I flew out on my first-ever trip to the US last week, specifically the city of San Diego, to attend Autodesk University 2024. This year's Design & Make Conference had a lot to offer, from huge Autodesk AI announcements to an impressive expo filled with hundreds of brands, companies and Autodesk partners who are all shaping the future in different ways.
I tried my best to absorb a lot of information like a sponge while exploring the AU expo, as well as sitting in on several conferences. But the truth is, I'm a visual learner. I can't usually take in information very well unless I'm seeing it pan out in front of me. Thankfully, I was in the best possible place when it came to exciting tech and interactive product demos.
Here, I'm gonna talk about the top five things that intrigued me this year at Autodesk University, from top-spec 3D printers to creative VR headsets, and next-gen animation software.
1. Studio Tim Fu demo
I stumbled across a booth at AU that immediately caught my eye. This company is working on a prototype that offers generative AI in real-time, and as you can see from the video I recorded above, the application of this software for architectural design has phenomenal potential. Using a webcam to document the scene, the AI is constantly updating and re-generating an output as elements of the scene are changed, tweaked or adjusted.
This intelligent software is more of a proof of concept for now as STF labs tell me, and has been created in collaboration with both NVIDIA and Microsoft while utilising Stable Diffusion to create photorealistic visualisations (although I'm told any AI generator can be used). If you're looking for more information on this project prototype, head to the STF Labs website. Or for a more complex demo, check out the company's LinkedIn post.
2. Prusa 3D printers
As a long-time user of the online platform, Printables, as well as the Prusa slicing software with my Anycubic 3D printer, I was geeking out a little to see a Prusa Research booth at AU 2024. This company by Joseph Prusa creates some seriously powerful 3D printing machines for both personal and industrial uses.
The largest printer they had at the expo was the Prusa Pro HT90, an ultra-fast industrial-grade 3D printer with a large heat chamber surrounding it. I have to admit – I had no shame in asking the Prusa team how fast it could print a Benchy. The answer was (if I remember correctly) about 12 minutes. I also got an in-person look at the gorgeous original Prusa XL printer with 5 toolheads for multicolour printing, plus the popular Prusa MK4S model too.
3. Star Wars Acolyte Droids
In case you didn't hear, Autodesk software (specifically Fusion) was used in the design and creation of a Star Wars droid that appears in the latest Disney+ TV show, The Acolyte. If you've seen the series, streaming now, you'll probably be familiar with Pip: a new handheld repair droid that debuts in the show, and was developed by Neal Scanlan, a Creature & Droid Creative Supervisor, by using Autodesk Fusion software.
At Autodesk University, there was a dedicated space in the expo where you could learn all about the creation of these Star Wars droids, learn about the company's Droid design competition, and get a close-up look at the droids too. As a long-time Star Wars fan, I think it's awesome that Autodesk had a hand in bringing these incredible droids to the screen.
4. Lenovo ThinkReality VRX headset
I stopped by the Lenovo booth during my expo exploration at AU, and got to see some amazing products and chat to some very friendly faces (Hi, Mabinty!). I travelled to Berlin with Lenovo last month for IFA, so I was already pretty familiar with their latest laptop range. Something completely new that I hadn't seen in person before, however, was Lenovo's ThinkStation P3 workstation.
Powered by Intel, this muscle tower has an advanced thermal design for enhanced performance, and its ISV (independent software vendors) certification makes it perfect for designers, engineers and students. But that's not all, while Lenovo seemingly brought all of its most powerful tech to AU, I was amazed to see the Lenovo ThinkReality VRX headset being demoed. I love VR headets, being the proud owner of a Meta Quest 3 (which Lenovo also had at AU), but this is the first time I had ever seen Lenovo's own ThinkReality VRX headset in the flesh.
I was left super impressed by its compact form and gorgeous sleek black design. It's worth noting that I didn't actually try out this headset at AU, despite being offered (I'd just had lunch and was already battling jet lag) but getting to see some others use it was an amazing experience. This headset is definitely out of my price range, at roughly $1,614.99 / £1,559.00, but it's not meant for casual gamers anyway, and is intended more for servicing and technical skills training.
5. Wonder Studio demo
Let me re-iterate that I am not an artist, and I know next-to-nothing about using 3D for animation. But this demo from Wonder Dynamics at AU immediately caught my attention. It allowed attendees to step into the spotlight, choose a character, and strike a pose. The software uses AI to intelligently replace humans for robots in a scene and vice versa, and it looked epic!
Take a look at the video below to see what I mean, including a brief snippet from a keynote I attended that highlights these new tools coming to Wonder Studio. Stay tuned for future news and updates on Wonder Dynamics (now an Autodesk company) in the coming weeks. Overall, it's evident that 3D, design, manufacturing and animation is a rapidly evolving industry, and the general vibe towards AI at this event has been a positive one.
Admittedly, as someone new to the world of 3D – I felt very out of my depth when attending AU. I found myself surrounded by the unknown, yet hearing a lot of familiar buzzwords like Unreal Engine and Unity, and had to look up midway through a roundtable session (with some very important people, might I add) what a "digital twin" was. I know, many of you reading this are probably shaking your heads or face-palming right now. But hey, I was there to learn, and I had a great time.
Special mention - puppies!
Technically not an official part of AU or the expo, but I couldn't leave out the puppies of AU! Situated in the community zone area of the conference, there was a picket-fenced pen on both days filled with puppies. I found myself coming here several times during the event, whenever I felt stressed, sensed that imposter syndrome creeping up, missed my dog back home, or simply just wanted some puppy cuddles.
I don't know which Autodesk employee had the idea to include puppies at the conference, but I am extremely thankful that they did. It was without a doubt the highlight of both days for me. I mean...the tech! The tech was the best part! Who am I kidding?
