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Tech giants call on the SEC to require climate impact reports from companies
Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon, Intel, eBay, Salesforce and Autodesk asked the agency to leverage global standards.
NVIDIA's RTX GPUs will speed up Maya 2020 workloads
Now that NVIDIA's RTX graphics cards are boosting performance for Adobe's Creative Cloud suite and Blender, it was only a matter of time until Maya, the 3D creation tool widely used for Hollywood films and TV shows, joined the party. NVIDIA announced today that the upcoming Maya 2020 release will ship with a few new GPU-powered features. But most importantly, the app's default renderer, Arnold 6, will also take full advantage of the RTX cards' RT cores for ray tracing, as well as the Tensor Cores for AI-powered denoising. Basically, anyone running one of the new RTX notebooks, desktop cards or servers should see some helpful speed boosts when rendering with the new Autodesk software.
NASA and Autodesk are testing new ways to design interplanetary landers
Autodesk, the software company behind AutoCAD, has teamed up with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to look at news ways to create an interplanetary lander that could potentially touch down on the moons of Saturn or Jupiter. When Mark Davis, the senior director of industry research at Autodesk, first approached JPL about the collaboration, NASA wasn't too interested. But when Autodesk showed that it was possible to achieve a 30 percent or more performance improvement by way of new designs and materials, Davis' team had JPL's attention.
General Motors is 3D printing parts to make EVs more efficient
The virtues of 3D printing have long been touted by a vast range of manufacturers, so it was only a matter of time before the EV industry got in on the action. General Motors has announced that, alongside design software company Autodesk Inc, it's creating lightweight 3D parts that'll help it meet its ambitious plan to add 20 new electric battery and fuel cell batteries to its global lineup by 2023.
3D printing will revolutionize how the Marine Corps fights
"The people closest to the problem are also the people closest to the solution," Capt. Chris Wood, co-lead for Additive Manufacturing with the US Marine Corps, told Engadget. In 2016, the USMC put that adage to the test as it launched the Logistics Innovation Challenge, a program "to solicit ideas from Marines, sailors and civilians from across the Marine Corps" that would address challenges that they face in their daily duties. And this is only the start to the US Military's additive-manufacturing aspirations. Pretty soon, everything from ammunition to autonomous vehicles could come from the Corps' cadre of 3D printers.
MakerBot will connect Chromebooks to cloud-based 3D printers
Earlier this year, Makerbot announced in its most recent bloodletting that it would focus more on the education market. Today we're seeing some of the fruits of that decision. First up is "My MakerBot," what the outfit describes as a cloud-enabled browser-based printer monitoring platform that's compatible with Chromebooks (which are incredibly popular in the classroom) and Autodesk's Tinkercad 3D design software.
Drones help expand the world's busiest airport
Drones and airports usually go together like oil and water, but you can't say that about Atlanta's air hub. The city has formed a partnership with 3DR, Autodesk and engineering firm Atkins that has drones mapping Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as part of a planned expansion. The key to making it work was Site Scan, 3DR's autonomous data capturing tech. The drones could capture 2D mosaics and 3D point scans while staying well away from the airliners -- no mean feat when they're flying between runways at the busiest airport in the world (over 100 million passengers per year).
Candy Mechanics turns heads into 3D chocolate lollipops
The holidays are a time to forget about your fitness goals and indulge. And what better to stuff your face with than, well, your face? Candy Mechanics is in the business of personalised chocolate, but the company's latest service takes that idea one step further: chocolate people. Or rather, chocolate heads, known as Lolpops. All you need is a smartphone or tablet to film a 30-second, close-up video of someone's mug from all angles (Candy Mechanics' website talks you through the process). Upload that video, and fancy Autodesk software builds a 3D model from the footage that's then used to create chocolate heads on sticks.
ICYMI: Robot tattoo artist and healing coral reefs
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Scientists were able to program soft materials to shift their shape on digital command, which is only a precursor to our biggest tech news of this episode: That an industrial robot normally used to put together cars was repurposed to delicately give tattoos to human beings. Considering the robotic arm is large and heavy enough to lift car doors easily, we'd like to invite you all to give this tattoo artist a try first, please.
Explore a 3D scan of the Apollo 11 capsule
It's been 47 years since NASA first put a man on the moon and you can now get an idea of what astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins experienced. The Smithsonian Institute, working with Autodesk, has created a high-resolution 3D scan of "Columbia," the Apollo 11 command module that carried the astronauts to the moon. Using the online viewer (or downloading the virtual reality or 3D print files) you can visit the hidden corners of the module in much more detail than in person at the museum.
Girl's superhero-inspired 3D-printed arm spews out glitter
When Jordan Reeves was given the chance to create her own superhero-inspired prosthetic arm, she conjured up something other 10-year-old girls can only dream of. She designed a cannon that can slip into her left arm that stops above her elbow and shoot sparkly ammunition: glitter. Jordan designed her "weapon" named Project Unicorn when she participated in nonprofit KIDmob's and 3D software company Autodesk's Superhero Cyborgs program in San Francisco. It connected kids with who needed prosthetic arms with engineers who helped them realize their own superhero-inspired designs.
ICYMI: Multi-headed 3D printer, robo plant grafting and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-815575{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-815575, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-815575{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-815575").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Autodesk built a 3D printing assembly line that gives different jobs to several print heads, allowing them to work collaboratively and quickly spit out a finished project. Clemson University used a Korean robot to graft up to 3,000 plants an hour. And a Kickstarter project for an augmented reality shirt is designed to teach kids and interested adults all about the internal organs. The Milky Way is looking stunning in newly released photos from the APEX telescope. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Autodesk targets small studios with its Stingray game engine
Autodesk finally has a game engine to go along with its design tools. The company just launched Stingray, which it built around the Bitsquid engine it bought last year. Autodesk kept the basic guts of that program -- which has already been used on titles like Gauntlet from Warner Bros -- and revamped it with a new interface. The company told Engadget that the goal was to build an engine for smaller studios that can be customized without the need for a lot of programming. At the same time, it wanted Stingray to have all the bells and whistles of competing products like Unreal Engine 4 -- physical shading, post-processing effects, a high-performance reflection system and more.
Mattel hopes you'll design 3D-printed toys
Admit it: when you were a kid, you wished that you could design the toys that the stuffy manufacturers refused to build. Well, you're about to get that chance. Mattel and Autodesk are teaming up to let you design and customize 3D-printed toys through a "dedicated online hub" in the second half of the year. It's not clear just what freedom you'll have, although it wouldn't be shocking if you could craft your own Hot Wheels cars or Barbie accessories. They're likely to carry a premium over off-the-shelf toys, but they could be worth it if they encourage kids to create toys, not just play with them -- and hopefully, prevent the disappointment you probably felt when you were growing up. [Image credit: Timm Schamberger/Getty Images]
Autodesk's new app lets kids design their own toys
3D printers can build anything from prosthetics and musical instruments to Hershey chocolates. But, even as the technology continues to make strides with materials (metal, concrete, etc.) and takes on full-fledged architectural projects, it seems to move further away from the reach of children. Tinkerplay, a new kid-friendly 3D printing app, makes it quick and easy for all age groups to design and experiment with minimal assistance.
Here's how the first 3D-printed presidential portrait was made
One of the highlights of the White House's first-ever Maker Faire was another first: a 3D-printed portrait that recreated the President's head with uncanny detail. But just how did this eerily realistic image come to be? The White House is more than eager to explain, apparently. As you'll see in the clip below, the bust's creators (Autodesk, 3D Systems, the Smithsonian and the University of Southern California) surrounded President Obama with 50 LED lights, 14 cameras and handheld 3D scanners to capture every nuance of his skin. After that, they used high-resolution 3D printers to recreate the hyper-detailed model. It's not clear if this will become a custom for future US presidents. However, it's easy to see this technology becoming a valuable historical tool -- you could always know exactly what heads of state (and celebrities, for that matter) looked like in their prime.
Autodesk offers design software to schools everywhere free of charge
Earlier this year, Autodesk gave middle and high school students in the US its software suite as part of President Obama's ConnectEd project. As of today though, the design-minded outfit is offering its wares, like AutoCAD and Fusion 360, for education use worldwide. The company says this will afford 680 million students the ability to tap it into its apps both in classrooms and at home. As you might expect, project ideas and teaching resources are available as well. If you're looking to opt in, you'll need to request access, and you can do that right here.
Autodesk is making a 3D printer to showcase its new software platform
The 3D printing process frustrates Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, so his company is looking to ease headaches with its new software project. Spark is an open platform effort that looks to create more reliable models while simplifying the steps needed to output them. By doing so, the outfit hopes to "set a new benchmark" for the production method, offering designers, manufacturers and others the tools needed to properly wrangle 3D printers. Not unlike what it has done with 3D animation and architecture, we'd surmise. In the days to come, Bass says Autodesk will work with other hardware makers to implement Spark on current-gen and forthcoming devices. What's more, Autodesk aims to release its own 3D printer later this year -- which the Wall Street Journal reports could be in the $5,000 price range. And just like Spark, the machine's "design" will be made available to the masses as well, hoping to inspire more experimentation amongst its users. The unit is said to also employ "a broad range of materials," but there's no further info on exactly what that list includes. Although, PLA is probably a safe bet.
Apple and carriers will donate free devices and broadband to US schools
The White House won't be going it alone as it brings US classrooms into the internet era through its ConnectED initiative -- it just revealed that a host of technology firms will also lend a hand. Apple plans to donate $100 million in iPads, MacBooks and software to underprivileged schools, while Autodesk and O'Reilly Media will give away free software and content. Microsoft, in turn, will heavily discount Windows to lower educational PC prices. Carriers are getting in on the action, too. AT&T and Sprint have both pledged to offer free wireless broadband to schools for multiple years; Verizon isn't giving away service, but it will donate up to $100 million in cash and other commitments. The combined efforts aren't going to fix the American education system by themselves, but they could create a level playing field for schools across the country. [Image credit: Johan Larsson, Flickr]
Autodesk's 123D Catch app updated with enhanced capture and Photo Compass assistance
Autodesk's 123D Catch app has been snapping photos and turning them into 3D models on iOS for about a year and a half. Now, the software has been updated with a new UI for browsing, shooting and transforming those photographs with iOS 7 compatibility. The refresh also adds community access from within for sharing, enhanced processing tech for better captures and a Photo Compass feature that lends a hand with those reference shots. Users are then able to store 3D wares in the cloud for access across devices and export to other 3D-compatible applications. As for us, we're starting a three-dimensional burrito log -- you know, for science.
