Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you've ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you've experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything, but some segments of the general public are not yet aware of that.

The Autodesk Gallery at One Market in San Francisco celebrates design — the process of taking a great idea and turning it into a reality. With about 60 different exhibits regularly on display that showcase the innovative work of Autodesk customers, the gallery illustrates the role technology plays in great design and engineering. Autodesk Gallery Ambassadors conduct gallery tours as a sideline to their day jobs. The tours provide ambassadors with opportunities to practice public speaking in front of small groups.

The Bionic builder exhibit is an exhibit that you see on the 2^nd floor of our One Market office in San Francisco:

People

• Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) University of Stuttgart // more

Software

• Autodesk generative design technology // more
• Autodesk Revit // more

Wood is one of the oldest building materials in the world, but it's going through a bit of reinvention thanks to the advent of computational design and robotic fabrication.

The Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall is the first building to have its primary structure made entirely of robotically fabricated wooden plates that are interlocked together.

The Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall in Schwäbish Gmünd, Germany showcases what's possible when old meets new. Designed by the University of Stuttgart, it's the first building to have its primary structure made entirely of robotically fabricated wooden plates. All 243 beech plywood plates are geometrically unique and interlocked by 7,600 individual finger joints. This interlocking system is what gives the building structural stability even though the plates are only 50 mm thick.

Inspired by the microscopic connections found in the skeletal systems of sea urchins and sand dollars, the exhibition hall's design was made possible by computational design and Revit.

Inspired by the microscopic connections found in the skeletal systems of sea urchins and sand dollars, ICD created the exhibition hall's complex design using computational design and Autodesk Revit software. Instead of drawing each plate manually, designers entered goals and constraints into the software, and then algorithms helped generate the optimal design. Used as the central project platform, Revit centralized all the building information, dynamically updating the documentation in real time once geometry changed. The team was also able to display various designs within a single Revit model, facilitating the expedient choice of the optimal design.

The biomemetic inspiration for the pavilion, sand dollars, are formed from a system of individual plates that join with interlocking protrusions. Their geometric complexity is the basis for material efficiency, these miniature high performance structures use no more material than is essential.

The use of robotic fabrication for each wooden plate and joint was also key. What would have been a time-consuming process using traditional manufacturing methods only took 3 weeks and minimal material using a 7-axis robot.

Built as a prototype, the Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall shows that stunning results can happen when humans and machines work together, giving us a peek into the future of construction.

Thanks to the Autodesk Gallery team for the descriptive text for this blog post.

Autodesk has always been an automation company, and today more than ever that means helping people make more things, better things, with less; more and better in terms of increasing efficiency, performance, quality, and innovation; less in terms of time, resources, and negative impacts (e.g., social, environmental). This project from the University of Stuttgart shows how robots can augment human efforts instead of "taking our jobs."

The Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is a guided tour on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm and a self-guided audio tour available anytime. Admission is free. Visit us.

Bionics are alive in the lab.