About

Learn about the talented interns that developed Synthesis over the past years.

2025 Synthesis Team

This year we aimed to bring v7 of Synthesis up to feature parity with v6, the old Unity version. We added a peer-to-peer multiplayer system so you can play with your friends on different computers over the same network; a fully configurable match-mode system, including Autonomous, Teleop, and Endgame modes. We also fully refactored both the Exporter and Simulator UIs to use MUI—which will increase frontend development velocity and create a better user experience—and added comprehensive testing of the codebase. We're more dedicated than ever to bringing FIRST teams a robust, intuitive, and professional robotics simulator.

2024 Synthesis Team

During January of 2024, Synthesis embarked on a journey: leave the Unity game engine, and build Synthesis entirely in the web. During the months leading up to the Summer, we designed and researched a top to bottom rebuild of our robotics simulator (while we were all still in school). By the end of the Summer (just 8 months later), we had completely remade Synthesis in the browser, with a rigious platform to build from for the years to come.

Fun Fact: This was the first time (after nearly a decade) that Synthesis was recreated outside of Unity.

2023 Synthesis Team

This year was one of Synthesis' most productive years to date. We began the Summer with the first two weeks being completely in person, which is something we haven't done since 2019! We quickly finished our initial plans for the year and were able to do an entire overhaul of the graphics in Synthesis. In addition to that, we also brought back scoring and the robot builder (formerly known as Mix and Match).

Fun Fact: This Summer we started a couple of longer term projects for Synthesis that we hope to bring to users by next year

2022 Synthesis Team

During the 2022 summer, our goal is to finalize and release the new Synthesis 5.0.0. This will bring a brand new Synthesis rebuilt completely from the ground up. As a result of the work done throughout the pandemic so far, we hope to have a much more sound, stable, and friendly framework to build off of in the summers to come in order to allow more flexibility and usability within Synthesis.

This summer, our Marketing and Engine teams put their minds together and created an all new and adaptable UI system. Engine also finalized the inital gameplay features in the new codebase. The API team continued on the new controller framework started around 2020-2021. Along with controller, they setup the inital back-end we will utilize the bring multiplayer back to Synthesis.

Fun Fact: This is the first year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that members have been able to go back to the office. Though most of our workforce is still remote, two or three of us came into the office at least once a week. Usually on "Free Food Wednesdays."

2019 Synthesis Team

This summer was focused on gathering feedback from our users. We hosted 'Autodesk Days' which was attended by over fifty of our beta users, some in person, others via webinar. These events allowed our development team to hear firsthand what is working and what could be improved with the simulator.

In response, we added new features, including an impulse tool, a testing environment, simplified robot exporting process, and Java support. We also implemented analytics in Synthesis and our exporters, so please opt-in so that we can further understand how Synthesis is being used that will continue to direct future development work.

Fun Fact: Hey, hey it's our birthday...We officially reached 1 year of development on Synthesis! A few weeks into the summer, the accumulative development effort of nearly 50 interns surpassed 52 weeks. We hope you enjoy this monumental milestone and celebrate with us!

2018 Synthesis Team

This year was heavily focused on increasing the overall user friendliness of the product. One of the biggest ways we accomplished this was by adopting a workflow similar to other Autodesk products through our tab and toolbar system.

Additional features we implemented were revolved around our user research from 2017. This included the gameplay features, network multiplayer, and a Fusion robot exporter in addition to our Inventor exporter. It was also a big year for redesigning our code emulator so that the backend will require less maintenance from year to year.

Fun Fact: This was the first internship located in the new Portland Autodesk offices. It was also the first time the whole team took an overnight business trip to Microsoft.

2017 Synthesis Team

With the groundwork and features developed in previous years, 2017 was a productive year allowing us to expand the intern team and a variety of aspects within the simulator.

The user interface was vastly improved by streamlining many of the workflows, especially by integrating driver practice into the main simulator mode. Many new features were implemented including custom control schemes, a new 'Mix and Match Mode', sensors, robot cameras, collision analysis, and the complete integration of Bullet Physics.

Fun Fact: The Synthesis team had a strong bond and often stayed late after work to do fun things together in the area.

2016 Synthesis Team

In 2016, Synthesis had more discrete components than the previous year. One of the most notable changes was the addition of a main menu which allowed for new simulator settings and multiple simulator modes.

Additional research and development was focused on alternative rendering software (like OpenTK) and storing data through A360. Eventually Mackinnon Buck, one of the high school interns, integrated Bullet Physics the integration was released as a separate beta in 2015.

Fun Fact: The team went to lunch a lot and had a ping pong tournament. Of course, they ended another year go-karting.

2015 Synthesis Team

Synthesis was not as modularized as it is now, so many of us were involved working on multiple aspects of the simulator. During the 2015 summer internship, we made a GUI for the robot exporter, implemented a field exporter, and updated our emulator to support the 2015 version of WPILib. Many aspects of the simulator were also upgraded including multiple camera views, improved physics and overall stability. It was also the first year we had a User Experience (UX) intern who focused on reaching out to teams to collect data about what they would find useful in Synthesis.

Fun Fact: The team went on weekly lunch outings together (eating way too much sushi) and celebrated the end of the summer internship go-karting. Their "offices" were also in the designated Ping Pong room at Autodesk.

2014 Synthesis Team

2014 was the first year of active development on Synthesis. The project started as a joint resolver plugin from a FIRST Robotics student, Westin Miller. The project was continually developed by a group of FIRST robotics high school students who were involved in developing Synthesis.

Fun Fact: The project was originally named Aardvark.