Report: AutoCAD 2010 Delivers Over 60 Percent Productivity Improvement

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Mon Nov 9, 2009 8:00am EST

Study Finds That Engineers and Designers Realize Bottom-Line Value From Design
and Documentation Activities 
SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), a leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and
entertainment software, announced the results of a new study that found
productivity gains of up to 63 percent when engineers and designers use AutoCAD
2010 software for common design and documentation tasks. The study, conducted by
Cambashi Limited, an independent consulting and analyst firm, compares the time
it takes to complete specific tasks using AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD 2007
software. 

The report concludes that "using AutoCAD 2010 can bring considerable performance
improvements to the average user. As well as reducing the time to undertake
different tasks, the new features of AutoCAD 2010 -- particularly the enhanced
PDF handling -- extend the reach of the AutoCAD user and make collaboration
simpler." These findings illustrate how new capabilities in AutoCAD 2010 can
help users realize a rapid return on investment in the latest release of one of
the world's leading design and documentation platforms. 

AutoCAD 2010 Features Directly Correlate to Productivity Gains, Study Finds

The Cambashi study demonstrated how individual feature improvements in AutoCAD
2010, when used during typical design lifecycle activities, can minimize
repetitive tasks and eliminate steps required to document and communicate design
ideas. Average performance improvements documented in the study include the
following:

* The PDF publishing feature in AutoCAD 2010 provides better visual quality with
smaller file sizes and the ability to attach PDF files to a drawing as an
underlay. These features helped users achieve a 63 percent productivity
increase.
* AutoCAD 2010 features new free-form design tools that enable users to create
almost any shape imaginable by simply pushing and pulling faces, edges and
vertices. Such free-form modeling capabilities enhancedproductivity 62 percent.
* Designers can use dynamic block modelingin AutoCAD 2010 to build multiple
alterations using previously stored block geometry. By not having to create new
geometries for each variation,designers experienced a 44 percent productivity
increase.
* New PDF import, underlay and enhanced publishing features in AutoCAD 2010 can
facilitate two-way communication with the extended design team, creating a 43
percent productivity improvement.
* AutoCAD 2010 introduced parametric drawing tools that enable designers to
define persistent relationships between objects. These tools helped users
experience a 35 percent productivity increase in 3D drawing productivity.

"Economic conditions have reinforced the need for businesses to do more with
less. Today, more than 27 years after Autodesk first released AutoCAD, we
continue to add innovative new features to the product so designers and
engineers can design and document their projects more quickly without
compromising their high standards of quality and accuracy," said Guri Stark,
Autodesk vice president, AutoCAD and Platform Products. "As this study
demonstrates, each new feature in AutoCAD 2010 is helping designers minimize
time spent on rote activities, freeing them to perform more valuable work." 

About the Study

Autodesk commissioned Cambashi Limited, an independent consulting and analyst
firm, to conduct a productivity study to investigate the benefits of AutoCAD
2010. Taking a task-oriented approach, Cambashi compared the time taken by
architects using AutoCAD 2010 to those using AutoCAD 2007 as they completed a
design exercise for a single-story building. The project was chosen as a typical
example of architectural work. The full study is available for download at
www.autodesk.com/autocadpower

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 14 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 www.autodesk.com. 

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered 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 offerings and
specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for
typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Autodesk, Inc.
Noah Cole, 503-707-3872
noah.cole@autodesk.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009

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