In the not too distant future, the U.S. Air Force could be adding 3D printers to their requisitions. The October 2016 issue of DEVELOP3D magazine features a piece on a U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadet capstone class project that aims to take 3D printing to the front lines to manufacture made-to-order water charges used to disable explosive devices. AU speaker and former Associate Professor of Engineering at the USAFA, Lt. Colonel Patrick Suermann, says, “These charges are highly regulated supplies, but they’re expendable—they only get used once. By making them as they need them, they don'... READ MORE >

If you work in a smaller architecture or engineering firm and managing CAD users and deployment tends to fall to you, you may be a CAD manager and not even know it. That’s what longtime CAD consultant, trainer, and president of CADapult Software Solutions Rick Ellis says in this Cadalyst.com story: When You’re a CAD Manager and You Don't Even Know It. According to Ellis, “There are a lot of people basically performing the duties of a CAD manager but without the title or compensation.” So what should you do if you find yourself in this situation? Take control. Read Ellis’s tips for juggling yo... READ MORE >

The dust has settled and we’re busy processing your AU Las Vegas 2016 surveys to find out who your favorite speakers were, where we scored points this year, and how we can improve next year. (If you were in Vegas and haven’t submitted yours yet, there’s still time—log in to your Autodesk account and click on Take a Survey now. Help us make AU better.) Since we all love data, we threw together some fun AU 2016 numbers: 159,800 live stream views 88,173 miles walked 42,000 butts in seats (total class attendance) 9,933 attendees 934 speakers and co-speakers 783 hours of classroom instr... READ MORE >

AU 2016 may be over but that doesn't mean the time to learn has come to an end. If you were in Las Vegas with us, you probably heard Jeff Kowalski and Carl Bass talk about the importance of ongoing learning and embracing new ideas and technologies—the keys to staying relevant and succeeding in today’s rapidly evolving market. We’re all about helping you succeed, so we’re excited to announce that all 700+ AU 2016 sessions are now available at AU online. Anyone can take advantage of our online learning—class is always in, and always free. You’ll find thousands of materials and expert resources ... READ MORE >

It’s official—AU Las Vegas 2016 is a wrap. And what a week it was. We hope everyone who attended is already embracing the learning and inspiration you gained and using it to drive change in your own work. Let’s take a quick look back at this year’s AU highlights. Future of Making Things Experience At the Future of Making Things Experience, AU attendees experienced the 3 biggest trends we see coming down the pipeline: immersive design, generative design, and robotic fabrication. There were a number of examples of all these new technologies, including immersive design where folks strapped ... READ MORE >