Traditional surveying? Drone photos? Sonar? LIDAR?  How you get your point cloud data doesn’t particularly matter. The question is: what comes next? How do you go from point cloud to 3D model? Brian Flaherty and Michael Harvey tackle this challenge head-on in their AU 2017 class and show that complex conditions are nothing to fear. Combining AutoCAD Civil 3D with Leica CloudWorx, they show you how to navigate through various point-cloud data sets and verify accuracy, then begin the process of creating 3D models. Whether you’re a surveyor, a planner, or a civil engineer, if you want to ma... READ MORE >

From Ford’s first assembly lines to robots on factory floors, the past century saw the development and refinement of manufacturing systems for mass production. The 21st century is ushering in a wave of equally important innovations that are making manufacturing more flexible and agile, enabling us to prototype more easily and customize products on a mass scale. Today, we’re able to make things in ways and at scales and efficiencies previous generations could never have imagined—from foodstuffs and toys to cars and industrial equipment. Check out these 3 short presentations from AU 2017 to see ... READ MORE >

There’s never a bad time to build your skills and boost your career. Take a look at some of March’s most-watched AU online classes to find out what your colleagues and peers are learning. Get Ready for Artificial Intelligence in Construction Speakers: Josh Kanner, Michael Moran Drones, wearables, and mobile devices are bringing exponential growth in the data associated with construction. Machine learning and other technologies can help you sort, filter, and extract insights. From smart photo tagging to predictive analytics, learn what AI is making possible in construction today. Over 60 Revi... READ MORE >

Robots have been in use in industry for decades, but they’ve gotten radically more intelligent and useful over the past 10 years, mostly due to rapid advances in software and computing power. And the real progress is just getting rolling. Unless John Connor comes back from the future to stop them, robots are expected to play an ever-increasing role in the Augmented Age we live in, handling common tasks and expanding human capabilities at work, at home, and on the roads in between. These short presentations from AU 2017 give us a glimpse of what’s ahead in robotics and how the breakthroughs are... READ MORE >

Something’s afoot in Portland, Oregon, besides rain, great coffee, and craft beer. As In the Fold reported, the Portland Incubator Experiment Shop (a.k.a. the PIE Shop) has opened. A collaboration between the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE), pioneering Portland product design firm Uncorked Studios, and Autodesk, which will have its Portland office there, the PIE Shop aims to guide manufacturing and IoT startups through the prototyping and fabrication phases of their product. Have a product in the works? Need a jump-start to get to market? They’re looking for companies that can ... READ MORE >