It is Alive in the Lab

Happy Valentine's Day

A few months ago I saw an ad for a personalized product where you put in the dates and locations of where you met your spouse, proposed, and got married. Purchase one from ModernMapArt The result is a physical print... Read more →

Olivier Lépinoy: Blockchain for Construction

Olivier Lépinoy is an Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Sales Development Executive in our Worldwide Field Operation team. His focus is on Strategy, Digital Transformation and Data Analytics for clients in Construction. His education is as an architect and urban... Read more →

THE FUTURE OF MAKING: Compose Infographic Maps Materials based on Structure and Composition

I was the project manager for Autodesk's THE FUTURE OF MAKING book. THE FUTURE OF MAKING tells remarkable stories of how emerging technologies are changing how we make things, who makes things, and the very nature of the what we... Read more →

Autodesk Research: Things are Designed in the Context of Other Things

Rhys Goldstein is a simulation expert in the Complex Systems group at Autodesk Research. His work helps communities of researchers and practitioners collaborate in the development of next-generation simulation-based design tools. At the 2018 Winter Simulation Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden,... Read more →

The Rock Boat XIX: Day One of Five - That Doesn't Sound like the Album

Today is Friday, and regular It's Alive in the Lab readers (like Adam Hockley) know that means that I'll blog about something besides Autodesk technology. Since I just returned from a five-day vacation, I'll write about each of the days... Read more →

List of Autodesk Gallery Exhibits by Industry

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... Read more →

THE FUTURE OF MAKING: Create Infographic maps Hardware to the Ways Things are Made

I was the project manager for Autodesk's THE FUTURE OF MAKING book. THE FUTURE OF MAKING tells remarkable stories of how emerging technologies are changing how we make things, who makes things, and the very nature of the what we... Read more →

Yes, It's The Rock Boat Time Again

This week my wife and I are on The Rock Boat. This is our eighth voyage. The Rock Boat is a 5-day cruise that departs from Tampa, Florida to Key West, Florida and Nassau, The Bahamas where rock concerts are... Read more →

Lorenzo Villaggi: Inspiring the Future of Vertical Urbanism

Lorenzo Villaggi is a Research Scientist in Autodesk Research. He's an architect, researcher, and educator based in New York City. Lorenzo explores the future of architecture with The Living focusing on generative design, new materials, and the quantification of qualitative... Read more →

Happy Birthday Autodesk

I am at our Portland office today, and Autodesk is 37 years old today. The company was started on January 30, 1982. In honor of the day, we're supposed to wear our oldest Autodesk shirt. I have several old ones... Read more →

A Bold Proposal: Proposed Schedule for Solar Panels for My Home in Cypress, Texas

As I mentioned in a series of blog posts, we are going solar on our new home in Texas: A Bold Proposal: Solar Plans for My Home Energy in Cypress, Texas A Bold Proposal: Proposed Layout of Solar Panels for... Read more →

THE FUTURE OF MAKING: Capture Infographic maps Hardware to Human Senses and Location

I was the project manager for Autodesk's THE FUTURE OF MAKING book. THE FUTURE OF MAKING tells remarkable stories of how emerging technologies are changing how we make things, who makes things, and the very nature of the what we... Read more →

City of Alameda, California Looks to Address Climate Change

Though I live in Cypress, Texas now, when I lived in Alameda, California along the water, our community got concerned about our homes being so close to the San Francisco Bay. So a few years ago, I did a little... Read more →

Expanding the Definition of Environmental Sustainability

David Benjamin is the Founding Principal at The Living and Assistant Professor at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). He also directs the GSAPP Incubator at the New Museum’s NEW INC. His work combines research and practice,... Read more →

THE FUTURE OF MAKING: Compute Infographic ties Design Process to CPU Advancements

I was the project manager for Autodesk's THE FUTURE OF MAKING book. THE FUTURE OF MAKING tells remarkable stories of how emerging technologies are changing how we make things, who makes things, and the very nature of the what we... Read more →

Home Energy: Our Honeywell Lyric Round Wi-Fi Thermostats

Over the years, since an element of Autodesk's vision is a more sustainable world, I have covered home improvements that I made to our home in Alameda: A Modest Proposal: Results of My Home Energy Audit A Modest Proposal: Improvements... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Engineering for Formula 1

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: Proposed Layout of Solar Panels for My Home in Cypress, Texas

As I mentioned in my blog post, we are going solar on our new home in Texas: A Bold Proposal: Solar Plans for My Home Energy in Cypress, Texas I got the detailed proposal from Freedom Solar Power. There are... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: BIM, VR, and AR for Smart Buildings

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 →

Image Search Turns Up a Match

In the past and even recently, I authored a series of blog posts: Do you recognize these paintings? Can you help identify this painting? Request for Help Identifying a Painting Need Help Identifying A Painting? Revit3D.com to the rescue... I... Read more →

Bay Area Resilient by Design Follow Up

In May, I blogged about my attendance at the Resilience by Design event at Rock Wall Winery in Alameda: Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge The other day I got a follow-up email that I am happy to share: Happy... Read more →

Fun Facts about Texas from Three Books on Texas

This year I am splitting my time between working in the San Francisco office and working remotely from Texas. As someone who grew up in Louisiana and lived in Arizona and California as an adult, I knew little about Texas.... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Prosthetics for Active People

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 →

Book Review: the Individualist by Todd Rundgren

I have learned to separate a person from his work. When I meet someone that I am a fan of, I say, "I enjoy your work." I don't say "I love you, man. You changed my life." I try not... Read more →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Next Generation Vehicle Lightweighting

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 →

Happy New Year from Autodesk

Happy New Year! Here's to another year of helping everyone imagine, design, and make a better world. Optimism is alive in the lab. Read more →

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 →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: IndyCar Design Simulation

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 →

Autodesk Gallery at Autodesk University in Las Vegas: Custom Construction Components on Demand

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 →

Science Fiction as Foresight for Science Fact

Today's guest blog post comes to us from two of my colleagues: Radha Mistry, Story Maker in the Office of the CTO (OCTO) Jessica Escobedo, summer intern in OCTO Finding value in stories isn't new. Our histories, creeds, and technologies... Read more →

Happy Thanksgiving

Today and tomorrow are Autodesk holidays for employees in the United States. We are thankful for many things in life. Today is a day to celebrate them — most notably family and friends. My wife and I will be spending... Read more →

How Long Do People Live in One Place?

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! With our pending move to split my time between San Francisco and Houston, I wondered how long do people live in one place? According to Quora, on average, Americans live in the same house for 9 years... Read more →

Blockchain and AEC from an Expert

It's not every day that I get a business card in Gaelic. As I have blogged a little about Autodesk's investigation into blockchain for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, I was happy to be introduced to Malachy Mathews... Read more →