SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Jun 24, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today introduced Autodesk Inventor(R) Professional 7 software to extend the functionality of Autodesk Inventor(R) Series software for mechanical and electrical engineers while continuing to deliver on the creation portion of its mainstream product lifecycle management (PLM) strategy. The new product underscores Autodesk's strategy to help customers solve critical business challenges by giving them the tools to innovate, increase productivity, optimize processes, and bring higher quality products to market faster for less cost.

Autodesk Inventor Professional software is the ideal choice for organizations that need a simple-to-implement and affordable solution for advanced design of machinery. Today, these organizations must either buy and integrate several niche applications or purchase expensive solutions from suppliers. Autodesk Inventor Professional software delivers a single, integrated, simple-to-deploy solution that offers a breadth of functionality at a tremendous value.

"With Autodesk Inventor Professional, Autodesk has shown its commitment to providing a comprehensive design solution for mechanical and electro-mechanical customers. It's not surprising that the Southern California Autodesk Inventor User Group we hosted gave it two thumbs up," said Kanwar Anand of KETIV (www.ketivtech.com), an Autodesk Authorized System Center in Fullerton, Calif.

Autodesk Inventor Professional software is for mechanical and electrical engineers who need to increase their productivity even further in designing, validating, and documenting complex machinery. Built on Autodesk Inventor Series -- which includes Autodesk Inventor(R) and Autodesk(R) Mechanical Desktop(R) software products -- Autodesk Inventor Professional extends the functionality already offered with a collection of task-specific tools for the mechanical and electrical design of industrial machinery. These tools give users the power to address all aspects of the industrial machine design process with a single, integrated software product. The first release brings users 3D tube and pipe design and printed circuit board import capabilities. The software supports publishing DWF(TM) files for use with the Volo(R) View Express application. Capabilities for DWF files include multiple 2D sheets, password support, print ready format, and a single publish format for all Autodesk design tools.

"Our goals in developing Autodesk Inventor Professional are to deliver a complete solution for machinery design professionals, provide a high-value alternative for users of legacy 3D CAD systems, and remove barriers between cross functional teams," said Robert Kross, vice president of the Manufacturing Solutions Division at Autodesk.

As part of its long-term vision to enhance desktop PLM for customers, Autodesk plans to incorporate some of its recently acquired technology, for example cable and wire harness design, into future releases of Autodesk Inventor Professional. Autodesk(R) Subscription Program customers will be able reap the benefits of the product's evolving functionality as soon as it becomes available. Subscription customers also benefit from simplified software management and easy budgeting.

Unlike PLM solutions on the market today, Autodesk's creation and collaboration offerings -- AutoCAD(R), AutoCAD(R) Mechanical, Autodesk Inventor Professional, Autodesk Inventor Series 2D and 3D mechanical design package, and Autodesk Streamline(R) online collaboration service -- solve problems for small and medium-sized manufacturers because they are easier to implement and deploy, and provide a faster return on investment (ROI). As part of its PLM solution, customers can also take advantage of Autodesk's third-party applications and Autodesk Professional Services.

Availability

Autodesk Inventor Professional 7 is available immediately in English and is expected to be available in French, German, Italian, and Czech within 30 days from authorized resellers. More information is available at www.autodesk.com/inventorpro and www.autodesk.com/subscription or by calling 800/964-6432.

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.

Occasionally, Autodesk makes statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These statements are not intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of products, services, or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect any change in circumstances, after the statements are made.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Streamline, Mechanical Desktop, DWF, and Volo are either registered trademarks or 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.

SOURCE: Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk, Inc.
Cindi Goodsell, 415/507-8452
cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com

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