Between the Lines

Creating 3D Models of the USS Arizona and USS Utah Using Underwater Photogrammetry

A team of U.S. Navy photographers joined me underwater SCUBA diving documenting the photogrammetry technique we used underwater in Pearl Harbor Hawaii last week. Below is a quick video of the vie capturing photos of the USS Arizona and USS Utah as well as me albeit a little tired and exhausted unscripted during the project explaining how we at Autodesk were using photogrammetry using Autodesk ReCap Photo and 3D Printing as well as SONAR and LiDAR technologies to capture the... Read more →

No Trick Just a Treat of Free Autodesk Software

If you are a student, teacher, or school, you can now get Autodesk software free and without limitations or watermarks. There is no catch or fine print or restrictions or tricks on use in school just the treat of free Autodesk software. I invite everyone to help spread the word to your families, alma mater, friends, students, schools, and educational connections. Let them know that Autodesk now provides students, teachers and schools with free access to Autodesk software: 3-year licenses... Read more →

33 Days Until Autodesk University 2014

Boom! AU2014 almost here. Presenters, you better have your materials and sessions done and rehearsed as thousands are counting on you. The annual Blogger Social event will be held again this year, but bigger & better, and on Wednesday night. More details to be posted on this blog on how you as an active blogger or social media community member covering Autodesk products can get one of the limited golden invites. I hope to meet you at AU 2014! -Shaan Read more →

AUGI Wish List

It is that time of the year and AUGI (Autodesk Users Group International) has announced the opening of the AUGI Wish List for gathering and ranking your wish list items for several Autodesk products. Each year AUGI collects ideas from members like you, we then allow your fellow members to rank the wish based on its own merits. Once that is completed we then conduct a vote of the top 30 wishes for each product we cover. And the final... Read more →

USS Arizona and USS Utah 3D Survey Project

Just returned from another special project SCUBA diving and scanning the USS Arizona BB-39 and USS Utah BB-31 in Pearl Harbor Hawaii to gather more 3D data for the first comprehensive survey in over 30 years. We at Autodesk have many great partners involved in this pro-bono project last week we had the US National Park Service, US Navy, Deep Ocean Engineering, R2Sonic, and Gilbane Building Company. I was underwater a great deal of time or without Internet which explains... Read more →

AutoCAD for Mac 2015 and AutoCAD LT for Mac 2015

It's that time of the year when a new version of the Mac Operating System OS X "Yosemite" is nearing release and we at Autodesk release a new AutoCAD for Mac version 2015 codename Lightsaber. Rather than being released with Windows product release typically in the Spring, the AutoCAD for Mac relies on many key enhancements of the Mac OS X so it makes perfect sense to release closer OS X when possible. I have been busy with some special... Read more →

USS America Reception in the Autodesk Gallery at One Market

Two of my amazingly talented Autodesk Office of the CTO colleagues Evan Atherton & Heather Kerrick presented a 3D printed creative memorial plaque to the US Navy & Marines crew and Captain Robert A Hall. Jr. of the USS America LHA 6 last night in the Autodesk Gallery. The plaque had a 3D print of the starboard side of the ship mounted on a walnut wood base with custom metal standoffs mounting glass etched with text and 2D wireframe drawing... Read more →

USS America: Building the U.S. Naval Forces Platform of the Future...Today

During this year’s Fleet Week in San Francisco, the US Navy will commission its latest warship, the USS America (LHA 6). Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) used various Autodesk software products along with a tightly integrated shipbuilding application from SSI called ShipConstructor to ensure more efficient and effective construction. Read more about this ships design and purpose via inthefold.autodesk.com I am truly honored to not only visit and tour this new ship USS America LHA 6, but to also be... Read more →

Students, Teachers, & Schools Worldwide Can Now Download Free Full-Version Autodesk software - No Catch

Hooray! I have been anxiously awaiting this for years. Effective today, Autodesk provides FREE access to our software to students, teachers and schools around the world. Read more →

AutoCAD Shortcuts

You can work more efficiently within AutoCAD by knowing the keyboard shortcuts and be one step closer to being a power user or CAD Ninja. Whether it is the one key shortcuts or multiple key toggles it is just plain more efficient and faster to work. Autodesk has published in addition to the Help documentation a nice web page showing all the shortcuts for AutoCAD. Don't forget you can create your own shortcuts in AutoCAD but I will save that... Read more →

Goat Simulator

Friday confession: I have started playing the game the "Goat Simulator" game by Coffee Stain Studios. How is this somehow related to Autodesk, well the Goat Simulator is using Autodesk Gameware's Scaleform technology to propel the super twisted fun gameplay. My son Jake showed it to me and told me it was fun and addicting, so naturally I just had to buy it and try it even though I am not really a gamer type of person. Goat Simulator is... Read more →

Design of Unintended Consequences

TGIF! I prefer to not have my shaving cream in a tube, let me explain... This morning when waking up I did my normal routine of going to brush my teeth while still half asleep. I grabbed my trusty toothbrush, then a tube and squirted the contents onto said toothbrush and then started brushing my teeth. Ooooh yuck that tastes bad and no minty fresh flavor...WAIT that's my new shaving cream from Harry's Razor and not my minty Crest toothpaste.... Read more →

What's New in Autodesk ReCap 1.4 Webinar

Autodesk is going to be running a free web based session on Thursday, Oct 2, 2014 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PDT about the new Autodesk ReCap release. Autodesk ReCap is Autodesk's super-fast point cloud processing product for registering laser scans. Register Now: http://bit.ly/1pqqEwh Some of the new additions to ReCap Pro include: Target-based Accuracy Reporting Create accuracy reports based on checkerboard or sphere targets. Provide easy-to-read quality information for stakeholders. Use reports to analyze and detect problematic scans. Target-based... Read more →