Between the Lines

Autodesk FormIt 4.0 & Dynamo Announced at AIA 2013

There are three Autodesk announcements at this weeks AIA 2013 National Convention in Denver, and all involve conceptual design tools.

Autodesk FormIt 4

Autodesk’s free conceptual tool for the ipad, Autodesk FormIt was just updated as version 4. FormIt is the 1st Architectural Form Modeler for the iPad. In addition to new features, there is a web based version of FormIt coming so that you will be able to use it from many more platforms. Before the Android tablet users fire up my comments section asking where is the Android version, the team is looking towards an Android tablet version sometime in the future.

For those not aware of Autodesk FormIt, it is an extremely easy to use tool allowing you to explore forms and conceptual designs fast by directly manipulating the forms. You can start with a blank canvas or start with a satellite image location for your design as well as do a shadow study based on that location and a date and time.

Autodesk FormIt 4.0 Highlights:

• Allow for import and export of SAT and OBJ files
• Users may generate their own material library
• Materials may be assigned transparency
• Create your own texture-mapped materials using the Photo Library or iPad camera
• Allow users to send screen shots to library and via email
• Arrows can now be assigned size & color
• Delete an edge on a flat face

One of the biggest strengths of FormIt besides drp dead simple ease of use is that FormIt allows you to take the conceptual to the design tool as it automatically generates a Autodesk Revit .rvt file in Autodesk 360. No need to work out a conceptual idea only to redraw it in a design tool wasting time when you move it to the design phase.

Autodesk FormIt for the iPad is currently available free from the Apple App Store. Autodesk FormIt

Dynamo

Dynamo is a powerful visual scripting/programming language for Building Information Modeling (BIM) based conceptual design using advanced geometry and parametrics.

Generate and explore complex designs for Revit.

Dynamo is being released as open-source.
http://github.com/ikeough/dynamo

Project Vasari

There is a new Work In Progress “WIP” build of Project Vasari for Revit. http://autodeskvasari.com

More Info

In the Fold Blog: New Highly Intuitive, Flexible, Conceptual Design Technologies

Attending AIA 2013 in Denver? Visit the Autodesk at Booth 3713, more info at autode.sk/14IBBlg

Autodesk Project Blink Beta Opportunity - Run Remote Apps from PC & iPad

Project Blink gives you the power and flexibility to run software installed on your computer from a remote computer or tablet with lower latency than other solutions, and optimized for some Autodesk software. I wish I could say more, but this is a beta and you need to apply and get in the special beta to find out how amazing this cutting edge technology is compared to traditional remote hosted application technologies.

Sign Up for this Beta Opportunity http://bit.ly/11H7t8F
Currently the beta is acepting those from N. America.

AutoCAD WS is now AutoCAD 360

The popular web, mobile, and Mac App known as AutoCAD WS has now been renamed as AutoCAD 360. AutoCAD WS now AutoCAD 360 has been downloaded over 12 million times in just 2 years and is still a free version plan with more functionality being added all the time. Renaming AutoCAD WS as AutoCAD 360 to the Autodesk 360 platform family will provide a unified experience and allow for more powerful functionality, integration with other 360 applications and services, and collaboration and much more in the future.

Welcome to AutoCAD 360 Video

In addition to the free AutoCAD 360 plan, there is also Pro version plan with many more advanced features available.

Compare the AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app plans

• AutoCAD 360 Mobile
• AutoCAD 360 Mobile Pro
• AutoCAD 360 Web Beta

For Mobile: Get it in the iTunes App Store or Google Play

If you already had AutoCAD WS installed, you may have noticed the update today as AutoCAD 360.

Take your drawings everywhere with the AutoCAD 360
https://www.autocad360.com/

Big Hearty Autodesk Welcome to Tinkercad

Autodesk announced yesterday at Maker Faire which is essentially the center of the universe event for DIY & Makers our intent to acquire Tinkercad. Tinkercad is an easy-to-use browser-based 3D design tool and will become part of the popular Autodesk 123D family of apps and supports Autodesk’s vision to help anybody imagine, design and create anything..  The addition of Tinkercad to Autodesk will help broaden the  The acquisition will also revive the Tinkercad service and community, despite a previously announced shutdown by its founders and creators.

Tinkercad has been one of the favorite tools of many Makers just wanting a simple web based 3D design tool to create 3D models for 3D printing. With Autodesk as a new parent and placed into 123D Family it is not only not going away as was the case before Autodesk, but it will be improved and given much love and attention.

Tinkercad Blog Post:
Tinkercad has found a new home at Autodesk

Go give Tinkercad a try, its super simple and a fun way to create 3D geometry for 3D printing or just for fun.

http://www.tinkercad.com

 

Autodesk Press Release:
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 18, 2013-- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK)

"We are excited to have reached an agreement with Autodesk that will provide a solid home and bright future for Tinkercad," said Kai Backman, founder of Tinkercad. "We found in Autodesk a shared vision for empowering students, makers and designers with accessible and easy to use software, and with their global reach and expertise in democratizing design, we're confident in their ability to introduce Tinkercad to new audiences around the world."

Autodesk intends for the Tinkercad service to remain available as part of its consumer portfolio. The company also intends to incorporate elements of the Tinkercad technology and user experience into the Autodesk 123D family of products as part of its ongoing effort to make 3D design easier and more accessible to everyone. The transaction is expected to close within the next 30 days.

"Tinkercad is a natural extension of the Autodesk 123D family as well as our other apps and services for consumers, as it is already used alongside Autodesk products," said Samir Hanna, Autodesk vice president, consumer products. "We look forward to welcoming the Tinkercad community to Autodesk and to continuing their mission of accessible 3D design for all."

Related articles

TinkerCAD reopens, purchased by AutoDesk

Tinkercad is Back! Autodesk is Buying It

Autodesk Saves Tinkercad from Extinction

Autodesk buys Tinkercad, saving the easy to use Web-based 3D modeling tool from closure

Tinkercad Acquired by Autodesk

Autodesk IDEA Studio Research Proposals Due May 15

We're looking for the best, the brightest, and the most innovative and creative faculty, students, and researchers that you know, and we need your assistance in encouraging them to apply to the IDEA Studio - Autodesk's unique scholar-in-residence program.  The IDEA Studio is now accepting proposals for residencies that will take place in November 2013 through January 2014, and proposals are due May 15.

Located in San Francisco in the Autodesk Gallery at One Market, the IDEA Studio supports faculty and students from around the world who use Autodesk software in advanced, imaginative ways to solve real-life problems. In addition to grants of up to $30,000 USD, residents are given an inspirational workspace and are connected with a tailored network of Autodesk advisors to help them reach their research goals. 

Applicants can submit a brief proposal directly via the online Proposal Submission Form.

Autodesk FormIt 3.0 Released

Autodesk just released the 3rd version of the iPad App Autodesk FormIt after launching it at Autodesk University just a couple months ago at Autodesk University 2012. The team has been rapidly adding features and addressing requests based on users feedback. FormIt is the easy to use 3D conceptual modeler for the Apple iPad Tablet. You can create shapes and forms, and then later refine them in the auto-magically created Revit .RVT file or in another application using the SAT file.

While FormIt is great for architectural design, there really are no limits and you can just as easily model a robot or any other 3D concept model. It is just plain fun, oh and it is also FREE.

What’s new in FormIt 3.0

• New visual styles that include sketchy lines, hidden lines, and line extensions
• Import and manage multiple images on the ground plane
• Multiple images translate to the Revit file created in the cloud
• Apply bitmap textures to faces and objects
• View your sketch from an orthographic plan view
• Synchronize all sketches to the cloud by pulling down on the Gallery page
• Toggle the ground plane grid display on and off
• New icon and branding
• Bug fixes and minor improvements

For a great overview of FormIt 3.0, check out David Light’s blog post: FormIT 3.0

Todays Autodesk 2014 Webcast & Autodesk Official Show Reel 2013 Now Available on YouTube

You can watch the recording of the event that was broadcast live from the Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco just an hour ago. Autodesk’s Amar Hanspal Senior Vice President, Information Modeling & Platform Products Group announced and showed some of the new Autodesk 2014 product & suites. http://youtu.be/w-kxV8C4xro

The focus of the webcast was the Suite spots.

The 2014 family of Autodesk Design and Creation Suites includes:

• Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite
• Autodesk Building Design Suite
• Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite
• Autodesk Product Design Suite

A key addition to the 2014 portfolio of suites is Autodesk ReCap, a family of new reality capture software and cloud services that simplify the process of creating intelligent 3D data of physical objects and environments using laser scans and photos, allowing customers to bring the actual job site or physical objects into their design and engineering process.

Check out the new Autodesk Official Show Reel 2013 that was seen at the start of the webcast: http://youtu.be/-YS2J-OIGcU

The new Autodesk website went live www.autodesk.com

So much more news coming today including a post with links to Autodesk 2014 product related posts from the blogosphere. Stay tuned to this blog for all the Autodesk news Between the Lines.

Cheers,
Shaan

Special Autodesk Live Events and You Are Invited

Please join us for the special live events on Facebook, LiveStream, and the Autodesk Area.

http://autode.sk/webcast, http://autode.sk/webcast_ls and http://area.autodesk.com/2014unfold

“It is often the arrival of a new tool that opens our minds to new opportunities we would have never imagined before. New tools not only make it possible to do new things, they also expand our vision of what could be. We will soon be announcing our 2014 portfolio of tools for design, engineering and entertainment and we invite you to join us for a special webcast on March 26, 2013 at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern, 3pm UK and 4pm Europe to learn more and see the impact that Autodesk software is having across the industries we serve.”

- The Role of Tools in Design blog post

Also check out the 2 day celebration with the Unfold event featuring Autodesk’s 2014 Animation Software tools.
http://area.autodesk.com/2014unfold

Happy 31st Birthday Autodesk

On this day January 30th, 1982, 31 years ago a small group of people held an initial meeting in Marin County California to organize what became Autodesk. They risked it all including all the money they cold scrape together and it paid off for millions of people from employees, customers, partners, and investors.

A sincere thank you to John Walker and all the ‘deskers’ that followed in the founders and pioneers footsteps to this day as you literally changed the world!

Take a moment to sit back and reflect at all the history in the past 31 years and be damn proud, then get back to work.

 

Autodesk Flying founders

From left to right:
Rudolf Künzli, Mike Ford, Dan Drake, Mauri Laitinen, Greg Lutz, David Kalish, Lars Moureau, Richard Handyside,Kern Sibbald, Hal Royaltey, Duff Kurland, John Walker, Keith Marcelius

John Walker’s quote.

“We should shoot for having the company in operation by mid-March. We cannot dawdle, but we also are going to do it right this time. We're just going to do it fast! “

 

Onward and Upward!
-Shaan
Autodesk’s 4087 employee hired in 1998 and unofficial historian.

APPHACK Winner PhotoGeoDWG

Autodesk held a APPHACK competition at Autodesk University to get Autodesk Developer Network members to write an app and demo it live at AU.

One of the winner’s apps just went live on the Autodesk Exchange. PhotoGeoDWG took second place in the competition and is a really creative app allowing you to add camera markers to the raster images in your drawing. No more asking yourself or others “where is this location” when in a drawing file or in the field.

PhotoGeoDWG

by CAD Management Resources
Compatible with:
AutoCAD 2012
AutoCAD 2013
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013

“Have you ever taken a bunch of existing conditions photos and after returning to the office wonder where and even why you took the picture? PhotoGeoDWG will help you manage those existing conditions photos by geolocating them in Google Maps and inserting camera markers into your CAD file. Build albums, automatically import camera markers hyperlinked with the location of the photo image file. Right click a photo name and zoom to the x-y location in your drawing. Click on the photo name and see it displayed conveniently in the palette, or insert the photo directly into the CAD file to better communicate to your field crew.”

Congratulations to CAD Management Resources! Stay tuned for more winning entries and their apps.

Cheers,
Shaan

Between the Lines Blog Still Growing After Almost 10 Years

It is an honor to have been listed as the #1 CAD Blog of 2012 based on Alexa web rankings for global traffic and readers that was analyzed and posted by Brian Curran. It was also sweet to see my partner in Autodesk Labs crime Scott Sheppard also placed high at #4. While I am aware numbers are just that but Alexa are a good indicator of traffic to a web page.

I try to keep the blog a healthy mix of Autodesk, product tips, technology, personal, and just plain fun. If you ever have feedback on how I can improve, ideas, or exclusive Autodesk product related guest posts for the Between the Lines blog please email me.

Thank you everyone!

Top CAD Blogs of 2012
(http://www.draftingservices.com/blog/top-cad-blogs-of-2012)

Except of just the top ten:

In tabular form, the Alexa Global Traffic Ranks are as follows:

Top 10 CAD Blogs and Alexa Global Traffic Rank

1. http//autodesk.blogs.com (This is Between the Lines) 350,835

2. http://blog.jtbworld.com  Jimmy Bermark’s blog 579,254

3. http://through-the-interface.typepad.com Kean’ Blog 647,649

4. http://labs.blogs.com Scott Sheppard’s blog 681,674

5. http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com Ralph Grabowski’s blog 708,197

6. http://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com  745,499

7. http://rcd.typepad.com Robin Capper’s blog 759,999

8. http://cadsetterout.com Paul Munford’s blog 877,488

9. http://deelip.com Deelip’s blog 952,326

10. http://thecadgeek.com Donnie Gladfelter’s blog 1,212,163

Check out Brian’s post with more charts and methodology.

Cheers,
Shaan

Get Free Adobe Creative Suite 2 - Not

Apparently there are no strings are attached in this big free giveaway. You will just need to wait for their website to recover from the crash due to the massive traffic to download the Creative Suite. Creative Suite 2 “CS2” contains Photoshop, Illustrator, and nDesign. I am not sure Adobe did this just to be giving and charitable in the new year but perhaps down the road convert a percentage of those that download to upgrade or buy a new products.
UPDATE: Gizmodo and multiple other major tech media apparently have got it wrong, as well as customers were sent the notice to download serials and software free because they (Adobe) were shutting down their CS2 activation servers. It is embarrassing for everyone, especially Adobe who will need to write more clear notices in the future. I would not like to be in their PR group today.

http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2013/01/update-on-cs2-and-acrobat-7-activation-servers.html

Check out Gizmodo’s article:

Grab Photoshop and CS2 For Absolutely Free, Right Now

And theVerge

Adobe's Creative Suite 2 now available free of charge for older PCs and Macs

Accurate News:
If you want a great alternative to Photoshop that has many advanced features, does not require a monster download, or take tons of disk space check out Autodesk’s free web based Pixlr. Pixlr is the worlds most popular online photo editor and also has mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Cheers,
Shaan

15 Years with Autodesk

It was 15 years ago today I climbed out of the mechanical design trenches as a customer and grabbed onto a speeding locomotive named Autodesk and transitioned into a world of software. That’s 105 years in dog years and half Autodesk's existence. Time certainly flys when you love what you do, who you work for, and with the most smart, creative, and awesome customers in the world.

Early Days

To be quite honest I only planned to be with Autodesk about 3 years and change some things with products I used as a customer then go back out into the mechanical design field where I enjoyed building and managing large projects and getting schooled by shop and field foremen. I would have never thought the 3 years max would become 15 years and more. Autodesk is a great place to work with amazing people who really give a damn, ample challenges, benefits, flexibility, beer busts, and more. Believe me when I say we work our tails off except for that one guy, you know who you are Kurt… :-)

I came in as a spring chicken, well almost a spring chicken and am now a nicely seasoned chicken with many more years to go with more exciting challenges. Since I couldn’t predict that I would never leave Autodesk after 3 years I won’t claim to know what's ahead but just keep doing what I am doing and find more adrenaline filled challenging projects.

I have witnessed and played my part in so many products, changes in technology, and industry trends and spoke at hundreds of locations around the world to thousands of customers, students, and technology groups. If I count those I have interacted with over the web, forums, and my blog with 20,000 unique daily readers I may have virtually met millions of you but sadly I don’t remember everyone's name. I have been so very fortunate and thank everyone, even that lazy guy Kurt with the old pickup truck with flames painted on with a spray can.

So now I have graduated from the Autodesk white badge signifying 1-10 years, to the gold at 10 years, to now the silver at 15 and join a select group of old timer deskers. I am a much more mellow bull in a china shop guy and actually get more than 4 hours of sleep unlike my first 10 years where I don’t think I slept more than a few hours at a time.

Does anyone remember me before being an Autodesk employee? I was in the satellite broadcast in theaters announcing AutoCAD R14 as a early adopting customer. I had far more hair, and none gray. I was also active in the Portland Oregon user groups, CompuServe, and IRC channels being an active user/abuser of AutoCAD, 3D Studio DOS, and then just starting AutoCAD Mechanical, Mechanical Desktop and AutoCAD LT.

I uncorked a bottle of Australian red wine named after my blog. “Between the Vines” that was made by a customer & friend a few years ago and given to me at AU with the gentlemen’s agreement I promise to keep blogging a mix of topics from product tips to funny make you spit coffee on your screen stuff. I hope I have lived up to that but I am always open to suggestions and feedback.

Thank you so very much for reading this Between the Lines blog and to those I have worked with, or met over the past 15 years. Feel free to comment when you first met me, I helped you, made you spit coffee on your computer screen or made you upset as I can’t please everyone. Also feel free to post funny photos of me from the years, but only the G-rated ones please. Please note to people reading this, many of the stories by a select few that could be posted are simply myths and imaginations run wild. Also remember that if you post something, all those years you seen me with a camera snapping photos wildly may come back to haunt you.

Sincerely,
Shaan

2nd annual [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards

Join me at a virtual event that honors and explores the best in government digital design projects. I was one of the judges on the panel. While I can’t reveal my top picks, but I can say there were some really amazing designs and projects. Register to see the winner and hear about their project.

The 2nd annual [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards and Expo takes place on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, from 10.00 AM – 3:00 PM ET. Winners announced at 1:30 PM ET.

• Meet the Winners – Celebrate and learn from their achievements
• Attend Free Online seminars – Learn about the latest advancements in digital design technology
• Enjoy – An exciting keynote from Autodesk’s, Lynn Allen featuring “60 AutoCAD Tips in 60 Minutes

Register today at: http://acronymonline.org/acronym-magazine-cad-awards-virtual-expo/

Happy New Year 2013!

I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year except  politicians in DC getting a raise in their own salaries while taxing us even more. May this year be better than the past and everyone prosper and find bountiful happiness. I have spent the past week with my family and hiking in Southern Utah getting my mind clear for 2013 and all it’s potential awesomeness.

To start 2013 clean and fresh here are a few computer system tips to get/keep your system top performing and your data safe for the new year.

• Backup your system and also make sure you have regular data back ups planned so you can get your data back should something occur such as hardware failure, virus, or other event. I personally use multiple external hard drives including 1 that has a built-in network connection so everyone here at home can backup to the same drive.
• Review and delete files and directories from the Temp folder (%TEMP% from Windows Explorer) for the Windows user accounts on the machine
• Clean your Internet browser's temp files cache
• Clean up unused applications by uninstalling them
• Clean up old files and archive them to a backup CD/DVD, external drive or cloud storage service.
• Run Check Disk and Defragment of your hard drive from Start > All Programs > Accessories> System Tools
• Perform a full virus and trojan scan and make sure you keep your anti virus up to date. There are some free anti virus and firewall software out there so price is no excuse for your data being at risk.
• Check out some free diagnostics online from http://safety.live.com/
• Perhaps defragment your page file with the free PageDefrag from www.sysinternals.com

Remember don’t use the “I haven't done this or that the all year” on New Years Day as that is so 2012. Get started practicing to write the year as 2013 as that normally takes me about 3 months to get used to.

I hope to see you in 2013, if not you know you can find me right here.

Sincerely,
Shaan

AUGI Wish List 2012 Results for 8 Autodesk Products

Every year at Autodesk University Autodesk Users Group International “AUGI” present their members nominated and voted product wish lists to Autodesk at their annual meeting which precedes the infamous beer bust. This year was the most products covered in wish lists with:

• AutoCAD
• AutoCAD Architecture
• AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Inventor
• Navisworks
• Revit Architecture
• Revit MEP
• Revit Structure

I want to sincerely thank every AUGI member that participated in the process. Get ready for one really long blog post.

Stats provided to me by AUGI:

4,700 Wishes
+70,000 Rankings
+42,000 Votes

<drumroll>
Here are the top wishes for 2012!

Autodesk Adds Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software

The news just broke this morning that Autodesk has acquired some assets of HSMWorks Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software.

This is really getting many in manufacturing industry excited on Twitter as this was the perceived gap in the manufacturing software portfolio of Autodesk. For those not aware of what CAM is, it is the machining, milling, and CNC machine programming portion of manufacturing and an integral part to the manufacture and design of many manufactured parts.

Our Autodesk CEO Carl Bass is a user of CAD and CAM at his own personal workshop, where he makes many different things from amazing custom furniture to creative products like complex geometrical sculptured dishes, lamps, and more. Yes, our CEO not only uses our Autodesk software himself, but makes things and has for over 20 years which provides him as CEO a very unique perspective for our software portfolio and the practical usage and workflow.

“Autodesk intends to integrate the HSMWorks technology with its industry leading software and cloud services for manufacturing, and will make current HSMWorks products available for purchase and HSMXpress available as a free download.  Existing SolidWorks customers using HSMWorks will continue to receive support and product updates.”

More Details in the Press Releases: http://bit.ly/QG5wnY and from HSMWorks site at http://bit.ly/PmZlAN

Cheers,
Shaan

Come Join Us at Autodesk!

Here is the latest Autodesk Recruiting video. http://youtu.be/ty4o10FSDis

Why, because we do cool stuff in a fun environment.

 
This is really my teams’ meeting room with lawn chairs and fake grass to get out of the normal conference rooms, and be able to think outside the box and brainstorm in a fun environment.

 
Mobile and cloud based computing applications.

Your children when an Autodesk employee become super cool and can dance.

You might get a miniature live giraffe as a bonus for good work.

And in SF offices, at least for the past 30 years <drum roll> the weekly Beer Bust with Fresh Pizza, Beer, and Wine to enjoy with your fellow coworkers at the end of the busy day. This is where a lot of cross pollination of ideas between teams that happens in this tradition that goes back to the founding of Autodesk.

I always tell people Autodesk is a great company to work for but also it is like reaching out and grabbing a speeding train as it does not stop to pick you up, you need to be able to self start and get up to speed fast. It was hard for many of us coming from industry such as myself as a mechanical designer in the world of designing real steel large equipment from submarines to bridges but I transitioned just fine. We have a good percentage of employees that were customers and sat in design seats for years just so that we not only know the software end of the business but also understand the customers challenges very well and can relate and speak with them in their language.

If you join and work in the San Francisco office, you may see me once again working there full time. It is an amazing building and I worked in the San Rafael offices across the bay for about 8 years after Autodesk recruited me from Oregon.

We are currently looking for people experienced in cloud computing solutions development and other positions as well as mobile and several other specific positions with the best benefits out there and good pay and flexibility as long as you get your job done and work hard.

Come on join us!
http://www.autodesk.com/careers

Hope to see you as a ‘desker.

-Shaan

AutoCAD Online Help Mid-Year Updates

We are excited to let you know about a mid-year update to the online Help for AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD LT 2013, and AutoCAD Mechanical 2013.

These updates just went live today September 12, 2012 in both the product and online. 

The updates include new content, as well as search enhancements, Help filters, the new Hitchhiker’s Guide to AutoCAD, additional reference links for Command and System Variables, and more.

Many of the features we’ve added are a direct response to your feedback and some may be English only.

Cheers,
Shaan 

123D Catch now available for Apple iPhone, iPad and desktop

Big 3D’elicious news for millions of iPhone owners! Capture 3D models from your iPhone for Free!

 

There is an update today to the 123D Catch Mobile app in the Apple App Store that before only supported the iPad 3, but now also supports the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S as a universal binary.

Other updates include:
The ability to leverage the camera exposure and focus controls by tapping on the image during capture, and being able to review, delete, and/or re-shoot pictures before submitting your capture. 

Now you can capture the world around you by simply taking up to 40 photos with your iPhone and process them using the power of the cloud computing to generate 3D textured models that you can view, share, and download.

Please pay attention to the tutorial and tips to get the best results.

One of the common questions when we launched 123D Catch Mobile for the iPad was “why the iPad first when the iPhone 4S has a better camera” well it is an easy answer as it was mainly about scale. There are millions of iPhone users but less iPad users so we could test the app and scale the servers up and improve on a smaller device population before opening the flood gates to millions of potential users.

You still have the ability to use the desktop based 123D Catch for photos from your digital camera or the cloud based 123D Catch. There is a cloud hosted version of 123D Catch requires a supported browser: http://apps.123dapp.com/catch

I have privileged to have been involved with this technology from the beginning back when it was a technology preview on Autodesk Labs code named the Project Photofly (Project Photofly is now 123D Catch). This technology is amazing and under the hood is pure photogrammetry mathematics and the power of a cloud hosted processing as it is extremely intense and requires a special advanced graphics hardware to create the 3D model and your own mobile or computer is most likely not capable of this power and scalability and graphics processing as we can simply spread the processing load across a large number of these high powered servers.

Use the captured 3D models in animations in 3ds max, Maya or other 3D software, make a 3D print on a MakerBot, Autodesk Meshmixer, or even send them to Autodesk 123D Make (also free) and create a pattern to build a real object from cardboard, acrylic or plywood. Or modify the 3D model it using 123D Sculpt.

Yes, imagine your own 3D captured head as a bobble head or Pez candy dispenser for your desk to freak out coworkers in the office, Christmas ornaments, or a huge yard ornament.
My Big Fat 3D Head Post

Link to the 123D Catch page where you can download other 123D products and resources: http://www.123dapp.com/

Cheers,
Shaan

Celebrating 9 Years of Reading and Writing Between the Lines Blog

Between the Lines Blog was born on 21, August 2003 nine years ago as a unofficial underground experiment by me, an Autodesk employee. It grew in popularity and soon several Autodesk bloggers were jumping in the blogging waters finally with our supportive management that realized the value of transparency, and connecting with our customers and community and in our own words in addition to other methods we communicate information such as PR and Marketing. This blog has also inspired several non-Autodesk CAD related blogs starting in the new social media that was blogging. I like to say blogging is a conversation and just as I would speak to someone sitting down at a table face to face. This is who I am, an open book.

The goal was a way to answer questions and provide the latest information in one place rather than in multiple discussion group and email threads over and over. To help educate and share items about Autodesk technology, Autodesk products, and definitely some fun, humor, and personal mixed in.

Most blogs based on statistics fade or go dormant after the very first year as it can take a great deal of commitment just like a baby to care an feed (without dirty diapers) but here Between the Lines blog hit nine years today.

Since 2003, millions of unique readers, over 20,000 subscribers a day,from over 140 countries have been here with a reader every minute stopping by to read something whether by web browser, mobile device, or RSS feeds and email subscriptions. There have been over 4000 comments and 2500 posts. There hasn’t been a blog’cation in all those years as I still update it whether I am on vacation or traveling to remote corners of the world like Northern Kenya 10 miles from the Ethiopian border this June in a tent and several years ago blogging from the Amazon Jungle of Brazil. It has become one of my passions that I truly enjoy but admit at times it can be difficult and time consuming.

Having people read the blog is what drives me to keep going, so thank you all so very much.

I am very thankful for having a great company management that allows their employees to reach out in any way to customers and people without any real barriers other than a couple common sense ones. They totally get it, and support and encourage engagement outside the corporate walls.

I am looking forward to a great big celebration on the 10th birthday of the blog this time next year!

Continuing a tradition over the years my good friend and architect from down under Bill Adams created a cake or cakes this time in celebration of this blogs birthday!
http://blads.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/happy-birthday-between-lines.html"

Archives of all blog posts back to August 2003 including the very first post: http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/archives.html

Thank You!
Shaan Hurley
Autodesk, Inc..
Technologist in the Office of the CTO

Follow me also at @ShaanHurley on Twitter another fun social media under 140 characters,

Great Quote Retweeted on Twitter by Fast Company from @healthgauge:

“Never forget the social in social media. Be a person not a promotion”

Autodesk Labs Posts 3 New Technology Previews & More

Autodesk Labs has been busy with updates and posting new technology previews this week. Autodesk Labs is where we can post emerging technologies in a pre-beta technology previews. If you have not visited the Autodesk Labs website recently and browsed what is available, take a few minutes and you might find something like the following preview technologies that may peak your interest. All Autodesk Labs technologies are free, all we ask is you provide feedback on them so they can either evolve and graduate as real Autodesk products and solutions or perhaps let us know they are not of interest and why. Each Autodesk Labs posted project has feedback links on them.

Augmented Reality for Autodesk Showcase

Visualize Showcase Models in the Real-World through your web cam. This is a plugin for Autodesk Showcase 2013 where you can mix your digital designs with a real environment also known as Augmented Reality.

DesignScript for AutoCAD

This is not a replacement programming language for AutoLISP or any other Autodesk supported scripting and programming languages. DesignScript is a mathematical geometry programming environment for computational design of complex geometric designs and exploring several concepts for design and analysis.

Maximo® Integration for Autodesk® Revit® 2013 products

Extend BIM into building operations and building lifecycle.

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac Debuts on the Mac App Store - Free!

BREAKING NEWS:
3D Direct Modeling Software Now Available for OS X Mountain Lion

Get it here: http://bit.ly/MWOVa6

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., July 25, 2012 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) has announced that Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology for 3D CAD modeling is now available for download in the Mac App Store for the first time. Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac takes advantage of new OS X Mountain Lion capabilities to help increase productivity and transform how designers share designs and receive feedback, whether in face-to-face meetings or participating in social communities.

From hobbyists working in their garages to professional designers of machinery, Autodesk Inventor Fusion lets designers freely explore complex shapes and forms, enabling rapid design changes with fewer limitations. Its intuitive 3D direct manipulation tools allow users to open and edit 3D models from almost any source and incorporate them into new or existing designs.

“Autodesk’s direct modeling technology changed the game in ease of use for 3D CAD design,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Design, Lifecycle and Simulation at Autodesk. “With Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac, we are excited to bring the same disruptive innovation to users of Apple’s newest OS X Mountain Lion.”

Available through the Mac App Store, Autodesk Inventor Fusion’s key features include:

• 2D Sketching – Start designs by using simple 2D sketch tools and control sketches with dimensions. Users can generate multiple shapes fast with 2D layouts.
• Direct Modeling – Users can more easily push, pull and edit to reach the final desired result. Direct modeling helps users focus on the design task and not on complex modeling commands and dialogs. Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology is a history-free 3D design tool.
• Assembly design – Assemblies that mimic the real world make positioning and moving the design fast and predictable. Designing in context provides users with information to help make better design decisions. Flexible assembly structure ensures that users can make changes at any time.
• Real-Time Visualization – Beautiful 3D and fast real-time navigation make it easier to create and present designs.
• Cloud Storage – Store and share designs using Autodesk 360 collaboration service. Users can view designs on the go with Autodesk Viewers for iOS or WebGL-enabled browsers.

Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology for Mac was created with Apple’s latest OS X in mind and takes advantage of new features in Mountain Lion including:

• Notification Center – Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology for Mac works with Autodesk 360 cloud services and Mountain Lion’s Notification Center so that users can receive notifications when files are edited, updated and more.
• Sharing – Users can communicate more easily with colleagues, clients and friends to show off their designs or request feedback via iMessage, email and Twitter by using the Share button in Mountain Lion.
• AirPlay Mirroring – Users can take charge in meetings with clients and colleagues by sharing the designs on the big screen with AirPlay Mirroring in Mountain Lion.

Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac additionally helps users leverage their 3D CAD modeling in Full Screen to help maximize productivity and bring design to the forefront.

The software is fully interoperable with AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor software and a variety of other Autodesk and third party CAD tools.

Autodesk has also created a Wiki Help Site for Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac, designed to help users more effectively collaborate, troubleshoot and take advantage of this Mac-compatible release. Users can add or edit Help information, while also sharing videos, best practices, tips and tricks, tutorials and more.

Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac is available as a free download, in English, in the Mac App Store. For more information and to download Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac, visit the Mac App Store.

 

For more information follow @autodesk or visit autodesk.com.

100k

WOW! almost 100,000 unique Between the Lines blog readers this month.
A Sincere Thank You to every single reader!

Autodesk Smoke 2013 for Mac Pre Release Available Free

A free pre-release trial of the new Autodesk Smoke 2013 for Mac is now available for immediate download at the Product Trial page. This was the hot new product release announced for professional video editors and shown at NAB 2012.

 

NAB 2012: Introducing the Radically Redesigned Autodesk Smoke Video Editing Software
”Powerful Editing and Visual Effects Software Offers High-End Creative Tools at a New, Affordable Price “

See video demos of Smoke 2013′s new features

Autodesk unveils retooled Smoke 2013 for Mac | CG Channel

Read a more detailed preview of Smoke 2013 on Creative Planet Network

If you use a Mac to do high-end video editing, go grab a pre-release of Smoke 2013 for Mac now. http://usa.autodesk.com/smoke-for-mac/trial/