After a week off I return to check out the new Autodesk Labs technology Project Neon. Project Neon is a technology preview of rendering your AutoCAD DWG files on the cloud. The cloud is a network of distributed computers and shared resources on the web in this case one of the worlds largest clouds Amazon Web Services. Rendering an image from 3D geometry, textures, and lights can be one of the heaviest and longest tasks in AutoCAD or any CAD application due to all the heavy graphics computations to result in a rendered scene. Utilizing a network of computers over the web allows you to free your local desktop resources and allow a dedicated group of servers/processes do the work for you without your hardware being a concern or bottleneck in processing. There is also no need for a special operating system or version as that is all done on the cloud network, all you need is a DWG file and a web browser.

In a few painless steps you can take an AutoCAD DWG file with 3D objects and a light source defined and upload to the web, then sit back and wait for the email letting you know you can get your rendered image.

From this 3D model in AutoCAD, to this rendered image with lights and textures applied to the 3D model.
 

First go to the Project Neon page on Autodesk Labs http://labs.autodesk.com
Select the Project Neon from Labs Latest items New technology preview- render your DWG files via the cloud  Log in using your free Autodesk Community login, if you do not have an Autodesk community login don’t worry there is an option to create one.

Select the file to upload and render

Select your render settings such as Quality, Camera View, and Aspect.

Select the Start Rendering button and the work starts in the cloud

Now sit back and watch the spinning progress icon or get back to work on more exciting things like more design work or that World of Warcraft game until an email is sent to you with a link to the rendered image.

Here is an email notice I received of my completed render by Project Neon.

I have had some discussions on the direction this technology may be going and it is truly exciting.

Cheers,
Shaan