Autodesk Research


  • More information on From Steps to Stories

    In a recent post I talked about "From Steps to Stories", the exhibit we're showing in Toronto, hosted by our partners at The Bentway. In that post I promised I'd share more details, nearer the event, and, well, here we are. We recently published a video showing more details about the project. There will be a longer video produced, once we've captured footage of the exhibit in Toronto, but this one tells the story behind the project quite nicely in just 2 minutes.     Beyond that, I thought I'd share a couple of shots that give a sense of…


  • Using VASA with Forma - Part 2

    In the first post in this series we looked at an approach for exporting Forma geometry to an STL file that can be loaded into Dynamo and analysed using VASA, our Voxel-based Architectural Space Analysis toolkit. The overall goal is to be able to use VASA for urban-scale analysis of the site context. (Later on I hope we'll also be able to work with more detailed architectural geometry as the level of detail in Forma evolves.) In that post I also alluded to something that's coming soon which will streamline the above workflow: you'll hear more about that at AU…


  • My team is looking for a Senior DevOps Engineer in Toronto

    If you're interested by the work being done at Autodesk Research - and have a passion for DevOps - then there's a position that has just opened up in the Research Engineering team that is likely to be of interest to you. Photo credit: Nick Amoscato (CC license). The successful applicant will be based in the fantastic Autodesk office in Toronto, Canada, joining our significant Research presence there. While we're not looking for someone fully home-based for this position, as a "hybrid-friendly" role there's certainly potential for working from home. Here is the job posting. And here's a reminder of the…


  • Using VASA with Forma - Part 1

    While preparing for one of my upcoming AU classes, I decided to explore how someone could use VASA - our Voxel-based Architectural Space Analysis toolkit - with Forma. Right now Forma is largely focused on conceptual design - taking into account the surrounding urban context - so this thinking was largely focused on how VASA might be used at the urban scale. This is something we've looked at before in the context of FormIt and Dynamo. While a tighter integration is likely to be possible at some point - I'll talk a little more about our work on a WebAssembly…


  • The MX3D Smart Bridge is moving

    I received an email from Rick Webb - whom I've met a few times on trips to Amsterdam, and mentioned in this previous post - telling me some news about the project. Rick was walking through the city on his usual route and came across the MX3D bridge being removed from its location in the heart of Amsterdam. It will presumably be replaced by a more traditional bridge at some point over the coming months. I mentioned after my last visit that this day was coming: the bridge was only ever intended to be in place for two years as…


  • Come and see From Steps to Stories in Toronto and Las Vegas

    I'm very excited that our partners at The Bentway have announced the upcoming exhibition they're hosting that will showcase work being done by Autodesk Research. Here is some information on The Bentway from their web-site: Anchored under Toronto's Gardiner Expressway and guiding its complex future, The Bentway is a growing public space, and much more. We are a new type of civic organization: a not-for-profit, powered by vital partnerships with the City of Toronto, residents, supporters, artists, city-builders, and dreamers. The Bentway is a creative catalyst rooted in experimentation, leading a creative movement to re-imagine the opportunities of urban spaces.…


  • Preparation for AU 2023

    It has been a really busy but important week for our team. We had a fantastic virtual offsite where we spent a significant amount of time using LEGO to conceptualise some of our planning for the coming year. A friend of mine was all set to become a LEGO practitioner - to assist with team-building events - before the plans were de-railed by the pandemic… independently my colleague Dagmara suggested we try "Serious Play" for this offsite and I said yes before she'd finished her sentence. We've made great strides for our upcoming exhibition in Toronto (formal announcement coming soon)…


  • Getting to Know Autodesk Research

    A number of colleagues from Autodesk Research have participated (as have I) in an activity to help people learn more about our organization, who we are are and what we do. Here's the video about me:     It's part of a playlist on the Autodesk Research YouTube channel, so you can hopefully see the others once mine has played (or just skip mine to watch the others :-). If you're interested in getting to know more about our work, then I also recommend visiting the Autodesk Research blog. There are posts on there highlighting work by interns who have…


  • Autodesk DevCon 2023 in Munich - Part 1

    This is a two-part series covering last week's Autodesk DevCon in Munich. I ended up choosing to write the series chronologically - so readers get a sense of the event's flow - and found it was long enough to split into two: there was just so much to talk about! On Sunday of last week I once again hopped on the train to Zurich and then the Flixbus to Munich, heading across for the European instance of this year's Autodesk DevCon series. Children in Bavaria headed back to school last week, so there was quite a lot of traffic as…


  • AU class registrations so far

    As mentioned in the last post, it's now possible for people to sign up for their AU classes. And it's really worth taking the time to do so, as some classes are filling up quickly. Despite being held at a ridiculously early time on the first day of the conference, my first class is already 88% full, for instance (there are 141 registered and the capacity of the room it's currently assigned to is 160). I see that 300+ people have this session in their list of favourites, so if you do want to attend then I recommend signing up…