Design Engineering Professionals Using Autodesk Inventor Gain Competitive

                              Edge in Job Market

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today announced its first graduating class for the Autodesk Inventor(R) Certified Expert Program. The official certification from Autodesk signifies the graduates' tremendous aptitude for the software. Fourteen out of 20 design engineering professionals passed the four-hour hands-on and written examination on Autodesk Inventor(R) software, the premier application within the Autodesk Inventor(R) Series-the world's best selling 3D mechanical design solution.

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"I am proud to personally acknowledge the first graduating class for their extensive knowledge of Autodesk Inventor software. They have certainly demonstrated their extensive proficiency and expertise. By receiving official certification from Autodesk, these graduates are advancing their careers and making themselves more competitive in today's job market," said Robert Kross, vice president of the Manufacturing Solutions Division at Autodesk.

"The Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert exam is very appropriately named," said Mark Mahovich of Synergis Technologies. "The exam requires you to have a full breadth of knowledge of Autodesk Inventor in order to successfully pass."

"The Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert exam is a fantastic opportunity for advanced users to demonstrate their skills with Inventor," said Patrik Chartrand of DTDCAD Consultants. "Everyone should endeavor to become certified."

Those who pass the exam are considered Certified Experts for the current version of Autodesk Inventor. The exam consists of 100 questions, covering all aspects of Autodesk Inventor including adaptivity and project management. It is aimed at users with typically more than 500 hours of experience with Autodesk Inventor. As certification must be renewed with each new software release, a shorter renewal exam focuses on new features and functionality of the latest version of Autodesk Inventor software.

    Benefits these graduates will receive include:

    -- Expert status -- Graduates will be provided with a certification logo
       for use on business cards, resumes, letterhead, etc., and an official
       printed certificate suitable for framing.
    -- Improved career mobility -- Graduates may opt for having their contact
       information included in Autodesk's database that will be publicly
       accessible from www.autodesk.com/inventorcertified.  It is an excellent
       way of immediately demonstrating user certification status to
       prospective employers who will have access to the database.
    -- Skills assessment -- Whether or not users pass the exam, they will
       receive immediate diagnostic feedback about how they need to improve
       their Autodesk Inventor skills so they are more aware of their
       strengths and weaknesses and better prepared to retake the test.

For a complete list of testing centers and fees, to register for an exam, and for more information on the Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert Program, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/inventorcertified .

Autodesk Manufacturing's Design and Data Management Solutions

As part of its strategy to help customers create, manage, and share their digital design data and solve critical business challenges, the Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions Division offers companies the most comprehensive selection of 2D and 3D design and data management solutions, critical tools that help customers innovate, increase productivity, simplify processes, improve product quality, and accelerate time to market for less cost. Unlike other offerings on the market today, Autodesk's design and data management solutions are easy to install and use, and provide significant process improvements and rapid results without the complex, costly installations of large-scale product lifecycle management systems. Autodesk's manufacturing solutions include AutoCAD(R), AutoCAD(R) Mechanical and AutoCAD(R) Electrical software, the Autodesk Inventor(R) Professional and Autodesk Inventor Series 3D mechanical design packages that are integrated with the new Autodesk(R) Vault functionality, 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.

For an annual fee, Autodesk(R) Subscription customers benefit from a complete technology, training, and support program that protects their software investments by providing them with the most current design technology, web support direct from Autodesk, flexible self-paced training options, and a broad range of other technology and business benefits. For products like Autodesk Inventor Series and Professional, the program provides a timely cycle of new releases with rich new content as soon as it becomes available. For more information about Autodesk Subscription, visit www.autodesk.com/subscription.

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 belong to their respective holders.

Contact: Cindi Goodsell, 415-507-8452

EMAIL: cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com

SOURCE  Autodesk, Inc.
    -0-                             12/05/2003
    /CONTACT:  Cindi Goodsell of Autodesk, Inc., +1-415-507-8452, or
cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com/
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    (ADSK)

CO:  Autodesk, Inc.
ST:  California, Nevada
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