It's no surprise that Autodesk Labs is located on the Autodesk Feedback Community portal. Autodesk Labs is all about feedback. Sometimes people ask me what kind of feedback do we want. They have downloaded a utility or have tried one of our software as a service technologies and want to contact us, but they don't know what to say. Trust me that we appreciate feedback of any kind. Any kind or unkind words are welcome. We take the good with the bad. Here are some examples of the good, the bad, and the truly constructive:

• Good

  • Project Chronicle
    "Created first chronicle and it couldn't have been easier! User interface seems to be very intuitive. 5 min. video processed and uploaded in about 6 minutes and received notification email about 11 minutes after publish. Editing feature was very easy to use, and I think appropriate... just a basic clip tool. I love the fact that I can create content on the fly while working on a project. Makes the creation of training videos billable, which is huge!"

  • Project Octopus
    "I just downloaded Project Octopus and ran a quick test. With this type of mindset, I think this will solve lots of issues for non API users."

• Bad

  • Cloud Sync for AutoCAD Architecture/MEP
    "When you use 'rename/renumber' on a sheet file the other users receive a '?' on their sheet files as if the DWG as been deleted. We are using Dropbox and it seems that Dropbox does not recognize the update. Do you still have to 'Checkout' the file before making the change?"

  • Project Carbon
    "I'd rather you guys push a GOOD (less automated) 'proper' Vector art app."

  • 2D to 3D Tool for Inventor
    "Definitely not ready for prime time, projected view seems to do whatever it feels like while placing a view, I’ve been trying to draw one part for the last half hour and cannot get it to align views properly. I have a view that is rotated 90 degrees, another that intesects the middle of the first one, and it ends up looking like a mess of lines more than what I'm trying to draw."

• Very Useful

  • Project Dalton
    "There might be some call for using ISO 15926 in place of PCF, as its far more flexible. It might go a little too far in the flexibility area though, as content management can be a nightmare because it can literally support ANYTHING. I'd be satisfied with a more dedicated XML format with a public schema which could be extended to cover things like ducting. Think LandXML"

  • Project Miller
    "We have been working on getting a way to take Revit models and 3D print them with our Makerbot Replicator 2s. So far we've had a majority of our issues come from curtain walls, windows, and doors. When the model is exported (and run through Project Miller), the model slices with holes in these objects, making it unprintable. The ability to control the amount of faces more directly, or more options to control it, like a 200,000 setting, 500,000, etc. would help to pull models out of Revit with more ease and cleanly print them. Feel free to create a ’Export to 3D Printing’ button for Revit directly."

So if you have something to say, we're all ears. Each technology preview has both an associated email address and discussion forum. Feel free to use them. Thanks to everyone who provides feedback.

Looking for customer comments is alive in the lab.