News and updates!

Hello to our chapter members!

 

There have been lots of goings-on in the chapter in our first and second quarters; hopefully we saw you there, and if not, perhaps we can catch you up.

 

>        We had our first event with our friends in the Pittsburgh AIGA, with Tucker Viemeister giving his presentation on “Its Always Something.”  This was a retrospective of his experiences as a designer and his views of design’s role in the world today. Read about it in this month’s Design Perspectives.

 

>        Our second event was at the Pittsburgh Auto Show.  This year we mixed it up a bit and made it an interactive event.  With over 20 people participating in this fun Photo Scavenger Hunt, we have some winners to announce!  And you can see our participants photo sets on Flikr. Go here for the whole story.

 

>        The third event this year was sponsored by Imaginit Technologies.  They presented their Digital Design workflow process using the latest tools from Autodesk.  Most impressive were the sketching demos in Alias and the real time rendering in Showcase.  More on that here.

 

>        The Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s student IDSA chapter is hosting a kickoff party and design event next Saturday the 19^th in Schenley Park.  The Asphalt Assault will be a skateboard design competition with a race following, and a picnic as well.  Read more about that here.

 

>        Also- we have begun uploading the photos of the last two year’s events onto our new chapter’s Flikr page.  We have many photos to share, and if anyone wants to share chapter pictures with us as well, let us know and we will get them up on the site.

 

>        Bayer Material Science and the local student chapters are participating in a collaborative effort to design Bayer’s exhibit for the IDSA National Conferece.  We are still looking for more professionals to be advisors to the students as they grow through this great program.  Any interested parties should e-mail me at tonys@ballydesign.com

 

Stay tuned to our Calendar and website- we will be announcing the year’s second half of events shortly!

 

Best Regards,

The Western PA IDSA Chapter Council

 

Imaginit Keeps it Digital

Imaginit Technologies sponsored and event on June 2nd about an all Digital Design Workflow. This event featured Shad Hardy and Aaron ____ demonstrating the power of the latest versions of Alias and their new rendering program Showcase. The programs allow you to sketch digitally and maintain your design intent even as you move into a developed product.

Showcase was incredible, in my opinion. You have to check this out- Real Time Rendering is not just a promise- it is REAL. You pick a surface and drop on the shaders and BOOM its done. I was amazed. Photorealism instantly. You have to see this for yourself.

For more information, contact Shad at shardy@rand.com

Auto Show Photo Winners!

Hello Pittsburgh Designers!

We had a very well attended event in May at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show. It seems that the idea of a participatory event was very attractive to our members, and we will be sure to note that! Over 20 people attended the event, which is nearly 1/5th of our membership. Everybody seemed to have a great time attempting to collect 10 photo subjects in the time allotted. By the following Monday, we had 7 different complete submission sets.

As promised, the photo collections of all submissions will be hosted online. You can go to our brand new Flikr account, and check out these really creative shots. I am always blown away with the creativity that comes from a band of designers cut loose!

That’s not all- we have three winners from our photo collections. Best overall photo is given to Solomon Benjamin for this fantastic shot. Best Collection is being awarded to our very own Matt Sass. And finally, our Honorable Mention goes to Paul Borerro for his photo collection and single best shot. Congratulations everyone! And thanks to everyone for participating.

A very special thanks to our judges: Vanessa Sica, designer with Body Media, Josh Greenberg, our Vice Chair and designer with Respironics, and Matt Beale, partner at Daedalus Excel.

Thanks again to our participants. Have fun examining everyone’s photos online, and feel free to leave comments (keep it positive!).

One last thing- we will be maintaining the Flikr Account to allow us to submit all of our photos from events over the last few years, so check back soon for further uploads and collections. Our website will also get a permanent link, just in case you don’t bookmark it.

Happy Warm Weather to you all!

Regards,
Tony Shoemaker, IDSA
Pittsburgh Chapter Chair

AIP Student IDSA Chapter Event!

Hello all! Next weekend, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh's student chapter are hosting a really fun interactive design event and picnic in Schenley part on Saturday the 14th. They are also celebrating the re-launch of their student chapter. Check out the information below! You can download the JPEGS to read the details- just right click and "Save As."

Please contact Justin Ezell the student chapter VP with any questions at jm.ezell@yahoo.com

Upcoming IXDA event

Our friends in the IXDA have an upcoming event- here’s the scoop!

 

 

 

EVENT: IXDA Pittsburgh June Meeting: An evening at Fit Associates

 

When: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Refreshments and Networking: 6:30-7:00 PM
Presentation and Discussion: 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Post-event Mingle: 8:30 PM onwards

Topic: "Making a Difference"
As interaction designers, we all want to see our work go to market, be loved by its users, and make a positive difference in their lives. And that is Fit's intention: to lead, nurture, connect and equip its clients so that what they make fits the complexities of life and positively affects the common good.

Fit partners Marc Rettig and Jenna Date will describe their approach to integrating design practices, ethnographic research, and the practical necessities of organizational change. Through project stories, they'll share practical techniques and points of view on process, collaboration, and making a positive difference for teams, organizations, and end users.

Where: Fit Associates, 5744 Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside
Fit Associates' studio is across the street from the Shadyside Saloon and above SPIN bar. The entry door is on street level to the left of SPIN bar.  Look for the cranberry Fit Associates sign in the door. Ring the bottom buzzer to be let in. Those that are driving can find parking at metered spots on the street. Parking meters are not enforced past 6:00 pm.

link to Google Maps <http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=5744+Ellsworth+Ave,+Pittsburgh,+Pennsylvania+15232&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.847644,88.417969&ie=UTF8&ll=40.456875,-79.931459&spn=0.007935,0.021586&z=16&iwloc=addr>

Company site: www.fitassociates.com 

RSVP:
Please let us know you're coming: 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pXQ-v5NgcfQnvYmkxLZzReQ&email=true
 

 

Thanks,

Michele Marut

IXDA Local Ambassador for Pittsburgh  

Questions?
Direct inquiries about this event to Dana Pruszynski at Fit Associates, dana@fitassociates.com

Tonight's Event: Digital Industrial Design Workflow

Hello Pittsburgh IDSA!  Don’t forget tonight’s event:

 

Digital Industrial Design Workflow

Art Institute of Pittsburgh

6:30 PM

Monday June 2^nd

Room 740

Presented by Imaginit Technologies

 

Imaginit Technologies will be in Pittsburgh on Monday June 2nd to give a presentation on their "digital production workflow."  They will show you how to create a model directly over a sketch without losing your design intent. From there, Inventor will be used to show many of the new features that make it a great engineering solids modeling tool. Finally, Showcase will be used to bring the project full circle as a high end real time communications tool eliminates the nee for renderings.

 

Imaginit Technologies is a reseller of AutoDesk products and also a solutions provider.  They will be highlighting Alias Studio 2009 in their presentation.  Their technical experts will get you up to speed with a great deal of information about the new powerful tools in Alias Studio 2009.

 

The event is being graciously hosted by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh (find the map here) in ROOM 740.

 

Personally I have seen a few of their new programs at the Mideast District conference, and while all were very impressive, Showcase was the most amazing thing- it is truly an instant real-time rendering tool.  I have never seen anything like that. This is a must see!

 

http://www.rand.com/imaginit/1/verticals/industrial_design.htm

 

Best Regards,

Tony Shoemaker, IDSA

Western PA Chapter Chair