Dept. of Rumor Mongering - Vasari Technology Preview 2.0

A little birdie told me that we might be seeing another release of Vasari in the not too distant future. Hopefully the birdie isn't a canary in a coal mine?!

Here's a video preview!

Project Vasari is now available at Autodesk Labs

If you missed it, it's posted at Autodesk Labs now!

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Overview
Autodesk® Project Vasari is an easy-to-use, expressive design tool for creating building concepts. Vasari goes further, with integrated analysis for energy and carbon, providing design insight where the most important design decisions are made. And, when it’s time to move the design to production, simply bring your Vasari design data into the Autodesk® Revit® platform for BIM, ensuring clear execution of design intent.

Project Vasari is focused on conceptual building design using both geometric and parametric modeling. It supports performance-based design via integrated energy modeling and analysis features. This new technology preview is now available as a free download and trial on Autodesk Labs
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At Autodesk Labs you'll need to click Download Now and sign in.

The Labs page for Vasari offers the reason for the choice of the name:
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Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian and architect who was born in 1511 and died in 1574. He is remembered for his biographies of other Italian artists and is considered the founder of art-historical writing. In his honor, Project Vasari is the name of the latest technology preview on Autodesk Labs.
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Conceptual Energy Analysis - A Series of Experiments

Darren Lewis in Portland, Oregon started a blog (Blend in Motion) back in July and has been posting every now and then. He recently started a series of posts documenting his exploration of the Conceptual Energy Analysis tools (CEA).

If you are curious about the tools but haven't had a chance to dig into them yourself you might find his observations helpful for when you do get time? Darren and I met when I did some work in Omaha with HDR several years ago. Welcome to blogging!

Here's links to each post in the series so far:

First Post
Second Post
Third Post
Fourth Post
Fifth Post (added 11/12/10)
Sixth Post (added 12/09/10)
Seventh Post (added 12/16/10)
Eighth Post (added 04/29/11)

Project Vasari - Revit Conceptual Modeling Tools

This video showed up at the AutodeskBuilding You Tube channel. The Inside the Factory blog mentioned it as well as David Light and Robert Manna. Imagine the conceptual modeling environment available in a stripped down version of Revit. Keep an eye out for more on this, probably showing up at Autodesk Labs. There's no audio, other than music, in the video. It's a quick demo of what will be possible.

Dept. of Events - Two Sessions at Acadia 2010

For more information and to register, visit the ACADIA 2010 Site.

Event: Acadia 2010 - Conceptual Design in Autodesk Revit Architecture Workshop
When: October 18-20, 2010 (three day workshop)
Time: 9:00AM -4:00 PM
Where: Cooper Union - New York, New York
Admission: For event registration refer to website (ranges from $120-$595)

Subject: Conceptual Design in Autodesk Revit Architecture
Presenters:
Matt Jezyk, Senior Manager, Autodesk AEC Conceptual Design Products
Lira Nikolovska, Principal Designer, Autodesk AEC BIM User Experience
Greg Demchak, Senior Designer, Autodesk BIM User Experience
Zachary Kron, Autodesk AEC Senior Quality Assurance Analyst

Overview:
The aim of this workshop is explore the new Revit conceptual design workflows, specifically parametric modelling and performative design using Autodesk® Revit®. The first part of the workshop will focus on the ins and outs of the new form making and manipulation tools including creation of parametric rigs to drive and modify form, surface panelization, reporting parameters and adaptive components. The second part of the workshop will focus on analysis applied early into the design process (conceptual energy analysis, solar radiation, use of structural analysis plug-ins), and will also provide overview of API features such as Analysis Visualization Framework and Dynamic Updating.

30-day trial copies of Autodesk Revit Architecture / Autodesk Revit MEP will be available for those who do not already have this software. Educational copies of Revit are available for free for students and faculty and can be downloaded in advance.
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Event: Acadia 2010 - Sustainable Design Workshop
When: October 18, 2010
Time: 9:00AM -4:00 PM
Where: Cooper Union - New York, New York
Admission: For event registration refer to website (ranges from $120-$595)

Subject: Performative Design with Autodesk Ecotect Analysis
Presenter: Dr. Andrew Marsh, Sr. Principal Engineer, AEC-Simulation

Overview:
The aim of this workshop is to explore the boundaries of generative and performative design using Autodesk® Ecotect® Analysis, Autodesk® Green Building Studio® and Autodesk® Revit®.

The workshop will focus on the use iterative techniques and automated feedback from performance analysis to optimise and refine building geometry. While developing scripts in Autodesk Ecotect is quite easy and the fundamentals can be picked up during the course of the workshop, some experience with programming concepts and/or languages will be advantageous.

While mainly directed sessions, there will also be scope to develop some custom scripts, so participants are encouraged to consider problems specific to their own schemes or designs as the basis of their work. 30-day trial copies of Autodesk Ecotect Analysis and Autodesk Revit Architecture / Autodesk Revit MEP will be available for those who do not already have this software.