When I conduct an Autodesk Gallery tour, I mention that Autodesk serves 3 primary industries:
- Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (e.g., buildings, bridges, dams)
- Product Design and Manufacturing (e.g., automobiles, appliances, factories)
- Media and Entertainment (e.g., movies, TV commercials, games)
The reaction I sometimes get is “one of these things is not like the others.” They are baffled that Autodesk is in the Media and Entertainment business. It’s actually not that much of a stretch. For computer graphics in movie special effects to generate the intended audience reaction, they need to appear realistic. That means that they need to be based on physics. If you’re a company that makes software that can tell that the shape of the Shanghai Tower is optimal, you know something about wind, gravity, and materials. If you know that, you have a pretty good idea as to where the pieces are going to land if you blow up a car.
Every nominee for best special…