It is Alive in the Lab

I am making a list and checking it twice

2009-11-20T11:24:55-07:00

Autodesk is getting more involved with social media. Project Bluestreak is a great example. To try to make some sense of our increased involvement, I updated our social media page on the Autodesk Labs site to list the various social meda resources that Autodesk Labs is involved with:

http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/showroom/social_sites/

I will keep this up to date as our running list.

Being sociable is alve in the lab.

Autodesk Labs Community Login unavailable due to system maintenance tomorrow

2009-11-20T05:00:00-07:00

Sign In and Registration functionality will not be available for discussion groups due to systems maintenance tied to our Disaster Recovery testing of our Enterprise Applications.

Saturday, Nov 21 from 12:00 AM – 3 PM PST

Creating new threads or replies, and other functionality dependent on sign in will be restricted. This includes saving diagrams on Project Draw, uploading files to Project Freewheel or participating in collaboration sessions, saving room customizations on Project Showroom, and trying our design applications using the cloud (Project Twitch).

Thank you for your patience and continued interest in Autodesk Labs.

Product Support Subscription Advantage Pack Videos

2009-11-19T05:00:00-07:00

BYOP - bring your own popcorn and leave the rest to us

Social Media Manager, Brian Kling, shared this with me.

Overview - Product Support has created "deeper dive" videos reviewing the 2010 Subscription Advantage Packs for:

AutoCAD
Civil 3D
Inventor
Map 3D
Revit

These videos cover features/functionality from a different angle than traditional Marketing introduction videos and should provide users with a deeper understanding of how it is useful for them as well as anticipate/answer some questions users may have.

Goal - We are trying to increase visibility of our content to better assist our customers.

Location - The Autodesk YouTube channel collects these videos into a single play list.

So go ahead and join a Technical Lead from Autodesk Product Support as they walk through the features and functions of the new Subscription Advantage Packs, anticipating frequently asked questions and showing you how these features will be useful for you. Not on Subscription? Review the videos and then assess the many benefits of Subscription via the video.

Thanks Brian.

Helping spread the latest Product Support news is alive in the lab.

Project Bluestreak Now Available

2009-11-18T13:41:35-07:00

Up, up, and away with Project Bluestreak

At one time I was the Software Development Manager for Buzzsaw,so I find collaboration in the construction industry very exciting. So I am happy to report that a team in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction division has been thinking about how their customers collaborate on design problems. They have started building Project Bluestreak -- a web-based collaboration environment for accelerating building information modeling through the open exchange of design information and ideas between desktop applications, web-based services, and people. How cool is that?

The basic building blocks needed to collaborate with your team -- user profiles, self organized private groups, file sharing, activity streams, notifications and comments -- are available on Autodesk Labs now for your testing and feedback. The team has decided that the best way to build a collaboration environment is to do it collaboratively! So they are asking you to get involved:

They say there's no "I" in team, but it's also true that there's no "U" in apathy. So "you" should get involved. To get started and help build the next generation of AEC collaboration:

Navigate to the Project Bluestreak page on the Autodesk Labs site.
Click on the Try It Now image.
Click on Sign Up icon to create your account and a project group, and try it out!
Use the “Feedback” button within the application to give us your feedback and discuss the application with other members of the Bluestreak user community.
In addition, you can always send comments to labs.bluestreak@autodesk.com.

With this initial release, you can:

Create and join project groups
Communicate with your project group members
Share project designs and documents
Quickly respond to project activities

More incremental releases will come Alive in the Lab as more features are developed, and your feedback is incorporated.

Social networking in the AEC world is alive in the lab.

Project Dragonfly Update Now Available

2009-11-18T08:16:02-07:00

This blog posting is 2 hours late. Boy is my face red.

The Project Dragonfly team has been busy. Today they unveiled an update. Try it now:

Project Dragonfly Information on Autodesk Labs Site

As a software as a service solution, this means the update is available to you right now. No download. No install. No nothing. Some of the big features in this update include:

Landscaping - you can plan your outdoors the same way you plan indoors
Levels - you can create multi-story floor plans
Appliances - you can pick from a multitude of Dacor appliances that were added with this release

So check out Project Dragonfly and engage in a bit of floor planning. Create a design and submit it to the gallery. Your friends will be green with envy.

Extending the functionality in the technology preview of our software as a service offering is alive in the lab

Autodesk University Extension - A Free Training Event

2009-11-17T05:00:00-07:00

Senior Manager, Corporate and Channel PR, Angela Simoes, shared this with me.

The Autodesk University (AU) conference held each year in Las Vegas is the world’s largest learning and networking event for Autodesk product users. But not everyone can travel to Las Vegas. So this year, Autodesk is extending the benefits of AU by sharing classes and content from the event with Authorized Training Centers (ATC®). The result is a new worldwide initiative called Autodesk University Extension.

From December 4 – 11, 2009, there will be over 100 free training events, held in 35 countries hosted by over 90 Authorized Training Center sites, so chances are there may be an event near you! This is a great new opportunity to upgrade your skills and connect with peers and experts—without the cost of traveling to Las Vegas. Our program is free and we invite you to join us.

The Autodesk University Extension event combines expert-led class content from AU in Las Vegas with face-to-face interaction with local instructors and other users. At the event, you will receive:

Free training, including classes recorded at AU in Las Vegas
90 days of free access to 350 classes recorded at AU, archived on AU Online, and available to you on-demand

Plus, you may purchase additional training and certification (where available) at significant discounts. To find out what’s available, select a participating country and an Authorized Training Center (ATC) to view event details. http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=event_autodesk_university_extension.

Thanks Angela.

Revving up for AU is alive in the lab.

AU: Register so as not to miss Advanced Design Integration for Radical Energy Efficiency by Amory Lovins

2009-11-16T08:18:29-07:00

Brian Mathews, VP of Autodesk Labs, shared some cool information with me about Autodesk University.

Autodesk has been very fortunate to sign up Amory Lovins to be the keynote speaker at AU. Autodesk Labs has been involved in his selection. What is great is that beyond the Keynote address at the General Session on main stage, Amory has been gracious enough to teach a 90 minute class before the general session! As his class was added at the last minute, many attendees are unaware of his class and may have signed up for other classes. It's Alive in the Lab readers would be particularly interested to know that we have such an influential person at AU and would want to attend his class.

From the AU web site:

Amory Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute joins Autodesk CEO Carl Bass and Autodesk CTO Jeff Kowalski at this year's General Session. Lovins, author of Winning the Oil Endgame, is among the world’s leading innovators in energy and its connections to resources, development, security, and the environment. His latest awards include the National Design Award (Design Mind), an Hon. AIA, Foreign Membership of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and selection by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Lovins will also be teaching "Advanced Design Integration for Radical Energy Efficiency," a look at how integrative design—optimizing a whole system for multiple benefits, not isolated components for single benefits—can yield radical energy efficiency, often at lower capital cost, while giving the designers competitive advantage, bigger profits, and more fun.

As a precursor, check out these videos:

Date: Monday, December 1
Time: 8:00 AM (getting up early will be worth it)
Register: http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_class&session_id=5566

Thanks Brian.

Something new to blog about - Autodesk University Virtual

2009-11-16T05:00:00-07:00

Sales Programs Contractor, Daniel Teeter, shared this with me.

It’s official, customers from around the world can now attend Autodesk University "virtually"!

While the flagship event (AU 2009 Las Vegas, Dec 1-3, 2009) remains a not-to-be-missed experience, many are not able to physically attend. To that end, Autodesk University Virtual promises travel-challenged customers, "some of the best of AU right to your desktop."

Complete details are on the AU Virtual website, but here are the highlights:

Event date: December 1-4, 2009.
50+ Classes and Sessions- streamed "live" http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=virtual_class_listing.
A "Premium Pass" (full access) is only US$99.
All Subscription customers receive a free "Premier Pass".
A "Free Pass" (limited access) is available to anyone.
How AU Virtual compares with AU "On-Site"

Thanks Daniel.

Getting ready to be virtually at AU is alive in the lab.

Join the Autodesk Seek team for a lively discussion about product content at AU, and earn CE credits along the way

2009-11-13T12:31:50-07:00

Lively but maybe not this lively

Autodesk Seek Marketing Manager, Jim Wilson, asked me to post this. I was happy to do so.

You’ve heard of BIM. Maybe you’ve even worked with BIM. Now’s your chance to let building product manufacturers know how they can build the product information that you need, when you need it, where you need it. We’ll debate standards, content development best practices and your requirements for how best to deliver manufacturer-specific content for your workflow. This lively and interactive content panel – hosted by the team from Autodesk Seek, a recent “graduate” of Autodesk Labs in 2008 - will be of particular interest to sales and marketing executives for building product manufactures in the AEC industry, and design professionals from top firms who are regular users of Autodesk® Revit® and AutoCAD® in the AEC industry.

We hope to see you at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino for Autodesk University. Please register below to reserve a seat now. Oh, by the way, your attendance at the Autodesk Seek panel discussion qualifies for AIA learning credits.

Customers Are From Venus and Manufacturers Are From Mars: Connecting the Dots with Content
Class ID: AB308-3
Class Type: 90-Minute Panel
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_class&session_id=5357

Just like the commercial for Ginsu knives - But wait, there’s more! If you’re interested in learning about how to maximize 3D visualization content for online commerce and web-based services using 3ds Max, Autodesk’s 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution, you’ve found your class. Register below. We look forward to seeing you.

Best Practices: Using Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design to Build Content for Online Commerce
Class ID: DV318-1
Class Type: 90-minute class
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=e_class&jid=29034&session_id=5199

Thanks Jim.

My first week back

2009-11-13T05:00:00-07:00

Well it's been my first week back. I would like to thank Amanda Collins, Ben Cochran, Brian Mathews, Douglas Look, and Frederic Loranger who looked after the blog during my sabbatical and guest authored articles. During my six weeks off, my wife and I:

Saw our son off to boot camp at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. I helped him get his car ready for sale. He sold it to CarMax - a very disappointing experience in terms of the price he received.
Moved from Scottsdale, Arizona to Alameda, California. We got to go to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. As part of registering my car, I asked "Are front plates optional or required?" The clerk's response was "No." (Excuse me but that was not a "yes" or "no" question.) Although Arizona only requires a rear license plate, California requires both front and back. I also had the pleasure of opening new bank accounts, setting up new services, dealing with damage caused by the movers, and becoming familiar with the rules for my Homeowners Association.
Oversaw progress on the remodeling of our town home. We are getting a new kitchen, new shower, organized closets, tankless hot water heater, new fireplace, and painting throughout. This started in September. We're not done yet. The goal is to be done by Thanksgiving. We have made so many trips to Home Depot and Lowe's that the employees know us by name.

The day we drove from Scottsdale to Alameda was October 13. It rained the whole way. In fact, Alameda had its hardest rain since 1962. When we arrived, we saw that our garage had a leak. In addition, the painters had painted the rooms the wrong colors. Welcome to California. It was a very productive time in our lives. I am glad to be back at work.