– Bentley systems –
Makai Smith is Director of Product Management for MicroStation, Bentley’s flagship software for infrastructure design which is used globally in the Building, Civil, Transportation, Plant, and Geospatial disciplines. MicroStation also serves as the underlying platform for the majority of Bentley’s desktop BIM and domain-specific applications. He is responsible for MicroStation strategic direction and the interface between go-to-market execution, development, software quality, professional services, and technical support to deliver a market-driven solution that meets the demands of engineers, design firms, and owner-operators.
Makai joined Bentley Systems in 2007 to serve as product manager for Bentley GenerativeComponents, which pioneered the application of associative parametric modeling in AEC. In addition to bringing it from the lab into the market, he was also the lead designer of its visual programming language.
Prior to joining Bentley, he was Director of Digital Fabrication for Kreysler & Associates, a custom architectural composites manufacturer, where he oversaw the construction and operation of bespoke large-scale milling and laser-scanning used for pattern-making.
Makai began his career practicing architecture at Venturi Scott Brown and Associates, holding a M-Arch from Arizona State University and a BS in Design from the University of Florida.
For over a decade, Makai co-organized The Studio and Design Gallery at ACM SIGGRAPH, the world’s largest computer graphics conference and served as Chair in 2009 and 2012. He also co-organized the SmartGeometry conference, an early catalyst for the exploration of parametric and computational design in architecture.
Makai’s presentation: Composites and Digital Fabrication: Opportunities in Architecture