architects and builders into reality. Hence in many ways, it is apt that this event is held in Mumbai. Words fail me at this point of time to express my star-struck experience at AUIN-2015. More than the comfortable stay at the Taj Central, the lip smacking food served throughout the two days, the experience of witnessing the robustness of Mumbai for the first time, the mega show of AU etc., it is the exchange and collection of ideas and experiences and best practices between individuals under one roof which makes this an event to remember and cherish forever. This event has converted me to such an extent that I began pondering whether I had taken a wrong course in my engineering instead of civil/mechanical/architecture!!! I look forward to using more of the products of Autodesk not only for my creations, but also for implementing any solution to an existing problem in the society.
Thanks once again for your kind gesture in allowing me to be part of an event which I will be proud of, an event I will urge my fellow members to attend, and an event which will be etched in the history of design!
Thanking you,
Deepak Sivakumar
Thanks Deepack. AU India will be hard to top, but our aim is for all attendees to have such experiences at all of our AU events.
Autodesk University is alive the lab.
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