Leading Academic Institution to Teach Engineering Fundamentals With Autodesk Inventor, Leading 3D Mechanical Design Software

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department has adopted Autodesk Manufacturing solutions as a key part of its curriculum program. The multiyear agreement calls for Autodesk to provide UCLA Engineering with its industry leading software, training and support, in addition to access to Autodesk's community portal for students.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO )

Founded in 1919, UCLA is a leading public academic institution. With more than 35,000 students and 3,300 faculty members, the university is known for leadership and excellence in research and education. The Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department within the School of Engineering and Applied Science has nearly 600 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. The entire faculty is engaged in research projects, usually externally funded, that produce leading contributions to engineering and science.

Autodesk will initially install 100 licenses of Autodesk Inventor software, the world's number one selling 3D mechanical design software and best choice for 3D manufacturing design, on all department lab equipment and provide the software to faculty for personal academic use. Autodesk will also provide curriculum and learning tools to enable freshman engineering students to learn 3D design and modeling as well as data management concepts. UCLA Engineering students will also have access to Autodesk's new web portal that enables engineering students to download Inventor on their personal computers. In addition to access to software, the portal enables students to search for jobs, discuss projects, share work, learn from community experts and socialize with peers.

"Autodesk Inventor software is considered to be the most comprehensive and easy to learn mechanical design solution available today, so we welcome the opportunity to implement this software across all of our labs and teach in our classrooms. We also look forward to leveraging Autodesk's rich data management solutions, such as Autodesk Productstream software," said Professor Daniel Yang, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, UCLA. "Autodesk's 2D and 3D mechanical design software are industry standards, so proficiency with them will make our students that much more desirable in the workplace."

"UCLA is widely regarded for innovation and major advances that affect the world around us, so it is fitting for these mechanical engineering students to learn 3D design and modeling fundamentals using Autodesk Inventor software," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, vice president of Autodesk's Manufacturing Solutions. "Autodesk's longstanding commitment to developing tomorrow's engineers is core to our mission, so we're pleased to partner with UCLA Engineering."

For more information on the Autodesk Student Community portal, visit: http://students.autodesk.com . To access the Manufacturing Community portal, visit http://mfgcommunity.autodesk.com .

About the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science

Established in 1945, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science offers 28 academic and professional degree programs, including an interdepartmental graduate degree program in biomedical engineering. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools among public universities nationwide, the school is home to six multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in space exploration, wireless sensor systems, nanotechnology, nanomanufacturing and nanoelectronics, all funded by federal and private agencies. For more information, visit http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/ .

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a Fortune 1000 company, wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the manufacturing, infrastructure, building, media and entertainment, 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, become more productive, streamline project efficiency and maximize profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/ .

NOTE: Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, Inventor, and Productstream are registered trademarks or 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: Carly Herrig - 312-233-1356
Email: carly.herrig@edelman.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
09/07/2006
CONTACT: Carly Herrig, +1-312-233-1356, or carly.herrig@edelman.com, for Autodesk
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.engineer.ucla.edu
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com
(ADSK)
1389 09/07/2006 09:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com