Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco: Church of big data Exhibit

Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you've ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you've experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything, but some segments of the general public are not yet aware of that.

The Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco celebrates design — the process of taking a great idea and turning it into a reality. With about 60 different exhibits regularly on display that showcase the innovative work of Autodesk customers, the gallery illustrates the role technology plays in great design and engineering. Autodesk Gallery Ambassadors conduct gallery tours as a sideline to their day jobs. The tours provide ambassadors with opportunities to practice public speaking in front of small groups.

The Church of big data exhibit is an exhibit that you see on the 2^nd floor of our One Market office in San Francisco.

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People

• Andrew Saunders // more
  • Katherine Linton
  • Ariel Cooke-Zamora
  • Monica Blanco
  • Andrew Homick
  • Kurt Nelson
  • Nicole Bronola
  • Elizabeth Heldridge
  • Cora Butler
  • Lindsey Chambers
  • Caitlin Dashiell
  • Kimmy Kim
  • Hardeep Gujral
  • David Harrop
  • Prince Langley
• The University of Pennsylvania // more
  • Department of Architecture School of Design University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Pennsylvania University Research Foundation (URF)
  • Mellon Humanities, Urbanism and Design (H+U+D) Initiative
• PennDesign
  • Frederick Steiner
  • Winka Dubbeldam
  • Richard Wesley
  • Katherine Linton
  • Catherine DiBonaventura
• Autodesk
  • Tatjana Dzambazova
  • Dennis Martin
  • Phil Bernstein
  • Alfred DeFlaminis
  • Mitko Vidanovski

Software

• Autodesk 3ds Max // more
• Autodesk Meshmixer // more
• Autodesk Netfabb // more
• Autodesk Project Play // more
• Autodesk ReCap // more

Hardware

• FARO Focus3D X 130 // more

As a professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, Andrew Saunders found that teaching students about Baroque architecture through typical representation, such as photos and floor plans, was insufficient for showing the design complexities of that period. So, he decided to do something about it. Recognizing the increasing power of today's design and capture tools and the era of cloud computing and big data, Saunders traveled to Italy to digitally capture and create 3D visualizations and models of some of the most important works of Italian Baroque architecture. This included more than a dozen churches designed by key figures like Francesco Borromini, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Guarino Guarin.

Over a period of 6 weeks, scanning at a rate of one million points per second with a range of 130 meters, Saunders used high-resolution laser scanners to capture the interior space and geometry of the structures.

The scans were imported into Autodesk ReCap reality capture software where, thanks to the power of the cloud, it was able to take the huge amount of resulting scan data to create high-resolution 3D digital models. The models were then prepared in various modeling tools, including 3ds Max, for 3D printing or use in interactive experiences.

VOLUME

INTERIOR

X-RAY

With the ability to zoom and switch between different views, an interactive web viewer provides a way to examine and study the interior spaces of the churches that is not possible with photos nor floorplans.

The 3D printed structures' detailed representations of the churches' interiors provide a better lens through which to examine the patterns and mathematical concepts that are characteristic of Baroque architecture.

Though they look like exterior elevations, the 3D printed models are representations of the interior volumes of the churches. Printed in photopolymer resin, the translucent models show the depth of the space when lit and expose the details of their Baroque architecture.

Students are using their analysis to inform contemporary designs through Baroque tropes. It also serves as a study in how today's design tools can help preserve important works of the past.

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Thanks to the Autodesk Gallery team for the descriptive text for this blog post. Well, you know what they say at the Pottery Barn in Italy: "If you baroque it, you babought^[sic] it."

Autodesk has always been an automation company, and today more than ever that means helping people make more things, better things, with less; more and better in terms of increasing efficiency, performance, quality, and innovation; less in terms of time, resources, and negative impacts (e.g., social, environmental). Working in 3D instead of 2D is part of that process.

The Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is a guided tour on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm and a self-guided audio tour available anytime. Admission is free. Visit us.

Churches are alive in the lab.