Between the Lines

Employee Made Arcade at Autodesk's Portland Office

Our Portland Autodesk office took the Autodesk tagline of “Make Anything” quite literal. We moved into this beautifully restored downtown central eastside Portland office a year ago. So when some of the employees heard we had a game room, they asked about an arcade game. There wasn’t an arcade game or budget – so they decided to make one. It was an organic grassroots volunteer project, but a group of employees decided “hey, lets make our own arcade console.” They... 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 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 →

Startups in Autodesk's Portland Office

Autodesk has provided space and resources to a local Portland startup incubator organization named PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment) to run a startup incubator in our Portland office named PIE Shop. 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 →

Arcade by Autodesk Portland Employees

I'm in the final edit stage of a video of interviews of some fellow Autodesk Portland office employees for something fun and unique. When we say Make Anything as a tagline of Autodesk, we embody that with our employees. We moved into this renovated Portland building downtown last April, and some employees realized we needed something fun and unique in our game room area. It was an organic grassroots volunteer project, but a group of employees decided “hey, lets make... Read more →

Autodesk Make It Real challenge

Make sure to check out the Autodesk Make It Real challenge. This challenge gives students and educators in the US and Canada a chance to win a makerspace for their school. It is open until 2/4/19. Please spread the word to schools that you know located in the US or Canada. 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 →

Free Software and Fusion 360 Training for FIRST FRC Teams

We are just a week away from the big 2019 FIRST FRC Destination Deep Space competition reveal and thousands of teams start to formulate their game strategy and begin design their robots for 6 weeks then the competitions begin between teams in regions with some heading for the world finals. Many winning teams see CAD as key to their strategy and design allowing them to better design and simulate as well as generate their Gcode for CAM cutting of parts.... Read more →

THE FACTORY Powered by Fusion 360 Back at AU 2018

Do you remember the awesome speakers many made at Autodesk University 2017, and how popular this was? We're bringing the crowd favorite back to AU2018! This year a new project where attendees will have the chance to roll up their sleeves in a unique hands-on factory setting to design and manufacture their own air quality sensing lamp. THE FACTORY powered by Fusion 360 will be front-and-center in the Expo Hall and is open to a limited number of participants on... Read more →

Digitally Designing the Physical World – XR for Architecture and Construction

A week ago, last Monday evening I presented at a local meetup group Design Reality that was for an AEC focused XR event. My goal was to expand the awareness of AR/VR beyond the 3D rendered images commonly used in pre-construction design reviews and into what I see as a sweet spot in AEC construction. XR is the new term for eXtended Reality which combined AR/MR/VR and is a nice high level since it appears that all three will be... Read more →

Linking Engineering and Philanthropy (LEAP) 2018

The LEAP 2018 competition challenges FIRST FRC teams to develop new technologies to engage and assist resource-poor youth in farming and agriculture, while working alongside Mercy Corps. Autodesk has proudly partnered with Mercy Corps and Team 1540 to support FIRST Robotics Teams designing a solution to a global challenge. LEAP was started by students of Catlin Gabel here in Portland as FIRST FRC Team 1540 Flaming Chickens. It is such a good way to connect engineering design and philanthropy and... Read more →

Are You a Portland Startup? Last Day to Apply to PIE Shop

PIE and Uncorked Studios are seeking Internet of Things and connected device startups to join us for our inaugural PIE Shop, a manufacturing focused startup accelerator. Selected startups will join us in Portland, Oregon, to work with Autodesk, PIE, Uncorked Studios and other PIE alums, and the world-class PIE mentor network. We'll provide you with advice, connections, office space, and other benefits. For this initial version of PIE Shop, there will neither be capital allocated to startups nor equity taken... Read more →

PIE Shop Opens in Autodesk Portland Office

Last Thursday our Portland office held a traditional beer bust celebrating the opening of the incubator space on our second floor that i currently hosting 5 startups and 2 organizations. We had beer, wine, food, cookies, and of course pie. About the PIE Shop ”Autodesk have launched an ambitious program that looks to foster new product startups and help entrepreneurs overcome challenges tied to making physical objects. Portland design and product agency Uncorked Studios, 3D software maker Autodesk Inc. and... Read more →

Know Your Tools, Learn Your Craft, Make Anything

I love that our Autodesk Pier 9 has open sourced the manuals and instructions as workshops with lessons on Instructables on how to use much of the equipment located in the Pier 9 workshop. It is a wealth of learning and practical knowledge on some of the equipment. There is currently 25 different workshops covering the equipment the wood shop, metal shop, CNC shop, and the 3D print shop. The workshops contain lessons on knowing the equipment and how to... Read more →

Raspberry Pi Starter Kit from Pimoroni to Give Away

I have a new and amazing Pimoroni Pi Starter Kit with about everything you would need to make something with Raspberry Pi. I would love to gift it to a teen that is totally interested in STEM and technology that would complete the build and provide a follow up of their project and experience. Do you know a teen or advanced pre-teen that would love this and do something with it? Email me Read more →

Mimic - Open-Source Autodesk Maya Plugin to Control Industrial Robots

The Autodesk Robotics Lab excited to announce the release of Mimic, an open-source Autodesk Maya plugin for controlling Industrial Robots. Mimic is a free and open-source plugin for Autodesk Maya that enables simulation, programming, and control of 6-axis, Industrial Robots. It provides a robust and intuitive, animation-based toolset, allowing creators to prototype, validate, and drive automated systems. The team works on a lot of experimental robotics projects, writing many of their own software tools from scratch.They found out that they... Read more →

Come Work with Us in the PIE Shop

It is so fitting to post this on Pi Day (3.14), but this is about a collaboration with PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment) and Autodesk. There will be a collaboration in creating an advanced manufacturing and prototyping incubator in beautiful downtown Portland Oregon. Learn about the PIE Shop and Apply “PIE and Uncorked Studios are seeking Internet of Things and connected device startups to join us for our inaugural PIE Shop, a manufacturing focused startup accelerator. Selected startups will join us... Read more →

We Have a PIE Shop in Portland

Autodesk, PIE, Uncorked Studios team up on new Portland manufacturing incubator. Portland Business Journal “Three top local startup champions have launched an ambitious program that looks to foster new product startups and help entrepreneurs overcome challenges tied to making physical objects Portland design and product agency Uncorked Studios, 3D software maker Autodesk Inc. and the accelerator Portland Incubator Experiment introduced PIE Shop, which will guide startups through the prototyping and manufacturing phases. The program will be housed in Autodesk's new... Read more →

Bunnies + Robots = BunnyBots 2017

It is at time of the year again and the annual BunnyBot event. If you are located in Portland Oregon and have kids interested in robotics or STEM then you should plan to attend Saturday December 9th. http://team1540.org/bunnybots/ The BunnyBots competition is a game for FIRST FRC Robotics teams to get ready for FIRST 2018 competition season kick off in January. Teams use their robot to score points and gather stuffed rabbits on the field and have great deal of... Read more →

Most Popular Speaker at Autodesk University 2017

The most talked about and lined up for speaker at Autodesk University 2017 was, well a real speaker this year that you could build yourself. At Autodesk University, a group of attendees participated in a Product Innovation Platform track organized and designed by Autodesk’s Garin Gardiner. Participants designed the speaker starting from the speaker body in Autodesk Fusion 360 and the circuits in Autodesk Eagle as well as generating the CNC G-code to machine the parts. Those that were not... Read more →

The Future of Making at Autodesk University

Normally at Autodesk University you attend to see and learn from great speakers, but in this case you get to make an awesome custom speaker. In the Product Innovation Platform track you will get to go through each step from the beginning electrical design in Autodesk Eagle to the product design and machining in Fusion 360 and at the end of the track you will get to assemble and take your custom CNC machined wood enclosure speaker. Here is a... Read more →

Fidget Spinner in Fusion 360

Fidget Spinners are all the rage, whether you love or don't care for them, they are here. A couple weeks ago at the Autodesk Lake Oswego Oregon office we held our annual Kids at Autodesk Day, where employees brought their children to work where we have several activities for them planned. One of those activities was designed and led by Garin Gardiner. Garin developed and led a class to walk the kids through the design of a fidget spinner and... Read more →

Throwback Thursday VR

Back in the 80s and 90s with the Autodesk Cyberspace Developers Kit. Read more →

FIRST Robotics World Finals

This weekend hundreds of teams from around the world will descend on Houston Texas for the FIRST Robotics World Finals. This year the finals will be split into two cities, Houston this weekend and St Louis next weekend. The team I have worked with for 2 seasons now that use Autodesk Inventor and Fusion 360, Portland’s own Catlin Gabel high school Team 1540 Flaming Chickens will be there competing. You can watch the video feeds over the web. https://www.firstchampionship.org/watch-live The... Read more →