Between the Lines

What is on Your Autodesk Portland Office Building

For my Throwback Thursday TBT post this week, I wanted to answer a common question when people drive by, walk by or visit our Autodesk Portland Office and look up on the building top corners. The office building is a historic renovated brick building located prominently in the Central Eastside Industrial District along the Eastside of the Willamette river next to Burnside Bridge and the I-5 freeway. “what is that on the building, a gargoyle? I actually had that question... Read more →

Some Portland Zen

Wishing you a happy Earth Day, the 50th Earth Day. Right now everyone can use a little peaceful zen garden therapy in their life, especially now with the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 shuttering all but essential services. In Portland we have world famous and locally beloved treasure of the Portland Japanese Garden, but it too has been closed due to the pandemic. But now you can explore much of the garden in 360 views and enjoy exploring some... Read more →

AEC Mass Timber Summit and Hackathon Postponed

The AEC Mass Timber Summit and Hackathon planned for next weekend in Portland Oregon has been postponed due to the coronavirus health emergency.For more information, please stay tuned to https://www.masstimberhackathon.com/ This is the message from AEC Hackathon co-founder Greg Howes: “Due to Covid-19 we have postponed the first Mass Timber Summit and Hackathon in Portland, Oregon on March 20-22nd The Mass Timber Conference on March 24-26th in Portland has also been cancelled. We wish everyone good health during this difficult... Read more →

Geometry Systems for AEC Generative Design

If you are interested in new and innovative techniques to define geometry or spaces using generative design, this article is for you. The article by Lorenzo Villaggi Senior Research Scientist, The Living, an Autodesk Studio is filled with lots of information and a link to further Autodesk University class material. ”This article will show how to approach design problems through the generative design framework (problem formulation) with a focus on how to incorporate design intents in the form of geometric... Read more →

Limbitless Impact Through Design

Last week, the Autodesk Portland office was fortunate enough to have one of our Autodesk Foundation grantees visit and speak to our employees and product teams about their non profit named Limbitless. Limbitless is working with OHSU, a local hospital and one of four in the United States that are running medical trials to get FDA medical approval from testing prosthetics with children. Limbitless uses Fusion 360 and Eagle to design the prosthetics and also use Maya for developing a... Read more →

Mass Timber Summit and Hackathon in Portland Oregon

Are you passionate about technology, AEC design, sustainable wood, and mass timber design and construction? If you answered yes to any of these, you should consider attending the Mass Timber Summit Hackathon being held in beautiful Portland Oregon March 20-22, 2020. Join leading architects, engineers, researchers, builders, fabricators, real estate professionals and technologists for a weekend of innovation focused on mass timber, digitalization of construction, automation, robotics and software. Mass Timber Workshops and Hackathon Link to Event Page www.masstimberhackathon.com Presenters... Read more →

Psychedelic Sunrise in Portland

This morning was amazing with the sunrise in Portland Oregon. My jaw dropped seeing it at my house and in all the posted photos. Here are photos I captured from my home as I left for the office. Here are two amazing photos from a local friend and former colleague now at Nike. Ritza Garzia captured it best with her sweet pup. wow… I want this each and every morning! Read more →

Join the Autodesk Inventor Team in Portland

We’re hiring a senior software engineer for the Autodesk Inventor Platform team. This position is based in sunny Portland, Oregon in our awesome award winning building. Autodesk Portland is One of the Best Places to Work in Portland Oregon The key requirement is really C++ programming experience (7 years+ with a bachelor degree) and passion for what you do and make. Interested, Read more and apply Here Read more →

Autodesk Portland is One of the Best Places to Work in Portland Oregon

This past November I gave a tour to a team from the local Portland magazine Portland Monthly. The current January 2020 issue has Autodesk featured as one of the best Portland offices to work in.We moved into this renovated 1913 building almost two years ago, and absolutely love it. Autodesk has had a office in the Portland area for over 25 years and this is where Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, Autodesk Inventor, and Fusion 360 products were born. Now the office... Read more →

Keeping Portland Weird

I've talked previously about the fun of finding the weirdness and fun of Portland creeping into the stairwell of our Portland office (Rats in Autodesk Portland Office). I wanted to give a quick update that the spontaneous and quirky fun continues - thankfully. This is a small example of the fun of Portland being a part of our beloved and historic Portland office. Employees love this office (aside from scarcity of parking) and this fun bit of creativity is an... Read more →

XR Party

I attended a great XR Party (Extended Reality (AR & VR) last evening in Portland at Open Signal PDX , the Open Signal: Portland Community Media Center. It was a gathering of the XR community and showed a short in XR no longer being just a cool fringe technology, but now a maturing communication and story telling technology platform as XR us being used in many businesses from marketing, gaming, journalists, architects, story tellers, local community organizations, and artists all... Read more →

Innovation Stations Open at OMSI

On Friday evening I attended the grand opening at the OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) for the new Center for Innovation - Innovation Station exhibit in the turbine hall. OMSI's Center for Innovation is using our community's creativity and design thinking to solve global problems. And its fun! Tinkercad was also released for a new group of kids and adult visitors of OMSI on Friday as part of the new Center for Innovation exhibit. Children and adults alike... Read more →

I Love Snagit

I have used the screen capture software Snagit from Techsmith for over 20 years, on an almost daily basis. It makes it easy to get a image or quick video for documentation, presentations, Slack, email, and this blog. I do not get free product and do buy my own subscription as it is not expensive and vital for me. It was a pleasure that yesterday Snagit product manager Daniel Foster who was visiting Portland for a conference dropped by the... Read more →

Autodesk Media and Entertainment Showcase 2019

Last Thursday in our Portland Autodesk office, we held a free event for anyone to celebrate and show the creative customers and community of our entertainment products such as Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max. We had several presentations from local visual fx and animation studios with amazing visuals and insight on how they work and create what they do. We also had two Autodesk product owners of 3ds Max and Bifrost. Speakers Gabe Selinger of Liquid Development Sarah DeFlaminis... Read more →

Autumn Colors in Portland

Just a quick post on the amazing colors in Portland Oregon currently with the sudden onset of Autumn. Yesterday I went to the Hoyt Arboretum especially my favorite of the Maple Loop and then hiked the Wildwood trail to Portland’s prized treasure the Portland Japanese Garden. It was amazing walk with the beauty of Washington park and the park changing colors for fall. Read more →

If You Love 3D and are in Portland Oregon Today

I hope if you are in the Portland Oregon area today, that you plan to attend the second annual Autodesk Media and Entertainment Showcase. The event is free with some food and refreshments with the highlight amazing local speakers who use Autodesk Media and Entertainment products like 3ds Max and Maya. See how people are using Autodesk products to create amazing VFX and animations and how technology can be used in incredible ways to unleash creativity and save time. You... Read more →

Autodesk Portland Media and Entertainment Showcase Event is Next Week

I hope if you are in the Portland Oregon area, that you plan to attend this second Media and Entertainment Showcase. The event is free with some food and refreshments with the highlight being amazing local speakers who use Autodesk Media and Entertainment products like 3ds Max and Maya. See how people are using Autodesk products to create amazing VFX and animations and how technology can be used in incredible ways to unleash creativity and save time. You will also... Read more →

Mass Timber in the Neighborhood

I love the new Mass Timber buildings that are growing in popularity, especially up here in the Pacific Northwest. We have had a mass timber building going up just a block from our Portland office. The Sideyard held a grand opening last evening and soon Ferment Brewing and other tenants will hopefully be opening, especially Ferment Brewing – yes yes yes. The Sideyard (B76 West) building went up really fast compared to other local construction we have been watching from... Read more →

Happy 20th Birthday Autodesk Inventor and Vault

Yesterday in the Autodesk Portland office we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Autodesk Inventor, and partied like it was 1999, when Autodesk Inventor was born in our. A flashback to 1999 Autodesk Inventor R1 codename Rubicon We even got Inventor R1 running for people to try their old school Inventor modelling skills. It was amazing to have all the fun conversations, wear old Inventor shirts, enjoy food and drink, and celebrate a big milestone of 20 years. The first customer... Read more →

Join me at Autodesk Portland Media and Entertainment Showcase

Plan to attend this second Media and Entertainment Showcase. The non-sales event is free with some food and refreshments with the highlight being amazing local speakers who use Autodesk Media and Entertainment products like 3ds Max and Maya. See how people are using Autodesk products to create amazing VFX and animations and how technology can be used in incredible ways to unleash creativity and save time. You will also network with other local Portland people in media and entertainment. Last... Read more →

Portland Adult Soapbox Derby 2019

Two weeks ago I had one of the coolest volunteer jobs as a Course Marshall for the 22nd annual Portland Adult Soapbox Derby held in Portland's beautiful Mount Tabor Park. I spent all day with a bullhorn and a radio clearing the course, heckling people who ignored the course rules, assuring the safety of the derby cars and drivers as well as the spectators, and making people laugh and have fun. There were several races and we had a few... Read more →

Kids at Autodesk Day – Portland 2019

This is always one of my favorite days of the year and it was held in the Autodesk Portland office yesterday. We had over 60 kids of our employees show up for a day filled with fun activities, snacks, food, and even robot rides. Read more →

Portland Autodesk Employee Mass Timber Field Trip

Almost Two weeks ago I arranged a special tour for Autodesk Portland employees with two of our customers a field trip of a mass timber building designed by Skylab Architecture constructed by Anderson Construction and located a block from our Autodesk Portland office. Following the building tour, we loaded up on a shuttle and went to Northwest Portland for a tour of CutMyTimber’s NW Portland shop with Hundegger Speed-Cut SC-1, Hundegger K2, and Kuka automation which was used in making... Read more →

Weekend Adventure Rewind – Timberline to Paradise Park on Mt Hood

This weekend I did some solo adventure hiking up on beautiful and iconic Mount Hood, an extinct volcano with an elevation of 11,161 feet. My route in the 58 degree cloud covered weather was from Timberline Lodge to Paradise Park Loop and then the Paradise Park Loop at 14.5 miles and 5900 feet elevation climb. I got rained on but mostly covered in clouds and cool temperatures, but still amazing and without the sun and heat it limited the sunburn... Read more →

Autodesk Portland Office and Our Changing Neighborhood

The Autodesk Portland is surrounded by an ever changing Central Eastside Industrial District neighborhood of Portland. This neighborhood has historically been fruit and produce wholesalers and manufacturing shops but that has been changing over the years. While a great deal of it is being planned and nurtured for the future and some areas protected by the Portland Innovation Quadrant and an Industrial District. Portland is changing and depending on who you talk to and their perspective it is for the... Read more →