In the Pipes

Mid-winter Rituals

It's that time of the year again - no, not Mardi Gras -- although Mardi Gras is this week.  I am referring to daratechPLANT 2009.  The Daratech event is where software providers to the Plant industry, large and small, gather in Houston to showcase the latest in solutions for designing, building and maintaining plants of all types and sizes.  I managed to tear myself away from Mardi Gras in New Orleans for this show  - here, a photo of me with A.J. Murphy, who is in charge of business development for Autodesk Plant in the Americans.  In this picture we are about to enjoy a traditional king cake at my turkey fry.  (I have other photos but my editor wouldn't let me post them.)  

I believe this is the 7th time I attend Daratech.  It has been interesting to see all the changes across the years.  When I started attending, there was a focus on software performance and stability -- after all, computers in 2002 didn't have the power we are used to today, and some of the software was a bit raw.   Then there was a shift to data lifecycle management engendering the rise of data warehouse solutions.  In the last few years the focus has become data exchange and integrated solutions.

Autodesk has been exhibiting for the past several years - this year we are showing Autodesk Inventor 2009, AutoCAD NavisWorks 2009, AutoCAD P&ID 2009, and AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 Beta 2.  We have pods for each application, as well as a demonstration of the integrated solution showing these different applications working together in a plant project environment. . . .ok, I'm going to go back to booth duty.  And to stop dreaming about the trouble I won't be getting into Mardi Gras day.

I don't want to brag . . .

... but I will brag anyway.  AutoCAD P&ID 2009, our current shipping version, got an "A" rating in a recent Cadalyst Magazine review.  Way to go, AutoCAD P&ID 2009!  Also, many major Oil & Gas Companies -- I mean "Energy Companies" -- as well as many EPCs, large and small, now have AutoCAD P&ID 2009 in-house.  It is among the best selling products for P&ID creation today with thousands of seats!  Not bad for a product that has only been available for 2 years, no?

I can't say that I'm that involved in AutoCAD P&ID development anymore, so I can't personally take credit.  In my current role on the Autodesk Plant Solutions team, I am mostly involved with bringing client concerns to the team, filling in when our lead designer is out, and showing up to an occasional bug scrub meeting to cause trouble fight for critical fixes.  So I wanted to shout out a big "Good Job!" to the AutoCAD P&ID 2009 team.  Keep up the good work - and I'm excited about what's to come in 2010!

By the way, if you happen to be in Houston next week attending the daratech PLANT 2009 conference (February 23-25) like I am, please swing by the Autodesk booth and say hello! 

Bag Envy

A few posts back I showed the messenger bag that was one of the coveted tchotchke offered to Autodesk University (AU) attendees. These bags are made of recycled Autodesk banners, meaning each one in different. Or as marketing material says, "Each one is unique, just like you!"

I am big fan of a good bag, and this one has displaced my last laptop carrier to become my bag-of-choice.  Why?...Good pockets, nice long adjustable strap, sufficient padding to stop me from cracking another laptop.

Anyway, it turns out we have a few of these bags leftover.  Autodesk is offering them "below cost" via this website, for US$29.99 plus shipping.  The site says : "Sorry, but we cannot accept requests for specific colors or styles. Enjoy the few surprises you get in life! :)"

Yay, surprises! However, if you happen to get a pink one, I'd be more than happy to trade. 

Speaking of AU, you can vote for Autodesk University 2007 in Live Design’s Excellence In Live Design Awards.  Apparently I'm not the only one blown away by AU's event production each year.  That was the "Experience it before it is Real" year, with the big 360 surround screens and the Metropolis demo - a 3D city model presented with a soundscape of city noises. Awesome stuff - this general session eye candy video doesn't do it justice.