Project Photofly is a free early Autodesk Labs technology preview that allows anyone with a digital camera to create 3D models from photographs. Project Photofly is two parts one the cloud computing technology and the second the desktop application named Photo Scene Editor. Read more →

Do you have an idea for AutoCAD, the AutoCAD Product Design Team has a new experimental web based site launched to gather more of your ideas and rank them by your voting. Go submit some of your ideas on new features and changes to existing ones. You can also view and vote on other submitted ideas to help shape the future of AutoCAD. Read more →

If you are looking for free, easy, and accurate ways to view an AutoCAD DWG here are two great options using native DWG technology from Autodesk. Read more →

This Google Earth extension has been around and been very popular for several years but was just updated for the current release of AutoCAD 2012. Now it covers AutoCAD 2007 to AutoCAD 2012. With this extension you can import Google Earth images into AutoCAD or even a mesh of an area with the image draped over it into your AutoCAD session. You can also export your 3D models to Google Earth in the KML format complete with location data so it appears in Google Earth in the right location. Read more →

Last week I was in Southeastern Utah in the Cedar Mesa region which is one of the most rich archeological regions in the United States with sites remaining today dating back 5000 years from the Ancient Pueblo and Basketmaker cultures. This first example video of a 3D model created as a 3D model automatically was of the remains of a kiva ceremonial house approximately 800 years old. Read more →

Bless its heart. The UCS icon has been through years of neglect with only occasional costume changes. Several versions ago they put it on WeightWatchers® which made it much less clunky. In AutoCAD 2012, however, they have empowered the icon itself with multi-function grips! Read more →

Judging from the online Project Photofly Gallery and YouTube videos posted, it appears that many are experimenting, exploring, learning, and having fun with the new free technology preview Project Photofly release 2 which can take your photos and create a 3D model automatically. While the technology is really new having only been released less than 3 weeks ago, I know some took the deep plunge and are using it in your day to day workflows to create point clouds and 3D models. I am interested in examples how you are using Project Photofly in your workflows for architecture, consumer design, visualization, game design, historic preservation, and other possible uses. I would love to discuss how you are using it and what you like and do not as well as what we should consider for the future of this technology. Read more →

A New AutoCAD Apps marketplace including plug-ins, blocks, books, file translators and more is now available now on the Autodesk Exchange in AutoCAD 2012, many FREE. The Autodesk Exchange's Apps Tab is a great place for all kinds of AutoCAD goodness, and growing. Read more →

I visited South Eastern Utah this spring to capture in photos some of the natural geology like Arches National Park and also some of the amazing archeological sites from the ancient pueblo cultures from about 800-1500 year old. I took a series of photos using my Nikon D7000 and a point and shoot Panasonic camera. Using the recently released free download of Project Photofly version 2 I was able to convert the photos into a 3D Photo Scene which is a 3D model constructed of 3D point and even a textured 3D mesh. The 3D photo scene was created from 110 photos and took NO manual point selection by me it was automagically converted to a 3D model using mathematical algorithms in Project Photofly. Read more →

I received a question in email yesterday asking what languages AutoCAD was localized in for the AutoCAD 2012 release. It was not easy to find on the web so I thought I would share the answer so that others might find it easily or those that like to keep up on their AutoCAD trivia. Read more →

The AUGI CAD Camps will be starting this month and will be in many locations in the US and Canada for the reset of 2011. Read more →

For those counting down the days to the big event Autodesk University in Las Vegas Nevada at the Venetian there are only 179 days left. Read more →

Two weeks ago I visited the Autodesk San Francisco office and had the pleasure of working with the Project Photofly Photo Booth in the Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco. This is the same exhibit shown at the recent TED 2011 conference, but now even more cool. Read more →