SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Oct 3, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Building upon the success of its AutoCAD(R) software in the controls market, Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today introduced AutoCAD(R) Electrical software, a new AutoCAD-based product optimized for electrical controls design and engineering. The software helps electrical engineers, designers, and detailers create better electrical designs, reduce costs, and shorten time to market for their products. Unlike offerings from other vendors, it is the only electrical controls design package on the market that is fully integrated with AutoCAD to maintain full, native DWG format compatibility. AutoCAD Electrical 2004 results from the integration of AutoCAD 2004 software and the newly acquired VIA Wiring Diagram (WD) products, which have a proven history of working within the AutoCAD environment since 1994. As part of the Autodesk Manufacturing family of complementary solutions, this new product will enable users to more easily communicate with design teams using 2D or 3D software.

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"Until now, AutoCAD has clearly been the software of choice in the U.S. controls design market," said Robert Kross, vice president of the Manufacturing Solutions Division at Autodesk. "However, electrical engineers who adopt this new, specialized technology to get their job done can realize significant productivity boosts and a rapid ROI within a short implementation period. Engineers who use basic AutoCAD software or a competitors' program for electrical design should be delighted with AutoCAD Electrical."

Customers Rave About New Offering

Autodesk customers that have beta-tested the product applaud its functionality and price/performance value.

"We use AutoCAD Electrical to maintain projects with more than 200 prints in each set," said Shawn Kelly of Caterpillar Inc. "AutoCAD Electrical saves us time and prevents mistakes. This program is a real asset to our company."

"Most electrical schematic programs I've worked with over my career were difficult to use, had limited features, and were not fully integrated into the AutoCAD application. Autodesk has done it right! AutoCAD Electrical is the best electrical package available and will help add to the bottom line," said Bill Hosier, president of WJ Engineering Services. "AutoCAD Electrical has an abundant amount of feature-rich tools -- electrical schematics are easily created and can be transmitted in a number of ways, BOMs and other reports can be made with ease, and the pneumatic tool bar really helps integrate pneumatic motions."

"I haven't missed a single project deadline since I switched to AutoCAD Electrical. No other electrical design tool even comes close to the power and simplicity of AutoCAD Electrical," said Doug McAlexander of Electrical CADD Consulting. "AutoCAD Electrical 2004 predicts what I am trying to accomplish and finishes the steps for me. An 80-hour design can be completed in 60 hours or less."

Feature Highlights

AutoCAD Electrical is the perfect solution for anyone designing or laying out ladder-style control schematics or point-to-point wiring diagrams, helping save users time and money while at the same time drastically improving their drawing accuracy. The software offers intelligent electrical controls engineering and design to help users create better designs, reduce errors, and save time-enabling customers to focus on the design and engineering task rather than repetitive drafting functions. It provides an intuitive interface for new users and the same familiar working environment for AutoCAD users along with many industry-specific tools to automate the design process. These tools include automatic wire numbering and component tagging, automatic project reports, automatic creation of programmable logic controller (PLC) I/O drawings from spreadsheets, and the ability to re-use existing drawings. The software also has many features to drastically reduce errors including automatic coil and contact cross-referencing with usage tracking, audit reports that check for design errors, and the ability to build control panels from design information to eliminate missed components.

Many companies struggle to standardize designs across their engineering department. AutoCAD Electrical 2004 helps standardize the way users' drawings look and the data they contain. Companies can share configuration files across the network for all users including vendor catalog files, component descriptions, and PLC data files. Its open and flexible API lets users extend its power and functionality to address their company-specific design/drafting needs and to integrate with existing business and engineering systems.

To foster collaboration, AutoCAD Electrical 2004 enables users to share drawings with customers and vendors as well as track their changes. Users can also publish designs to the web via HTML.

Autodesk Manufacturing's Design and Data Management Solutions

Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions Division's design and data management solutions help customers solve critical business challenges by giving them the tools to innovate, increase productivity, optimize processes, and bring higher quality products to market faster for less cost. Unlike other offerings on the market today, Autodesk's design and data management solutions solve problems for small and medium-sized manufacturers, especially those that cannot tolerate large-scale product lifecycle management installations. These solutions include AutoCAD and AutoCAD(R) Mechanical software, the Autodesk Inventor(R) Professional and Autodesk Inventor(R) Series 3D mechanical design packages that is integrated with the new Autodesk(R) Vault functionality which is available to subscription customers only, and the Autodesk Streamline(R) collaboration service. In addition, customers can take advantage of widely available third-party applications purpose-built for Autodesk software and they can utilize Autodesk Professional Services to garner greater value from their software.

Pricing and Availability

AutoCAD Electrical 2004 is available immediately in English and International English from authorized resellers. The Autodesk(R) Subscription Program is the most efficient way for Autodesk customers to stay current with the latest design technology and to benefit from simplified software management and easy budgeting. The program provides a timely cycle of new releases with rich new content as soon as it becomes available. More information is available at www.autodesk.com/autocadelectrical or by calling 800-964-6432.

About Autodesk

Autodesk is the world's leading design software and digital content company, offering customers progressive business solutions through powerful technology products and services. Autodesk helps customers in the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media, and wireless data services fields increase the value of their digital design data and improve efficiencies across their entire project lifecycle management processes. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

NOTE: Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, and Autodesk Streamline are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks are used solely for identification and belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT: Cindi Goodsell of Autodesk, Inc., +1-415-507-8452, or cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com.

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.

Cindi Goodsell of Autodesk, Inc., +1-415-507-8452, or
cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com
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