Autodesk are taking their 3D design/print efforts in, literally, new directions with a road trip and entry into the hardware business.
The 3D RV road tour
Imagine being given a snazzy Recreational Vehicle and told to drive off into the sunset in search of new design and manufacturing technology. TJ McCue doesn’t have to imagine as he has the opportunity to do just that!
Although I can’t join him on board the #3DRV I’ll be following his adventures on social media. If you are in the US check out the website as the 3DRV tour may be stopping near you.
Led by TJ McCue (@TJMcCue), host, writer, and 3D enthusiast, the 3DRV tour is visiting America's cities, towns and off-the-beaten-path byways to explore a powerful and fundamental change in the way things are designed and made, and the implications to business and to society at large.
With 100 stops and counting planned over the course of the next eight months, the 3D RV road tour will explore the following themes and more through visits with companies, students and everyday people across America:
Follow at www.3drv.com #3DRV
Sponsored by Autodesk, co-sponsors include HP, Nvidia, Stratasys, FARO and Jayco.
While the RV is novel NZ Reseller Salesoft CAD Solutions took Autodesk 3D design on the road back in 2006. They toured NZ in a bus (right) kitted out with an amazing array of display technology to promote the Revit BIM Platform. 3DRV meet BIM Bus!
Spark (ing) a 3D printing revolution?
Must admit when I saw the image below (cropped without the tagline) on Twitter I thought Autodesk had made a high tech coffee machine!
The reality is rather more interesting. To see the software maker enter the 3D printing business with an open software platform and reference hardware was somewhat surprising. I look forward to seeing how Spark develops.
Accelerating the Future of 3D Printing
By Carl Bass, Autodesk President and Chief Executive Officer
For years, I’ve been fascinated by the promise and frustrated by the reality of 3D printing. Today, Autodesk is announcing two contributions to help make things better. First is an open software platform for 3D printing called Spark, which will make it more reliable yet simpler to print 3D models, and easier to control how that model is actually printed. Second, we will be introducing our own 3D printer that will serve as a reference implementation for Spark. It will demonstrate the power of the Spark platform and set a new benchmark for the 3D printing user experience. Together, these will provide the building blocks that product designers, hardware manufacturers, software developers and materials scientists can use to continue to explore the limits of 3D printing technology.
Spark will be open and freely licensable to hardware manufacturers and others who are interested. Same for our 3D printer – the design of the printer will be made publicly available to allow for further development and experimentation. The printer will be able to use a broad range of materials, made by us and by others, and we look forward to lots of exploration into new materials… [cont]
