The warehouse doesn't look like much. It is a graying building on San Francisco's Pier 9. Low-slung, narrow. But inside, there is magic taking place. Metalsmiths and furniture makers, Burning Man veterans, chefs, and genetic tinkerers spin out creations on $100,000-plus machines that parade out over the bay, bolt by blade. These artists in residence have made 3D-printed cameras, topographic-map carpets, Rube Goldberg–style machines, recipes using insect flour, and plywood that folds like paper. They can do this because three years ago, Autodesk, a leader in computer-aided design software, bought Instructables, a website where members share plans for their DIY projects. Eric Wilhelm, a young MIT mechanical engineering Ph.D. and kite surfer, is the founder of Instructables. One thing he wanted from the Autodesk deal was a test lab for…