Between the Lines

FIRST FRC World Finals Houston

Houston, we have a competition with a lot of smart teens from around the world! Catlin Gabel Team 1540 the Flaming Chickens of Portland are the team I have been a mentor of for a few years are competing this year with their awesome designed, fabricated, and programmed robot named Phineas who was designed using Autodesk Fusion 360! They are the most amazing group of humans I know, and will definitely impact the world in good ways in the future.... Read more →

Autodesk Fusion 360 and Generative Design

An in-depth review of Autodesk Fusion 360 and generative design was just posted by DEVELOP3D, who are also holding their conference DEVELOP3D Live in Sheffield England today. “As we discussed at the outset, topology optimisation refines a singular form to an optimised state, typically using a singular material. Generative design in Fusion 360 is, by contrast, a platform for experimentation on a much grander scale. All in all, what Autodesk has delivered on here, in its first pass, is pretty... Read more →

Tap Handle Competition and I Want You To Help

In our Autodesk Portland office we are all nearing our 1 year in this beautiful historic and renovated building, and have a internal design contest. Employees are encouraged to design and 3D printed tap handles for our beer taps in the office game room named after the Portland neighborhood of Slabtown. The Slabtown game room is used for events like user groups, receptions, training, and more. I know our customers and my readers are the most skilled and talented designers... Read more →

FIRST Robotics PNW Finals

Last week and finishing up Saturday was the Pacific Northwest FIRST District Championship 2019 where 68 Pacific Northwest FIRST FRC Teams competed for invites to the World Finals in Houston to be held April 17-20th. I drove up to Tacoma Washington for the PNW Finals to see the team 1540 that I mentor compete and see the other 67 regional teams. Team 1540 Flaming Chickens designed their competition robot named “Phineas” using Autodesk Fusion 360. These events are always inspiring.... Read more →

Design Week Portland - Ultimaker+ Autodesk

Design Week Portland is right around the corner, and this year we’re partnering up with Ultimaker to help you level up your design-to-make game. Come see the latest from Ultimaker and Autodesk in Autodesk’s renovated new Portland office (renovated Towne Storage Building) just off East Burnside by the bridge in the central eastside industrial district. Look for the water tower with our logo and you can’t miss us. Parking can be a bit of a challenge at times so choose... Read more →

Autodesk Technology Center in Boston is Holding a Design Night March 28th

Are you a design and make enthusiast in the Boston area? Join the Autodesk Technology Center for Design Night on 3/28! Get your tickets: https://autode.sk/DNboston Read more →

Are You in the Washington DC Area and Want to Meetup

I will be in Washington DC next week Thursday and Friday March 28 and 29th and would love to meet with DC area based customers, partners, and people. I have held several casual meetups over the years to meet with readers and see friends and make new ones over a beverage. I can also meet privately with you. Just let me know if you are interested! Email Me I’m also looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms on the National... Read more →

FIRST FRC PNW District Clackamas Academy Event 2019

FIRST Robotics FRC Team 1540 the Flaming Chickens placed 1st ranking again this weekend in Oregon City, but lost out in the quarter final alliance competition match. They are heading to the Pacific Northwest FIRST District Championship in Tacoma Washington April 3-6 and then hopefully onto the FIRST FRC World Finals in Houston Texas. I am so inspired and impressed by team 1540 and their design created using Autodesk’s own Portland non-GMO, organic, free range mechanical design software Autodesk Fusion... Read more →

PIE Demo Day

What a great and inspiring event where local Portland startups presented on their products with passion and energy. It was also nice to see such an inclusive and diverse event with most of the presenters being women founders and Latina and people of color represented. One of the nice things is all of the early stage presenters are using the PIE Shop incubator in Autodesk’s Portland office and we are so lucky and grateful for them. PIE Demo Day 2019... Read more →

See Some Portland Startup Pitches Today on Pi and PIE Day

On this Pi day (3.14 etc.) I hope you will join us on the PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment) Demo Day livestream at 2PM Pacific Time on March 14, 2019. Tell everyone there is plenty of room on our livestream from Aladdin Theater in sunny Portland Oregon. https://bit.ly/PIEDD2019 We love Pi and PIE! Update: PIE Demo Day 2019 replay is already available. Just in time for some weekend binge watching. https://bit.ly/PIEDD2019 Read more →

Industrialized Construction Is Growing and Needed

Yesterday I attended the 2019 Industrialized Construction Forum held by Stanford University Center for Integrated Facility Engineering. This was a packed event attended by by not only academia, but industry. The presentations, panel discussions, and conversations with attendees were very good and thought provoking on the impact and changes to construction and our built world in the near term and long term future. Some of the technologies and considerations involved society, AI/ML, robotics, offside prefab, modular construction, skyrocketing costs from labor and materials, and sustainability. My big takeaway is that Industrialized Construction “IC” may be the best solution to solving the limited resources, reducing carbon footprint, addressing the global housing shortage, and overcoming the labor shortage in the construction industry. We at Autodesk couldn’t agree more in doing More, Better, with Less. Read more →

FIRST FRC PNW Robot Scrimmage

This weekend there was a scrimmage for Pacific Northwest FIRST robotics FRC teams held in Corvallis Oregon . My team 1540 Flaming Chickens of Catlin Gabel were there with their 2019 competition robot named, Phineas. FIRST Robotics FRC Teams started designing, fabricating, and programming for this years challenge just about 6 weeks ago. Team 1540 Flaming Chickens design in 3D using Autodesk Fusion 360. The goal of the scrimmage was to test the robot on a competition field and see... Read more →

AEC Hackathon - Silicon Valley February 22-24

Join the 40th AEC Hackathon, back in Silicon Valley where it all began back in 2014. Info and Registration Here: http://aechackathon.com/silicon-valley-3/ http://aechackathon.com/about-us The AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) Hackathon was created to give those designing, building, and maintaining our built environment the opportunity to collaborate with cutting edge technologies and its developers and designers. It’s a weekend of geeking at its finest for improving the industries that affect all that live or work in a house or building. It has quickly... Read more →

Autodesk Research Employee Jos Stam to Receive an Academy Award

Former Autodesk Research Employee Jos Stam was awarded an Academy Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 3D subdivision surfaces among other technical giants such as Edwin Catmul of Disney / Pixar and brothers Thomas Knoll and John Knoll of ILM and co-creator of Adobe Photoshop. Jos is now a researcher at NVidia. “To Edwin Catmull for the original concept, and to Tony DeRose and Jos Stam for their pioneering advancement of the underlying science of... Read more →

Thank You pdxRUG for Visiting Autodesk Portland

Thank you pdxRUG (Portland Revit Users Group) members and BilT team Bob Bell and Phil Read for visiting Tuesday night to see the new Autodesk Portland office, some good local pizza, networking, and learning about the upcoming BiLT conference in Seattle this summer. It was nice to host the meeting and hope we can do it again, soon. Some Autodesk employees were there to meet you as well some came with questions on how you used our products together. If... Read more →

See Generative Design Technology at IDS Trade Day Toronto

Join Autodesk Jan 17th in Toronto to learn about Project Refinery and the Autodesk Technology Centers. The Future Is At IDS https://youtu.be/znG1w8RB6Iw Read more →

Autodesk Design Night in Dublin Ireland

Making Dreams Happen. The future of designing + making is here. If you are in Dublin Ireland, please join us at the first ever Autodesk Design Night in Dublin Ireland We are bringing our global event Design Night series to Ireland for the first time on 16 January, 2018. Making Dreams Happen Design Night by Autodesk is a regular, sold-out event at the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco. Design Night has travelled to major design capitals of the world including... Read more →

Portland Revit Users Group Meetup January 15th at the Autodesk Portland Office

If you are located in the Portland Oregon area next Tuesday January 15th at 5:30pm-6:30, then RSVP to attend the Portland Revit Users Group “pdxRUG” meetup hosted at the Portland Autodesk office. The special meeting will be covering: Some pdxRUG normal business and updates. See the new Autodesk office and I will provide a quick welcome and overview including a shout out to local pdxRUG members that were responsible for the design and construction. We have special visiting guests Bob... Read more →

FIRST FRC Mentor Day

Today is mentor day celebrating volunteer mentors for FIRST Robotics teams. I can speak as having been mentoring a FIRST FRC Team 1540 Flaming Chickens of Catlin Gabel in Portland Oregon for the past few years on why YOU should also get involved. The high school students tell me I help, but I'm not sure they are getting the better end of this volunteering deal as I get so much from being continually inspired by these students I could never... Read more →

BunnyBots 2018

If you are in Portland Oregon tomorrow Saturday December 22nd, and have kids or like robots or both, then there is a perfect inspiring event happening and free. The BunnyBot is a bunch of FIRST FRC Teams competing in a pre season events involving stuffed cute bunnies. Its action packed and a competition where the robot design, build, and programming is all by the high school students. The game also takes cooperation and strategy as well as being gracious professionals.... Read more →

LEAP Design Competition in Portland

This weekend the final judging of the Linking Engineering and Philanthropy (LEAP) design contest for local FIRST Robotic FRC Teams was held at Mercy Corp in Portland Oregon. The high school FRC Team 1540 Flaming Chickens from Catlin Gabel that I have worked with for a few years founded LEAP and run it. Autodesk was again a proud sponsor with the prize money and Mercy Corp was the non profit recipient, awesome host, and defined the challenge and need for... Read more →

Puppies, Kitties, Beer, Gifts, Bad Sweaters and Gingerbread all for a Good Cause

Yesterday in the Autodesk Portland Oregon office, we held a fun event in the afternoon. Two volunteer employer groups Ministry of Mischief and Impact Team partnered to have fun and support some good local causes. The Impact Team supported making the holidays better for a local family and gathering things they needed for their family. The Ministry of Mischief organized the donation to the Oregon Humane Society and they brought puppies and kittens into the office. Also for fun by... Read more →

Pi Day for PIE

If you are located in beautiful and innovative Portland Oregon and love new technology from startups then you should absolutely RSVP and mark your calendars for Pi Day 2019 and the PIE Demo Day 2019. PIE is the Portland Incubator Experiment and all about nurturing startups and their founders. We believe in PIE so much we provide space in our Autodesk Portland office for the PIE Shop incubator currently with 7 startup companies and also PDX Women in Technology (PDXWIT)... Read more →

Post Autodesk University Monday– Now What?

Maybe you were one of the over 11,000 attendees in Las Vegas last week attending Autodesk University 2018 and have traveled home and perhaps getting back to normal after catching up on sleep and getting my voice back over the weekend like me. But now what? If you are like me, you have a lot of great memories, photos, business cards, people to follow up with, a few new found pounds from the food to get rid of, many emails... Read more →

Are you an Autodesk Inventor User in Portland – Join Us

We would like to invite you to the next Autodesk Inventor User Group meeting on this Thursday November 8th from 5:30-7pm. This month we will have two presenters. Paul Normand from Autodesk and Kelly Shuman of General Design. Paul will start by talking about Inventor Tolerance Analysis, the state of the industry regarding going paperless, and showing a bit of both the Autodesk MBD/PMI solution, and the new add-in being provided with 2019 collections - Inventor Tolerance Analysis (compatible with... Read more →