I listed my schedule for this past Tuesday at AU2010 in a previous post and I'm just going to write about the session I led called Teaching the Reviteers, a session intended to discuss how a panel of people teach Revit. We started out by arriving to find the room didn't have a computer despite having filled out the classroom equipment needs form.
The session was conceived by Harlan Brumm of The Revit Clinic blog. He invited Jeff Hanson (Autodesk), Tobias Hathorn (Autodesk), David Fano (Case and Columbia University) and me. Originally Erik Egbertson and Greg Demchak, also with Autodesk, were going to contribute but they weren't able to travel to attend AU this year. Erik contributes to the Inside the Factory blog. Okay back to the session.
We raced through our slides to make sure we had plenty of time for discussion. We really wanted to make sure that everyone who attended would get a chance to ask questions and share ideas or concerns. The session was broken into 60 minutes - 30 minute break - 60 minutes (2.5 hours total). We were all a bit concerned about it but decided to go along with it despite our fears. About half the class returned after the break, which supported our fears.
We discussed the classroom configuration, technology, class size, techniques, dealing with internet browsing and mixing drafting standards or design standards with learning software. The attendees consisted of two year school professors, a few trainers with resellers, a couple freelance consultants, firm employees either responsible for training or just lucky to have it fall in their laps, community college, four year universities and even a couple people who worked for municipalities. There were a couple teachers from overseas too!
The session felt pretty good, was pretty lively and we could have run over easily. Despite this "feeling" the comments that attendees left behind in the surveys weren't glowing. I have a feeling that those who did comment negatively didn't return for the second half. One comment indicated they wished there was an example of a syllabus. We posted one on the class materials site but didn't mention that until the second session.
One comment that really rang true to me in particular was that we had heavy load of one kind of college teacher. True because the three Adesk'rs all teach at Boston Architectural College. The comment suggested that we'd have been fairer if a community college teacher was included. I also thought that an "in-house" firmwide trainer would have been a good perspective to include too. However we had quite a bit of input from attendees that represented those roles too. Seemed like we had a reasonably good balance.
We can't please everyone but it's nice to try. Perhaps next year an instructor who attended this session will propose a session that improves on where we were weak and takes it to another level!
Showing posts with label AU2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AU2010. Show all posts
Friday, December 03, 2010
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Autodesk University - Random Thoughts
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...la la la". Well not Xmas 2010 unfortunately, but maybe for 2011?!?
I got the dates wrong, so I fixed them above. A comment asked about which ones are best suited for which sort of use. Simplistic overview follows:
I got the dates wrong, so I fixed them above. A comment asked about which ones are best suited for which sort of use. Simplistic overview follows:
- Space Navigator - simplest unit, and least expensive. Navigation and two buttons ($99)
- Space Navigator (travel/notebook) - same as above except smaller but a bit more expensive ($129)
- Space Explorer - More features, programmable buttons, hand rest ($299)
- Space Pilot - MCAD optimized with even more features, including a small user interface screen that provides access to email and more ($399)
Assuming I could actually try one with Revit I'd probably focus on the Navigator or Explorer. It's hard to say if the price difference for the Explorer is justified without living with them for awhile. I'd guess that the extra buttons would earn their keep if you are are accustomed to remembering to use them. I find I don't remember some of the keyboard shortcuts I make or the extra buttons on the Intous 4 I've been using. So I might not ever remember to use them and if true I'd probably be better of with one of the Navigators.
I should add that they are intended to be used along with your mouse (pointing device). The dominant hand drives the mouse and your other hand operates the 3D Connexion device. Just ask yourself which hand holds a piece of paper when you use a pair of scissors or hold a piece of lumber while using a saw. Same kind of automatic brain mapping to the 3D Connexion devices occurs pretty quickly.
Autodesk University - Random Thoughts
Serious next vehicle thoughts... Tesla Model S.
If they get it in the price range rumored, sign me up. I didn't see a table for placing orders but I imagine they'd have a nice start if they did. This is a Auto Stitch shot of the car at the show. Clearly I'm not an automotive journalist/photographer!
Revit Rocks a blog by Daryl Gregorie and tied closely to his CADclips business. I couldn't help wonder how he'd feel about "his" buttons for the AEC Mixer? I guess it's all good?!?
The lanyard and 20th Year AUGI pin are my AUGI swag, that and the Beer Bash Pint glass (a real hit with the attendees as usual).
If they get it in the price range rumored, sign me up. I didn't see a table for placing orders but I imagine they'd have a nice start if they did. This is a Auto Stitch shot of the car at the show. Clearly I'm not an automotive journalist/photographer!
Revit Rocks a blog by Daryl Gregorie and tied closely to his CADclips business. I couldn't help wonder how he'd feel about "his" buttons for the AEC Mixer? I guess it's all good?!?
The lanyard and 20th Year AUGI pin are my AUGI swag, that and the Beer Bash Pint glass (a real hit with the attendees as usual).
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Autodesk University 2010 - Tuesday
First a bit more about Monday which I spent in a session for the media that rolled out everything Autodesk wanted to let us know about. I took 12 pages of notes on a sketch pad because I still don't have a iPad and I really didn't want to lay out my big Dell laptop and clickety clack along the whole time. Felt very old school and ironic because I never took notes in school, slacker that I am.
Two real highlights for me were TechShop and Tinkerbox.
First TechShop isn't Autodesk at all except that they are being very supportive of the company's entrepreneurial effort. Imagine yourself a frustrated "idea" guy/gal or inventor. Frustrated because you'd love to tinker with stuff but you can't afford that steel mill, CNC mill, 3D printer, router or lathe and on. That and your significant other really doesn't want you to make all that noise in the garage or basement anyway.
Well these guys, founded by Jim Newton four years ago on big dreams and no funds, are your answer. For now the answer is only in Menlo Park, CA and Raleigh, NC. They have plans for eight more locations in the coming 24 months or sooner though. The next location is in San Francisco near the Moscone Center. They have a full blown inventor's dream shop and you just rent your time there for around $100/month. You could spend a lot of time there and still not spend more than you would on one serious piece of equipment. The very brief examples of their subscribers work was inspiring, bringing the spirit of invention back to the "average" guy, much like the Internet is affecting music, media, publishing and more.
Where does Autodesk enter into this? They are providing all the software you could need to make the stuff you dream up there. You can spend time there learning the software and tinker/inventing your way to financial success or just make some quirky Christmas presents. I wish one was nearby, I'd be there with my kids enough to create marital stress, sorry honey.
A new experiment from Autodesk is Tinker Box. It's for "kids" of all ages...even old ones like me. It is intended to help make science and technology fun and interesting for the coming generations who perceive it as important but too hard to pursue (according to Autodesk's own study). It's derived from various existing software technology, like Inventor and others. Here's a You Tube video posted by Deelip Menenzes
I kept thinking of virtual Lego or those others that I had when I was a kid. I've managed to forget when this will be available. Check it out when it is though.
I wandered over to Shaan Hurley's blogger social after the media session wrapped up. Hung out with a few Bpals but was a bit too tired to actually mingle properly and I'm too tired now to try to name drop again. Next up was the AEC Mixer. Bummer. Hard to mix in the mixer. The House of Blues is a great venue to watch a band and a group of Autodesk'rs formed AEC/DC and played some old standards. Great little venue, nice sound, stage and lighting.
It was just too hard to find anyone...to mix (not the sound guy parlance).
I must admit every time I see this stuff I drift back to my old days when I'd be up on those lighting trusses focusing the lights. These days a goodly number of the fixtures are computer controlled which reduces the need for such antics but there nothing quite like a good old Par 64. Here's a shot of the band. You can see the ladder a lighting tech uses to get up to the trusses just behind the monitor stack (and Guillermo Melantoni Cortabarria on bass) on Stage Right, thin wire rope ladder (think trapeze artists).
As a drummer I couldn't help thinking about asking to sit in on a song but I let the thought go.
I headed off to catch up with HOK folks having their BIMie Award dinner. I was a "proud professor" when I saw three of the four winning teams were CDV and Mr. OpEd alumni! GO team! Cool projects and they gave me a copy of their very nice awards booklet. Dinner too!! Thanks to Lee, Ken, James, Zoog, Jyoti, Kevin, David, Roberto, Don, Victor, Irena, Greg and many others!
As for Tuesday, AU's general sessions officially kicked off today. My day was laid out thusly:
Two real highlights for me were TechShop and Tinkerbox.
First TechShop isn't Autodesk at all except that they are being very supportive of the company's entrepreneurial effort. Imagine yourself a frustrated "idea" guy/gal or inventor. Frustrated because you'd love to tinker with stuff but you can't afford that steel mill, CNC mill, 3D printer, router or lathe and on. That and your significant other really doesn't want you to make all that noise in the garage or basement anyway.
Well these guys, founded by Jim Newton four years ago on big dreams and no funds, are your answer. For now the answer is only in Menlo Park, CA and Raleigh, NC. They have plans for eight more locations in the coming 24 months or sooner though. The next location is in San Francisco near the Moscone Center. They have a full blown inventor's dream shop and you just rent your time there for around $100/month. You could spend a lot of time there and still not spend more than you would on one serious piece of equipment. The very brief examples of their subscribers work was inspiring, bringing the spirit of invention back to the "average" guy, much like the Internet is affecting music, media, publishing and more.
Where does Autodesk enter into this? They are providing all the software you could need to make the stuff you dream up there. You can spend time there learning the software and tinker/inventing your way to financial success or just make some quirky Christmas presents. I wish one was nearby, I'd be there with my kids enough to create marital stress, sorry honey.
A new experiment from Autodesk is Tinker Box. It's for "kids" of all ages...even old ones like me. It is intended to help make science and technology fun and interesting for the coming generations who perceive it as important but too hard to pursue (according to Autodesk's own study). It's derived from various existing software technology, like Inventor and others. Here's a You Tube video posted by Deelip Menenzes
I kept thinking of virtual Lego or those others that I had when I was a kid. I've managed to forget when this will be available. Check it out when it is though.
I wandered over to Shaan Hurley's blogger social after the media session wrapped up. Hung out with a few Bpals but was a bit too tired to actually mingle properly and I'm too tired now to try to name drop again. Next up was the AEC Mixer. Bummer. Hard to mix in the mixer. The House of Blues is a great venue to watch a band and a group of Autodesk'rs formed AEC/DC and played some old standards. Great little venue, nice sound, stage and lighting.
It was just too hard to find anyone...to mix (not the sound guy parlance).
I must admit every time I see this stuff I drift back to my old days when I'd be up on those lighting trusses focusing the lights. These days a goodly number of the fixtures are computer controlled which reduces the need for such antics but there nothing quite like a good old Par 64. Here's a shot of the band. You can see the ladder a lighting tech uses to get up to the trusses just behind the monitor stack (and Guillermo Melantoni Cortabarria on bass) on Stage Right, thin wire rope ladder (think trapeze artists).
As a drummer I couldn't help thinking about asking to sit in on a song but I let the thought go.
I headed off to catch up with HOK folks having their BIMie Award dinner. I was a "proud professor" when I saw three of the four winning teams were CDV and Mr. OpEd alumni! GO team! Cool projects and they gave me a copy of their very nice awards booklet. Dinner too!! Thanks to Lee, Ken, James, Zoog, Jyoti, Kevin, David, Roberto, Don, Victor, Irena, Greg and many others!
As for Tuesday, AU's general sessions officially kicked off today. My day was laid out thusly:
- Breakfast (missed it)
- Autodesk Keynote (made it)
- Lab Assistant: Family Counseling (Donnia Tabor-Hanson)
- Parametrics Laid Bare (Robert Manna & Zach Kron, left early to make next one)
- AEC Luncheon (Phil Bernstein and Paul Williams)
- Presenter: Teaching the Reviteers (Me, Harlan Brumm, Tobias Hathorn, Jeff Hanson and David Fano)
- All Cloud (Chris Price and Dan
- Exhibit Hall (everybody or nearly so)
I'll get into more detail in the next post otherwise this one will get outrageously long.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Autodesk University 2010 - Monday 01
Monday morning is starting slowly for me (and a bit groggy). Because my sessions don't begin until 11am I opted to stay up a bit too late and hang out with people and chat. This is my hotel room view of the Vegas strip. Just about the same as last year but a little closer to the ground.
I got to spend some quality time with the AUGI Board members for dinner, many thanks to Karen Popp of Extension Media for graciously picking up the tab! The food was excellent at RM Seafood. The key lime pie was still frozen when they brought it out but it was excellent, though tough to get a fork into. In software terms we'll call it a "feature"? I sat next to Peter Jamtgaard and we talked about a wide variety of things, he's a very very bright guy. If you ever get a chance to speak to him, take the plunge!
I ran into some old friends from WATG who have moved elsewhere and a couple who are still there. Scott Brown with HHCP in Orlando, Doug Williams with Perkins & Will, Dean Yama and Danny Polkinhorn (with WATG) and Robert Manna (not with WATG, with Burt Hill very likely soon to be Stantec). When I stumbled into them they were chatting about, what else, Revit! Not really a big surprise. It's funny to be around "old" Revit users, they can be a cranky bunch, ranting about this feature or that feature that hasn't been changed or tweaked to their likely yet, or in many years. I'm included in the characterization, to be fair.
I was asked, what I thought, was an interesting question late last night, "Why does a guy like you come to AU anymore, it's not like you really need to attend a class about walls, doors and windows?" In the early days it was all about the classes for me but after the first two years of AU (attending since 2001 except for 2002) it became much more about the chance to see, meet and talk to people face to face.
Sure the classes I choose to attend are different now and it would be idiotic to think I can't learn something new (I try not to be idiotic, though some friends could accuse me of that at times). It's about the nuggets, a comment made in a session that makes me reconsider some long held assumption or the fact that the presenter has a different perspective and tries something my "old timer" mind doesn't let me "go there" for.
I find it ironic too, that many of the people I know now were originally met via online interaction but now it is the face-to-face time with them that I cherish at each AU.
I'm heading to my first media event session shortly, more to come.
I got to spend some quality time with the AUGI Board members for dinner, many thanks to Karen Popp of Extension Media for graciously picking up the tab! The food was excellent at RM Seafood. The key lime pie was still frozen when they brought it out but it was excellent, though tough to get a fork into. In software terms we'll call it a "feature"? I sat next to Peter Jamtgaard and we talked about a wide variety of things, he's a very very bright guy. If you ever get a chance to speak to him, take the plunge!
I ran into some old friends from WATG who have moved elsewhere and a couple who are still there. Scott Brown with HHCP in Orlando, Doug Williams with Perkins & Will, Dean Yama and Danny Polkinhorn (with WATG) and Robert Manna (not with WATG, with Burt Hill very likely soon to be Stantec). When I stumbled into them they were chatting about, what else, Revit! Not really a big surprise. It's funny to be around "old" Revit users, they can be a cranky bunch, ranting about this feature or that feature that hasn't been changed or tweaked to their likely yet, or in many years. I'm included in the characterization, to be fair.
I was asked, what I thought, was an interesting question late last night, "Why does a guy like you come to AU anymore, it's not like you really need to attend a class about walls, doors and windows?" In the early days it was all about the classes for me but after the first two years of AU (attending since 2001 except for 2002) it became much more about the chance to see, meet and talk to people face to face.
Sure the classes I choose to attend are different now and it would be idiotic to think I can't learn something new (I try not to be idiotic, though some friends could accuse me of that at times). It's about the nuggets, a comment made in a session that makes me reconsider some long held assumption or the fact that the presenter has a different perspective and tries something my "old timer" mind doesn't let me "go there" for.
I find it ironic too, that many of the people I know now were originally met via online interaction but now it is the face-to-face time with them that I cherish at each AU.
I'm heading to my first media event session shortly, more to come.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Autodesk University - Travel
Wesley Benn, Jim Balding and I hopped into Jim's SUV on Sunday around lunch time and began our journey to Autodesk University 2010. It's about a four hour drive from our part of Orange County here in California. About 3/4 of the way there we stopped for a quick bite to eat at Del Taco. Jim needed a little help finishing off his burrito so Wesley helped out by steering for a bit, yikes!
Wesley and Jim have a bit busier schedule for Sunday evening than I do. I don't have any AU Virtual session duties this year so today is a no stress day! We got in around 3 PM, parked and made our way to check in. We then wandered to the Speaker Ready room and went back down to Level 1 to get registered. The TSA full body screening machines were a new addition to registration! Hah! Not really!
We've run into many people already, name dropping; Phil Read (Mastering Revit author), Cyril Verley (CDV Systems), Robert Manna (Burt Hill and blogger Do Revit), Tom (with HP), Shaan Hurley, Donnia (CAD Mama), Joseph Wurcher (AU), Dean Yama (WATG), Damian Serrano (RLF), Matt Dillon and Matt Stachoni, and Bob Bell (Sterling)...well you get the idea. There are a lot of people here already and a little over 6,000 expected all told.
more...to come...
Wesley and Jim have a bit busier schedule for Sunday evening than I do. I don't have any AU Virtual session duties this year so today is a no stress day! We got in around 3 PM, parked and made our way to check in. We then wandered to the Speaker Ready room and went back down to Level 1 to get registered. The TSA full body screening machines were a new addition to registration! Hah! Not really!
We've run into many people already, name dropping; Phil Read (Mastering Revit author), Cyril Verley (CDV Systems), Robert Manna (Burt Hill and blogger Do Revit), Tom (with HP), Shaan Hurley, Donnia (CAD Mama), Joseph Wurcher (AU), Dean Yama (WATG), Damian Serrano (RLF), Matt Dillon and Matt Stachoni, and Bob Bell (Sterling)...well you get the idea. There are a lot of people here already and a little over 6,000 expected all told.
more...to come...
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