Between the Lines

Manufacturing Design Software Trends

The MFG Trend Nostradamus.. I have been deep dive researching in AEC and Manufacturing design software and the greater industry trends. Here is my overview of manufacturing design software trends. There are several trends in mechanical design software technologies that are shaping the future of engineering and product design. Some of these trends in no particular order of significance include: Cloud-based software: Cloud-based software is becoming increasingly popular as it allows engineers to access design tools and data from anywhere... Read more →

Fusion 360 for Personal Use – Still FREE

If you meet the requirements as a non-commercial hobbyist, you can get the free Fusion 360 for personal use license. Read more →

2022 Autodesk Design & Manufacturing Showreel

Autodesk Design & Manufacturing customers push the boundaries of change and transform industry processes and procedures in exciting and inspiring ways. Our annual Product Design & Manufacturing showcase highlights their incredible work: https://autode.sk/3L80KOJ . Read more →

Collaborative Future at the Reimagined Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building

How will we design sustainable communities in the future? Debuting this November, take a first look at the new interactive exhibit from Autodesk and Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building “Future Communities” highlights the benefits of automation in how we work. http://autode.sk/32KLSkR Quote from Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost “Proud to be part of an experience that highlights the benefits of automation in how we work” ”Design shapes billions of lives. What if we could invite everyone to create, together, almost every... Read more →

Happy 10th Birthday Tinkercad!

Tinkercad turned 10 years old today. This free cloud-based 3D creative design tool is used by students to retired makers and 3D print hobbyist, and loved by millions from 5-100+ years old. Reflecting on 10 Years of Tinkering as Tinkercad Turns Double Digits Check out what people have made: https://www.tinkercad.com/search?q=tinkercad10 Read more →

How Innovators Are Exploring Emerging Technologies

“Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the Autodesk Technology Centers, which provide a platform for exploring new possibilities of designing and making. With a global network of innovators from the industry, academic, and entrepreneurial communities—and physical workshops in San Francisco; Boston; Toronto; and Birmingham, England—the technology centers provide support for residents as they seek new ways of designing for impact.” Read More and get the free eBook Here: https://redshift.autodesk.com/designing-for-impact/ Read more →

3D Printing Needs Brave New Building Codes

“Building codes have a storied history and largely have been established only after tragic events such as the Great Fire of London, which destroyed swaths of the city in 1666. Since then, codes have been enacted to make buildings more fire resistant, for example, or to increase public safety in dense urban areas (something especially relevant in this challenging time of COVID-19). In the United States, the first national building code was established in 1915, and a winding path of... Read more →

Don't Let the Kids Brains Turn to Mush

While many kids are home from school, take this as an opportunity to keep them learning. Find some interesting and fun projects (good to use fun to hide the learning benefit with kids) on the Instructables site. Also consider Tinkercad which is free, fun and can build and flex spatial and design thinking skills that will be invaluable to builder a better future. Another great Resource for exploring and learning: Distance Learning Resources from the Smithsonian https://learninglab.si.edu/ Read more →

Create a 3D Model or 3D Print of Terrain

Have you ever wanted to create a STL model or 3D physical print of a mountain range, a valley, or something from the topology of our earth? I found a way using a website that generates a 3D STL file of any area. Make sure you exaggerate the Z vertical because in a 3D model the geography can seem flat due to the vertical to horizontal ratio. Check it out. http://jthatch.com/Terrain2STL/ Read more →

3D Printed Titanium Solid bike in Portland

The SOLID bike is now proudly on display in the city that inspired it, and in the office of the software used in the design, our Autodesk Portland office. SOLID bike: The first connected, 3D printed titanium bike by Ti Cycles Design & engineering software: Autodesk Fusion 360 and Autodesk Alias For most of us, buying a bicycle means picking out a stock model that best fits our size and style. But, that comes with trade-offs, since mass-manufactured bikes can’t... Read more →

Got My Bags Packed for My Mars Condo!

A great story of smart young minds tackling a challenge put forth by NASA helped AI SpaceFactory Win NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge for additive constructed habitats. NASA awarded AI SpaceFactory $500,000 for the successful construction of a 15 foot Mars habitat with three windows named MARSHA. Read more →

RawR See a T-Rex in Stunning 3D Detail - without being eaten

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with a panel of Smithsonian employees of the Digitization Program Office and they let me know of an amazing reality capture project that went live just yesterday. It is stunning in detail and fascinating information. You can also download the 3D model data and then 3D print your own although at a smaller than life size. Tyrannosaurus rex This T. rex skeleton was unearthed in Montana beginning in 1988. It is posed over... 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 →

Spotted a Wooly Mammoth and You Can Too

Last week I was working in Washington DC meeting with some customers and partners including my longtime friends and digitization heroes at the Smithsonian Digitization Program Lab. While there catching up on all the cool projects for the Smithsonian and talking about our several years as partners on the https://www.3d.si.edu/ and the Apollo Command Module capture, I spotted a 3D print of the Smithsonian's mammoth at small scale. It wasn't full scale 1:1 3D print of their mammoth skeleton as... Read more →

Design Week Portland - Ultimaker+ Autodesk

Design Week Portland is right around the corner, and this year we’re partnering up with Ultimaker to help you level up your design-to-make game. Come see the latest from Ultimaker and Autodesk in Autodesk’s renovated new Portland office (renovated Towne Storage Building) just off East Burnside by the bridge in the central eastside industrial district. Look for the water tower with our logo and you can’t miss us. Parking can be a bit of a challenge at times so choose... Read more →

See Some Portland Startup Pitches Today on Pi and PIE Day

On this Pi day (3.14 etc.) I hope you will join us on the PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment) Demo Day livestream at 2PM Pacific Time on March 14, 2019. Tell everyone there is plenty of room on our livestream from Aladdin Theater in sunny Portland Oregon. https://bit.ly/PIEDD2019 We love Pi and PIE! Update: PIE Demo Day 2019 replay is already available. Just in time for some weekend binge watching. https://bit.ly/PIEDD2019 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 →

Autodesk Design & Manufacturing Official Show Reel 2019

Autodesk just published a new video showing some amazing and inspiring highlights for our Design and Manufacturing industry products, partners, and customers. Enjoy! Read more →

Alexander Oster and Additive Manufacturing Futures

Alexander Oster is the Director Additive Manufacturing at Autodesk and was the CEO of Netfabb which Autodesk acquired in September 2015. Alexander is an authority on 3D printing and additive manufacturing and gave a good interview to 3Dprint.com shedding a lot of light on where additive manufacturing and Autodesk are going. https://3dprint.com/236238/interview-with-alexander-oster-of-autodesk/ Read more →

Generative Design Field Lab in Chicago – Come Visit

Generative design is here to stay, so we made a place for it: Introducing our new Generative Design Field Lab in Chicago. https://autode.sk/2N56Lil “Every new technology comes with a learning curve, but we don’t want that to keep our customers from exploring what’s possible with our tools. We believe every manufacturer should be able to consider new and better ways to make things, and that’s why we’re opening a new public workshop space—Autodesk’s Generative Design Field Lab—in Chicago to show... 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 →

Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing Combined to Create Olly the Octopus

The acronym of my Autodesk division, Office of the CTO “OCTO” was the complex shape inspiration for an octopus named Olly. Olly was created by additive 3D printing metal and then subtractively machining it. Both methods of additive and subtractive were achieved using Autodesk’s advanced Powermill product. Read More about Olly http://www.manufacturinglounge.com/eight-arms-are-better-than-one/ I would love to someday have an Olly on my desk. -Shaan Read more →

Generative Design Workshop in Portland October 4th

What: Join us at Autodesk Portland office to explore what is possible through generative design. This 1-day Workshop will gather engineers and designers for an exclusive hands-on look at Autodesk's generative design technology. This in person event is FREE so register soon as available seats go fast. When: Thursday, October 04, 2018 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Lunch is included. Where: Autodesk Portland at 2212 SE Ankeny By the end of the session, attendees will: Understand how to save... 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 →

Thinking Big with Generative Design

See how Stanley Black & Decker’s Breakthrough Innovation Group used generative design and additive manufacturing technologies in a pilot project to lightweight its crimping tool attachment part. The Power of Generative Design is coming to Autodesk Netfabb 2018 “The resulting generative design may look a bit unusual to some, but it reduced the hydraulic crimping attachment weight by just over 3lbs, or 60%. The simulations that were run concurrently showed that the tool maintained the strength characteristics of the original... Read more →