Between the Lines

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

Met with @AutodeskHelp This Week

Jessica Thrasher ^JES,Philip Schmelzer ^PHL and Amanda Kinley ^AK, and me (Shaan Hurley) ^PitA

If there was ever a reason to jump on Twitter, @AutodeskHelp is one of them. Autodesk has a team that assists people in social media. They do not avoid a challenge and just take the easy ones but also actively engage those with highly charged tweets as those usually only take some personal assistance and attention to solve their problems, or just point them in the right direction.

I was in San Francisco this Monday and Tuesday and finally met in person with the @AutodeskHelp team’s US members. This team is doing amazing things that more companies should be doing and that is use the power of social media to engage and assist  customers. Simply put they are in the right place, doing the right thing.

I know and have used Delta Airlines Twitter account @DeltaAssist to solve my travel problems before and I know personally the power of that connection. The simple personal attention and assistance certainly improves my perception of those companies that do this type of proactive assistance in social media.

It can be difficult to quantify the value of social media support to a bean counter type, but one can easily make the argument not doing it results in lost opportunities to make people happy and keep customers. It is far cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one. Dropping a social media support and engagement connection can be a real negative PR event as well. Just ask Comcast about when they dropped the person behind @ComcastCares Frank Eliason, and how years later they still feel the heat and have resurrected the social media account.

If I get back to visit the Autodesk Singapore office again, I will certainly give the same in-person kudos to the Singapore based members of the @AutodeskHelp team ^JB, ^APB & ^MA (chili crabs mmmm omnomnom.)

Check out the Autodesk Assistance Team’s blog
http://blog.autodeskhelp.com/

Keep up the great work @AutodeskHelp Team!

Cheers,
Shaan

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

Are Blueprints Really Dead?

I read an online articles headline stating blueprints were dead. I would love that, but in reality I find that proclamation of blueprints being dead as a headline hard to believe at this time. This topic also started a flurry of tweets discussing if paper blueprints were really dead and discussing if hardware could survive some work environments.

First in order to avoid confusion or misunderstanding I want to clearly indicate I prefer mobile digital solutions like using AutoCAD WS, Buzzsaw or Autodesk 360 at the office or at the jobsite to review and/or markup drawings. With mobile there are also many ways to make sure that you have the latest approved drawings and information such as from a Vault server or Autodesk PLM 360. In the design workflows I think paper is all but dead as not many are designing using paper other than perhaps sketching concepts or draft planning but in the use of the design data for assembly, construction, and fabrication drawings the paper still is alive and well in certain rough environments that eat electronics like soft chewy candy.

Autodesk Help on Twitter

If you are on Twitter and looking for a product related question from Autodesk then you are in luck. For about a year or so there has been a Twitter account by Autodesk Customer Service and Support team at @AutodeskHelp (formerly they were @autodeskcare.) They are available 24 hours a day 5 days a week in English.

The team also has a blog “Autodesk Help blog” at blog.autodeskhelp.com.

Here are the friendly faces behind the helpful tweet replies and they always seem so happy to help and cheerful in their replies.

.

So next time you are on Twitter and have an Autodesk question remember to say hi or just follow the friendly Autodesk Help @AutodeskHelp crew as you may learn from their answers to others or need to ask them something in the future. Tell them Shaan sent you.

Cheers,
Shan

Vasari Talk 24 - Introducing Autodesk FormIt and Vasari Beta 2

Join Tom Vollaro and Lilli Smith tomorrow as they discuss the new Autodesk FormIt free iPad App and the recently released Vasari Beta 2 for conceptual architectural design and more.

Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

http://ning.it/Xi7Sdy

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

I Was In New Zealand Last Night

I presented to an Inventor User Group organized by CADPro Systems last night in Christchurch New Zealand, but I never left my house, dealt with the security & customs checkpoints, or the long flight with the standard baby with an earache crying with an unchanged diaper on the 15 hours of flights each way. I used my webcam and GoToMeeting web conference software to present to the user group virtually where I could see and hear the attendees and they could see and hear me.

It was 10:30 pm time Wednesday (Halloween and wearing my Zombie Food shirt) and 5:30pm Thursday for them, so technically I was presenting into the future.

I placed my webcam upside down for a couple minutes just to have some down under Southern hemisphere fun.

I spoke about Autodesk Labs, the importance of sending in the CER reports each time and that they do not go into a black hole, and the recent Kenya research with 3d capture techniques and flying the Octo Copter in remote Northern Kenya to test capturing high resolution imagery to locate rare fossils faster and more accurately than just walking the desert.

During Q&A there was a common request to get the Autodesk Labs technology preview for the 3D Annotation in Inventor back or in Autodesk Inventor as a core feature. Here is s small webcam image of a small portion of the room when asked who not just wanted that feature, but who needed it. Scott Sheppard posted the feedback results of the 3D Annotation tool :

Inventor 3D Annotation Feedback Results

 

I stayed around for a Power Inventor user named Jason Dent of 4th Dimensional Façade Solutions Ltd to present on a mind blowing method of designing the exterior of a complex building using Inventor. Jason said: "Without Inventor, this job would have been absolutely impossible.”

It was a great treat on Halloween as I love speaking to customers and also seeing how they use our software and their feedback. Thanks to the user group members I attendance and Peter Crawley and Gavin Bath of CADPro Systems for making this happen. If you would like me to speak to your user group just send me an email request with details on the group, proposed date and topics.

Do I wish I was really in Christchurch and New Zealand, absolutely as I have been to New Zealand a couple times and loved every minute of it with the landscapes and people.

Cheers!

Shaan

Have Webcam - Will Travel by Internet to Your User Group Meeting

I always enjoy attending user groups and do whenever I am in a town having one. Since I cannot really travel to all user groups, and receive numerous requests to speak and attend in all corners of the globe, I felt this would be one way to attend and participate user groups and customer training sessions almost anywhere. I am expanding the number of my Autodesk presentations without the added expenses of travel, living on planes (in the Hurley seat) and those frustrating airports part. I will begin offering web based meetings to user groups and company teams.

Nine Years – Wow Time Flies

Expect me to post a celebratory post about this blog turning 9 years old on the upcoming Tuesday August 21, 2012.

Wow 9 years without any real breaks or blogcations (blogging vacation). I have posted while on sabbatical, sick, my own vacations, and traveling, from the Alps in Switzerland, the Amazon Jungle in Brazil, middle of nowhere in Northern Kenya, to all over Asia. Where there's a will, there's a way.

It is my readers that keep me going. Thank you for the nine years!

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk University 2012 Social Web Session & Only 105 Days Left

BO2042 Autodesk, the Social Web, and You

The speaker is Dan Zucker Lead on Autodesk Social Media, and I was the co-speaker. This session will be great for anyone wanting to understand social web and media such as Facebook, Twitter, and more with best practices and applies to everyone from customers, partners, and Autodesk employees.

Unfortunately there is currently a class conflict as I have another session at the same time.

AC2231 Capture Objects in 3D and Replicate Them Like the Star Trek® Crew Does.

I am hoping the AU class schedule can be changed and appreciate the complexity of the job managing hundreds of sessions, but if not either session choice will be a good one.

Update: BO2042 is now 8am on Thursday. Thank you AU Speaker Team. Yay!

My other sessions at AU2012:
My Sessions for Autodesk University 2012

Reminder:

There are only 105 days until Autodesk University 2012!

Cheers,
Shaan

AutodeskCare Solving Problems Tweet by Tweet and More!

For the AutodeskCare crew, it was hard to pass up an opportunity to guest post on Between the Lines. So when we saw the call going out for guest bloggers a little while ago, we couldn’t resist. Because as the new voice of Autodesk Customer Service and Support, the more you know about us, the happier we get!

Many of you have probably already heard about AutodeskCare. Some of you have talked to us on online already. For those of you we haven’t met yet, this is the scoop on what we do, where we do it, and how we work social customer care at Autodesk these days.

We’re out there talking with you now on many social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, Youtube, and our own Support Forum’s Installation & Licensing board. We do this 24/5 M-F, mostly in English, and with around nine crewmembers in Asia, Europe and Middle East, and the Americas.

We also patrol numerous external communities, forums, and social Q&A networks. See, we spend a lot of time listening to you guys out there.

And that’s why you might be surprised to hear from us out of the blue someday. If we find you wandering, unsure, confused, or struggling out there, we’ll chime in and help as best we can.

And we’ll do that in real time. Because imagining, designing and creating a better world doesn’t wait around. This doesn’t mean we’re able to resolve every issue instantly, but it does mean we’ll “get on it” pronto. Because in this day and age, anything less is just “old school”.

Who are these masked AutodeskCare crew members you might ask? Far from being hidden away, we’re actually quite out in the open. Come meet us on the AutodeskCare blog. Every day, we cook up a compelling menu of “insider” stories mixed with live customer interaction excerpts. We then sprinkle on a healthy dash of self-help solutions, and top it all off with a splash of new innovative Autodesk service venues.

So don’t be bashful and drop by next time you’re in the area on Twitter, Facebook, the Blog, or the Forums. Your AutodeskCare crew ^CAM, ^CEL, ^SIM, ^PHL, ^AK, ^JES, ^APB, and ^JB are always at your beck and call – ready to help you whenever and wherever you need it most. The new voice of Autodesk Customer Service and Support is waiting for you!

AutoCAD WS Update Coming – Free CAD & DWG Viewer

The  AutoCAD WS Team is once again teasing us with this posting on their Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/#!/AutoCADWS

“First glimpse of the new launch screen for the next release of AutoCAD WS - Coming Soon!“

If you don’t know what AutoCAD WS is…perhaps you are not one of the millions that have tried or used it yet.

There are several all free flavors of AutoCAD WS. There is a desktop version that requires no installation and can view, edit, 2D and 3D DWG files and collaborate. There is also a native Mac App version for Mac users in the Mac App store.

There are also free versions for mobile such as iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. View, edit and share online and offline while in the middle of nowhere. Imagine having your drawings with you on your smartphone when you visit a jobsite or customer even when there is no service.

Cant wait to see what the AutoCAD WS Team have improved in the next version that they are teasing us with as I don’t personally believe it is just a splash screen as they have been very busy since the last release. Don’t ask me the date when as I just don’t know at this time.

What do you have to lose trying it, it is a FREE go anywhere 2D & 3D DWG viewer

Cheers,
Shaan

Design, Raised to the Power of the Cloud

During the course of today (and throughout the week) you’ll likely hear us at Autodesk talking about the latest deployment of Autodesk 360 and Autodesk BIM 360. If you’re familiar with the notion of cloud based services, then Autodesk 360 will be a natural way to extend your designs beyond your local desktop. The power of Autodesk 360 starts to compound when you consider that mobile access means that I could collaborate on this new tower concept design while I was making new friends in Kenya.

Lest we forget the cloud gives (virtually) limitless compute power aka infinite computing which makes it great for computationally intensive processes like rendering, visualization, and simulation. On your desktop workstation you do not have the ability to scale almost infinitely by adding more and more cores hosted on remote servers to complete the project fast. It makes that new 8-core workstation such a wimpy tool for design and engineering!

One way to get and stay connected with the Autodesk 360 team is to click over to the recently updated Facebook page. Don’t forget to head over to 360.autodesk.com, login, and try out this innovative cloud based technology and the advantages and benefits it provides.

Capturing Ancient Remains in Kenya with a Remote Octo-Copter

Jambo!
Gonzalo Martinez and myself (Shaan Hurley) are currently in the extremely remote Turkana Basin of Kenya where many of the hominin fossils (our human ancestors) were found along with a great deal of other fossils and tools. We are researching aerial video and photo capture with Louise Leakey using a state of the art eight bladed remote copter mounted with lots of high tech equipment and cameras that we have named the Autodesk Octo-Copter for many exciting potential uses.

We hiked with all our copter and camera equipment to the Logatham Circle and Pillar site located to the West of Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya.

From the ground these ancient cycles constructed of stone look nice but from the air they take on a new dimension.

Preparing for flight.

And from the air!

Some of the other research flights we are trying to research how well we can see the rich fossils on the ground.

 

Here is a photo of the copter in a region today with several eroding faces with fossils. Here is a close up of a ancient crocodile jaw fragment.The fossils can be from the very small rodent, hominids, to giant hippo and elephant over 1 million years old.

Here are some more photos from this Kenya research trip.
  

   

Autodesk has been working with Louise Leakey, Turkana Basin Institute, and the National Museums of Kenya to document an amazing collection of fossils in 3D using Autodesk 123D Catch for display online at http://www.africanfossils.org. 
We are now exploring several more ways in which to capture data with the latest technology to help preserve ancient sites and fossils. In remote locations around the world sites, structures, and fossils records are being lost and finding ways to capture them digitally would change everything. Imagine all the downstream possibilities after you capture these one of a kind objects, you could share the digital geometry with a remote researcher to study across the world or even create a cardboard pattern or 3D print so school children could have a copy in their classroom rather than a picture in a book.

Introduction Video narrated by Louise Leakey:
Welcome to AfricanFossils.org

We have been living and working off the grid for quite sometime with only solar & wind power, rain water or wells and mostly local food and an Internet or cell phone connection occasional as a treat although some AC would be a really nice treat in the intense heat of the day. Finding a cold Tusker Lager is equally amazing when chilled to freezing and taking a deep breath and looking at the scenery and reflecting on the busy day. One of my favorite and necessary pieces of equipment in my backpack has been my GoalZero solar panels and batteries which give me plenty of juice for the laptops, receivers, cell phones, cameras, as well as last night using the GoalZero invertor we were able to use a soldering gun to repair connections on the copter. I charge the panels during the day with the abundant sun.

 

The people and region is absolutely stunning and add to that the capturing of ancient ruins and fossils from a location of the earliest human evolution where hominid fossils are being found. I am really trying to stay awake and doing something every single minute so I do not waste a minute in this amazing and remote part of Kenya.

As I am writing this blog post taking advantage of an Internet connection being available (rare), it is so hot today my machine has shutdown several times so now I have my laptop comfortably resting on an ice pack.

I leave you with a photo of my hat which had been snatched off my head by a thorny tree.Apparently the tree wanted me or the hat to stick around a little longer.

 

Amazing!

Cheers,
Shaan

Flying the Autodesk Octo-Copter in a very very very remote region of East Africa.

 

If you go to the middle of nowhere in East Africa, go North, and turn right, then drive another couple hours in the blazing heat, you will be where I am. Gonzalo Martinez and myself of Autodesk are capturing some of the most remote geography in Africa using a remote controlled eight bladed Octo-Copter. The photos and video are amazing as are the reaction from local nomadic tribe members when they see the copter fly by and they run to the river to see it and wonder what it is. It was an interesting language barrier experience to try to explain what it was, and what it does and that we can actually see like a bird from the copter. I am pretty sure they are convinced I am some sort of space alien. The Autodesk Octo-Copter is doing very well but heat and rough transport did cause a great deal of extra effort in repairs and adjustments and no way to get to a location to get repair parts as we had to solve the problems right here in the first field site.

 

Dealing with overheating equipment, tons of bugs of all shapes and sizes including malaria carrying mosquitos, absolutely amazing bird life, venomous scorpions and snakes like the small cobra found yesterday, sand, lack of much if any Internet access or a cell phone signal and only ~106 F. degrees and some humidity. Not getting much sleep with all the travel, work and heat. Living off the grid with solar energy and rain water. And Yes, I am loving it!

Now we have another sunset flight to prepare for as being located on the equator the sunset goes so very fast and the flood of bugs soon. The bugs can be so this it is raining bugs and your computer screen becomes unusable as it is quickly covered in bugs. 

Cheers,
Shaan

PS:
Was just told by my boss that Autodesk has a company policy to cover a single hump camel as transportation, not a double hump camel as I would have to cover the extra hump charge model..

Bones of Turkana Documentary

For my US readers; please tune in for Bones of Turkana on PBS Wednesday May 16th, 2012. This is a new documentary about the Leakey's human origins research in Kenya's Turkana Basin http://t.co/si59ckRu.

The Turkana Basin of Kenya is where many of the hominin fossils (our human ancestors) were found along with a great deal of other fossils and tools. Autodesk has been working with Louise Leakey, Turkana Basin Institute, and the National Museums of Kenya to document many in the collection in 3D using Autodesk 123D Catch for display online at http://www.africanfossils.org. 

Introduction Video narrated by Louise Leakey:
Welcome to AfricanFossils.org

More on how this video was created using 123D Catch and 3ds Max:
3D Fossil Exploration in a Virtual Laboratory

If in the US be sure to watch the Bones of Turkana Documentary! http://t.co/si59ckRu

-Shaan

New 123D Catch for Windows, Web Hosted, and Apple iPad Available and FREE

Capture the world in 3D using your Camera using 123D Catch on your desktop, web or iPad!

Autodesk 123D Catch is a technology where you take photos with your digital camera and then using cloud computing it constructs a textured 3D mesh model. There are three new flavors of this delicious 3D treat - one for the Windows desktop, one for the Apple iPad, and one web hosted version you run in a browser.

The desktop version of Autodesk 123D Catch contains some changes from the previous version such as a new My Corner where your projects are stored and the Gallery feature where you can share and explore other peoples creations.

There is now a mobile version for the iPad version named 123D Catch Mobile and available free in the Apple App store (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/123d-catch/id513913018?mt=8). Autodesk 123D Catch Mobile currently supports the iPad 2 & 3 as they both have a camera. You launch 123D Catch Mobile and then simply tap the screen to take a picture in series around the object you wish to capture. It takes only about 20-30 photos for most objects and then uploads those to the server to process.
Update: This mobile app is currently restricted to the North American Apple App store. We have launched first in North America and plan to roll out to the rest of the world as we learn how people are using the apps and the cloud service so we can be sure everyone has the best possible experience and we can scale up to meet the demand.

Here is a photo of me on 123D Catch Mobile on my iPad 3 capturing some 3D textured models of ancient rock art sites in Southern Utah. I climbed up the rock wall like a mountain goat holding an iPad and stood precariously on the ledge to capture the petroglyphs.

Capturing a 3D model of a special decorated VW bug.

One of my favorite features of 123D Catch Mobile besides it being on my mobile device is that once your 3D models are created you can use the built in iPad gyro combined with your fingers pinching to orbit and view the object.

For more complex and higher resolution model captures I would suggest using a standard digital camera and the desktop version of 123D Catch but having a mobile version of 123D Catch is very convenient and fun.

There is now a web hosted version of 123D Catch so that almost anyone that can get on the web can use 123D Catch. This is really useful for those on a Mac as there is no current Mac native version of 123D Catch. The web hosted version of 123D Catch requires that you use the Google Chrome browser or the Chrome frame extension for IE. http://apps.123dapp.com/catch 

You can also take the 3D models you create and use them in animations in 3ds max or Maya or other 3D software, make a 3D print on a MakerBot or even send them to Autodesk 123D Make (also free) and create a pattern to build a real object from cardboard, acrylic or plywood. Yes imagine your own head as a 6 foot tall cardboard sculpture.
 

See my post today on 123D Make  http://bit.ly/KLSCxU 

Spread the word and capture the world around you!

Happy Capturing!
Shaan

Google Drive Features Autodesk’s AutoCAD WS & Pixlr as Native Apps

It was only recently that the impending and anxiously awaited product Sketchbook Ink was shown live at the Apple main stage launch for the iPad 3. Now both Pixlr and AutoCAD WS are basking in the limelight glow of the Google Drive launch.

Upon installation of Google Drive from http://drive.google.com (getting 5Gig free space) I noticed AutoCAD WS was suggested to me as a “managed App” since apparently I had some DWG and DXF files in my Google Docs folder it migrated automatically or perhaps it was because AutoCAD WS was in my Chrome extensions but now a default native Drive app. Now AutoCAD WS will be my default viewer and editor within the Google Drive storage for DWG files.

For images it offered Autodesk’s Pixlr available natively in the Google Drive Apps. Now I can view and edit images from within my Google Drive on the web or desktop. http://autode.sk/JvDmJj

View of my Google Drive Folder with DWG files and then selecting one and it opens in AutoCAD WS ready for viewing mark up or editing.

And choosing the Pixlr Editor in Google Drive I get what looks like Photoshop with many powerful; features all without installing anything just accessing my Google Drive.

Pretty nice initial offering for cloud storage from Google that combines many apps to choose from including the Autodesk ones like AutoCAD WS and Pixlr.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD WS Mobile 1.4 What's New Video

New features include 3D viewing, GPS support and remote plotting.
Download now for iOS from the App Store here: http://aucad.ws/wDQhps
Download now for Android from the Android Market here: http://aucad.ws/wmWbKS

AutoCAD WS Update Coming

AutoCAD WS allows the viewing, markup, and sharing of DWG files among architects, designers and engineers, as well as non-CAD professionals. AutoCAD WS is available for free on the web, on mobile devices with AutoCAD WS mobile, and as a native desktop Mac App in the Mac App Store.

Currently the developers are hard at work on the next update of the free AutoCAD WS and AutoCAD WS mobile. The new update will include many new features like new 3D viewing, GPS Integration, and Print to Plot with HP ePrint.

I got hands on with an in development build at Autodesk University 2011 with AutoCAD WS team member Shani Segev. We tested out the upcoming GPS integration feature where you can assign a location in your DWG file and then moving around you see where you are in the drawing with the location marker following. To me this would be great for site developers or large projects where you have a GPS signal on your mobile device.

Here are some screenshots of the setting of a location marker and the display of a location marker in a DWG on AutoCAD WS mobile.

 

From the press release :
”Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 28, 2011 ¾ Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) announced several new features to be added to the next release of AutoCAD WS, a free* web and mobile application that enables users to view, edit and share AutoCAD projects across desktop, web and mobile devices. AutoCAD WS users will have access to 3D interactive features, including the ability to work with 3D drawings on mobile devices. In addition, AutoCAD WS will include GPS capabilities, allowing geographic location information to be shared and saved with design projects, as well as new Plot-to-Print capabilities for immediate remote printing to any HP ePrinter, including Designjets.

So in the next update you will see these 3 big new features: 3D object viewing, GPS integration, and HP ePrint as well as the ability to export and email a PDF print of the DWG. There will be other features, fixes, and enhancements based on user feedback and research.

AutoCAD WS has over 4 million downloads. If you are not an AutoCAD WS user now don’t wait for the impending update give it a try now. http://autocadws.com

Cheers,
Shaan

Hacker Spaces – Come Meet Your Makers

This week I had the opportunity to visit the Noisebridge Hacker Space in San Francisco with an Autodesk colleague Gregory Miller and Alex Peake. Alex is on Kickstarter with a game project named Code Hero where you not only learn about pioneers and computer science heros such as Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and Alan Turing but learn how to code in the process of the game. It is nice to see not another mind numbing zombie killing game, but one where you learn some programming languages such as JavaScript and Unity3D, and exercise your problem solving skills.

Don’t let the name “Hacker Space” scare you. A Hacker Space is not a group of people sitting around hacking into your online accounts, but a group of people young and old who work on projects from a wide array of things such as computers and electronics to building robots, lasers, rocketry, and wood working.

 

I love seeing Maker spaces where creativity and making things is the main purpose of people gathering in a common space. In this visit to Noisebridge I saw some young children about 10-12 printing some 3D plastic designs on some of the available MakerBot printers, a teenager writing a program that takes the electrical signals from a special head band to drive a terrain game engine, some high school students working on a robot for the FIRST Robotics competitions, some people sewing a project, another group working on some wood working, and several others all on a Sunday afternoon. What a cool and creative space to learn, build, and share with others.

Some members of Noisebridge also had a great sense of humor with their signs on everything everywhere!

There are Hacker Spaces all over the world and other Maker spaces like TechShop spreading to fill the needs of those that are not satisfied with just running down to the store to buy a alarm clock and instead get an open-source Arduino microcontroller circuit board and a bunch of LEDs and then begin to build and program their own alarm clock. Not only do they end up with a one of a kind alarm clock but the special knowledge after having built it themselves.  I would strongly urge you to look into a Hacker Space or other Maker related space as there are most likely groups in your town where you can participate and contribute building your own projects or mentoring others members.. Even if the maker movement is not for you, I bet you know someone that has an idea just dying to get out of their head and build it themselves.

Here are some online resources on spaces:
http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Hackerspaces
http://www.techshop.com/

I would also encourage you to attend MakerFaire as that is one mind blowing experience with tens of thousands of Makers gathered in one location to show of their creations.

Cheers,
Shaan

Create a 3D Model of Your Head

I wanted to show how anyone can create a 3D model of themselves or a person they know using a digital camera, free Autodesk software, and a 3D printer.

Here is an example of my two Autodesk colleagues Brian Mathews and Scott Sheppard as 3D printed miniature heads- about the size of Barbie doll heads. I could have printed the heads much larger, but that also increases the creepiness factor of carrying around a rather large plastic head of a coworker.

Here are Scott  & Brian with their mini 3D printed heads.

How I did it:

With the person holding very still and me walking around them, I took about 40 photos of their head. I then used the free Autodesk 123D Catch where you use photos to automatically generate a 3D model.  When I was satisfied with the results, I  exported an .OBJ file to use as the raw 3D model I wanted to use for 3D printed plastic heads.

 

Here are the screen captures from 123D Catch of the texture and wireframe mesh models of both Brian and Scott.

I then cleaned mesh model for 3D printing by opening the .OBJ file in the free Autodesk meshmixer. Meshmixer allowed me to fill and zipper holes, smooth areas, and reduce or refine the mesh areas as well as remove portions of the mesh. I can also paint with volume brushes to create more detail or even add other OBJ content to add say a pair of horns to a persons head just in case you intend to mount it on the wall. When I am done I export the file as .STL ready for printing.

Now using the .STL file I can print the head in ABS plastic on a 3D printer like a Makerbot or using an online 3D printing service like Shapeways.com. You could also import the .STL file into Autodesk 123D Make and slice up the model into layers which can create a pattern to construct a 3D model out of cardboard.

Scott’s head being printed on a MakerBot.

You can even import the .STL file Project Falcon to see how fluids would flow around your cranium using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis.

I hope you will give this fun experiment a try as it is not only fun but a real conversation starter when you have a recognizable coworkers head or your own on your desk, or in your pocket. Of course there are more practical objects you could capture and 3D print using the same methods such as statues, architecture, and even geology such as the mountain I 3D printed from a Autodesk 123D Catch created 3D model.

Cheers,
Shaan

Autodesk Does Not Support SOPA

Over the past month there have been several lists, web pages, and mentions in Twitter and other social media incorrectly stating that Autodesk supports the controversial SOPA initiative otherwise known as United States H.R. 3261.

The official Autodesk statement:

Autodesk applauds Congress for recognizing the threat that software piracy poses to our economy, but we cannot support SOPA as written.