November 17, 2006; 02:53 AM
Autodesk, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced the expansion of the Autodesk Labs site
< labs.autodesk.com > with the release of the Autodesk Impression technology
preview and updates to the Project Freewheel technology preview. Autodesk
Labs provides free, early access to prototypes, experimental and beta
applications and technologies.
Since the debut of the site earlier this year, the Autodesk Labs community
has shown significant growth in less than four months. The Autodesk Labs Web
site itself has received more than 600,000 hits and over 97,000 unique
visitors from 150 countries. To date, there have been more than 20,000
downloads of the technologies available on Autodesk Labs, and feedback from
users continues to grow.
Autodesk Impression (technology preview)
The newest application to launch on Labs, Autodesk Impression
< www.autodesk.com/impression >, allows users to create illustrative
presentation graphics quickly and easily. After opening a DWG or DWF file in
Impression, users can add everything from distinctive line types to textured
color fills, using pre-built or custom appearance styles. Libraries of styles
can be saved and reused, allowing users to generate unique looks for their
work while saving time. Because Impression understands CAD data, users can
take advantage of the power of layers and blocks when creating their images.
In the few weeks that the technology preview has been available on Labs,
feedback has been continuous and positive.
"Autodesk Impression is a tremendous time saver. I can now do work myself
that I used to have to ask someone else in my office to do," said Jeremy
Noftle of Focus Architecture Incorporated. "It took me only a few minutes to
get up and running; and within a couple of hours I had my first image
complete. To produce this level of quality in other applications would have
taken much longer."
A community site for Impression < impression.autodesk.com > further
enhances the Labs experience by providing a user-based forum for the exchange
of ideas and data via content exchanges, galleries and discussion groups. The
site also provides learning tools such as tutorials and user-submitted tips.
Project Freewheel (technology preview)
Additionally, new features have been added to Project Freewheel on
Autodesk Labs since the original launch of the technology preview on the site
in September. Project Freewheel offers browser-based access to view and
navigate CAD drawings shared with DWF technology in a Web browser or on a
mobile device without requiring the installation of CAD viewing software. The
feedback that Project Freewheel received on the Labs Web site allowed Autodesk
to advance the product's technology and make improvements to better meet the
needs of customers. Two new features include the ability to upload a DWF file
from a user's hard drive to a server and the ability to e-mail the URL to a
project team member who can then link to the DWF file in Project Freewheel.
Project Freewheel site traffic at www.dwfit.com , has grown globally from
around one hundred to as many as two thousand visitors per day, with users as
far away as Brazil, Slovakia and Thailand. These users not only test the new
Ajax-based DWF viewer, they have also been e-mailing new ideas to expand the
service.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 company 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 manufacturing,
infrastructure, building, media and entertainment, 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, Calif. For
additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com .
NOTE: Autodesk, AutoCAD, DWF and DWG 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.
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.