It is Alive in the Lab

My Favorite Blog Posts of 2018

When I started this blog in April 2007, it was about showcasing free technology previews that were available via Autodesk Labs. Hence the name, It's Alive in the Lab. Now it's about showcasing Autodesk technology. For readers who are strictly... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Eiffel Tower Grand Site

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... Read more →

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. This week, Autodesk employees in the United States have the week off. This week bridges the Christmas and New Year's holidays. It's affectionately known as the week of rest. In years before we implemented the week of rest,... Read more →

The inevitability of more and the reality of less is the opportunity for better

Merry Christmas Eve. 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... Read more →

Merry Christmas 2018

December 2018 Dear Family and Friends: After nine wonderful years at Crown Harbor in Alameda, CA, Sheryl and I relocated to Cypress, TX (northern part of Houston). We planned to select a lot and have a new home built with... Read more →

Do you recognize these paintings?

Years ago I authored a series of blog posts: Can you help identify this painting? Request for Help Identifying a Painting Need Help Identifying A Painting? Revit3D.com to the rescue... Ever since then, I get requests from It's Alive in... Read more →

MX3D Bridge Featured at Architecture Now #11: Connected Architecture

I have blogged about the MX3D Project before: Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco Exhibit: Bridge to the future Exhibit In addition to being a 3D-printed bridge, the bridge is also an "internet of things" (IoT) structure that... Read more →

Package Thief versus Glitter Bomb: See How Mark Rober Used Autodesk Fusion 360

Mark Rober doesn't like package thieves. So with a little ingenuity and help from Fusion 360, he did something about it. Well, you know what they say: "All that glitters is not gold." — William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice.... Read more →

Apis Cor and AI SpaceFactory leverage Autodesk Technology Center in Boston as part of the NASA Mars 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge

Today's blog post comes from my colleague, Nathan King. Nathan is our BUILD Space Research Strategist and Projects Lead at the Autodesk Technology Center in Boston. The Autodesk Technology Centers are where the future of making takes shape. With locations... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: A Materially Efficient Concrete Flooring System

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... Read more →

Jean Sweeney Park Opens in Alameda

Yesterday I attended the opening of a park that was 20 years in the making. In 1998, Jean Sweeney, with her husband Jim, went to see the 27 acres of the Alameda Belt Line Railroad switching yard, nearly smack in... Read more →

Student uses Fusion 360 to Make Mesh Compatible with Inventor Mesh Enabler

The Mesh Enabler is an add-on for Autodesk Inventor. The Mesh Enabler converts mesh features to solid base features or surface features and can be applied to individual or multi-selected mesh features or mesh feature folders. After installing the add-in,... Read more →

Follow up: Autodesk Gallery at #AU2018 in Las Vegas: Norway's Ulriken Tunnel

Yesterday I blogged about an Autodesk Gallery that we debuted at Autodesk University 2018: Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Norway's Ulriken Tunnel This particular exhibit has significance to me for three reasons: I recall Norconsult's exhibit from... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Norway's Ulriken Tunnel

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... Read more →

White Elephant Gift Exchange in the Autodesk Office of the CTO

Since it's Friday, my post is about something other than Autodesk technology. We had our White Elephant gift exchange at work yesterday. The term white elephant refers to an ineffectual gift that cannot be easily disposed of, based on the... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Automated Construction Site

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... Read more →

A Bold Proposal: Solar Plans for My Home Energy in Cypress, Texas

They say everything's big in Texas and that includes air conditioning bills. As Alameda, California residents, we didn't have an air conditioner in our home. The climate was mild enough that we did not need one. In fact, I chronicled... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Automated Construction on the Moon or Mars

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... Read more →