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In a world where globalization is constantly expanding the range of choices available to consumers, great design has become a way to stand out in the crowd," emphasized Autodesk CEO, Carl Bass, at a gathering of global media who had collected to witness the launch of the new strategy and product line in San Francisco in mid-February. The event coincided with the World Press Day on Feb 12-13, 2007.

Bass added: "Fortunately for Autodesk, there has never been a better time to be a leader in the design software category. Autodesk is on a mission to democratize this powerful ability to experience ideas before they are real, with 2D and 3D design tools that help customers of all sizes, shapes, locations and industries to fully leverage the power of design innovation."

Bass identified five major global forces that exert great pressure on companies to innovate as well as address social and environmental issues. Emerging economies; a boom in worldwide infrastructure, from highways to utility lines; the rise of the middle class in nations such as China; the necessity for sustainable design; and the advent of technology and digital lifestyles have raised the stakes for success, requiring companies to innovate in order to remain competitive and profitable, he said.

"By making changes early in the development process, companies reap the benefits of design innovation namely cost-effectiveness, efficiency, faster time to market, better quality and performance that add up to competitive advantage in a fast-changing global economy," he added.

Citing examples from leading customer work, Bass explained how Autodesk solutions "are redefining design as the world knows it." Bass was joined by Autodesk chief technology officer, Jeff Kowalski, who gave a technology preview of Autodesk's product portfolio.

Customer Tribute
On the occasion, Autodesk customers who are leading their industries in the areas of predictive analysis, visualization and simulation, presented examples of their latest work and demonstrated how Autodesk solutions are helping them experience innovative ideas before they are real.

Todd Sue, a 3D environment artist of Infinity Ward Inc, an award-winning developer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Inc, a leading publisher of interactive entertainment software products, discussed his use of Autodesk Maya 3D animation, modeling and rendering software to create game environments. "Thanks to Autodesk solutions, Infinity Ward has garnered more than 100 Game of the Year awards and 50 Editor's Choice awards," Sue said.

Father-son duo, Joe and Jason Palumbo of US-based Palumbo Motorcar, a car design and manufacturing company focused on producing environmentally-friendly sports cars, elaborated on how Autodesk solutions allowed their company to visualize, simulate and analyze the real-world performance of its designs early in the design process.

Joe Palumbo explained, "The Palumbo M-80 car was designed and developed using a combination of Autodesk manufacturing solutions, including Autodesk Inventor software and Autodesk AliasStudio software. Concept drawings were created in Autodesk AliasStudio, which is a complete set of tools for the conceptual design process, and then efficiently transferred into Inventor, the 3D mechanism design software."

Palumbo Motorcar plans to leverage the high-performance sports car markets with the development of Palumbo M-80 car, which claims to deliver not just speed and acceleration, but outstanding fuel economy and minimal environmental impact.

Patrick MacLeamy, CEO of HOK, which is an architecture and engineering firm, discussed how the company has aggressively adopted Revit, Autodesk's BIM platform, throughout the firm and is using Autodesk software including Revit, 3ds Max and Autodesk VIZ for building design, engineering and visualization.

The 2008 Lineup
The second and concluding day of the Autodesk World Press Day event featured Autodesk industry vice-presidents unveiling the lineup of new 2008 product solutions.

Autodesk has updated its AutoCAD-based solutions for architects, civil and MEP engineers. "AutoCAD Architecture 2008 (formerly Autodesk Architectural Desktop), AutoCAD MEP (formerly Autodesk Building Systems) and AutoCAD Civil 3D software applications incorporate new features and functionality to help architects, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) and civil engineers improve productivity and increase efficiency," said Jay Bhatt, vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. "From our vantage point as a driving force in design software, we can see tremendous opportunity for our customers to continue to improve design and documentation productivity for even the basic tasks of engineering and building design," he added.

Bhatt also announced comprehensive updates to Autodesk Revit platform. "The latest updates to the Revit platform help provide immediate competitive advantage, better coordination and quality, and increased support for sustainable design, all of which can lead to better performing buildings and higher profitability for architects, engineers and the extended building team," he said.

Autodesk also unveiled enhancements to AutoCAD Map 3D 2008 and AutoCAD Raster Design 2008 geospatial software products, which further improve the integration of geospatial data by planning, engineering and operations personnel in utilities and municipal governments. "Whether they are repairing a water pipeline or planning a subdivision, engineers, field personnel and asset managers need up-to-the-minute location and design information," said Lisa Campbell, vice president, Autodesk Geospatial Solutions. "This essential requirement is key to improving organizational productivity in multiple industry sectors, which is why Autodesk continues to enhance our portfolio of core technologies to meet this challenge."

Autodesk has introduced AutoCAD 2008 software-the latest version of the world's most widely used computer-aided design (CAD) software. Amar Hanspal, vice president, Autodesk Platform and Geospatial Solutions: "The market success of AutoCAD is a direct result of our effort to respond to customer needs and raise the standard for innovation to take our customers one step further."

"Since creating the design software market with the debut of AutoCAD software, Autodesk has remained focused on making the design process smoother and smarter. That's why we continue to integrate our core drafting, visualization and collaboration technologies in order to accelerate the evolution of design, and ultimately, help our customers become more innovative, productive and competitive," he added.

Autodesk also unveiled the latest versions of its manufacturing solutions, which help customers redefine the product development process by experiencing their ideas before they are real. With updates to Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, Autodesk AliasStudio, Autodesk Showcase and Autodesk Productstream software products, the company is offering a complete approach to digital prototyping that allows manufacturers to cost-effectively validate their ideas and foster product innovation.

Additionally, an onsite demo lounge at the World Press Day venue provided participants to get up close with the latest Autodesk 2D and 3D technology.

Namratha Jagtap
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in
The author was hosted in San Francisco

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