Real-World Challenges

Green Cabin Design

Add a second bedroom onto a predrafted one-bedroom cabin to accommodate your fishing buddies. It is important that you specify green building materials and solar panels for the cabin and stay within your budget limits. The final deliverable is a complete set of construction documents.

Edible Landscape

Turn an ordinary yard into an edible landscape under the mentorship of landscape-design guru Avis Licht. By replacing ornamental plants with edible plants and following the principles of sustainable landscape design, you create an edible paradise in your own backyard.

Set Designer

Design a set for a live performing arts show or music video that is a collaboration of many different types of artists. Your set design must present a visual landscape that is interactive for both the performers and the audience. The fusion of visual elements with interactive performance creates a multifaceted, spectacular production.

Nutrition and the Human Body

Create 3D visualizations of the effects of poor nutrition and disease on organs of the human body. After researching given problems, you create sketches and a storyboard to follow as you animate the effects using Autodesk® Maya® software and a premade stylized human anatomy model.

Smartphone Accessory

Disguise an older model smartphone by designing a personalized accessory for it. You begin by understanding the needs and preferences of your customer. You research, sketch, create multiple prototypes, test, refine, and ultimately arrive at a solution that delights your customer.

VEX Robot Gripper

Design an original robotic gripper for use in an industrial materials handling operation. In this case, your robot gripper will be used in recycling operations and must be able to pick up and firmly grasp an ordinary aluminum soda can.

The Pooch Cooler

Learn a unique way to cool animals down in the summertime, explore how to reduce the thermal discomfort of Ted the 140 lb. bullmastiff by means of heat transfer to the ground by water, creating a self-sustaining energy system that keeps Ted cool and runs only when needed.

Accessible Design

Remodel the home of an aging superhero to comply with the accessibility laws of the galaxy. Your design must include oversized doors, adequate space and ramps for wheel chairs, grab bars, and other accommodations based on the needs of the particular superhero. Sustainability is required.

Chicken Coop

Design a chicken coop to fit your own environment. The coop design must take into consideration the needs of the chickens with the purpose of providing a sustainable food source for humans. The chicken coop project covers the same elements required to build a house, only on a smaller scale.

Bicycle Pavilion

Design a bicycle pavilion to accommodate the growing number of cyclists in San Francisco. With an emphasis on sustainability, you consider site location, weather, building features, materials, and more. You create a 3D model of your design, complete with walkthroughs and renderings.

Disaster Relief Housing

You are called in to provide a solution for emergency housing in response to a disaster that has left many people in your community homeless. There is an urgent need to move these people into affordable, permanent housing quickly. Your housing design must be easy to assemble and sustainable.

Contain it Housing

Design a green home out of cargo shipping containers using Autodesk Revit Architecture software. Technology instructor Jennifer Caffrey shows you how to design an alternative home that is affordable, easy to assemble, functional, and sustainable. You think outside and inside the box!

Help the Environment

Create a 30-second animated public service announcement to increase public awareness about a sustainability issue that concerns you. You construct the animation in Autodesk® Maya® software using features such as camera angles, shading, texturing, lighting, and rendering.

Save Our Fish

Research a pertinent topic on environmental sustainability and make a fifteen-second animated public service announcement. Using predetermined props, surfaces, and lighting, you determine the concept and create an animation using Autodesk® Maya® software.

Visualize Virus

Examine a reovirus at a molecular level and create an accurate 3D visualization of the virus infecting a human intestine. You learn how to create a molecular animation from beginning to end using Autodesk Maya software and digital tools and resources developed for biomedical research.

Blooming Java

Design a dual-purpose retail space. You must figure out how to convert one shop into the other quickly and seamlessly. Each shop requires its own storefront and equipment. You must use green building practices and carry only organic, local, and/or fair-trade products in both shops.

Electric Vehicle Design 2016

Design a plug-in, zero-emissions electric car in response to the need for more fuel-efficient, cleaner running automobiles. Your completed electric car design must be lightweight, comfortable, reliable, energy-efficient, and affordable for the average consumer.

Metro Bus Transit Center

Design a metro bus transit center. You follow a complex problem-solving process, collaborating with key stakeholders and BIM experts. You examine every angle of the design problem, leaving no stone unturned. The final design solution is functional, sustainable, and attractive.

Green Garbage Game

Learn how to create a 3D video game. Game developer Carl Callewaert takes you through the process of designing the Green Garbage Game, a serious game about recycling and the environment. You then create your own game surrounding a sustainability issue that concerns you.

Urban Park

Collaborate with your classmates to turn an underused lot in your community into an urban park. It should be a place where people can come to relax. Teams work together collaborating on the features of the park to create a sustainable, beautiful, and functional space for everyone to enjoy.

VEX Robotics Competition – Gateway

Unleash your inner mad scientist to create the next generation R2-D2 or Marvin the Paranoid Android. You and your teammates design a robot that will methodically take out all of its opponents at the 2011– 2012 VEX Robotics Competition—Gateway. Prepare to rule the world!

I Feel the Chemistry

Create a 90-second song and dance animation to help others learn the elements of the periodic table. Individual periodic elements are the stars of the show as they sing and dance along with the original song “I Feel the Chemistry.”  It’s unforgettable!

Excellence In Design: How to Create a 30 Second 3D Animation Project

Create a 30 second 3D animation to tell a story using the Iiko characters. Over 60 great videos walking you through everything you need to know from storyboarding to compositing and all files are available in both Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya.

Express Yourself

In this project, you learn how to express yourself by bringing a character to life with Autodesk Maya software. In a series of videos, Carlos Baena, animator and Co-Founder of Animation Mentor, uses a simple robot character, Anibot, to illustrate the creative process of animation.

Datapad: Video Game Asset

3D artist Jesse Moody shows you how to design an interactive datapad for an video game using Autodesk® 3dx Max® software. The datapad is designed to be the primary device that a player interacts with during gameplay, whether it is to read the mission dossier or fire weapons at a target. 

VEX Virtual ClawBot

In this project, you learn how to design and assemble a robot that can pick up spent nuclear fuel rods and deposit them in a containment device. In place of a real robot, students design a virtual prototype using the VEX Robotics Kit and Autodesk Inventor software.

VEX Speed, Torque, Power, and DC Motors

In this project, you learn how to design a robotic arm to attach to a VEX object manipulator to compete in a robotics competition. Pre-engineering instructor Brian Stevenson illustrates how to calculate the exact amount of speed, torque, and power necessary to operate a winning robot.

VEX Object Manipulation

In this project, you learn about robotic object manipulators and how they are used. Pre-engineering instructor Brian Stevenson shows you how to design and build a scoop-type VEX object manipulator using Autodesk Inventor software, the VEX Robotics Kit, and the design thinking process. 

VEX Mechanical Power Transmission

In this project, you learn about mechanical power transmission and the different types of gears and how they work. You design, test, and build a precision gear system that helps transmit power to the robotic arm on a VEX object manipulator for robotics competition.

VEX Custom Part Creation

In this project, you create a VEX custom part to improve the performance of your VEX robot. Using the design thinking process, you explore ways to enhance or expand the capabilities and market appeal of your robot to make it a more formidable opponent in the robotics competition arena.

America’s Cup Sailing Center

You are challenged to design the  Pier 7: America’s Cup Sailing Center.

The 34th America’s Cup, one of the oldest and best-known international sailing yacht competitions, will be coming to San Francisco in 2013.  The history and prestige associated with the America's Cup attracts not only the world's top sailors and yacht designers but an international audience as well.

Design, Engineer, Construct: The Old Schoolhouse

Students from Shuttleworth College, Burnley, Lancashire, have teamed up with "A Class of Your Own" to help design, engineer, and redevelop a local area, The Weaver's Triangle, and tackle issues around sustainability.

Visualizing Molecules

Examine a basic atom structure and then create simple molecule structures, link them together and create a particle system. You learn how to create a 3D visualization of atoms, molecules and a particle system from beginning to end using Autodesk® 3ds Max® software.

Solar System

Have you ever gazed at the night sky and wondered what’s out there? The solar system is home to the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and many other exciting objects. In this project, you create a 3D visualization and animation of a basic solar system using Autodesk® 3ds Max®, and learn all about the solar neighborhood in the process.

Parklet

In this project, you create a small urban parklet as part of a larger downtown redevelopment project. Your design replaces under-utilized parking spots providing the community with an inviting space that encourages street life and brings beauty into an otherwise concrete jungle.

Foundations of 3D Compositions using 3ds Max®

Creating successful compositions in 2D can be challenging but adding the third dimension can be really tricky! The Foundations of 3D Compositions project guides you through the methods and techniques needed for creating successful 3D environments in an ‘easy to use’ process with Autodesk® 3ds Max®. 

Foundations of 3D Lighting using 3ds Max®

Light is crucial in establishing place, time, and mood in any scene. The Foundations of 3D Lighting project walks you through the basics of effective lighting using Autodesk® 3ds Max® and provides you with tools for future 3D projects as well. The ‘easy to use’ project set up allows you to get started quickly.

Foundations of 3D Rendering using 3ds Max®

You have created a gorgeous scene and now it's time to render, but what are your best options given the endless possibilities? The Foundations of 3D Rendering project is your answer. This project walks you through rendering options using Autodesk® 3ds Max® and explains which settings are best for your project in an ‘easy to use’ process.

Biomimicry: Robotic Spider

For centuries, innovators have looked at nature for inspiration when developing new products and systems. The genius of scientists and inventors is due in part to their ability to perceive how the technology of nature can be incorporated into human artifacts. Learn more about how nature is the ultimate source of inspiration and influences how we adapt to our environment.

Gravity: Space Weight Belt Design

What exactly does the center of gravity mean and why is it important? In this project, you learn the importance of gravity in all aspects of our lives, from designing successful products and systems, to excelling at sports, to environmental sustainability, to harnessing the effects of gravitational pull.

Kinetic Energy: Yo-yo Design

A simple yo-yo has a lot to offer in teaching us about potential and kinetic energy. In this project, you will learn about these two forms of energy and create a yo-yo model using Autodesk® 123D® Design to demonstrate potential and kinetic energy in action.

Concave and Convex: Chocolate Candy Mold

Learn about concave and convex surfaces and how the use of these surfaces in industrial molding and casting helps create countless consumer and manufacturing products. In this project, students create a chocolate candy mold using the principles of concave and convex.

Friction: Rocket Model

Without friction, we would be sliding all over the place! Friction is a force that resists motion when two objects or surfaces are in contact. Understanding friction is critical for the design of any physical object or system. In this project, you are first presented with an overview of friction through the design thinking video. You are then guided through the process of using Autodesk® 123D® Design to create a concept design for a rocket.

Molecule: Molecular Model

Have you ever wondered how the chemistry of molecular bonding impacts the design of products, systems, materials, and processes? In this project, you will use Autodesk® 123D® Design to create a virtual molecular model of sodium stearate, a molecule commonly found in soap. During this process, you will discover the importance of molecular structures and the impact that molecular properties have on our daily lives.

Chair Design

In this project, you engage in the design thinking process: understand, explore, define and ideate, to develop concept sketches using Autodesk® SketchBook® Express for a chair design that will be used in a school library setting.

Lamp Design

Using Autodesk® SketchBook® Express, you create a conceptual drawing for a lamp to be used in a school library setting. In this project, you leverage the design thinking process to understand, explore, define and ideate a lamp design.

Balance Bike

In this project, you design a training or balance bike using Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro and Autodesk® 123D® Design. A balance bike is a training bicycle that helps children learn balance and steering without traditional training wheels or bike pedals.

Car Design

In this project, you create a concept sketch and model of a car design using Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro and Autodesk® 123D® Design.

Cell Division

In this project, you learn about mitosis cell division in which two new cells are produced from a single cell. Using Autodesk® Maya®, you construct representative models of cells and their DNA and animate them in a cell division simulation of mitosis.