Autodesk Expands Online Guide to Sustainable Design for Green Building Retrofits

Enhancements Include Interactive Graphical Interface and New "How-to" Resources
for Green Building Renovators
PHOENIX--(Business Wire)--
Greenbuild Expo:

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering
and entertainment software, has announced the availability of major updates for
the Autodesk Guide to Sustainable Design for Architecture, Engineering and
Construction. Launched earlier this year at the American Institute of Architects
conference, the free online guide helps architecture, engineering and
construction professionals make better informed decisions to achieve building
performance goals.

The updated site now extends through the entire building lifecycle with new
features and tools targeting green building retrofit and renovation projects,
and an expanded focus on relevant issues of interest to building owners and
energy service companies.

"The growing number of building regulations and new stimulus funding is creating
rapid growth in the green retrofit market - a market that McGraw-Hill projects
will reach $10 to $15 billion by 2014," said Phil Bernstein, FAIA, vice
president of industry strategy and relations for Autodesk's Architecture,
Engineering and Construction solutions arm. "We enhanced and expanded the
Autodesk Guide to Sustainable Design to provide existing building owners, and
AEC professionals, with practical tools and information to help them achieve
optimum energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact for their renovation
projects."

New Features Promote Energy-Efficient Building Practices

The updated Autodesk Guide to Sustainable Design site now features a unique
graphical user interface that presents the user with two options, New
Construction or Renovation, each customized to the visitor`s profession or
industry selection. The guide offers detailed virtual walk-throughs for all
phases of a new design or renovation project, allowing visitors to view key
decision points at each stage of a building`s lifecycle: energy efficiency,
water efficiency and carbon emissions. Along the way, users can learn how to
effectively use building information modeling (BIM) process supported by tools
for green analysis, visualization and simulation, to foster multidisciplinary
collaboration from the earliest stages of a project and throughout the building
lifecycle.

Other key enhancements include:

* Decision Grid tool to help evaluate and make sound decisions at each step of
the process, and to understand how Autodesk tools can be used to achieve green
retrofit goals
* Tools to show how to more quickly generate a 3D Autodesk Revit Architecture
digital information model from 2D photos of an existing building to more rapidly
conduct whole-building energy analysis and evaluate renewable energy potential
* White papers, podcasts and videos to demonstrate how to more quickly and
accurately achieve energy-efficiency and environmental goals for a green
retrofit project

BIM is an integrated process for exploring a project`s key physical and
functional characteristics digitally before it is built. Coordinated, consistent
information is used throughout the process to design innovative projects and
conduct analysis from the earliest stages, better visualize and simulate
real-world appearance, performance and cost, and deliver projects faster and
more economically, while minimizing environmental impact.

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, AutoCAD and Revit are registered trademarks or 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.

For Autodesk, Inc.
Paul Sullivan, 603-289-8987
paul.sullivan@autodesk.com
or
Randi Tanguay, 617-694-0333
randi.tanguay@fleishman.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009