Autodesk is a well-known software company that makes the programs that game designers and developers use to create the games you play and love, from indie hits to AAA console and PC titles. They’re taking a step closer to the consumer realm wiht the 123D series, notably 123Creatures, an app for iPad that lets you design a creature from the wireframe on up, letting you realize your designs in true 3D, which can then be sent to a 3D printing service from within the app itself. Cool stuff, really.

I can remember spending hours of my childhood tinkering with a little game called Mouse Trap. They aren’t fond memories though because the game was frustrating when the mechanisms didn’t work, and they rarely worked. Regardless of the game’s failings, it did instill a love for the Rube Goldberg model in me. I am now, and will forever be, intrigued by falling dominoes, steampunk apparatuses (apparati?), and the creation of Rube Goldberg machines in Garry’s Mod for Half-Life 2. If you aren’t familiar with Rube Goldberg he was an American cartoonist who popularized the concept of outlandish machines performing simple tasks. Most of his illustrations featured insane contraptions doing ordinary tasks like pouring coffee or feeding a pet. Needless to say, his name is now synonymous with the concept.

So, Imagine my surprise and excitement when I found out about Autodesk’s new app/game Tinkerbox which happens to be based around the Rube Goldberg concept. They aren’t really known for their games, but then again, Tinkerbox is more than just a game. The well-respected developers at Autodesk who brought you Sketchbook Pro, AutoCAD, and Fluid FX have released a physics, engineering, puzzle, hybrid game with an educational flair (what a mouthful). The experimental app is hard to define with one word concepts, so I will just give you the full breakdown.

Tinkerbox is a free-to-play game with various physics puzzles built in. Not only can you solve these puzzles and learn engineering and scientific concepts, but you can also create your own Rube Golberg style machines and share them with with your friends. If you aren’t the creative type you can also just download other peoples puzzle machines for the solving. The trailer reveals a plethora of creative options, so I can imagine you will only be limited by your creativity and the amount of time you invest in the app. Oh, and if the theme song in the trailer doesn’t get you pumped about this free app, then I have no idea what will.

Autodesk has even created a website for the game that features tips, news, and a selection of top notch inventions (their name for Tinkerbox creations). The game is free and well supported, so hopefully if it is popular enough we will see some interesting updates down the road.

FREE!

TinkerBox HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-02-01 :: Category: Games

It is hard to even imagine what computer-aided design would be like without an application like AutoCAD.  It has redefined the way that an entire generation of engineers look at problems and been a big proponent for PCs in the industrial design sector.

You would have to go back eighteen years to remember the last time that AutoCAD made an appearance on a Mac platform of any sort.  At the time, one Steve Jobs had been shown the door and the company was floundering rather severely.  In response to an indefinite future for the fledgling company, Autodesk decided to close up shop on their Mac OS based development team and focus on the more lucrative PC market.

The plan seemed to pay of for them at the time, but left Mac users out in the cold, forcing them to use emulation tools in order to get the same functionality on their platform of choice.  Fortunately for all involved, that is now a thing of the past as it was recently announced by Autodesk that the AutoCAD franchise will be making a return to the once abandoned Mac universe.

But what would a return of Apple support be without iOS applications as well?  Coined AutoCAD WS, AutoDesk will be releasing an iPad, iPhone and iTouch application that will allow users to both view and edit designs on the fly.  As the sweet icing on the cake, the app will be completely free!  This is kind of a big deal when you consider that a stand alone license of the application could set a user back as much as nearly $4,500.

I just find it staggering how far technology has come in the last twenty years.  Even a decade ago it would be lunacy to consider what we can design on our computers, and now you can do the same thing on a device that you can fit in your pocket.  It will be interesting to see what limitations are placed on the WS versions of AutoCAD, but we will never be ones to look a gift horse in the mouth.

You can look forward to this giant step forward in design and engineering to hit the App Store sometime this fall.

[ via InfoWorld.com ]