SAN RAFAEL, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today announced it has signed a series of agreements with long-time partner, ViaNova Systems AS, a leader in transportation design and planning software, to provide best-of-breed transportation solutions for road and railway design. These solutions will allow transportation agencies to create, manage and share secure road and rail design data with team members and organizations involved throughout the life of the transportation project, enabling them to make informed, cost-effective decisions that ultimately save time and expense.

"Working more closely with ViaNova will allow us to leverage the vast expertise and knowledge of both companies to broaden our reach to the transportation industry, providing road and railway professionals with flexible, easy-to-use software solutions that take them from planning, surveying and design, to construction and maintenance with greater efficiency and at a lower cost," said Terry D. Bennett, P.L.S.-L.P.F., senior manager, engineering and constructions solutions for Autodesk's Infrastructure Solutions Division. "Many of the world's leading transportation agencies are very successful with the products and solutions from Autodesk and its partners like ViaNova. This partnership will continue to build on that success and extend it even more."

"ViaNova has been developing integrated design, construction, and facility management solutions for and with transportation professionals since the mid 1980's, running on Autodesk platforms," said Patrick McGloin, managing director of ViaNova. "Our main product line, Novapoint, includes 16 professional modules and is the leading solution in the Nordic countries and is used in many countries in Europe and Asia. With Autodesk we look forward to giving the transportation industry a suite of professional, integrated and efficient tools tailored to their needs in each country and for each type of project. Together we will now be able to accelerate both development and localization in many new markets."

Under the expanded relationship, Autodesk will offer ViaNova's Novapoint software and associated modules for road and highway design. The software is built on Autodesk Map(R) 3D 2005, a powerful 2D and 3D precision mapping and GIS analysis tool to create, maintain, and produce maps; and to integrate data from various sources and formats, perform data analysis, and produce thematic maps. The software allows user to collect and incorporate highly precise GIS and design data, such as survey grade terrain model information, and import and export topographic data without losing accuracy or precision. As a first stage of the relationship, the software will be offered exclusively in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and will later be rolled out in other geographies.

In addition, Autodesk will work with ViaNova on the development of a complete design solution for the rail industry. The existing Novapoint technology (Novapoint Road and Novapoint Rail) will be migrated onto the Autodesk(R) Civil(TM) 3D platform to offer not only key rail agencies but transportation agencies worldwide true 3D engineering model design capability with 2D simplicity. This provides richer information exchange, automated drafting features, and more time for design possibilities.

Autodesk's Civil 3D technology is the civil engineering tool that creates intelligent relationships between objects so design changes are dynamically updated. The enhanced 3D interaction gives the user more design flexibility by making it easy to run and visualize "what-if scenarios" and to correct errors on the fly. Customers can design in 2D, 3D or both.

"We are about 250 engineers using the system within our organization. Each year 1,000 projects are designed," said Mica Wikberg, project manager of development and maintenance for the Swedish National Road Administration. "Before having access to the Autodesk solution and Novapoint, we used an in-house development system for road design, but it was too costly to maintain and was based on an obsolete IT platform. The main benefits of the combined Autodesk-Novapoint solution are low maintenance, the fact that it's based on an industry platform -- Autodesk Map, the speed, ease of use, and very important to us is that it includes Swedish national design standards. Using this system, the designer now has more time to use his engineering skills to find the best solutions for traffic and safety, the environment, and construction costs."

Autodesk Subscription and Consulting Add Value to Software Investment

When combined with Autodesk(R) Subscription, Autodesk transportation solutions deliver the easiest way to keep design tools and learning up to date. For an annual fee, users get the latest version of Autodesk transportation solutions, web support direct from Autodesk, self-paced training options, and a broad range of other technology and business benefits. For more information, contact your Autodesk Authorized Reseller or visit www.autodesk.com/subscription. Additionally, Autodesk Consulting offers services that can help streamline business processes and help customers get the best possible return on their investment in Autodesk technology. For more information about Autodesk Consulting, including integrated consulting and training, see www.autodesk.com/consulting.

For more information about Autodesk transportation solutions, see www.autodesk.com/transportation.

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, Autodesk Map, and Civil 3D are either 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: Dawn Van Osdell of Autodesk, +1-704-347-2538, or dawn.van.osdell@autodesk.com.

SOURCE Autodesk

Web site: http://www.autodesk.com