Green design professionals are particularly taken with the program. Widely praised by the architecture and design community for its “intuitive” nature, SketchUp, one of the few 3D rendering programs on the market, is also by far the easiest one to use. And its integration with Google Earth and the Google 3D Warehouse has elevated the program from a simple design tool to a location-based, product-inclusive architectural design powerhouse. As a result, SketchUp is nurturing a growing ecosystem of green design startups.

Getting energy, water, and carbon information into the design process early on was once a costly, if not impossible, endeavor. But the sooner modeling and analysis tools are involved in the process, the bigger the questions that designers can ask, and the more impact they can have on the final design. “The software tool you choose is always going to arise from the question that you’re asking,” says Chris Meek, a University of Washington professor who heads up the Integrated Design Lab in Seattle. “What role do these tools have in their design process? What’s it going to affect in the design?”

Modeling Landscape Features

Out of the box, SketchUp offers some great features for green design, which the clean-tech-happy Google has been quick to promote. Because it integrates smoothly with Google Earth, SketchUp users can punch in the actual latitude and longitude of their project site to visualize buildings in their real-life context. That not only helps designers communicate to their clients how the project will look, but allows them to accurately model how nearby landscape features and structures will cast shadows over the building—useful for fine-tuning a building’s site orientation or window placement to cut energy use, or for positioning solar panels.

A handful of startups (and even the federal government are working to soup up the SketchUp toolbar with energy analysis plug-ins that support even more detailed information about materials used and spatial relationships within the building. For the startups, it’s a way to raise visibility for their own proprietary tools.

Integrated Environmental Systems (IES) offers VE-Ware, a free energy and carbon analysis tool that benchmarks designs against the energy reduction goals of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, as a free Windows-only plug-in. The professional versions of IES’s Virtual Environment software can provide more detailed analysis and its consulting practice can help make sense of the data analysis for those new to the world of green building design.

Pro Version Is Pricey

Demeter, an energy analysis plug-in from Greenspace, lets users dig deeper into how much energy their design might use by taking into account details such as surface materials. By gathering this kind of information, the program allows architects to quickly export the model to Green Building Studio, a sophisticated analysis program developed by Greenspace that was acquired by Autodesk in June, and run a complete energy modeling analysis report. (Since it requires users to export their data, this plug-in isn’t available for those using the free version of SketchUp. The Pro version, which integrates presentation tools and allows users to export their models into other design programs, costs $495 a pop.)

With a growing number of green designers using SketchUp, green building product manufacturers have gotten into the game as well. SketchUp integrates seamlessly with the Google 3D Warehouse, and as architects pull together models of their home designs, they can stock their models with everything from paint to doors to dishwashers from its reserves. Need a toilet for your bathroom model? Find one in the 3D Warehouse and download it into SketchUp.

For the many startup companies marketing green building products, SketchUp can be an inexpensive way to break into the market. While not every green building product manufacture is already SketchUp savvy, the easy-to-use program lowers the bar for learning. If that’s still too much of a challenge, Blue Marble Project is one startup aiming to get green building product companies into this market.

Whirlpool and West Elm on Board

Started by the guys who launched Go2School, an educational podcast series on using SketchUp, Blue Marble Project creates models of a company’s products with information about their size, shape, surfaces, environmental properties, and even their SKU numbers. The company, launched in 2007, has been gradually adding new clients, including Whirlpool and West Elm, according to co-founder Mike Tadros.

While integration with Google Earth allows SketchUp to position digital models in the real world, the 3D Warehouse lets green design move the other direction as well.

Google’s SketchUp Helps Design Go Green - BusinessWeek

The company will focus on driving awareness and adoption of conscientious building practices among developers and contractors by delivering solutions that help in making its implementation easier and more efficient. The announcement was made at a press conference held yesterday (September 9, 2008) at ‘The Monarch Hotel’ Dubai, where Ahmad Al Jassim, Country Manager, Autodesk, Middle East; Louis Khoury, Industry Sales Development Manager, Autodesk, Middle East; and Christian Rust, AEC Sales Development Manager, Autodesk, EMEA Emerging, highlighted the industry-leading Autodesk Revit solutions and Autodesk 2009 portfolio.

The UAE is witnessing the rise of many innovative and landmark projects, which have adopted sustainable design principles in line with the directive issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. At present, there are over 70 buildings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi awaiting green building certifications, which is a clear indication of the industry’s steady movement towards the total adoption of green building guidelines. A part of Autodesk’s strategy in further driving the awareness for sustainable design is highlighting the outstanding benefits of its solutions, which enable architects and developers to minimise water and electricity usage thereby leading to significant savings for property developers over the long term and the lessened production of harmful pollutants.

Speaking at the press conference, Christian Rust, AEC Sales Development Manager, Autodesk, EMEA Emerging, said, “As the largest construction market in the region, we have identified the UAE as a strategic location to launch our region-wide campaign to encourage the adoption of sustainable design principles in the construction sector. Amidst the growing popularity of sustainability principles, regional and international property developers are seeking advice on green building compliance, which presents us with a perfect opportunity to disseminate vital information. Additionally, our collaboration with the world’s leading architects, engineers, and product designers to develop our Revit solutions and the Autodesk 2009 portfolio attests to our commitment to ethical construction strategies for a cleaner and healthier environment.”

Recent industry statistics show that a building in the UAE uses up to an average of 30,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month, 70 per cent of which is allocated for air conditioning. According to Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC), a structure constructed in accordance to sustainable principles can achieve energy savings of up to 50 per cent, bringing significant cost cutbacks for property developers. By utilising Autodesk’s building design software, which has been purpose-built for building information modeling (BIM), developers can further benefit from a multitude of technologies that will ensure a significant reduction in time, resources and costs necessary to create truly sustainable buildings.

“The fact that green buildings increase the property asset value for developers and its many advantages in the environmental front are the two main focuses of our efforts to bring our Revit solutions to a larger number of developers across the region. Our goal is to help customers incorporate sustainable design principles into their practice, thereby increasing their energy efficiency while facilitating a more accurate evaluation of their project’s lifecycles,” concluded Louis Khoury, Industry Sales Development Manager, Autodesk, Middle East.

Autodesk is committed to driving awareness and adoption of sustainable design through public and private partnerships with organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council and Integrated Energy Solutions.  Autodesk also provides technology, education and support for initiatives that inform and promote innovations that address current and future sustainable design challenges. This involves an active role in spearheading programs such as the ‘Autodesk – Enterprise Gold Program’ for corporate businesses, which offer Autodesk experts’ personalized attention, higher ROI and productivity of software investments, and access to an elevated level of technical support, which can aid organizations attain their business needs as well as their sustainability goals.

albawaba.com middle east news information::Autodesk launches sustainable design campaign within AED 812 billion UAE construction industry

The Happening

The Third Floor, a Los Angeles-based digital studio, used Autodesk Maya 3D modeling software and Autodesk MotionBuilder character animation software to craft several of The Happening’s signature moments. The film’s car crash and lion attack scenes were pre-visualized in Maya. This enabled director M. Night Shyamalan to approve the intent of performances and camerawork in advance of filming.

“Autodesk Maya is our directors’ sandbox,” said The Third Floor CEO Chris Edwards. “It allows us to create anything our clients can imagine.”

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Using Maya and MotionBuilder, The Third Floor also designed and pre-visualized three major sequences for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: the River God, Lucy’s Dream and the End Battle. This process allowed The Third Floor to stage the action and propose alternative shot ideas to director Andrew Adamson, adding further depth and detail to the story.

Hancock

Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) completed over 500 shots in Hancock using Maya and the Autodesk Flame visual effects system. “Major sequences such as the Hollywood Fight, the Hospital Battle and the SUV Chase couldn’t have been created without Maya and Flame,” said SPI senior visual effects artist Todd Mesher. “Their creative tools and interactivity make them key to our digital pipeline.”

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Visual effects studio Frantic Films VFX served as a visual effects provider for the stereoscopic feature film Journey to the Center of the Earth. In addition to designing a custom character pipeline for the film, Frantic Films VFX also built a stereoscopic pipeline. These pipelines included Autodesk software, used to produce more than 180 shots. All animation and lighting was created with Autodesk 3ds Max 3D animation software, which was also used extensively in the ocean sequences. In addition, Autodesk Mudbox software was used to sculpt creatures.

“Once again, 3ds Max software’s power and flexibility were indispensable,” said Frantic Films VFX visual effects supervisor Chris Harvey. “The software’s scriptability made it the backbone of our digital pipeline. As well, we forged new ground in creature animation and were extremely happy with the software’s performance.”

Digital Color Grading at EFILM

Numerous films were completed by EFILM, using its EWORKS system for the digital intermediate. The EWORKS system consists of a proprietary configuration of Autodesk Lustre and Autodesk Incinerator technology. Films included Horton Hears a Who, The Ruins, Nim’s Island, Sex and the City, Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, What Happens in Vegas, Red Belt, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted and Get Smart.

Leading visual effects and animation facilities continued the tradition of relying on Autodesk technology to deliver the majority of Hollywood blockbusters released this summer, including:

• Get Smart: DIGIT did the majority of compositing work with Flame and Autodesk Combustion desktop compositing software. In addition, DIGIT built all the 3D parachutes in Maya.
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Industrial Light & Magic completed 540 shots (48 minutes of screen time) with Maya and the Autodesk Inferno system as part of its proprietary Sabre system. Maya was used for modeling, creature development and particle work.

• Iron Man: Industrial Light & Magic completed 410 shots with Maya and Inferno as part of its Sabre system.
• Kung Fu Panda: DreamWorks used Maya and Lustre.
• Meet Dave: CIS Hollywood completed 163 shots for the film, with approximately one-third of the film composited with Inferno. Using Maya and MotionBuilder, The Third Floor pre-visualized five sequences that involved elaborate interaction between the aliens and the real world.
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Digital Domain used Maya extensively to animate the emperor in his changing liquid-solid state. The company also incorporated Maya nCloth when creating the Foundation Army’s flags and desiccated clothing. Rhythm & Hues used Mudbox to model dragons, Nion and Yeti.
• The Incredible Hulk: Rhythm and Hues completed 234 shots, using Maya and Mudbox extensively for modeling both the Hulk and the Abomination characters. Maya was also used to model vehicles and objects.
• Tropic Thunder: CIS Vancouver used Maya, Inferno and Flame. CIS Hollywood primarily used Maya, along with 3ds Max, Inferno and Flame.
• X-Files: I Want to Believe: Entity FX supervised almost 400 visual effects shots, which included the use of Inferno and Maya. A large portion of the work involved radically altering shot environments through digital weather effects, such as photorealistic, computer-generated snow.

Original article

Just in time for the Back to School season, Autodesk has redesigned its Student Engineering and Design Community website with a new look and feel that is more closely aligned with other popular social networking sites frequented by students. The enhanced Student Community offers several new features and benefits to more than 350,000 students and educators.

“Having access to free software in the Autodesk Student Community is crucial for future professional designers,” said Roland Cernat, winner of the Industrial Design category of the Student Design Challenge and the Sustainable Design Grand Prize. “The broad range of programs available in the community gives me the opportunity to easily try out and choose the programs that best match my needs. As an industrial design student I use Autodesk AliasStudio software, and while learning the curriculum, the community was the primary place I went to get help, stay up-to-date and much more. The community has been vital in giving me the right tools and guidance to be prepared for the requirements of my future job.”

“We developed a large portion of the redesign and new features based on our members’ input. We created the Student Community to provide students with the vital tools and information they need to learn the design process and be successful in their careers. Educators benefit by having access to our software, curriculum and faculty-only forum and discussion groups,” said Paul Mailhot, director of worldwide education programs at Autodesk. “This redesign comes on the heels of many recent milestones for Autodesk Education, including the global “Build Something” student design contest, the launch of the China Student Community, and the release of our new Autodesk VEX Robotics curriculum.”
Since September 2006, the Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community has attracted members from more than 16,600 schools in 137 countries, Over 350,000 members have downloaded approximately 650,000 copies of Autodesk’s award-winning 3D design software solutions.

Partner Offers Student Editions of Software

Recognizing the momentum and impact of the Autodesk Student Community, software partner RISA Technologies is joining the initiative by providing the next generation of design and engineering professionals with student editions of their products free of charge.
When members visit the Learning and Tutorials section of the online community, they can find software and related learning tools. For example, RISA Technologies offers free student versions of RISA-3D and RISAFloor structural engineering software applications for analysis and design.

About Autodesk Education

Autodesk supports students and educators by providing powerful 2D and 3D design software, innovative programs and resources designed to inspire the next generation of professionals to experience their ideas before they’re real. By supporting educators to advance design education and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, Autodesk is helping prepare students for future academic and career success. Autodesk supports schools and institutions of higher learning worldwide through substantial discounts, subscriptions, grant programs, training, curricula development and community resources. For more information about Autodesk education programs and solutions, visit www.autodesk.com/education.

Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community is Redesigned

To date, eye surgeons Bill Aylward and Paul Sullivan have produced over 1,000 animations that are helping to train other surgeons at their workplace - Moorfields Eye Hospital, London - and beyond.

Using CINEMA 4D’s advanced animation tools, Bill and Paul find they can demonstrate many surgical procedures more clearly than is possible with real film.

“The problems with using real footage of operations are that sometimes organs, blood or tissue can get in the way of what we’re trying to show; you can’t always put the camera in the best position to see what’s going on, and you can’t show cutaways that would explain the procedure better. With 3D animation software, you can hide anything that gets in the way or make it see-through; the camera can go where you want and you can produce cutaways of the eye very easily. Anything is possible in 3D!” explains Bill.

Paul recalls that the biggest hurdle was finding the right 3D tool: “We’ve never animated before. We’re surgeons, not full-time animators. We needed a 3D tool that gives the best results and is the easiest to use. We tested all the available 3D packages and we found CINEMA 4D the easiest to [learn].”

Although one-on-one training is available for CINEMA 4D, Bill and Paul would often be learning late into the night outside normal working hours. Here help was at hand in the shape of MAXON’s www.cineversity.com website, offering over 1,000 video tutorials online that can be accessed around-the-clock.

Months later, Bill and Paul are now literally flying with CINEMA 4D: “Last week, I created two new animations on a flight to a training conference in North Carolina. We’re creating content a lot faster these days. That’s partly because we’ve built up a library of 3D models and materials that we can reuse,” says Bill.

And critical acclaim has followed: Bill and Paul’s CINEMA 4D animations were highly commended by the British Medical Association Textbook Awards.

About Moorfields Eye Hospital
Opened in 1805, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the world’s leading centers for ophthalmic treatment and teaching. It is the oldest and largest specialist eye hospital in the world, and became one of the UK’s first NHS Foundation Trusts in 2004.

With its research partner, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields carries out an exciting programme of research in order to find cures for diseases currently untreatable.

The entire range of eye diseases is treated at Moorfields from cataract, corneal and retinal conditions to complex diseases, and last year over 260,000 patient visits were recorded.

Moorfields’ eminent reputation means that patients are seen from all over the UK and from around the world.

More information about the hospital can be found at www.moorfields.nhs.uk

Credits

• Bill Aylward - Medical Director, Moorfields Eye Hospital
• Paul Sullivan - Director of Education, Moorfields Eye Hospital

MAXON - The makers of CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D