Autodesk Announces New Design Software Solutions for Education Market

Autodesk announced recently that it will offer five new industry-oriented software suites to help students learn core design and engineering skills. The suites contain extensive 2D and 3D Autodesk software used by professionals worldwide. The new bundled packages encourage a multidisciplinary educational approach, enabling faculty to teach key concepts to prepare students for rewarding architecture, engineering and design careers. These suites, to be offered globally, will be available in English as well as more than 10 other languages.

“Around the world, there is a tremendous need for engineering and design professionals with relevant education and technology skills to address current and future challenges,” said Joe Astroth, Ph.D., Autodesk vice president of Learning and Education. “Our new software suites and curricula will help meet that need. By offering our customers more purchasing options, along with enhanced 2010 versions of many of our award-winning products, we aim to make faculty and students even more successful.”

Solutions for Postsecondary Academic Institutions:

• Autodesk Education Suite for Architecture and Engineering 2010
• Autodesk Education Suite for Civil and Structural Engineering 2010
• Autodesk Education Suite for Mechanical Engineering 2010
• Autodesk Education Suite for Industrial Design 2010
• Autodesk Education Master Suite 2010 (includes all products in the other suites)

The suites include the 2010 versions of 18 industry-leading Autodesk products, offering new features and functionality to help aspiring design professionals worldwide improve their competitive advantage. More information is available at the Education Product Center at www.autodesk.com/education.

The suites are supported by nine curricula that promote teaching concepts. Curricula include professionally developed lecture notes, student workbooks, challenging projects and other valuable tools to help instructors teach crucial skills. Among the new curricula are Sustainable Design Education Curriculum, a series of lessons that explore the methods and tools to better prepare students for the integrated practice of sustainable design; Autodesk Revit Architecture BIM (Building Information Modeling) Curriculum, a series of project-based lesson plans designed to support classroom teaching and promote student understanding of BIM; AutoCAD Civil 3D BIM Curriculum, to give students the tools to compete and succeed in civil engineering careers; and AutoCAD Inventor Curriculum, featuring 3D mechanical design from sketching, modeling and documentation to analysis and visualization. All curricula are available at the Student Engineering and Design Community, an online resource for students and educators.

In addition to the postsecondary offerings, Autodesk will offer two suites to inspire secondary school students to see the dynamic connection between science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Autodesk Design Academy 2010 includes 2D and 3D software and learning tools to help students prepare for future academic degrees and careers in architecture, engineering and design. Among its curricula are Design Basics Curriculum, which introduces students to foundational design knowledge; Pre-Architecture Curriculum, illustrating the architectural design process through real-world projects; Robotics Curriculum, a fun, interactive way to learn engineering; and Science and Math Curriculum, which helps students connect with technology using mathematic and scientific principles to solve problems. The curricula will be available online at the Student Engineering and Design Community.

Autodesk continues to offer Autodesk Animation Academy, a modular suite that introduces students to 3D visualization, animation and visual effects technology.