SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Apr 8, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today announced that its manufacturing and Discreet divisions have each been awarded top honors for software excellence by industry-leading publications.

Autodesk Inventor, the company's award-winning 3D design software product for the manufacturing industry, was presented with Cadalyst Magazine's Best of Show Award at the National Design Engineering Show held the week of March 18th in Chicago. At the same show, Cadence Magazine presented a Show Stopper Award to the company for the new Autodesk Inventor Series, a collection of 2D and 3D mechanical design technologies also serving the manufacturing industry. The Discreet division of Autodesk, devoted to developing software for digital media creation, management, and delivery, also earned two top honors. At the National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB) in Los Angeles today, Discreet was presented with the Reader's Choice Award for best overall streaming software by Streaming Magazine. In addition, last week combustion 2, Discreet's award-winning paint, animation, and 3D compositing software for the Macintosh and Windows desktop, was honored with a "Must Buy" distinction from Creativemac.com.

"We're very pleased to receive both The Reader's Choice award from Streaming Magazine, one of the most influential industry publications for all subjects around streaming, and the Must Buy distinction from Creativemac.com," said Paul Lypaczewski, general manager of Discreet and executive vice president, Autodesk, Inc. "The Reader's Choice award is very significant news for Discreet, demonstrating the adoption of our streaming solutions industry-wide and support from our valued customers. The Must Buy award from creativemac.com is a testament to our customers' success and satisfaction with combustion 2 software for the Macintosh and Windows desktop, which allows our customers to generate stunning visual experiences."

After reviewing products from more than 1600 exhibitors at NDES, Cadence Magazine honored Autodesk with a Show Stopper award for the recently announced Autodesk Inventor Series. "The move from 2D to 3D can be a difficult one for many users," said Arnie Williams, editor-in-chief of Cadence Magazine. "The Autodesk Inventor Series makes the transition as painless as possible, allowing users to continue with updated 2D software technology while having a choice of options for their various 3D needs. When they are finally ready to do most of their work in 3D, they have powerful Autodesk Inventor software readily at hand."

Also at NDES, Autodesk Inventor 5 won Cadalyst Magazine's Best of Show Award for its ability to handle legacy 2D data and unmatched support of DWG files. Cadalyst editors bestowed Best of Show awards on products destined to change the way designers and engineers work.

"Autodesk Inventor 5 delivers users exceptional tools for taking advantage of legacy and 2D data," said Art Liddle, editor-in-chief of Cadalyst Magazine. "In addition, the Autodesk Inventor adaptive technology offers a refreshing alternative to parametric design, which is also supported."

"It is an honor to have Cadalyst and Cadence Magazines recognize the performance and value of Autodesk Inventor and the Autodesk Inventor Series," said Buzz Kross, vice president of the manufacturing division at Autodesk. "These awards underscore Autodesk's commitment to the manufacturing industry and to delivering the best design tools for customers around the world."

    About Autodesk

Founded in 1982, Autodesk, Inc., is the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. The company serves a diverse portfolio of markets, including building design, geographic information systems, manufacturing, digital media, and wireless data services. By delivering tools that foster innovation and creativity, Autodesk helps customers throughout the value chain leverage digital design data to work better, faster, and smarter. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

    About Discreet

Discreet empowers moving media professionals to realize the visual experience, transforming their most evocative and ambitious visions into reality. Its range of award-winning systems and software is developed for digital media creation, management, and delivery -- across all disciplines from visual effects and editing to animation, game development, web, and interactive. Discreet is based in Montreal, Quebec, and is a division of Autodesk, Inc., the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. Product and corporate information is located on the Internet at www.discreet.com.

Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, combustion, and Discreet are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc./Autodesk Canada Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT:          Autodesk
                  Cindi Goodsell, 415/507-8452
                  cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com

URL:              http://www.businesswire.com
Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet
with Hyperlinks to your home page.

Copyright (C) 2002 Business Wire.  All rights reserved.