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 Paradise Bird Burlesque exhibit is immediately adjacent to the reception desk where visitors sign-in to enter The Autodesk Gallery on the 2nd floor of our One Market office in San Francisco.
People
- Robert Michael Smith // more
Software
- Autodesk 3ds Max // more
"Robert Michael Smith is a sculptor, 3D digital artist, Web Designer and professor of sculpture, 3D computer visualization/animation, desktop publishing, Web design, and philosophy of aesthetics at New York Institute of Technology Fine Arts Department." [sculpture.org] The Autodesk Gallery is proud to host a work from such an accomplished artist.
As one of the gallery's oldest (from 2008), this exhibit is the opposite of what most people expect. As a CAD (Computer Aided Design) software vendor, since the exhibit is part of our gallery, most visitors assume the sculpture was produced by a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling process (the typical process used for fabricating mechanical parts), but that is incorrect. Smith, originally worked with clay, but then became interested in computers. He used Autodesk 3ds Max (a program often used in movie making, video games, or other forms of media and entertainment) to design a pleasing shape and then 3D printed his design. The small-scale model was then sent to a village in China, where they have been carving stone for hundreds of years, and a scaled up version was created the old-fashioned way. So contrary to expectations, computers were used for the inspiration, not the fabrication.
Given that burlesque is a literary, dramatic, or musical work that caricatures the manner or spirit of serious works and the name of the exhibit, my guess is that Smith's statue is his version of an exaggerated bird.
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). This can apply to buildings, products, and even art.
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.
Virtual sculpting is alive in the lab.
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