Autodesk Manufacturing World Tour 2012

I need T-shirts printed up for a title like that. Complete with tour dates and locations printed on the back, and over time become so worn that the black t-shirt becomes so faded and worn that it is almost transparent yet you keep wearing it due to its overwhelming awesomeness. You tell stories about tailgating in the reseller parking lot, remembering little about the details but knowing it was an epic event. Yep. That's how I roll.

Last week if you were following along with the blog you read that I was taking the show to four cities in four days - two in Denmark, two in Sweden. Hung out and presented with great partners in NTI, CAD-Q, and Cadcraft and each event we had a great turnout. 

The entire purpose behind the visit was to do my part in illustrating what the purpose behind both our Product Design Suite and Factory Design Suite. During the breaks in the presentation customer after customer were very impressed with the amount of technology that is soon to arrive in the mail for our subscription customers. While excited about the possibilities, customers were equally concerned about the overwhelming amount of technology at their disposal now. 

One customer explained that he feels like he only uses a fraction of Inventor, now he'd love to be able to use 3DS Max for renderings instead of Inventor Studio, but he doesn't know how and will have to learn yet another software package. Understandable point - here's my counterpoint: your spending time creating a rendering today - maybe using Inventor Studio, and ultimately creating a sub-par or just an OK rendering.

Ouch. Tough medicine, right? On both sides, here I'm saying that your rendering out of Inventor Studio is... eh, it's ok on one hand. On another, I'm saying that Inventor Studio creates eh, just ok renderings. True story, yo. Why? Because you aren't using the right tool for the desired result. I could frame a house with a hammer, but I'm not going to be as fast as the dude with the nail gun. The argument before now has always been - but Rob, you guys need to put more functionality in Inventor, because I'm not going to buy 3DS Max - I'm an engineer, not an animator. 

Alright then, lets simplify this. We believe that you are going to or are currently spending time sketching, doing 2D layouts, creating renderings, or even animations - in addition to your design and engineering work in Inventor. What were suggesting is rather than trying to use a tool that's not specifically designed for sketching, or as fast at 2D layouts as AutoCAD, or creates as good a rendering as Max, or Showcase... Use the right tool, at the right time, to create the right result. That is the purpose behind the suites. Simplify access to the technology that you need to make the best use of your time - and not have lack of access to the right tools being the limiting factor. 

Now are you going to learn to use these new tools through mouse osmosis? Of course not. This is why our partners are developing courses specifically for utilizing the sketching tools, surfacing functions, image creation, and rendering of data in a product design specific or factory design specific workflow. Classes that show you specifically how to take an Inventor assembly for example and put it into Showcase, or Max, setup a few shots, move a camera or two, and adjust the rendering settings. Nobody is going to expect that you become an expert in all the applications. But if I'm going to commit an hour to a rendering, I want it to at least have the ability to create a world class output. And lets be frank, spending an hour in Inventor Studio isn't going to get you the same result as you would get with Showcase or Max. That's the straight dope right there, Marine. (reading The Old Breed by E.B. Sledge)

Because I like to share, here are a few pics from the trip. (No roadies were harmed during the capture of these images)

Rosenborg Castle - nice little summer get away in Copenhagen. 

My new office. Meetings will now be called "holding court". 

While I am disgusted by the senseless slaughter of animals (tasty, tasty animals.. j/k), this ship carved of ivory was impressive. 

Beer for lunch. A workday tradition that starts right now. Who's with me?

Ok, yes I did get some work done while I was there. 

Again special thanks go to the folks at NTI, CAD-Q, and Cadcraft for the invite to come out and meet with their customers, share our vision of Autodesk Manufacturing and show customers through our Product Design Suite, and Factory Design Suite we are enabling them to benefit from the benefits of Digital Prototying in an easier to deploy, easier to use and maintain technology suite that allows them to make the most use of thier design time during conceptual design, design and engineering, documentation, and visualization phases of product and factory design.

Later this month I'm in PA, and NH here in the states. Details coming soon.
-Rob 

 

Comments

[Randy_Mabery]

We need to start a grass roots campaign for the beer on lunch thing. Also, notice the QR code on the bottle. :)

[Johan M]

It Nice with Design Suite

But why not Inventor Pulisher ......
I switch my mudbox....for Publisher.....

from start too end .....sketchdesigner-inventor-3dmax-(?)(publisher)

I think if I pick 100 designer
90 for publisher
10 for mudbox

Best Reagards .....Johan

Great work....too Autodesk team...