Engineering teams and product designers are adopting Autodesk Inventor
software, the fastest-growing and best selling 3D mechanical design
application in the world, in record numbers. Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK)
today announced that it has sold over 500,000 seats of Autodesk Inventor,
continuing to exceed that of all competing 3D design software applications. A
rising number of mechanical engineers and product designers have selected
Autodesk Inventor as their software platform of choice for realizing ideas.
Using the integrated 2D drawing with 3D modeling capabilities in the Autodesk
Inventor application makes it easier than ever before for engineers to
leverage their years of expertise with AutoCAD while taking advantage of the
superior 3D modeling and functional design capabilities found only in Autodesk
Inventor.
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"Our research shows that as more manufacturers make 3D modeling a priority
in their product development initiatives, they are growing increasingly savvy
about choosing tools," said Gisela Wilson, director at IDC Research. "They're
looking to take advantage of 3D without sacrificing years of engineering
expertise captured in 2D drawings -- and we believe that's driving growth in
Autodesk Inventor use."
A September 2005 study by Wohlers Associates, Inc., in partnership with
Cyon Research found that the mechanical CAD and product lifecycle management
market grew to nearly $4 billion in 2004, with Autodesk Inventor leading the
way in commercial mechanical design seats.
"Achieving the milestone of 500,000 seats is further validation of the
Autodesk Inventor market leading status. The product's unmatched
functionality continues to outclass competitive solutions," said Robert Kross,
vice president, Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions Division. "From designing
cars for manufacture in China to watches in Europe, engineering teams around
the world are using Autodesk Inventor to communicate design information
seamlessly so that their organizations can respond quickly and
cost-effectively to changes in consumer demand."
There are many reasons why Autodesk Inventor continues to be the best
selling 3D design software:

-- It is the best choice for AutoCAD users because it is designed to make
use of both 2D drawings and 3D modeling capabilities in an easy and
intuitive design environment
-- Offers unparalleled integrity and compatibility between 2D AutoCAD DWG
files and 3D Autodesk Inventor models
-- Provides leading-edge functional design capabilities, enabling
mechanical engineers to focus on designing functionally rather than by
geometric parameters
-- Delivers built-in, easy to implement data management tools
-- Institutes disciplined methods for sharing design data across the
engineering workgroup and to users beyond the design team

"Autodesk Inventor enables us to create products more quickly, make
changes more readily, and document them instantly," says Pat Leonhardt,
product development manager for EASI. "As we continue to branch out into new
product lines, Autodesk Inventor will be instrumental to our business as it
definitely gives us an edge in a competitive environment."

About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned
into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading
software and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure,
digital media 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 by
becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency and maximizing
profits.
Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For
additional information about Autodesk, please visit http://www.autodesk.com.
NOTE: Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, DWF and DXF are 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.