Between the Lines

Last week

I took a road trip last week from Oregon to Utah to visit my kids and camping along the way. It was a good way to clear the head and also catch up with my kids. Here are a few photos of the beautiful and dramatically contrasting landscape in the western US. I camped at Clear Lake Oregon in Central Oregon where the water is of course crystal clear, but really cold due to being fed by a natural spring... Read more →

Rats in Autodesk Portland Office

Well, this is Portland Oregon and yes we are weird or uniquely creative including the placement of small toy ponies attached to old city horse hitching rings and yarn or knit bombings of local statues. In the Autodesk Portland office some of the weird fun culture crept in to our new Portland office in the East stairwell. In this stairwell there are crevices in the brick where there old janky spooky stairs were mounted and then removed to put nice... Read more →

Updates to Reality Capture API on Autodesk Forge

Updates were made the reality capture API on Forge that not only dramatically improves the resulting quality and speed to produce a mesh or view point clouds, but also adds geolocation for InfraWorks. For example you can use this Forge API to generate a 3D textured mesh from photos taken buy a UAS (drone). Read More Updates to Reality Capture API “The Reality Solutions team is excited to announce the availability of our next generation Forge Reality Capture API. We’ve... Read more →

Weekend in the Islands

Its Monday and a gloomy overcast winter one here in the Autodesk Portland office, but the past weekend I finally visited a place in the Pacific Northwest I had been wanting to go to for awhile and thought I would recommend you do the same if you visit Washington State. I drove up to Washington's San Juan islands and then down the beautiful forested Olympic peninsula. The islands are not tropical and can be cold especially in the winter, but... Read more →

Fall Has Arrived in Oregon

I captured this photo with my phone last weekend near Oregon City which is just a couple miles southeast of Portland. I was driving on a rural road and seen the amazing fall colors of the maple trees along this private driveway. I love being in a geographic location with seasons, and seasons as strong, vivid, and beautiful as they are in the Pacific Northwest. The colors of the trees and cool crisp air is an amazing time. Read more →

Innovation by Design Nomination for Autodesk Portland Office

It is so awesome to have our Autodesk Portland office be nominated and get an honorable mention in an “Innovation by Design” award for the workplace. We got edged out by Amazon’s Seattle office crazy spheres but then again Amazon offices were designed by another Autodesk customer NBBJ using our products. We moved in just this spring to the building and have more to do in the second phase starting next month. We absolutely love the historic renovated Towne Storage... Read more →

Portland Drama in the Sky

Last week we were treated to an amazing sunset from nearby our Autodesk Portland office. Right before it rained lightly the clouds got colorful and so dramatic. Read more →

Finally Sunny Without Smoke

The West coast of the United States has seen smoke filled skies for what feels like weeks now from massive forest fires up and down the coast. Today we have a beautiful sunny day here in sunny warm Portland today and enjoying lunch on our Autodesk office rooftop deck. Read more →

Construction Tower Cranes Provide Unique Views of Portland

The west coast of the United States has been in a building boom from Los Angeles to Seattle. Seattle has been leading the way for the last 3 years, but Portland is up there and high in the tower crane counts. Next door to our Portland office is the 5MLK construction with customer and contractor Hoffman Construction. I went and visited them at the construction site last week. I have an FAA waiver for the local airspace and a FAA... Read more →

Last Weekend

Its Friday and another weekend is upon us. Last weekend was a 3 day holiday weekend and I spent it taking a 970 mile road trip of hikes and landscape photography. I wanted to share a couple photos from the Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington trip. I drove from Portland to the Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon passing through the beautiful Ochoco Mountains east of Bend Oregon. The Painted Hills of Eastern Oregon – A M A Z I N... Read more →

Weekend Gorge Memories

Yesterday it was 90 degrees in Portland, so I headed into the Columbia Gorge to enjoy some hiking and wildflowers. Coyote Wall Tom McCall Nature Preserve Rowena Crest We love our pets in the Pacific Northwest, and maybe you know that Autodesk back to the early years has allowed dogs in several offices. I was sad to see search and rescue going up Coyote Wall yesterday but heard it was to rescue a German Sheppard dog that was having problems... Read more →

Reality Capture API is Now Available on the Forge

An API for Reality Capture is available on the Autodesk Forge platform to create 3D models from photos using photogrammetry just like ReCap Photo (aka formerly Autodesk ReMake). Now you can build this same functionality into your own Forge platform applications. Read More at The Hitchhiker's Guide to Reality Capture API, for tips and tricks on using this API. http://autode.sk/2ts6TC6 Read more →

New Autodesk ReCap Photo Version

If you are using the former Autodesk ReMake updated with new abilities and UAV support, you will be interested in the updated version released just this week. ReCap Photo is included with your ReCap Pro subscription. Autodesk ReCap Photo update version 18.2.0.8 is now available. Read Here Here is a recent project of mine with a textured 3D mesh of a building created solely from photos taken in a 15 minute UAV flight. Display mode is set to texture with... Read more →

Back Online

For the past week I have taken some time off while traveling to our Sheffield UK office for Autodesk Design Night Sheffield and some Autodesk customer and partner meetings. I spent a couple days in Iceland on a stopover finding out I could save the company over half the airfare doing so and then spending some adventure time exploring Iceland and staying in yurts on my own personal dime and taking in some amazing geography for photography and some hiking.... Read more →

Capture a Building in 3D

Last week we flew a UAS (drone) over a old historic building being renovated in Portland Oregon. We captured 279 photos in two short 15 minute flights and automatically generated a 3D textured model and Ortho corrected TIFF files using Autodesk ReCap Photo. ReCap Photo has an entirely new engine and now expanded to 1000 images support as well as DEM file and Ortho TIFF file creation. If you have a land development or construction project, you should look into... Read more →

Special Hoover Dam Field Trip at Autodesk University

Yes, Dam excited about this special Hoover Dam Field Trip and you can join us at Autodesk University 2017. Join the Dam tour and endure the long list of bad Dam puns I have, but it will be totally worth it to see such a monumental and iconic infrastructure project and learn how we digitally captured a large dam in 3D. The US Bureau of Reclamation and myself will be your safe, knowledgeable, and entertaining hosts on this special tour.... Read more →

Drone Photogrammetry with the New Autodesk ReCap Photo

Autodesk ReMake is evolving to Autodesk ReCap Photo. Autodesk ReCap Photo will be part of ReCap Pro for both your LiDAR scan data and photogrammetry data. In addition to the great 3D mesh editing that was in the former ReMake, there are new features added like raising the limit of photos to 1000 photos and for creating 3D models and geolocated orthographic views from drone (UAS) imagery. All for a very low monthly subscription and well below other comparable solutions.... Read more →

Totality Worth It

Yesterday was the total eclipse of the sun in the United States, and a big deal. I went about 90 minutes south of Portland Oregon to Mary’s Peak at about 4000 feet above sea level with a group of people to see the eclipse as it started on the coast of North America. We could see from the ocean over to Mount Hood. The morning started early around 2:30am but by 7am I was seated on a beautiful mountain top... Read more →

Beautiful Spring Landscape of the Columbia Gorge

It’s always nice to see the beauty round us rather than the depressing news on the Internet and televisions. This last Sunday I escaped the city and drove into the Columbia Gorge about 80 miles East of Portland Oregon looking for less clouds and some spring wildflowers. I went hiking, looking at the wildflowers, and also flying a UAS (drone or flying camera) as I am a FAA Part 107 UAS pilot. Patience pays off as you have several rules... Read more →

Glen Canyon Dam 3D Model Created by Autodesk ReCap and ReMake

In August of 2016, a team of Autodesk employees including myself Shaan Hurley and led by Autodesk’s Pete Kelsey along with Autodeskers David Dreffs, and Carlos Orona and a team from the US Bureau of Reclamation took on a very large infrastructure project to capture the second largest US dam Glen Canyon Dam located on the border of Utah and Arizona in the beautiful American Southwest. The Glen Canyon Dam is just 16 feet shorter than the Hoover dam and... Read more →

Weekend Flashback

Those who know me well know that I love getting outdoors on the weekend and time away from the job. I also love to share them and show off the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. On Sunday I got up to the Mount Hood National Forest and did some hiking, photography, and also some fun UAS practice flights to keep my skills up for the next project. Snow and big old growth trees. Locations: Oregon's White River SnoPark and the... Read more →

Another Snow Day in Portland

We typically do not get snow or big snowstorms here in Portland, but this year…SnowMG. This is the third big storm. I spent 4.5 hours on the freeway in a traffic jam due to an accident that then turned into snowed in vehicles becoming stuck in a parking lot from hell. We closed the Autodesk office today out of concern for the safety of our employees and also due to the weather and closed roads. At home the electricity and... Read more →

Aerial View of Lake Oswego Oregon Autodesk Office

I recently purchased and received my new personal UAS/UAV a DJI Mavic. This little drone folds up and can be easily packed in my backpack or camera bag and has many advanced technologies like obstacle avoidance and several automated flight modes like follow me and follow terrain. II t can go 40mph and has a radio range 4.6 mile range however FAA rules require visual one of sight which is definitely not that far. The camera is not as good... Read more →

Back in Hawaii for the 75th Anniversary December 7th Remembrance

I am in Hawaii to attend the 75th anniversary of December 7th. The event is not a celebration of the event or war, but to remember how bad war is and how we must never repeat this as well as honor all those that on that Sunday morning died or were forever affected. We had expected and hoped President Obama would be attending but it appears he may not be able to attend and cancelled his speaking events. I do... Read more →

When Technology Goes Bad but So Good

I seen this image on Twitter yesterday and it made me laugh out loud so I thought I would share on this Friday. Most smartphones have a panoramic photo mode where the phone stiches photos together into one wide panoramic photo after you pan the camera. Well technology is not always perfect but in this case it was so perfectly weird that it was better than just a panoramic photos with a cat waking through. Seen on @YouHadOneJ0B As the... Read more →