Autodesk’s name is almost synonymous with construction projects, special effects and 3D technology. Established in 1982, the company first started out with its signature AutoCAD software, a suite that has been used to design almost everything that you see around you now. The original logo (seen below) of the company, keeping its engineering roots in mind, started off as a representation of a caliper tool; among the most precise tools that an engineer has at his disposal.
Autodesk has moved forward with leaps and bounds since then, firmly establishing itself in the entertainment industry with the launch of 3ds Max and the purchase of Maya. It’s not just movies and cartoons, Autodesk’s suites have been readily accepted into the gaming industry as well and there are very few games that you see now whose characters and environments have not been worked in with at least one of Autodesk’s vast collection of suites in one way or another.
Other initiatives such as the Autodesk Home Styler and Sketchbook have shown a lot of potential and are targeted at students and consumers alike.
Keeping this shift in user-base in mind, the new Autodesk logo “draws inspiration from origami, beautifully representing the convergence of art and science, form and function, aptly representing the Autodesk software portfolio.”
Following is the summary of the suite updates:
2014 entertainment creation suite:
One of the major features of the 2014 suite lineup is Reality Capture. In Autodesk’s own words:
“A key addition to the 2014 portfolio of suites is Autodesk ReCap, a family of new reality capture software and cloud services that simplify the process of creating intelligent 3D data of physical objects and environments using laser scans and photos, allowing customers to bring the actual job site or physical objects into their design and engineering process.”
What they are essentially saying is that customers can now make use of laser scanning technology (not unlike the type you see in self-driving cars) and utilize it to generate a 3D scan of an environment, generating a so-called “point-cloud” that can be imported into Autodesk’s suites. Thus giving engineers access to very precise environmental data that they can work with to improve their designs and to better understand the challenges that they face.
More information can be found here.