Monthly Archives: December 2015

AU2015, Day 3

07 Monday Dec 2015

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Well, I’m home again…I did warn you that the Day 3 recap wouldn’t appear right away!

The Last Day

The morning started with a feedback meeting on a new website that Autodesk is developing. I can’t say much about it yet, but it looked pretty nice. (And when I get released from my NDA, maybe I’ll review it for real.)

Then I went to a session on incorporating analysis into the structural design workflow. It was a good overview of some of the new tools available within Revit (gravity load takedowns) and the link with Robot. I have to say, it looks like Robot’s usability has improved a lot lately…but I’m more interested in React Structures.

In the afternoon, I did another feedback session on Autodesk Support. (If you haven’t been to http://knowledge.autodesk.com in the last couple weeks, go check it out — they just launched a nice redesign!)

Then I had the privilege of sitting on a CAD Management panel with Robert Green, Curt Moreno, and R.K. McSwain, moderated by Rick Ellis. We had a great time talking about our experiences — it was a little like the conversations you get just hanging around the exhibit hall or coffee stations. You can read some of the attendee’s comments under #Ask4AUexperts. (Although I know there are more than are listed under that link…not sure where they went.)

AU wrapped up with a more low-key closing session than in years past, but it was still engaging. They continued the theme of “meaningful work”, and once again I live-tweeted it. My takeaways:

  • If you ask people, “Who does meaningful work?” they often list doctors and teachers. But you shouldn’t forget designers.
  • Volunteers at AU assembled 150 prosthetic hands for children via eNable kits
  • Instead of buying new fleets of electric buses, retrofit diesels with new hybrid engines
  • Paraphrase of one of my favorite parts: “Why air condition the building when it’s the people who get hot?”
  • The Antikythera shipwreck (from 60 BC!) is being mapped & documented with reality capture technologies
  • It’s good enough to read the instructions off the case of an ancient calculator, and to be able to re-cast a fragile artifact after it went to pieces

The AU wrap party was a circus, as it is every year…this year, I mainly found it to be loud, crowded, and cold. (Can you tell I’m not one for big parties?) But it picked up after I ran into some friends–I’ll never understand how, in a crowd of 10,000, you can run into the same people over and over!

I’ll leave you with a final thought from the closing session, a reminder that we can’t just wait around for things to happen:

Be the change. Make the difference.

Hope to see you all in Vegas next year — November 15-17, 2016!

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AU2015, Day 2

03 Thursday Dec 2015

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Autodesk University 2015 is two-thirds complete, and it’s kind of astonishing to think that there can still be more after today. No live-tweeting today, but here’s what I did instead.

Before lunch

I started the day in a focus group for Autodesk Subscription. I always love these, because I’m very opinionated when it comes to using and managing my software, and it’s nice to know someone is listening. And the moderators are so patient, even when the participants contradict each other with our requests!

After that was a lab…unfortunately, the less said about that, the better. It had some technical difficulties that might have thrown off even an experienced presenter, and in the end I left early. It wasn’t a total loss, though, because I stopped in for a chat with more Autodesk researchers, this time about what makes a student seeking work an attractive candidate to a hiring manager.

After lunch

The afternoon was dedicated to prepping for the annual AUGI General Meeting, and then to the meeting itself. It all went great, if I do say so myself. I’m having trouble posting pictures on the mobile WordPress app, but if you check Twitter or the AUGI Facebook page you can check some out and see if you agree. If I get a chance, I’ll revisit this post when I’m back at my computer and can add some images.

After dinner

In the evening, I spent some time in the AUGI booth, still in costume from the AGM. Two things I noticed there: (1) After a while, you almost forget you’re in costume and start to wonder why people are giving you funny looks; and (2) Here, even people in Star Wars costumes don’t get as many funny looks as you might think!

After I ditched the Leia wig, I went to the Social Media & Blogger meetup, where I got a chance to actually see a lot of the great people I only see online the rest of the year. I also had a nice chat with our special guest Roman Mars, of 99% Invisible…don’t mind saying I was a little star-struck!

 To cap off the day, I stopped in at a customer reception hosted by my reseller. I thought it might be winding down, since I got there kind of late…nope. It was in full swing when I arrived, and was still going strong when I left a little while later.

Now this recap is done, and it’s time to rest again for what I know will be a fantastic (but very long) day tomorrow. No promises that you’ll see a post about Thursday anytime before Monday…

AU 2015, Day 1

02 Wednesday Dec 2015

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The first full day of Autodesk University 2015 is a wrap! (At least for me. Some of you can survive on less sleep than I can.) And before I’m completely worn out by the rest of the event, here’s a quick recap.

Construction Launch Pad

Big news here, from the first-ever construction-focused kickoff event. Project Alexandria officially became BIM 360 Docs, a project document management platform that is planned to formally launch early next year. I haven’t seen too much yet, but it looks very exciting.

Class 1: Knowledge Management 

My first official AU session was an exploration of Knowledge Management. It was a very interesting discussion of how to prevent “silos” of information, where only one person possesses critical knowledge. Some solutions were technical, some not.

Opening Session

I’ve been to a lot of keynote addresses in the last 12 years, and this was one of the better ones. I live-tweeted it, but here’s a summary of my takeaways.

  • The future (and the present) is the covergence of building and manufacturing.
  • Always ask yourself, “Are we working on the right problem?”
  • When recruiting new talent, the promise of meaningful work outweighs perks like free food. (Except maybe at Facebook.)
  • Technology has changed the course of human history more than any other development. This is supported by data.
  • Hardware investment has plateaued, while software investment continues to rise.
  • The pace of change will only continue to increase. (It feels like we should do this every year, but it’s also true every year.)
  • If you’re satisfied with “good enough,” you’ll never know what’s possible.
  • Generative design plus additive manufacturing plus advanced materials equals some really cool stuff. (Exhibit A is Airbus’s new bulkhead design.)
  • In the future, you won’t learn a design tool. You’ll have a design tool that learns you.

A great session overall, and it finished early!

Innovation Forum: What’s in it for me?

After a lunch with the AUGI volunteers, it was off to the first of the Innovation Forums. These are sessions focused on real customers doing really cool things. They’re hosted by Roman Mars, of 99% Invisible, who’s always worth listening to. Again I live-tweeted, but here’s the summary.

  • If you’re worried about the effect of a new technology, remember this: “All things will adjust themselves to the new order.”
  • The second half of that thought is that “water will find its own level.” And when it does, which side of the waterline will you be on?
  • The definition of a “killer app” is one that creates a reason for you to buy the technology required to run it.
  • Innovative model-based estimating means starting it earlier, before cost-driving decisions are made.
  • We need to bridge the gap between design models and construction models, and between construction models and the field.
  • When evaluating a project, consider the “triple bottom line”: environmental, social, economic.

Women in BIM

I was fortunate to attend a panel discussion on “unconscious bias” with Autodesk and industry leaders. It provided plenty of food for thought. I’m still processing most of it, and will probably revisit it in a future post.

Ready for Day 2

I wrapped up the day at the AUGI booth in the exhibit hall. Looking back at this post, it’s hard to believe it all happened today! Time to sign off and get ready for Wednesday…