Recently we redesigned the Autodesk Labs home page to make it easier to locate technologies By Industry. The Autodesk Gallery at One Market has many exhibits. These appeal to many industries. Though all of the exhibits have something to offer, I thought I would highlight the ones that are specifically related to the Architecture, Engineering, & Construction (AEC) industry. If you consider yourself to be a member of the AEC industry and have been on the fence about whether or not to visit the Gallery at One Market, perhaps this will sway you into stopping by? Each exhibit is unique and tells a portion of the Autodesk story much better than describing how we create software, put it in boxes, and ship it out. ExhibitUnique aspect of the exhibit...How Autodesk fits in... Estonian Academy of the Arts Design Competition The concept for this entry to the academy features CNC-milled foam/fiberglass panels with color-shift automotive paint that reflects a variety of sky/city features depending on the observer's position. Using AutoCAD, Alias Surface, and Maya, Gage/Clemenceau architects were able to try 100 different iterations to arrive at automotive-like breaklines that produced the most pleasing aesthetic effect. Brokk Demolition Unit Brokk is a leading supplier of demolition equipment to the building, process, and nuclear industries where remote-controlled robots go where it its too dangerous for humans to do the work. By using Autodesk Inventor to combine their mechanical and electrical designs into a single digital model, Brokk was able to cut the number of physical prototypes they needed in half and reduced their time to market by about a third. LEED Platinum The second floor of One Market is only one of two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum awards for commercial interiors in all of California. Autodesk is committed to sustainability in two ways: our operations (travel, power consumed by computers, facilities) and software we make (tools in applications to help our customers make more sustainable products). California Academy of Sciences Billed as the greenest museum in the world, the structure houses a natural history museum, planetarium, aquarium, and living rain forest and requires little or no A/C or heating due to its innovative domed roof design that acts like an airplane wing to provide ventilation. Algorithmic design (specifying the layout using an equation instead of individually) via AutoCAD yielded the intricate design which has variations at each intersection point of the roofing grid. Shanghai Tower The building represents a "vertical city" with 8 stacked neighborhoods where each one is an open-to-the-public park with 14 stories above it. Autodesk analysis tools were used by Gensler to: reduce energy consumption 30-40%, reduce water usage 40%, and require 35% less material due to its twisted shape (optimized via wind tunnel analysis). Cathedral of Christ The Light The cathedral, located near Lake Merritt in Oakland, has won several (27 to date) awards for design based on its use of Christian symbolism in its architecture. SOM routinely uses Autodesk software for the design and documentation of their buildings, and in this case, stress analysis tools showed wood framing to be a better choice than steel. Szechuan Disaster Reconstruction After a devastating earthquake in 2008, villages were reconstructed by local residents using steel frames and local materials based on designs created specifically for the circumstance. Autodesk used its unique position as the leader in design software combined with its local presence to put a disaster relief team in place within 24 hours after the earthquake. Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Project model When completed, the eastern span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge will be the longest self-anchored suspension bridge in the world. Autodesk 3DS Max visualization software was used to gain legislative approval, bring contractors on board, and inform the public - often changing their behavior dramatically. Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Project Pier W2 The project is the largest public works project in California history, yet when first available, no bids were submitted for fear that it could not be built. The model created using AutoCAD demonstrated that although a lot of structure was required, the footings could indeed be built. Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Project cable cross-section The main cable consists of 17,349 steel strands where each strand can hold the weight of a Hummer automobile. A model is used in compression tests to crush the cables and check for structural weaknesses based on the resulting color patterns that are visible. 290 Mulberry City requirements for this residential site required brick facades, so SHoP Architects devised a unique process for creating undulating brick patterns to make the building more visually appealing. 3D models were created, sent to a milling process - resulting in a mold, that was filled with high density rubber to make a negative - into which real bricks were mortared - resulting in panels brought to the site. Mixed Reality Interface The Kommerz MRI device was developed by an architect who found it impossible to navigate his designs using 3D models and a computer mouse. The Autodesk Project Newport technology preview has been integrated with the MRI device to allow users to navigate their Autodesk Revit models as easily as moving a chess piece. Augmented Reality A simple web camera is used to combine what the camera sees ("the reality") with computer models ("the augmentation") as a planning tool for municipalities. The Autodesk Office of the CTO worked with Autodesk partners to develop this prototype for exploring designs created with Autodesk software. Hyper-threads The design of this conceptual train depot is as visually interesting as it is strong since the structural ribs are aligned to the directions of the force flows. While working in Autodesk's IDEA Studio, using a combination of Maya and Algor Simulation, Bhooshan and Klein were able to combine a playful form finding approach with qualitative structural analysis. The gallery is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and admission is free. Visit us. Telling the Autodesk story through the work of our customers is alive in the lab. Go to the original post...