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 by informing visitors about what our customers imagine, design, and make using our software.
Sometimes exhibits from the gallery go on the road and appear at special events, like pop-up galleries that we have hosted in Paris, London, Tokyo, and Toronto. In contrast, sometimes exhibits are created for special events and then make their way to the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco. For example, at last year's Autodesk University in Las Vegas, we debuted 19 new exhibits. Some of these may resurface in San Francisco.
The New Approaches to Motorcycle Design exhibit is one such exhibit from AU:
People
- BMW // more
Software
For their latest research project, BMW wanted to take advantage of their latest in-house additive manufacturing competence to create a bionic-like part for a new motorcycle.
For their latest research project, the team at BMW wanted to take advantage of its in-house additive manufacturing competence. And since generative design was opening up new possibilities in the world of manufacturing, they wanted to find out how the emerging technology could contribute to their process. They also wanted to see how generative design technology could help them explore new design possibilities.
BMW set constraints for stiffness and shape, where a rider would sit, and connections to the rest of the motorcycle, and used generative design for the frame and swingarm.
With support from Autodesk, the BMW team used generative design to set constraints for both the motorcycle's frame and the swing arm — the main rear suspension component. These included:
- goals for stiffness and shape,
- requirements for where the rider would sit, and
- where each part would connect to other mechanical components.
Then the system went to work, generating numerous design solutions, each of which met the design requirements in its own unique way, improving the strength and rigidity of the frame without adding weight. Through multiple rounds of feedback and iteration, the project team honed their vision to create a design that takes the brand into new aesthetic territory, one they describe as "bionic," while staying true to the design ethics that have made them a top automotive brand for decades.
Thanks to the Autodesk Gallery team for the descriptive text for this blog post.
Autodesk has always been an automation company. Today, more than ever, that means helping our customers automate their design and make processes. We help them embrace the future of making, where they can do more (e.g., efficiency, performance, quality), with less (e.g., energy, raw materials, timeframes, waste of human potential), and realize the opportunity for better (e.g., innovation, user experience, return on investment). New digital technologies like generative design together with new fabrication processes like additive manufacturing open up completely new possibilities for vehicle design. Here a futuristic, bionic design only possible by combining these technologies was created.
This is a moment that matters. The inevitability of more demand and the reality of less means an opportunity for something better. With advances in design and automation, lessons learned through adjacent industries and peers, and integrations across the technology spectrum, we can design and make a better world. Together, we can make anything.
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.
Motorcycle design is alive in the lab.