SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Apr 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --Troy Lee Designs, one of the world's most stylish designers of equipment and clothing "for the world's fastest racers(TM)," relies on Autodesk Alias Surface and Autodesk Showcase software to create visually stunning helmets worn by world-champion mountain bikers, motorcross riders, BMX riders, snowboarders, and more than a dozen NASCAR teams.

Digital Prototyping software from Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), enables Troy Lee Designs to respond to market trends faster and roll out dazzling new helmet designs, helping the company stay one step ahead in the marketplace. While Troy Lee Designs has expanded its product line over the years to offer a wide range of gear -- a complete line of racing gear and casual wear -- its signature product remains its helmets, which are a favorite among racers and enjoy a rabid fan base.

"Autodesk Alias Surface is essential for designing our helmets," said Jeff David, product manager at Troy Lee designs. "I have yet to experience a program that can match Autodesk Alias' capability for reflections and curvatures. We can effortlessly check to see if all the surfaces in our ideas translate well before we move forward with them."

To create a successful helmet that will perform at the highest levels of competition, Troy Lee Designs must take several factors into consideration. The helmet must provide as much protection as possible while simultaneously being lightweight and offering adequate airflow. Most importantly, Troy Lee Designs places a high premium on aesthetics, striving to produce helmets with a unique look and visual appeal.

Alias Surface software helps the design team at Troy Lee Designs to achieve these goals through dynamic modeling and precision surface modeling tools that make it easier to rapidly create high-quality production surfaces. The company then explores multiple concepts and designs for its helmets -- before anything has been built -- by creating near photorealistic images and renderings in Autodesk Showcase that convey design intent.

Troy Lee Designs' success with Alias Surface and Autodesk Showcase products was greatly aided by the up-front work of reseller Tata Technologies, who managed the implementation and provided valuable training. Using Autodesk software has helped Troy Lee Designs reduce design time for its helmets by up to 40-50 percent -- a time savings that often can translate into several months. As a result, the company is able to get more of its designs to market in a shorter amount of time, helping them to capture more sales in the marketplace.

"Differentiated, custom design doesn't mean trading off speed and agility," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. "Autodesk Digital Prototyping software is helping Troy Lee Designs reduce the time required to turn its inventive concepts into market-ready products."

About Troy Lee Designs

Since 1981, Troy Lee has been customizing helmets "For The World's Fastest Racers." Our relentless commitment to creating products that exceed the cutting edge in style, design and quality, has given us the reputation as an innovator in many different racing fields. Troy Lee Designs has grown over the past three decades to include a product line ranging from high-performance helmets, to a complete line of racing gear and casual wear. With an amazing team of racers, from Indycar to World Rally to NASCAR, Motocross to Enduro to Freestyle, Dirt Track to Road Racing, Mountain Biking to BMX, we have been fortunate to work with the best in the world. We at Troy Lee Designs appreciate the fact that every day the racers get out there and put it all on the line. http://www.troyleedesigns.com

About Tata Technologies Limited

Tata Technologies Limited, founded in 1989 and a part of the Tata group, is a global leader in Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO) and Product Development IT services solutions for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) to the world's leading consumer product, automotive and aerospace manufacturers and their suppliers. For more information, visit http://www.tatatechnologies.com.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com/pr-autodesk.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Alias are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE: Autodesk, Inc.

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