Business Unit Better Positioned to Expand Business and Help Customers Realize Their Ideas to Compete and Win

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced Autodesk Media and Entertainment division. Formerly known as Discreet, the division will remain dedicated to providing innovative products and services for the film, video, gaming, and related media and entertainment markets.

The transition of Discreet into Autodesk Media and Entertainment demonstrates Autodesk's continued commitment to customers it has served for more than a decade. While the dedicated sales, support and product development teams remain unchanged, the brand change signifies the incremental resources Autodesk Media and Entertainment will be utilizing to better serve customers. This ensures that the creative toolset from Autodesk Media and Entertainment will stay on the leading edge of product innovation and continue to empower artists to solve their most complex production challenges. Additionally, Autodesk Consulting is extending its organization by adding a dedicated Media and Entertainment practice.

"When we launched our new corporate branding effort in March, we made it clear that Autodesk is in the business of helping customers realize their ideas," said Carl Bass, chief operating officer of Autodesk. "Creating Autodesk Media and Entertainment is more proof that we have a single mission as a company, whether we are serving customers who design our buildings, infrastructure and manufactured products or create the amazing content we see on movie, TV and video game screens. Autodesk is a trusted advisor, and we have the technology to make these customers more creative and competitive as they turn their ideas into reality."

"The media and entertainment industries are at an inflection point, where creativity and productivity must meet. From the 4K digital intermediate process for film making to uncompressed HD programming and next generation game consoles, our customers are expecting us to innovate and solve the most complex of production requirements," said Martin Vann, vice president of Autodesk Media and Entertainment. "By integrating and unifying our brand with Autodesk, we position ourselves to become a more closely aligned division of a billion dollar plus company. Autodesk Media and Entertainment will not only provide a broader and more strategic presence for Autodesk, but a better platform for us to compete within our core markets of film, television, gaming and design visualization".

Autodesk Media and Entertainment will demonstrate the benefits of this integration at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) in Las Vegas, April 18-21, 2005. At this leading industry convention, Autodesk Media and Entertainment will unveil new, state-of-the-art offerings as well as significant enhancements to existing products and solutions.

Autodesk Media and Entertainment Division will be headquartered in Montreal, Canada, where Discreet has been based since Autodesk acquired Discreet Logic in 1999. Autodesk will be maintaining its strong presence in Montreal, taking advantage of the base of talented, experienced creative professionals there.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With six million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency and maximizing profits. Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com.

NOTE: Autodesk and Discreet, are either registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contact: Kevin G. Clark, (415) 547-2457
Email: kevin.g.clark@autodesk.com

Contact: Roohi Saeed, (514) 954-7296
Email: roohi.saeed@autodesk.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
03/24/2005
CONTACT: Kevin G. Clark, +1-415-547-2457, or kevin.g.clark@autodesk.com, or Roohi Saeed, +1-514-954-7296, or roohi.saeed@autodesk.com, both of Autodesk, Inc.
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com