Dynamo for Autodesk Alias

Augmenting Alias with generative algorithms

Description

While at Autodesk, I worked on the integration of Dynamo, a visual programming environment, into Alias. This workflow improvement empowered designers to leverage scripting to create and iterate on complex surfaces that are otherwise too time-consuming to model using the graphical user interface.

client

Autodesk

Type

UX Design

Year

2017

Problem

Manual modelling makes design exploration expensive.

Some automotive surfaces increasingly feature intricate details such as front grilles. To speed up the design of these complex parts, Dynamo brings a visual programming environment to automate the task of producing geometry.

Process

Adapting Dynamo to automotive workflows.

The main Issues were the surface quality of Dynamo surfaces and switching tools in Alias broke the live connection with Dynamo. At the end of the project, I was able to recreate the Mac Pro grille entirely using Dynamo.

Outcome

A brand new way of modelling within Alias.

Even while in a prototype phase, Dynamo for Alias was successfully used on a concept vehicle design for Tata, the 45X, which drastically reduced creative waste and modelling hours.

Holy smokes — Dynamo for Alias is like science fiction coming to life for the application I use every day.

Facebook Portal

Even in optimal scenarios, one grille iteration takes a modeler an entire day with traditional NURBS tools. In the time it would take one modeler to surface 4 grille variations of the 45X in Alias, Dynamo would crank out thirty.

Tata Motors UK

contributors

Michael Günther-Geffers

special thanks

tools used

Autodesk Alias

Dynamo

Figma

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