Duration: 32:55

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In our interview series with the movers and shakers in the 3D realm, we talk to Carl Bass the CEO of Autodesk and how he is turning Autodesk into a 3D design, scan and print company for the masses.

Links:

http://www.autodesk.com
http://www.123dapp.com/
http://fusion360.autodesk.com
http://au.autodesk.com/au-online/overview?utm_source=dotcom&utm_medium=homepage-module&utm_campaign=au-online
http://spark.autodesk.com/
http://www.instructables.com/

Interview questions:

What is your name, what is your profession and where do you reside?

What is "Flying Moose Systems" and how did this help you become part of Autodesk?

When did you become CEO of Autodesk?

Like other CEOs in high profile companies in the tech industry, you have have engineering background. Do you feel that this is important trait in running a technology company?

How large is Autodesk now, and how many divisions are now part of Autodesk?

Wired magazine did an interview with you and it caught my attention due to your own "Maker" background, and how this thought process seems to have permeated throughout Autodesk. In your own words, how do you feel your own maker spirit has pushed Autodesk into the minds of makers, hobbyist, artist, and entrepreneurs?

I am quite familiar with your Autocad line of products as well as Revit and 3D Studio in the ten years I worked as an IT director for a local multi-discipline firm in the early 2000s, but these tools were high powered and expensive. Autodesk still offers these tools but there are now a number of smaller, yet powerful tools that are free? Why this free or lower cost direction?

Many in the industry see Autodesk as a large whale swallowing whole, many smaller companies and limiting innovation. Do you agree with this? If not, can you give me an example like with the acquisition of Mudbox, or recently TinkerCAD on how you are taking these products to a better level?

What is the goal of the 123D line of software, the SPARKS initiative and Fusion 360?

Autodesk has always supported the educational market, but many people do not know to what extent. My personal experience in going back to school for some iOS development education, I took advantage of your student software program a couple of years back and you offer all of the applications to the student for a period of three years for at total out-of-pocket cost of $100 (ed. Now Free!). This is fantastic oppurtunity to reach out with your programs and allowed me to try out a number of solid modeling applications like Inventor before settling on the Fusion 360 because of Inventor feel, but a trimmer set of features more to my needs for the development of my new NEODiMOUNT and 4eyes accessories for the Occipital Structure Sensor. I think this sets you apart from Dassault who pushes crippled versions into the schools and then provides no low cost way of continuing to use their product (that I know of).

Where is Autodesk heading in 2015 and beyond? Do you see a line of hardware devices like the Ember? Or was this experiment?