SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced leading design firms such as GMJ Design, Paul Steelman Design and Neoscape are using Autodesk 3ds Max software to create 3D architectural visualizations that help them win competitive bids, generate project stakeholder support and complete large portions of project design in the proposal stages. Autodesk's architectural software portfolio includes AutoCAD, Autodesk Architectural Desktop, Autodesk Revit Building, Autodesk VIZ and the 3ds Max animation, modeling and rendering product.

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"Autodesk's visual communication tools help customers visualize and share their ideas, designs and work-in-progress in many industries, from manufacturing and infrastructure to entertainment and architecture," said Marc Petit, Autodesk's Media & Entertainment vice president. "Still pictures, movies and interactive presentations created with Autodesk 3ds Max help architects sell concepts by providing a photorealistic, immersive experience of the end result."

"3D visualization is an increasingly important component of the architectural workflow," said Michael Arrington, senior analyst at Acacia Research Group. "As in other engineering fields, accurate visualization gives project decision makers the tools they need to get their efforts rapidly from the drawing board to reality. Autodesk 3ds Max software is ideally suited for this work."

GMJ Design, a London- and Paris-based visualization firm, is using 3ds Max for its World City Models project. The studio has completed a thirty-six square kilometer, 1:500 scale digital model of central London. This highly accurate topographical roof model includes all visible elements that are more than one meter in size. It was created in 3ds Max using high-resolution aerial photography combined with a ground-level survey. The model is also available in Autodesk's DWG file format, which allows for easy sharing of data between design, architecture and engineering teams.

"The London World City Model contains 12 million polygons and is a one- gigabyte Autodesk 3ds Max file," explained Robert Graves, creative director at GMJ Design. "Due to the enormous amount of data, the model previously had to be broken down into a number of files to be viewed. Now, with the 64-bit version of 3ds Max 9, the project can be viewed in one 3ds Max scene."

Paul Steelman Design in Las Vegas and its Los Angeles-based subsidiary, Phrenic, specialize in casino resort and entertainment design. By using 3ds Max to visualize designs, the company is able to complete 80 per cent of the final design in the proposal stages. Time savings cascade through the project cycle due to interoperability between Autodesk 3ds Max and AutoCAD software products, allowing for project data exchange amongst architects and design teams. The company used 3ds Max to visualize The Sands Macao, which is the largest and most profitable casino in the world.

"Once we created a visualization of The Sands Macao casino, it didn't take long to win the project," explained Paul Steelman, CEO and president of Paul Steelman Design. "We spent five days developing a design visualization with Autodesk 3ds Max, and won the contract as a result; that's a powerful thing! When you create design visualizations, there is no hesitation. The clients know exactly what they're going to get."

Boston-based Neoscape provides visualization and marketing services for a wide range of projects, including luxury condos and hotels. Using 3ds Max, the firm visualized the New York Park Plaza hotel's $350 million renovation and rebirth as a private residence.

"On the Park Plaza project, the architectural detail, mood and other elements took us into uncharted territory," said Rob McLeod, Neoscape founder and vice-president. "Without Autodesk 3ds Max, the detailed ornamentation alone would have been a daunting task. We have embraced 3ds Max because it's the best and most universal tool for design visualization. Along with 3ds Max, we use AutoCAD, enabling our work to integrate seamlessly in our clients' architectural pipelines."

Now shipping worldwide, 3ds Max 9 supports 64-bit technologies and contains a number of enhancements for design visualization. Rendering is greatly improved with the mental ray 3.5 rendering core. Features such as new architecture and design shaders, as well as improvements to the Physical Sun and Sky system, enable architects and designers to spend less time on rendering setup and more time on design.

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 design 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 www.autodesk.com.

NOTE: Autodesk, AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop, DWG, Revit, VIZ and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. mental ray is a registered trademark of mental images GmbH, licensed for use by Autodesk, Inc. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contact: Shannon McPhee

Email: shannon.mcphee@autodesk.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc. 11/06/2006


CONTACT: Shannon McPhee of Autodesk, Inc., shannon.mcphee@autodesk.com/
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