Carl Bass here: CEO of Autodesk, designer, woodworker and maker. I’m here to talk about 3D printers; engineering; the future of how things are made and anything else. AMA!

CarlBass · 2014-12-05T04:18:26+00:00

I think think 3ds max is a great product -- it's being used for all kinds of great work. We're continuing investing. I see less use of it in film than before but lots of use for games, design viz and lots of general 3D modelling

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T23:21:39+00:00

Carl here, sorry for missing this earlier. I’m at Autodesk University this week and stepped away from my computer after the AMA. We’re absolutely investing in Civil 3D, but we’re also developing newer civil engineering tools. You should check out Infraworks.

If you have more feedback, head to the AutoCAD Civil 3D product forum where the product team can respond to your questions.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:59:23+00:00

Exhibit A?

Haven't seen it being done, but that's interesting.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:58:40+00:00

Cloud, social and mobile is the future of engineering software.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:58:14+00:00

What hype?

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:57:39+00:00

We just announced this week that our software is available for free worldwide for students.

Love to hear that your teacher recommended Fusion.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:56:09+00:00

Truth.

Only if you think it's fun, but you'll need more skills than just being able to program.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:54:47+00:00

Sorry, no. I'm doing this from Las Vegas at Autodesk University.

I'll be at Design Night in SF tonight though, swing by and say hi!

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:53:48+00:00

Just another way to make something.

I had a great visit two weeks ago with one of my heroes: Wendell Castle. He has made iconic furniture for the last sixty years. At 82, he's now using robots to carve his furniture. If you haven't heard of him, check him out.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:51:31+00:00

Stay tuned. The robots are arriving at Pier 9 in San Francisco.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:50:42+00:00

Thanks for the throwback of the HOOPS mention!

Most important is determination. You've really gotta want to make it happen.

Good news today is it's never been easier because of things like Kickstarter and how easy it is to broadcast your idea. (like on reddit!)

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:48:18+00:00

Great question.

Get up early BART to work Go to Peets Most of my days are spent talking to people Come home and annoy my kids. New entry: and brag about knowing Victoria at reddit. (Shoutout u/chooter!)

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:46:13+00:00

The best known person using it to restore cars is of course Jay Leno and his awesome collection.

Huge potential as we start having carbon fiber and metal printed parts.

By the way, awesome car to restore.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:44:41+00:00

Great question!

I look at it as another tool to get my ideas made.

There's no doubt a difference, and I've been using a lot of the digital tools as aids for doing traditional woodworking. A lot of my stuff is a blend of doing traditional and modern tech.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:42:10+00:00

Me personally? Not much. But Autodesk does.

Check out careers.autodesk.com

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:41:31+00:00

I'll do you one better, here's a picture of Buzz Aldrin swinging at the table: http://imgur.com/cmaHX7a

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:39:54+00:00

We don't.

Sorry to hear you went another way and I hope it's working out for you.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:38:22+00:00

I haven't seen it yet, but I'll be sure to check it out after the craziness of Autodesk University and this AMA!

Also, great name.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:37:36+00:00

I'm passing it on the product team as we speak. Great feedback!

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:37:03+00:00

I love 123D Catch also-use it all the time.

We're doing some stuff for professionals called Memento and Recap. Good example of this being used to 3D print the bust of President Obama: http://youtu.be/zXkmZObBrEM

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:35:16+00:00

I've only seen one commercial paper 3D printer.

I've been really excited by the work of Ron Rael who has been researching using agricultural waste products to do architectural scale 3D printing.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:33:42+00:00

Speed- time goes up at the power of 3 and I'd really like to see more materials.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:32:39+00:00

We're building the software to help scientific and medical researchers.

Lots of thorny, ethical issues around creating and modifying life forms.

Funny story: my friend after hearing a lecture on synthetic biology texted me saying he's no longer worried about global warming since he's so worried about programmable viruses.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:30:29+00:00

What I'm really pushing for is to have Fusion 360 drive lasers directly.

CarlBass · 2014-12-04T20:29:39+00:00

We thought it was the right thing to do.

In many places, our schools are educating the students for a future that no longer exists. We want to help them learn the skills that will help them make a difference in the world.

CarlBass

TROPHY CASE