RobiNZ CAD Blog

John’s Background Switcher awesome on Windows 8.1 #AU2013

John’s Background Switcher is one of my favourite Windows Utilities. I found it after stumbling across his post about a search for new small car (which turned out to be a Fiat 500)! It randomly picks images from my Flickr or local machine and creates a new desktop image, montage or mosaic every few hours. JBS is free software with a donation option if you want to support development enabling John to “buy some coffee to stay up late and crank out more features”. It already has many options including support for other web and social media image sources. Get... Read more →

Autodesk University 2013 Keynote #AU2013

Autodesk University: Online and Simulated (in New Zealand!) #AU2013

I couldn’t get to Autodesk University 2013 but won’t miss out entirely thanks to technology; both virtual and real. Autodesk University Online AU Online makes some of the the formal side of AU (Keynotes, Innovation Forums and some classes) available to all from the comfort of your office, mobile or (for me with the early sessions) bed! Check out AU Online LIVE! Join us for AU 2013 Live Streaming Video from Las Vegas Experience the excitement of this year's conference from your office or on the go as you watch AU 2013 live streaming video of sessions from AU Las... Read more →

Autodesk University 2012 Classes Now Online Free #AU2012

If, like me, you weren't able to get to Autodesk University 2012 it is now coming to you as all the recorded sessions are on-line. If you want to make the on-line experience a little more like being there cut some silhouettes out and stick them to your monitor (right). Autodesk University 2012 Classes Now Online Free If you want to learn from some of the best in the industry on Autodesk products and technologies then Autodesk University “AU” is the center of the universe. If you attended AU 2012 but were unable to attend some classes or didn’t attend,... Read more →

Virtual Autodesk University 2012 Media Day Highlights & Keynote

I’m not there so have been following AU virtually this year. John Evans & Ralph Grabowski have already blogged about the media day: Autodesk University 2012 Media Day Highlights | Design & Motion Live Blogging: Autodesk Press Day 2012 - WorldCAD Access Live blogging goes overtime: FormIt - WorldCAD Access The Keynote is a few hours away (as I write) & I’ll be attending on-line assuming my alarm clock works. While it might be a struggle for some live attendees to make it for Tues, Nov 27, 8:00am in Las Vegas it is both later and earlier in New Zealand.... Read more →

A double dose of Autodesk University sadness #AU2012

I have a double dose of Autodesk University sadness to report: My favourite AU bag has worn out! I have used my Autodesk University 2005 roller backpack almost daily since collecting it in Orlando. All those kilometres, including several further AU trips, finally took their toll and the base stitching & fabric gave way. For the first time in years it won’t be accompanying me on the trek back to Autodesk University, for another reason. I won't be attending Autodesk University 2012 : ( A shortage of (primarily) time and money made the trip impossible for me this year. Even... Read more →

AutoCAD Rocks with 7lions and designer Marcello Martino. — #AU2011

Memories of Autodesk University 2011 when I saw this YouTube: AutoCAD Rocks with 7lions and eyewear designer Marcello Martino. It was great to meet Marcello at AU, seen in Shaan Hurley’s photo right. He created the red Autodesk University Glasses using AutoCAD Design Suite. The video shows the creation of another eyewear design, featuring AutoCAD Design Suite from concept to production, for rapper Mika “Prophet” Guillory of the group 7Lions. Read more →

PLM? Nexus? Autodesk PLM 360 is here! #AU2011

Overlapping commitments meant I didn’t see all of the “Everything Changes” Autodesk 360 Nexus announcement at Autodesk University. I arrived to find a packed room eager to learn what Autodesk had done to address their position on Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). A few years ago Carl Bass set the stage with his “Anti-PLM Rap”: Carl indicated something revolutionary was required in the PLM space, have Autodesk delivered? The announcement was intriguing and I’ve been following the arrival of Autodesk’s PLM solution with interest. Why PLM? It may seem a bit odd to be interested in PLM when I don’t work... Read more →

Meet the ancestors - 3D Fossil Exploration in a Virtual Laboratory

At Autodesk University 2011 Shaan Hurley introduced me to a representation of a very distant ancestor. It was a 3D fossil skull scan (perched on his shoulder in the photo right) assembled from cardboard contours created with 123D Make. A few years ago I submitted my DNA to the National Geographic Genographic Project. The results (below) showed that my ancestral DNA left Africa about 60,000 years ago migrating across continents to the U.K. & Western Europe. From there a much more recent migration resulted in me being Kiwi born. It’s interesting to think how much, and in some ways how... Read more →

Your chance for an Autodesk/Lenovo Technology Makeover? (US/Canada only)

At Autodesk University I had the chance to meet some fellow AutoCAD Bloggers and learn about a cool Autodesk initiative. Autodesk & Lenovo, teamed up to perform a, TV makeover show style, technology transformation for an Oregon Design Office - Alan Mascord Design Associates, Inc. Lenovo provided new workstations, Autodesk supplied Building Design Suite software and their reseller, Ideate, Inc., supported this with training to bring Mascord design bang up to date with the latest in hardware & software. The transformation and its impact was covered in a series of short video clips. You can see Episode 1 below, or... Read more →