SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Jan 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

For the 19th consecutive year, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) is a sponsor of the FIRST(R) Robotics Competition (FRC(R)) program by contributing its software, mentoring resources and, for the first time, funding grants to U.S. teams. The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges high-school students to collaborate and build a working robot in just six weeks. The annual competition promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills while inspiring students to be leaders in tomorrow's engineering workforce.

"Students around the world are hungry for opportunities to apply the math and science principles they've learned to projects outside the classroom," said Joe Astroth, Ph.D., Autodesk chief education officer. "As a longtime supporter of FRC, Autodesk is committed to helping students develop real-world skills they need to prepare themselves to solve tomorrow's design and engineering challenges."

More than 2,200 teams consisting of 45,000 high-school students from around the world will participate in the 2011 FRC competition. As part of the event's Kit of Parts, each team will receive Autodesk Inventor 2011 software to design, visualize and simulate their robots in 3D before construction, saving valuable time and resources while exploring design alternatives. Using Autodesk Inventor also exposes students to the same tools and concepts used by the world's leading engineers. As members of the Autodesk Education Community, each student also receives free access to the company's 3D design, engineering and entertainment software and accompanying resources, including access to a virtual kit of robot parts modeled in Autodesk Inventor.

For the first time, Autodesk will sponsor 20 teams from the United States, with grants of $5,000 each, to be used for the competition registration fee. Autodesk will also honor two teams with the Autodesk Excellence in Design award at this year's championship event in St. Louis, Mo., to be held April 27-30, 2011. The award's 3D Design category recognizes outstanding achievement in design of the FIRST team robot using Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD or Autodesk SketchBook Pro software. The award's 3D Animation category honors the FIRST team that creates the best 30-second 3D animation using Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya or Autodesk Softimage software - the award-winning tools used by many digital artists in the media and entertainment industry. The animation must fit the "Change Their World" theme, while demonstrating understanding of the design process, storytelling, technical execution, creativity and aesthetics, as well as clear, concise, and compelling communication.

For more information, visit the Autodesk Education Community's FIRST competition website at www.autodesk.com/first.

Autodesk Education Initiatives

Autodesk supports students and educators by providing powerful design software, innovative programs and other resources designed to inspire the next generation of professionals. By supporting educators to advance design education and STEM skills, Autodesk is helping prepare students for future academic and career success. Autodesk supports schools and institutions of higher learning worldwide through substantial discounts, subscriptions, grant programs, training, curricula development and community resources. For more information about Autodesk education programs and solutions, visit autodesk.com/education.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries -- including the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Inventor, Maya, SketchBook, Softimage and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE: Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk, Inc.
Michael Oldenburg, 415-547-2439
michael.oldenburg@autodesk.com