The class presents an overview of storytelling, which is the human side of communication. Thought-provoking case studies of master storytellers are presented to stimulate the principle that design matters. Storytelling guidelines are discussed to formulate the combination of best practices, CAD/visualization tools, empathy for the client's perspective, and passionate delivery of design intent. A special emphasis is placed on storytelling in the physical world where the words are actually the visualization of architecture and landscape elements. Workflow case studies that use mixed media Autodesk® software such as Showcase®, Revit®-based software, AutoCAD®, and 3ds Max® Design are presented as real-life examples of storytelling's integration with technology.

This class will illustrate the storytelling process undertaken for a recent international airport design competition in Dalian, China, and the critical role storytelling played in the firm’s competition submittal. The class will demonstrate how a variety of media was used to create an inspiring video that set the firm’s submittal apart from its competition. We will explore each phase of the project, starting with discovery and storyboards. Then we will move into a discussion of production for both live and CG elements, and we’ll end with compositing and editing. We will explain why key decisions were made and when they were made to get the best results. The audience will gain an understanding for each part of the process by seeing real-world examples and behind-the-scenes footage during each phase. Finally, we will share successes and lessons learned from our experience working with 2 Design and Production Teams that were on opposite sides of the world and 14 hours apart.

3ds Max Design software is a great tool for generating high quality visuals, but today's audience expects more. This class introduces the art of storytelling as a means to create compelling experiences that communicate (and sell) design intent and meaning. In our increasingly competitive and visually-oriented society, sophisticated presentations are more important than ever before. Learn how to reconcile the persuasive goals of a presentation with the indulgent demands of the modern audience. Starting with an understanding of the language and repertoire of storytelling techniques, this class guides you through a basic knowledge of rendering and animation features to more complex workflows with characters and real-time ready assets within a narrative framework. Discover the storytelling secrets of Hollywood and Madison Avenue to sell your designs using 3ds Max Design.

Engage with 2 principal designers of 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design software in a roundtable discussion about the art of storytelling as a means to create compelling presentations. Ian Hooper and Kelcey Simpson will show how to use the language and repertoire of storytelling techniques with the capabilities available today in 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design. Come and exchange experiences in crafting a narrative framework and learn how to bring your designs to life.

Not everyone is aware of the risks and hazards associated with complicated construction operations, even the professionals who perform those tasks every day. Special training is required before commencing this dangerous work. But does traditional training actually influence the behaviors of people when faced with an unsafe condition? Most research points toward the culture of the construction worker as the primary barrier to safer construction sites. To change these behaviors we must use more effective means of communicating safe and unsafe practices to positively influence people's instinctive decisions. This is how our industry can capitalize on Building Information Modeling (BIM)—to enable visual storytelling. All contractors need to add this capacity to their toolkits. This class will focus on how you can develop models and use them to explain safety hazards and procedures in a safe virtual environment, and we’ll explore 3 fundamentals of visual storytelling to help change safety behaviors.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has given the artist an exceptionally unique tool for storytelling. Elevating our view from ground level gives us a chance to show architecture both in scale and context. This interactive discussion will begin with a brief introduction to examples of the types and applications of UAVs used in architectural storytelling. After discussing how the various class attendees use UAVs in storytelling, we will talk about best practices in craft operation and in storytelling techniques. We will then wrap up by collaborating on how the various class attendees work in post-production with the footage. This session features 3ds Max and Revit.

Fusion 360 software is a powerful CAD software system, and one of its most powerful capabilities is the Autodesk Rendering environment. This class will cover how to achieve impressive, photo-realistic renderings. Topics will include everything from basic layout and composition to best practices for using materials, lighting, and environment effects. While this class will focus on examples of product design within Fusion 360 software’s rendering environment, the ideas described can be applied to any rendering situation and any rendering program. Compelling renderings are a key tool for successful storytelling of designs and concepts to a wide audience. This class will help you achieve rendering awesomeness.

More and more architectural studios are tasked with delivering renderings as part of their communications with their clients. These renderings have become powerful and important tools to help clients understand the vision for their projects and to help approve the major milestones during the design process. Understanding how to compose an image to convey the desired message has become increasingly important. Understanding the basic rules of composition and how to engage the viewer using composition is the foundation of successful communication. Our class will teach storytelling through composition and will capitalize on the team’s design skills to create compelling visual communication tools that will enable class attendees to be more efficient and effective in their communications with their clients.

Synchronizing two robotic motion-control camera rigs, we’ve been able to create a new visual effect never attempted before: time displacement, which involves having the image reflected in a mirror show the reflection of an action 10 seconds after that action happens on the screen. We can detach the time of the reflection, but maintain the physics of a coherent reflection angle—all in a single take.

Sol Rogers will use REWIND:VR case studies to show the sort of work that is currently being commissioned and utilized—from architectural design and development to Rolls-Royce’s new Vision vehicles, BBC’s International Space Station Space Walk, and the launch of Nike’s new Soccer Team kit. You may remember the early, overhyped virtual-reality (VR) attempts of the mid 1990s that were expensive and unable to deliver a truly immersive experience—and in many cases, just left people feeling nauseous. This is the year where VR truly becomes a viable consumer product. So, what's changed in the past 20 years? Sol Rogers, CEO and founder of REWIND:VR, will look at the developments—from technology and platforms to smartphones and appetite for the medium. VR is no longer just a marketing gimmick. It's a serious industry predicted to have 170 million active users by 2018.

This class covers several techniques for shortening the amount of time needed to produce architectural animations. The class demonstrates the impact of planning during the layout and animatic phase of an animation project and how camera decisions can save time and money.

This class will explain in an engaging and visual way the BIM (Building Information Modeling) adoption journey undertaken by Foster + Partners. We aim to help attendees reflect on their own adoption journeys as they plan and envision what’s to come. We will tell the story of change agents within Foster + Partners, sharing methods to help empower all attendees to be more effective change agents themselves. The speakers will analyze the human and systems challenges that arise when a company embraces new technologies within the real-world context of large, complex, high-stakes BIM projects that involve many teams that previously worked independently. Attendees will learn how to unpack and analyze environments, processes, and systems that either promote or inhibit innovation and technology adoption in their own workplaces. They will also discover different ways to think about their own paths toward innovation, and uncover alternate approaches to organizing their thoughts through sketching and increasing their creativity.

This breakout session takes you to the core of Twinmotion’s real-time rendering capabilities and carries you from the inside out through the basic features up to the great range of visual outputs, enabling you to simply create and effectively communicate the story you need for bringing across your architectural design.

Take advantage of the tools and techniques that the pros use on blockbuster films and television commercials to create videos and presentations that will blow your audiences away. If you currently edit video or produce renders for video, you need to attend this class. You' will see how paring Autodesk® Smoke® software for editing and effects with animation products, such as Autodesk® 3ds Max® software, enables a powerful pro video workflow for integrating high-definition video, 3D renders, and 3D data to produce results that surpass the look of standard "corporate video." Replace cumbersome workflows that require round-tripping between editing, 3D, and effects applications with the power of Autodesk products' integrated video, special effects, and 3D pipeline to deliver professional video results.

A compelling visualization is a key element for a successful presentation. Whether for an internal design review or an external customer-facing presentation, good storytelling is essential when working with any kind of complex data. This class will show you how to get more of your Inventor engineering data with the powerful visualization of VRED software. You will experience how easily and quickly you can tell your story with your data with astonishing quality. Learn how to import, reference, manage, and update Inventor data natively in VRED, and choose if you want to create real-time scenes, photorealistic renderings, engineering lighting analysis, virtual reality experiences, portable EXE files, or cloud-based visual content. We are looking forward to showing you a seamless process between Inventor software and VRED, and demonstrating how to sync data, configurations, and transformation.

This course will show designers, architects, and engineers how to make better and more-appealing animations for visualization, architecture, and design. Taught by an animation-industry veteran, this fast-moving presentation will take the basic principles of animation and use them to demonstrate ways to make your animations more visually appealing and easier to understand. The course will cover such topics as the importance of design and layout and the importance of storytelling, and we’ll discuss maintaining proper timing and adding weight. We will also cover technical topics such as animation curves, motion paths, and procedural animation, but in a non-software-specific way to make the topics and processes accessible to all. This session features 3ds Max and Maya. AIA Approved