Category: Essential SKILLS


  • Wireframe of a car on black background. Text reads: Autodesk Alias. Learn the essentials.

    New Alias certification course!

    We’re thrilled to announce the new Autodesk official Alias Certification program! This program is tailored for automotive designers and creative professionals who want to learn the skills essential to designing in Autodesk Alias. Over five modules, you’ll learn At the end of the course, you’ll receive official certification for Alias Essentials. Alias Certification gives you…


  • New! Alias Subdivision tutorials

    We’re thrilled to share new video-based Alias Subdivision (Subdiv) tutorials with you. We spoke with Randal Ellwood, our Principal Content Experience Designer, about what they are, who they’re for, how you can access them. These videos introduce the Subdivision Workspace and basic subdivision principles. They also share tips on how to incorporate more specific Subdiv tools…


  • Design Studio solution: Finding help in Alias, VRED, and ShotGrid

    Alongside our 2024 releases of Alias and VRED, we’ve refreshed the Alias Help system. Autodesk Help Systems are tailored to make using the software easier and more intuitive. Read on for details about the new Alias user experience, as well as the Alias, VRED, and ShotGrid Help systems, to support your learning journey. New Alias…


  • PAUSE: VRED tips from senior designer Mike Turner

    Our PAUSE series aims to share Design Studio Blog posts you may have missed. It’s a chance for you to pause on a particular subject or series and take it in. PAUSE: Exploring VRED with Mike Turner Mike Turner, Senior Designer with DG Design, is an industrial designer with 24 years’ experience working primarily in…


  • Hands-on Introduction to SubD Modeling, Part 2: Hybrid Modelling in Alias

    What This Is             This series covers Alias ESSENTIAL SKILLS in a 2-part video series: In this series, our own John Hartigan introduces you to SubD Modeling by walking through the creation of a simple model – our Monster – to present the tools in a clear and accessible way. Who It’s For            Beginners in Alias,…


  • Behind the scenes with Mike Turner series 03, episode 04: Exterior imaging — adding motion

    In episode 03 of his third VRED series, Mike Turner goes deeper into raytraced rendering and covers the basics as well as an overview of VRED options and how hardware/software is evolving. In episode 04, Mike shows you how to add basic motion within an environment to convey a sense of dynamism and speed –…


  • Learn from the experts: Real-time visualization (OpenGL) in VRED

    This 4-part YouTube tutorial series focuses on real-time visualization (OpenGL) in VRED. Automotive designer Christian Woefel shares tips and tricks for setting up and optimizing your VRED scenes for better performance. The videos explain the necessary trade-offs to get the best possible render quality while maintaining smooth, real-time interaction with the scene in VRED. Watch…


  • Behind the scenes with Mike Turner series 03, episode 03: The basics of raytraced interior rendering in VRED

    In episode 02 of his third VRED series, Mike Turner takes us through interior rendering and VR set-up, offering some great tips for optimizing scenes to perform well with less than less-than-state-of-the-art hardware. In episode 03, Mike goes deeper into raytraced rendering and covers the basics as well as an overview of VRED options and…


  • Getting started with Alias, parts 3-5: Marking menus, hotkeys, preferences

    5-part video series for beginners Part 3: Introduction to Marking Menus Part 4: Using Hot Keys Part 5: Saving and Exporting Preferences In this five-part series, our own Rich Mazza introduces you to the fundamentals of Alias. Think of this as getting a lay of the land, a high-level overview of the Alias User Interface…


  • Hands-on introduction to subD modeling, part 1: Creating the basic elements

    What This Is These tutorials cover Alias Essential Skills in a 2-part video series: In this series, our own John Hartigan introduces you to SubD Modeling by walking through the creation of a simple model – our Monster – to present the tools in a clear and accessible way. Who It’s For Beginners in Alias,…


  • Behind the scenes with Mike Turner series 03, episode 02: Interior rendering & VR set-up in VRED

    In episode 01 of his third VRED series, Mike Turner gives us an overview of DGDesign’s history with public transportation design and shares some of the work they’ve done. In episode 02, Mike turns to interior rendering and VR set-up. He discusses his experiences with interior design visualization in VRED and has some great tips…


  • Learn from the experts: High-end visualization in FullGI with Toby Lee

    The Expert CGI Artist Toby Lee didn’t plan on a career in automotive design. He envisioned a career in the gaming industry and pursued that training. But when he modeled a car for part of his study, he discovered the passion for automotive design and redirected his energy and talent. We asked Toby to do…


  • The Alias workbench: Kerry Kingston’s Alias training videos

    Learning Alias Back in the day, designer and Alias expert Kerry Kingston created a slew of Alias training videos that she hosted at www.aliasworkbench.com. The decision to call the site a “workbench” was a deliberate one: Kerry wanted the videos to reflect the lived experience of designers (which can be messy, with a short attention…


  • Essential SKILLS: Getting started with Alias

    5-part video series for beginners Part 1: Introduction to Alias User Interface Part 2: Fundamental Alias tools In this five-part series, our own Rich Mazza introduces you to the fundamentals of Alias. Think of this as getting a lay of the land, a high-level overview of the Alias User Interface and the key tools you’ll…


  • Getting the most from Alias Help: A conversation with Alias Help expert Randal Ellwood

    We’ve seen your engagement with our learning and training tools, both here at the Design Studio Blog and via our LinkedIn channels. So Autodesk Chief of Staff Blake Avery and I sat down with Randall Ellwood, Principal Content Developer, to talk about Alias Help. You can listen to the podcast here: Alias Help Basics What…