SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2002--Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today announced it has named ANSYS Inc. (Nasdaq:ANSS), the global innovator of simulation software and technologies, its Global Preferred CAE Partner. Autodesk and ANSYS will work together to develop mid-range simulation-based design performance tools for use by Autodesk Inventor(TM) customers, ensuring that sophisticated design engineering capabilities, such as those offered in the new ANSYS DesignXplorer, are more accessible to product designers and engineers in need of easy-to-use, fast, and accurate design performance simulation and optimization tools.

These front-end simulation tools will give product designers and engineers the ability to create more cost-effective and robust designs early in the product development process by facilitating quick and easy "what-if" scenarios, without the intricacies and the extensive learning curve of a sophisticated finite element analysis (FEA) solution. This solution will help product development teams make more informed decisions earlier in the design process, allowing them to reduce costs and development time while developing better products.

"Autodesk is proud to be partnering with an industry leader like ANSYS," said Robert Kross, vice president of the Manufacturing Division at Autodesk. "There are many areas of synergy between our companies, including the opportunity to democratize simulation functionality, making it available to a broader mechanical design community. Our customers will surely benefit from this relationship."

"ANSYS has created a new generation of design tools that simulate product performance to meet functional requirements, study design trade-offs, and perform design synthesis much earlier in the product development process. This Autodesk relationship will give our joint customers a competitive advantage by providing the ability to compress design cycles, to reduce risk and to enhance their ability to build the right products for the right market requirements," said Dr. Joseph Solecki, chief technologist at ANSYS Inc.

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 ANSYS, Inc.

ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970 as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc., develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers and designers across a broad spectrum of industries, including aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, electronics, and biomedical. Headquartered at Southpointe in Canonsburg, Pa., ANSYS, Inc. employs 400 people and focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient, and cost-conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. ANSYS, Inc. distributes its ANSYS(R), DesignSpace(R), AI*Solutions(TM) and ICEM CFD Engineering products through a network of channel partners in 37 countries, in addition to its own direct sales offices in 18 strategic locations throughout the world. For additional information, please visit http://www.ansys.com.

Autodesk and Autodesk Inventor 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.

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