Reacting to client demands with speed and accuracy is why they keep coming back, so don't let last-minute changes to your detailed animations force you to work overtime. Eliminate the hours spent modifying your animations and start controlling and editing their parameters in real time. Whether it's the dynamic components of a complex thrill ride for theme park previsualization, a simple ceiling fan for your next virtual reality walk-through, or the interlocking gears of the clock tower in that dramatic scene in your upcoming game-you're dedicated to making that animated sequence perfect. While few things up the "wow factor" like a properly animated scene, few things kill your budget as quickly as time spent editing and retiming complex keyframed animations. Learn valuable techniques and some tips and tricks in 3ds Max software to create a "virtual remote control" that modifies animated parameters with the click of a button. So, forget about keyframing-take control of your animations and never sweat that deadline again.

This class covers the essentials of producing photorealistic renderings of your designs using AutoCAD® software. The class will cover a typical workflow that you can use to create a quality rendering. We will start by creating a saved 3D perspective view of our design. Next, we will discuss the creation and application of general-purpose light sources. You will learn how to add life to your design by applying several of the stock materials pre-installed with AutoCAD. Afterward, we will look at how to edit materials to suit our needs as well as how to create custom materials from scratch. We will also explore how we can create decal-like photographic materials and map them predictably to our objects. Finally, we will learn how to render our images to the screen or to a file while looking at several tips and tricks along the way.

Learn to procedurally create any kind of physically based rendering (PBR) material with Substance Designer. This will enable you to create physically based materials that not only look believable, but also materials that tile perfectly when rendered. In this class you'll learn how to create some basic materials, and how to translate them into the major rendering applications including: mental ray rendering machine, NVIDIA’s Iray rendering engine, Chaos Group's V-Ray rendering engine, and A360 cloud-based collaboration service. We will also touch on creating material definition language (MDL) materials by using Iray directly inside Substance Designer. With Substance Designer at the center of your material pipeline, you’ll be able to create materials that will look relatively the same across any rendering engine you end up using for visualization. They will even translate into the major gaming engines, such as Stingray game engine, Unreal, and Unity. The industry use case for Substance Designer is unlimited. Anyone doing product design, automotive, architecture, film, and gaming can benefit from adding Substance Designer to his or her pipeline. This session features 3ds Max and A360. AIA Approved

With the introduction of Stingray 3D game engine, multitudes of new workflows are now possible. This class will explore and demystify the material workflows from 3ds Max software and Maya software to Stingray software. Simple materials are easy, but if you really want to capitalize on all Stingray has to offer you need to understand the basics of Shader FX and the new Stingray/PBR (physically based rendering). Much of this material will also be applicable in Unity and Unreal workflows.

Stiller Studios has 1 of the most advanced and VFX-friendly motion control/green screen setups in the world. Tomas Wall and Hugo Guerra will take you through the process of how the game cinematic, "Homefront: The Revolution" was created, using leading studio and motion control technology supported by Autodesk software—in preproduction, live on set, and in postproduction.

3ds Max 2018 software introduces the Arnold 5.0 rendering engine as one of the default rendering engines, replacing the mental ray engine that many Revit users are accustomed to using. This has ramifications for workflow, materials, and lighting when linking or importing Revit models into 3ds Max software. You might be tempted to stick to the ART renderer to avoid the change, however the Arnold renderer can provide stunning still images, as well as 360°, virtual-reality, stereo panorama images when configured properly. This class will provide you with the tips and tricks you'll need to successfully pair your Revit model with the new features of 3ds Max. Come get acquainted with Arnold!

Rendering high-performance virtual-reality (VR) experiences at 90Hz is complex and technically challenging. Creating memorable content and intuitive interactions forces developers to rethink old assumptions and come up with new tricks. The recent wave of VR titles showcase the opportunities and ingenuity of many developers to get around these hurdles. This class will focus on how to use Stingray game engine to create optimized VR experiences. By using the available profiling tools to spot bottlenecks, tips and tricks will be shared to tailor content and interactions to get the most out of Stingray game engine’s VR rendering pipeline. This session features Autodesk Stingray. AIA Approved

Do you want to extend your workflows and use BIM models to create VR experiences that will wow your clients and project stakeholders?

This class will cover how Mott MacDonald, working with Autodesk consultancy, have been developing our own VR capability using Autodesk technologies.

This class is aimed at architects and engineers with a BIM background but little or no VR experience. We believe VR can add value to every project type and we will give you an in-depth look at the processes and workflows we have used to create VR experiences for Buildings, Transportation, Energy and Water projects.



We will start with the basics; VR hardware and how to prepare BIM models for VR using Stingray, Revit Live and 3DS Max. Fitting for Las Vegas, we will be 'upping the ante' with live demonstrations so we can share with you the variety ways we have brought our designs to life using video game technology, and how this is all possible without writing a single line of code.

In the flurry of excitement of using virtual reality (VR) in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, people have forgotten why they wanted to use VR in the first place. To ensure that you're staying on target and not using VR for the sake of VR, this class will provide VR guidance to the eager professionals who are already using Revit software in their practices. We will cover current popular VR use cases, such as design review and rapid design prototyping, which will define why VR is relevant. We will discuss current VR hardware/software that will define what you'll need for VR. Finally, we will demonstrate an easy VR workflow using Revit and Revit Live, which will define how you can easily take your Revit projects to VR today.

This session will cover collaboration between architects and design visualization specialists within the Live Design network. Once a Revit software user generates an Autodesk LIVE project, any design visualization specialist can jump in and take that project to another level. Using knowledge from 3ds Max software and Stingray game engine, let’s see how we can easily add dynamic content to create an immersive presentation. Game engine technologies can really enhance the design visualization process—it’s all about real-time storytelling! This hands-on lab will give an overview of the power of each software system when they’re combined. During the lab, we will go from Revit software, to Autodesk LIVE software, to Stingray game engine, then finally close the loop and send the project back into Autodesk LIVE. This session features Autodesk Stingray, Autodesk LIVE, and 3ds Max. AIA Approved

3ds Max software has a unique ability in that it can consume and output more data than any other application within the Autodesk, Inc., portfolio. In this class, we will explore how we can use 3ds Max software as a design hub. We will import real-world content from applications such as InfraWorks software and others. Then we will create physically accurate wind simulations using Autodesk CFD software (formerly known as Simulation CFD software). We will send these simulations to 3ds Max software for visualization purposes. Lastly, we will send everything to Stingray game engine to create an interactive and immersive experience. This session features 3ds Max and Autodesk Stingray.

Today’s AEC space is flooded with new technology innovations. From virtual reality, to reality capture and project management software tools, it is clear that the software and hardware solutions are improving efficiency. In this session we will review how technology advancements and innovative products are driving modularity in the AEC space. We will showcase how manufacturers, engineers, and contractors are leveraging technology, and discuss the impact it is having on their bottom line. 

Working with today's Building Information Modeling (BIM) and high-end visualization tools presents a special challenge for your IT infrastructure. Wrestling with the computational demands of the Revit-software BIM platform (as well as related applications such as 3ds Max software, Showcase software, Navisworks Manage software, Lumion software, Rhino software, and others) is a challenge. One needs the proper knowledge to make sound investments in workstation hardware. Get inside the mind of a certified hardware geek as he explains in plain English the variables to consider when purchasing hardware to support the demands of BIM, and he also explains the latest advancements in workstation processor and memory architectures, storage, and graphics. This year we will pay special focus on the latest advancements in graphics systems to understand how they meet the demands of high-end visualization, animation, and real-time rendering. Along the way, we’ll look at specific hardware configurations to meet your specific budget. This session features Revit and 3ds Max. AIA Approved

This class will showcase examples of combining emergent technology with Autodesk, Inc.’s, suite of products to create innovative workflows within the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Learn how we’re moving away from just design and document, and moving toward a series of workflows that empower ideas, enable optimization, and create stakeholder engagement through digital and tactile experiences. See examples, such as how to go from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) data capture through to an analytical model for simulations using ReCap software, ReMake software, SimTools software, and Autodesk CFD software (formerly known as Simulation CFD software). Learn about developing virtual reality / augmented reality simulations using 3ds Max software and Stingray game engine. And discover using Fusion 360 software and 3D printing as mediums for crossing technical knowledge barriers. All this and more without writing a single line of code—thanks to the seamless workflows across the Autodesk products! This session features Autodesk ReMake and SimStudio. AIA Approved

In this session, speakers will discuss the power of immersive visualization to promote innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education initiatives. Using the Mars City Facility Ops Challenge case study, speakers will show how information within Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be integrated into virtual reality. They will share insights gained, while creating an immersive environment for a visionary organization, using Revit software, Autodesk LIVE, and Stingray game engine. Mars City (founded by the National Institute of Building Sciences to recruit a new generation of professionals to work with high-performance buildings) uses BIM and facility maintenance tools to manage a virtual base on Mars. KieranTimberlake enhanced the curriculum using an immersive environment to engage students with hands-on learning opportunities, playing out scenarios in virtual reality. Speakers will highlight challenges and opportunities captured in the case study, as well as broader applications of the workflow in architectural visualization, facilities management, and education. This session features Revit, Autodesk LIVE, and Autodesk Stingray. AIA Approved

Real-time experiences and virtual reality (VR) add a whole new dimension to 3D visualization. What was once only seen is now also felt-and feeling is [now] believing. 3ds Max software is an advanced content creation package. Now, with 3ds Max Interactive software added to the family, deploying real-time experiences and VR has never been easier. In this session, we'll see how to take a typical architectural model into a fully interactive VR experience. We'll use 3ds Max to optimize and prepare the model for real-time output. Then, we'll explore best practices for bringing this data into 3ds Max Interactive-the game engine. Next, we'll see how to easily and quickly enhance the visual quality as well as add interactions and triggers inside a real-time environment. Lastly, we'll take a look at how immersive experiences are deployed for both VR and non-VR platforms. Virtual Reality-all the cool kids are doing it. Are you?

Whether we use a pencil or the latest technology, as digital artists we still need to develop creative to give our clients an advantage over the competition. Clients sell the same product to the same clientele—how do we help them differentiate? We have technology converging in many ways (architectural visualization, video games, real time)—how do we find the best way to make use of this convergence? Ultimately, as a creative agency or architectural visualization firm, we need to look for ways to show off products and environments that are visually more compelling so that they become the catalyst of this differentiation. Products such as 3ds Max software, Maya software, NVIDIA mental ray software, Revit software, AutoCAD software, and new emerging real-time technologies like Showcase software help with this problem, but that’s just the beginning. In this roundtable we will talk about why we follow these trends and where these new technologies will bring us. Is it all a fad? Will we find a real practical use other than entertainment? Will our clients end up showing us the way?

Getting your client to understand the intent of your design is one of the most difficult obstacles in the architecture business. As an architecture visualization expert, the speaker has spent the past 14 years finding ways to creatively show architectural designs in a way that the client can understand. One of the best ways is to show that design preconceptually over the proposed site it will live on. In this class, you’ll learn how to set up a drone and how to best control it for applying 3D compositing. We’ll cover the basics (as well as some tricks) to get the best possible drone match animation, covering preproduction to postproduction and everything in between.

In this class, you’ll learn how to approach creation challenges in a procedural manner. We’ll use the creation of a roller coaster ride to see how fast you can iterate when procedural tools are built to help model complex systems such as roller coaster models. We’ll also see how to create virtual reality (VR) experiences from the roller coasters that we’ll create. We’ll see how fast we can experience, change, and experience again the rides, enabling for quick in-context turnarounds at the design level. We’ll use 3ds Max software’s creation graph to create procedural models and animations, then we’ll use Stingray game engine to build the VR experience. And since experience is key in VR, we’ll study some tricks to enhance the environment with various types of animated assets. This session features 3ds Max and Autodesk Stingray. AIA Approved

Skyscrapers, subways, airplanes, and automobiles-our world is full of marvelous inventions that humanity has designed and built. So what is the one tool that's enabled us to create these wonders? The greatest tool we've ever invented was the tool! Our creativity has only ever been limited by the tools at our disposal; and with the development of virtual reality and mixed reality, we've taken a significant evolutionary step in how we can design. Bridgestone Corporation is currently researching the utilization of mixed-reality technology for design, operations, maintenance, training, and sales. This class will cover our current findings and how to use the technology in process manufacturing. As an Innovation Specialist at Bridgestone, Brent Jackson is spearheading this research and development.This class will also recap how he rose to this position, which all began by watching the Autodesk University 2015 keynote live stream where he learned about the Stingray gaming engine and realized its potential.