Autodesk Brings AutoCAD WS Mobile App to Android
Autodesk announced the availability of the AutoCAD WS mobile application on the Android platform.
A free web and mobile application, AutoCAD WS uses cloud computing technology to enable Autodesk software users to view, edit and share their designs through web browsers and mobile devices.
“Now our customers with Android smartphones and tablets can use AutoCAD WS to collaborate with colleagues in the field, and across the globe, on a wider variety of mobile devices.”
AutoCAD WS for Android enables an expanded group of users to enjoy the benefits of effortless collaboration with architects, designers and engineers from anywhere in the world and experience the freedom of taking designs with them—wherever they go.
“Architects, engineers and designers have clearly communicated that they want access to their AutoCAD projects on their Android devices and we are more than happy to meet their needs. The impressive and consistent growth of the Android ecosystem serves as an excellent platform for Autodesk to further expand its accessibility through AutoCAD WS,” said Tal Weiss, AutoCAD WS software development manager, Autodesk. “Now our customers with Android smartphones and tablets can use AutoCAD WS to collaborate with colleagues in the field, and across the globe, on a wider variety of mobile devices.” Read more
Autodesk announces new AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 software
New Product Brings Modern 3D Modeling to Mainstream Plant Design and Engineering Projects
Autodesk, Inc. announced the availability of AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010, a new software product that brings the proven benefits of model-based design to mainstream plant design projects. Purpose-built for the design, modeling, and documentation of process plants, AutoCAD Plant 3D makes modern 3D design more affordable and accessible to project teams of all sizes. Today’s announcement was made at the SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition 2009.
Built on the familiar AutoCAD platform, AutoCAD Plant 3D allows project teams to increase productivity, and improve accuracy and coordination of shared information. The vast majority of plant design and engineering projects support the operation, maintenance and expansion of existing facilities. These projects are typically executed by small teams facing tight time and budget constraints. AutoCAD Plant 3D is tailor-made to increase the productivity of these teams by reducing setup time, facilitating straightforward information sharing, and minimizing the impact of changing project information.
“The value of 3D modeling is proven in the process plant industry, but existing design solutions are complex and expensive, serving primarily the largest projects,” said Mark Strassman, vice president, AEC Plant Solutions Group at Autodesk, Inc. “The most common plant design and engineering projects today are retrofits, upgrades, and expansions that run on tight budgets and fixed shutdown windows. The teams that execute these projects simply can’t afford to waste time and overhead with complicated solutions. Since AutoCAD Plant 3D leverages the familiarity of AutoCAD and the popularity of the .dwg file format, project teams can get up and running quickly, more easily share design information and finish projects faster – with potentially significant savings in time and cost.”
About AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010
Built on the familiar AutoCAD platform, AutoCAD Plant 3D features specification-driven design and standard parts catalogs to help streamline the placement of piping, equipment, and support structures. Also included in the product is integrated AutoCAD P&ID functionality and quick generation of isometric and orthographic drawings. The new product joins AutoCAD, AutoCAD P&ID, and Autodesk Navisworks software products in a line-up of Autodesk products built specifically for the plant design and engineering industry. For more information, please visit www.autodesk.com/autocadplant3d
New Plant Community on AutoCAD Exchange
Autodesk also announced the launch of a new community for plant designers and engineers on AutoCAD Exchange. On AutoCAD Exchange Plant, users can network, learn from experts, enhance professional skills, engage in discussions, and provide feedback to Autodesk product teams. Visitors can create profiles to personalize their experience and share their tips, projects, and experiences with other global plant design and engineering professionals. For more information, please visit www.autodesk.com/plantexchange.
Customer References
Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, the global water and wastewater treatment experts headquartered in Singapore, is using AutoCAD Plant 3D Beta 3 on a bid for a water treatment plant project. According to Veolia CAD Manager Alan Chew, “Our team of CAD and piping engineers is very interested in using a 3D plant design product that is compatible with the other Autodesk products we use. I’m already impressed with AutoCAD Plant 3D’s ease of use; I downloaded the software and started designing the project the very next day.”
“We use 2D and 3D software to design machined equipment and related buildings,” said Mark McLeod, CAD Manager at EnergySolutions, a provider of integrated services and solutions for the nuclear energy industry. “Currently, we are blind to obvious clashes, have duplicate tag numbers, and cannot see our piping designs in 3D model review. As we evaluate AutoCAD Plant 3D, we expect to benefit from correct tagging, 3D model reviews, clash detection, connection to P&ID work, orthographics, and isometrics. Being able to pass useful data to structural engineering and fabricators will also add a lot of value.”
Pricing and Availability
Product availability for AutoCAD Plant 3D software varies by country.
For more information or to download a 30 day free trial of AutoCAD Plant 3D, visit http://www.autodesk.com/autocadplant3d
One Maya more value: Autodesk Maya 2010 software gets a radical makeover
One Affordable Product Offers Advanced Simulation, Compositing and Network Rendering Capabilities
Autodesk, Inc. announced Autodesk Maya 2010 software, which unifies the Autodesk Maya Complete 2009 and Autodesk Maya Unlimited 2009 feature sets with matchmoving, compositing and rendering capabilities into a single affordable offering. Maya 2010 makes it easier for artists, designers and 3D enthusiasts to create compelling entertainment experiences, stylistic designs and evocative digital imagery from photo-real visual effects to believable characters. Maya 2010 is available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS operating systems.
“Artists need more creative capability than ever to attract viewers’ attention and engage their emotions in today’s fast-moving, prolific world of digital entertainment and design,” explained Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “Maya 2010 is designed to provide that creative capability, making it easier and more affordable for artists to build a cohesive computer graphics (CG) pipeline–integrating 2D and 3D, simulation and animation, rendering and compositing–so that they can create innovative entertainment more efficiently.”
Paal Anand, digital post supervisor for Bling Imaging and Maya 2010 beta tester, said, “Producers have become savvier with respect to computer graphics. They expect more work with additional complexity in less time than ever before. Maya 2010 gives us the total package to efficiently handle any challenge, whether it’s heavy in tracking, modeling, animating, rendering or compositing. Maya 2010 simplifies the workflow by integrating all the tools you need into a ready-to-go pipeline to get the job done from start to finish.” Hollywood-based Bling Imaging creates photo-realistic visual effects, motion graphics and animation for broadcast and motion pictures.
Maya has been used on every Academy Awardwinning movie for Best Visual Effects since 2001 and by all of the top 20 games publishers. In the past decade, Maya has become a creative tool of choice among many of the world’s top production companies and has been used to help artists around the world produce unique and innovative entertainment experiences–from independent productions like Chris Landreth’s “The Spine” to trend-setting visual effects blockbusters like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Autodesk Maya 2010 Features
Maya 2010 has all the features of Maya Unlimited 2009 and Maya Complete 2009, including the advanced simulation tools: the Maya Nucleus Unified Simulation Framework, Maya nCloth, Maya nParticles, Maya Fluid Effects, Maya Hair, Maya Fur; in addition to its comprehensive modeling, texturing and animation tools, brush-based 3D technology, an integrated stereoscopic workflow, Toon Shading, rendering, an extensive Maya application programming interface/software development kit and Python and MEL scripting capabilities.
New features in Maya 2010 are Maya Composite, a powerful high-dynamic composting system based on Autodesk Toxik software, which is no longer available as a standalone solution; Autodesk MatchMover advanced 3D tracking and matchmoving system; five mental ray Batch render nodes* and the Autodesk Backburner network render queue manager.
“I use Maya Complete in my day-to-day work and have always had my eye on Maya Unlimited,” said Ivan Turgeon, Maya visual effects artist and Maya 2010 beta tester, Prairie Fire VE. “Now that Maya Complete Autodesk Subscription customers will receive Maya 2010, which contains the entire Maya Unlimited 2009 feature set plus mental ray Batch rendering capability and Maya Composite, smaller shops like mine will be much more viable.”
For more information about the features offered in Autodesk Maya 2010, visit www.autodesk.com/maya.
Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation Suites
Autodesk also announced the Maya 2010 Real-Time Animation Suite with Autodesk MotionBuilder 2010, as well as the Maya 2010 Entertainment Creation Suite with MotionBuilder 2010 and Autodesk Mudbox 2010. The Suites provide artists and production facilities with access to a more complete range of creative tools at more than 35 percent** cost savings, compared to purchasing each product individually. Used together, these products help artists maximize creativity and optimize productivity. “The Suites combine our most popular 3D tools at a lower price, providing greater creative capability and a more cohesive and efficient pipeline–so our customers can equip themselves with the broader, stronger creative capabilities they need to meet the challenges of these uncertain economic times,” explained Marc Petit.
Pricing and Availability
Autodesk anticipates that Maya 2010 will be available in August 2009. Maya 2010 will also ship as part of the Autodesk’s new Digital Entertainment Creation suites. The Autodesk suggested retail price (SRP) of a license of Maya 2010 will be US$3,495***. Upgrades to Maya 2010 from Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited 2009 will be US$895***. All Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited customers with current Autodesk Subscription will be entitled to the Maya 2010 release. The Autodesk suggested retail price (SRP) for the Entertainment Creation Suite will be US$4,995***. The Autodesk SRP for the Real-time Animation Suite will be US$4,795***.
Operating Systems
– The 32-bit version of Maya 2010 will be supported on the Windows Vista Business (SP1), Windows XP Professional (SP2) and Apple Mac OS X 10.5.7 operating systems
– The 64-bit version of Maya 2010 will be supported on the Windows Vista Business (SP1), Windows XP x64 Edition (SP2), Red Hat Enterprise Linux (5.3 WS) and Fedora 8 operating systems
Autodesk Subscription is available for purchase with the product license purchase or upgrade. The Autodesk suggested retail price for Autodesk Subscription is US$595*** per year for Maya. Subscription customers have access to up-to-date software, learning resources and an extensive online technical knowledge base. For more information about the Subscription offering for Maya 2010, visit www.autodesk.com/mayasubscription.
*Requires a Maya 2010 network license.
** Savings based on USD SRP. International pricing and savings may vary.
*** International pricing may vary.
Autodesk debuts new product suites for digital entertainment creation
Suites Help Studios Create Innovative Entertainment, More Efficiently and Cost-Effectively
At SIGGRAPH 2009, Autodesk, Inc. debuted its Suites for Digital Entertainment Creation. The product Suites gives artists, production facilities and educators access to more creative tools at a cost savings of more than 35 percent*, when compared to purchasing each product license separately. Used together, the products in these Suites help artists increase creative capability and optimize productivity.
“Autodesk is introducing affordable Suites of its popular 3D tools to better help artists create innovative entertainment in today’s tough economic conditions,” said Stig Gruman, vice president, Autodesk Digital Entertainment Group. “The Suites significantly expand artists’ capabilities by providing them with an amazing range of creative tools – from highly-detailed modeling and sculpting to advanced real-time animation – so that they can tackle creative problems in new ways.”
Autodesk is introducing the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites and the Autodesk Real-Time Animation Suites for commercial use. The company has also launched the Autodesk Education Suite for Entertainment Creation for postsecondary educators, and Autodesk Animation Academy 2010 for secondary schools.
Suites for Commercial Use
Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites
The flagship Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites offer customers a choice of either Autodesk Maya 2010 or Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 software, together with both Autodesk Mudbox 2010 and Autodesk MotionBuilder 2010 software. Mudbox helps artists to sculpt highly detailed models more quickly and intuitively. MotionBuilder provides artists with a real-time animation engine for more interactive creative feedback and efficient handling of large amounts of animation data. With Autodesk FBX 2010 data exchange technology, the Suites provide a cohesive, efficient pipeline. The complementary toolsets enable artists to better handle tough production challenges and achieve higher-quality results, more efficiently and cost-effectively. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/entertainmentcreationsuites.
Autodesk Real-Time Animation Suites
The Autodesk Real-Time Animation Suites are designed for animation-intensive productions. These Suites also offer a choice of either Maya 2010 or 3ds Max 2010 software, in addition to MotionBuilder 2010 software. MotionBuilder provides animators with a real-time 3D engine and specialized animation toolset to more quickly and efficiently create, manipulate and process large amounts of animation data. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/realtimeanimationsuites.
Suites for Educators
Autodesk Education Suite for Entertainment Creation
The Autodesk Education Suite for Entertainment Creation helps educators prepare students for professional careers in the increasingly competitive 3D job market. The Suite includes access to flexible learning resources and the same software used by top creative professionals: Maya 2010, 3ds Max 2010, MotionBuilder 2010, Mudbox 2010, Autodesk Softimage 2010 and Autodesk SketchBook Pro 2010 software. The Suite is available for both institution and student purchase. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/entertainmentsuite-edu.
Autodesk Animation Academy 2010
Autodesk Animation Academy 2010 helps inspire secondary school students to explore careers in the arts, entertainment and visualization fields. The Suite offers software and curriculum resources that enable students to learn 3D technology while exploring new ways to visualize ideas. It includes Maya 2010, 3ds Max 2010, MotionBuilder 2010, Mudbox 2010 and SketchBook Pro 2010 software, as well as a Curriculum Resources DVD and access to online community resources. Animation Academy is available exclusively for secondary or high schools providing instruction for teenagers aged 11-17. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com/animationacademy.
Pricing and Availability
All four Digital Entertainment Creation Suites are expected to ship in English for the Windows operating system during fall 2009. The Autodesk suggested retail price (SRP) for the Entertainment Creation Suite is US$4,995**. The Autodesk SRP for the Real-Time Animation Suite is US$4,795**. Contact a local Authorized Education reseller for pricing details on the Suites for educators.
Autodesk Subscription can be purchased for the Entertainment Creation Suite at the Autodesk SRP of US$845**, and for the Real-Time Animation Suite at the Autodesk SRP of US$825**. Autodesk Subscription with Gold Support can be purchased for the Entertainment Creation Suite at the Autodesk SRP of US$1,245**, and for the Real-Time Animation Suite at the Autodesk SRP of US$1,210**. Autodesk Subscription services are also available for the Education Suites. For more information about Autodesk Subscription, visit www.autodesk.com/subscription.
* International savings may vary.
** International pricing may vary.