Who doesn’t like free apps? Autodesk has launched a free app that allows you to take a picture of any object or person and get it translated into a virtual 3D image that you can zoom in on and rotate. The “123D Catch” app works for those who have iPad 2 or the new iPad with a built in camera.

Who doesn’t like free apps? Autodesk has launched a free app that allows you to take a picture of any object or person and get it translated into a virtual 3D image that you can zoom in on and rotate. The “123D Catch” app works for those who have iPad 2 or the new iPad with a built in camera.

By Nancy Mann Jackson The U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy need highly interactive 3D tools to deliver complex animated virtual training and simulation environments for helicopter pilots, crane operators and other professionals. To respond to this need, government contractor Rich3D, uses a variety of 3D design tools from Autodesk, and a surprising to develop and deploy the interactive training environments they need. What’s surprising about this solution is that it was accomplished using a ubiquitous tool in the U.S. government, an Adobe Acrobat document.

Virginia’s Governor, Bob McDonnell, made efforts to push “Shovel Ready” projects into high gear recently by stating: "Without an adequate transportation system, almost every aspect of our daily lives and government are negatively impacted…Therefore, we must get serious and start treating transportation like a core function of government."

Ever wondered who is responsible for the design and construction of many of the award-winning civic facilities in New York? With a portfolio valued at over $6 billion and a staff of almost 1,200, the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) is the city’s primary capital construction and infrastructure project manager. DDC is also an innovator in the use of GIS and building information modeling (BIM) for which it was awarded runner-up status in the first ever [acronym] Magazine Public Sector CAD Awards, held last November in Washington, D.C. DDC employs a variety of Autodesk digital design tools to minimize errors in the design process, improve collaboration across stakeholders and reduce project complexity, while making more effective use of public funds. Included in its design arsenal are Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and AutoCAD MEP for design coordination, documentation and visualization. While Navisworks and Solibri Model Checker are also used for coordination and model conflict resolution and serve other uses as well.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic is incredibly frustrating when you have no idea as to the cause of it. That’s the way it goes in the Washington, DC metro area! And, while I know there is construction and repair to the transportation arteries in and around the DC metro area, seemingly, I must have the world’s worst short term memory, because every day I get frustrated in my effort to get home. Until the other day… Speaking recently in Kansas, President Obama said, “I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot”. Hearing the President talk about the US facing “a make or break moment for the middle class”: I recalled from high school history class that middle class growth was at its greatest starting in the 50’s and throughout the 70’s. So, I got on the “Google Machine” and started searching for any information that would satisfy my curiosity about middle class growth during that 30 year period and its contributors. One of the biggest contributors to job growth and the rise of the US middle class was Infrastructure expansion. Two years ago the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law giving $46 billion for transportation projects, including $27 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair and $11.5 billion for mass transit and rail projects. Wow, I thought, this ought to create jobs and alleviate the congestion that causes me so much aggravation; that was 2 years ago!! What happened?

Heard about Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite but not sure what it can do for your agency? Often referred to as “BIM in a Box”, this relatively new software option bundles familiar products such as AutoCAD, Map 3D, Civil 3D, 3ds Max and more – in one package. If you’re looking for more visualization in your civil or infrastructure projects, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite is worth considering. You can learn more here, or if you’re a more visual person, you can view this on-demand webcast from Autodesk Technical Specialist, Michael Schlosser (P.Eng, GISP.) It provides an overview of the suite configurations and shows how the various software options work together cohesively from project start to finish.

Autodesk Cloud Brings a Wealth of Features and Benefits for Subscription Customers By Caron Beesley If you are an Autodesk Subscription customer you can now extend your desktop and many of your CAD-based tools into the cloud thanks to the newly launched Autodesk Cloud. Launched in September, 2011, Autodesk Cloud strengthens and extends many of the collaboration tools that Autodesk has launched in the last decade including Buzzsaw and AutoCAD WS (which allows users to perform CAD design with a browser or with a mobile iOS or Android device). So what does Autodesk Cloud have to offer and who can take advantage of it?

If you missed the recent Autodesk See the Suite Advantage Virtual Event, don’t worry! Autodesk has made all of the content available on-demand so you can browse the presentations, white papers, and more when your schedule permits. I even found a few interesting presentations that could really interest our public sector audience: • Accelerate Transportation Project Delivery with AutoCAD Civil 3D • Better Planning with AutoCAD Map 3D • The Power of Map 3D for Planning in the Electric Industry • Designing Substations with Digital Prototypes: Nashville Electric Service Moves Beyond 3D

We all know the nation’s infrastructure is desperately in need of investment and overhaul (our own Tiffany Diehl sheds light on some of the worrying facts in her article Are Bridges in the U.S. Making the Grade? State Rankings Reveal a Grim Reality.) But when the infrastructure in question resides on one of the most seismically active metropolitan areas in the country, state transportation departments have an imperative to up the ante. Such is the case with one of the biggest engineering projects in California history, the replacement of the current south access road to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Known as Doyle Drive or Route 101, the route is structurally and seismically deficient and, built in 1936, it’s also come to the end of its useful life.