Citrix Synergy in Los Angeles New Innovations to Equip People with Mobile Workspaces

May 20, 2014, Tuesday - Citrix Synergy, held in Los Angeles, California this year, concluded on a successful note.

The annual flagship industry conference by Citrix, held from 6 – 8 May at the Anaheim Convention Center, unveiled new mobility technologies and strategies that will provide support for people to work better from anywhere with mobile workspace solutions. The latest solutions also promise IT teams comprehensive control and management capabilities across the entire enterprise’s IT infrastructure.

The IT industry is witnessing a rapid explosion of new and heterogeneous devices and app platforms, coupled with the rising trend of consumerization, BYOD and an increasingly digitally-savvy generation who prefer to work whenever, wherever and however they choose.

Brad Peterson, Steve Daheb, and Catherine Courage at the Synergy 2014 Keynote.

Citrix Synergy focused on the four key aspects of solutions that businesses need in order to equip their people with mobile workspaces to enhance productivity and achieve strategic differentiation in today’s dynamic and mobile world.

Virtualization: Synergy discussed state-of-the-art mobility solutions for enabling IT to transform any Windows app or a complete desktop into a secured, on-demand cloud service. Major focus areas included how to optimize user experience on any device with new approaches to desktop and app virtualization, Windows app migration, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), remote desktop session (RDS) and client virtualization, including administration, service delivery, security and mobility.

Mobility: Synergy provided in-depth coverage of the latest mobility trends and how innovations and technologies are able to empower people to work from anywhere, all while providing IT with full configuration, security and management control of apps, data and devices. Key topics included mobile app and device management, app stores, mobile security, social and real-time collaboration, mobile data access and workshifting.

Citrix CEO Mark Templeton at the Synergy 2014 Keynote.

Networking: Synergy covered the latest developments in network virtualization, load balancing, software-defined networking, disaster and site recovery, app security and multi-tenancy in private and public clouds. Key topics included how businesses can be ensured of the best mobility, performance and availability by accelerating and securing enterprise applications across LANs, WANs, the internet and cloud.

Cloud: Synergy explored an extensive range of topics from automation, orchestration, and networking, to access and management for compute and application services.

Key focus was on automated, elastic, “anything-as-a-service” clouds that enable businesses to ensure the best security, performance and reliability, be it running off an on premise enterprise datacenter, or in an external cloud.

This month’s news update from Citrix highlights new and innovative ways for customers to advance and mobilize their businesses and employees by delivering desktops, apps, data and services to any user, on any device, over any network or cloud, via a single solution and in a secure fashion.

Citrix Workspace Suite
Citrix Workspace Suite is a new, single, flexible solution that unites virtualization, mobility, networking and cloud services technologies to improve employee productivity, simplify IT and fully secure enterprise content. The full suite of solutions supports multiple corporate or personal devices per user and provides instant secure access to all apps, desktops, data and services over any network, while simplifying how organizations manage their end user computing environment. Various technologies, such as application and desktop virtualization, mobile application and device management, native mobile productivity apps, enterprise file sync and share, WAN optimization and access gateway enable comprehensive management of application, desktop and mobile infrastructures. According to Gartner, the mobile workspace market is expected to grow 15 times in the next three years as organizations embrace business mobility.  With the spurt of new devices and app platforms, combined with the rapid growth in consumerization, mobility and BYOD initiatives, organizations are driven to find a way to manage and secure the diversity of today’s IT environments. With Citrix Workspace Suite, businesses can enable their people with comprehensive, secure and personalized mobile workspaces, and empower them with an unprecedented level of freedom, flexibility and choice in the way they work.

Citrix XenMobile enterprise mobility management and mobile productivity apps
The new release of Citrix XenMobile enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution is accompanied with new workflow-driven mobile productivity apps -- WorxNotes, WorxEdit and WorxDesktop. The EMM solution offers significant enhancements in user experience, platform security and support, as well as management integrations that improve scalability and speed time to value for business. The new workflow-driven mobile productivity apps are key business apps with intelligent integrations that seamlessly work together, resulting in a simple and intuitive user experience. Today, mobility is a top priority for organizations from healthcare providers to government institutions. Organizations recognize the need to securely deliver mobile workspaces that provide all the business tools and information their employees need, whether they are in the office, or on the move, in order to stay agile and drive business growth.

New ShareFile Connectors
The new ShareFile StorageZone Connectors help businesses by establishing direct and secure mobile access to data in its original location behind the corporate firewall. In addition, the new ShareFile Personal Cloud Connectors allow users to access their Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive accounts from ShareFile itself, providing enterprises with the flexibility to determine how and where users store files. In a nutshell, the new and enhanced Citrix ShareFile delivers the broadest storage access for users and gives users the ability to access and edit files from multiple data sources on their mobile devices with a single access point. At the same time, businesses have more control over their data encryption keys. This results in increased productivity and security.

Citrix NetScaler MobileStream
The now available NetScaler MobileStream technology delivers the most advanced cloud and mobile networking capabilities, significantly improving mobile network and application performance, along with network visibility, while tightening security for both the enterprise and the end user.  IT teams have started to embrace a mobile-first agenda, with the explosion of mobile devices in business and the exponential growth of consumerization. The technology improves mobile performance by virtually eliminating the impact of sporadic connectivity caused by legacy communication technologies and website designs, and transparently leverages wireless and cellular connectivity with intelligent dual network mode technology. This results in mobile apps loading and running five times faster, enabling employees to maximize productivity as well as enhance user experience.

Citrix Advances Innovation in Business Mobility
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix unveiled advancements toward its vision of providing ways for people to work better from anywhere with mobile workspace solutions. At this week’s conference, attendees will learn about how new offerings based on Citrix virtualization, mobility, networking and cloud services technologies can further enable secure delivery of apps, desktops, data and services to any user, on any device, over any network or cloud.

Citrix Announces Workspace Services, Cloud-based Platform for DaaS, Virtual App Delivery and Mobility
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix announced Citrix Workspace Services™, the first platform for designing, building and delivering mobile workspaces. The cloud-based platform allows both partners and customers to rapidly build and offer desktops-as-a-service (DaaS), virtual application delivery and mobility services from any cloud. Citrix leads the DaaS market today serving over 350,000 subscribers, growing 50 percent annually, through over 1,500 service providers who offer hosted desktops and applications. Building on this momentum, Citrix is introducing new capabilities for its partners and customers. Citrix Workspace Services is a cloud-based platform that enables partners, enterprises and independent software vendors (ISVs) to quickly and simply design and deliver mobile workspaces that allow people to work better and increase business productivity, agility and efficiency. Workspace Services builds upon a full range of Citrix technologies including the open architecture of Citrix XenApp® and Citrix XenDesktop® virtual app and desktop delivery, the market-leading user experience of Citrix HDX™ technologies, the most robust mobility solution with Citrix XenMobile®, a comprehensive data fabric with Citrix ShareFile® and a global customer care service with Citrix GoToAssist®.

Citrix ShareFile Secures Files for Today’s Mobile Workspaces
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix announced new Citrix ShareFile® features that deliver the broadest storage access for users and the most choice for IT. The new features give users the ability to access and edit files from multiple data sources on their mobile devices and businesses more control over their data encryption keys, resulting in increased productivity and security. These capabilities are available in the company’s secure file sync and sharing solution ShareFile, Citrix XenMobile® and the new Citrix Workspace Suite.

Citrix and Cisco Join Forces to Power Mobile Workspaces
At Citrix Synergy™, Cisco and Citrix announced they are bringing their industry-leading technologies together in a tested and validated enterprise mobility infrastructure solution. The Cisco® Mobile Workspace Solution with Citrix – including the new Citrix Workspace Suite™ also announced today at Synergy – simplifies how organizations provide highly secure and optimized access to apps, data, communications and services on any device from networked locations.

Quest and Citrix Collaborate to Deliver DaaS for Business
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix announced that Quest, one of the first and largest desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) providers, has aligned with Citrix to offer services using Citrix market-leading DaaS technologies, including Citrix XenApp® and Citrix XenDesktop® virtual app and desktop delivery, to provide workspaces-as-a-service for businesses. Citrix technology provides a complete mobile workspace solution that securely delivers apps, desktops, files and services to any user, on any device, over any network. Quest brings a deep understanding of managed and cloud services to its customers, providing customizable services to the healthcare, financial services, higher education, government, and manufacturing industries. Quest services are built on the Cisco Desktop® as a Service solution, which includes Citrix technology and brings scalability, performance advantages and simplified management to the Quest platform.

Citrix Unveils Latest XenMobile Release and Technology Preview of New Mobile Productivity Apps
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix announced a new release of its Citrix XenMobile® enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution and a technology preview of new WorxNotes™, WorxEdit™ and WorxDesktop™ workflow-driven mobile productivity apps. The new XenMobile release includes significant enhancements in user experience, platform security and support, as well as management integrations that improve scalability and speed time to value for business. The new workflow-driven mobile productivity apps from Citrix are key business apps with intelligent integrations that seamlessly work together, resulting in a simple and intuitive user experience. For example, people can join a meeting directly from their calendar, take notes and distribute them to all participants with just a few simple taps. As a result, mobile employees can be more productive on their tablets and phones, while IT retains control.

Citrix Introduces Industry’s Most Comprehensive Mobile Workspace Solution
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix announced the new Citrix Workspace Suite, which unites its market-leading virtualization, mobility, networking and cloud services technologies to make it even easier for people to work anywhere. Providing instant, secure access to all apps, desktops, data and services from any device over any network, Citrix Workspace Suite enables businesses to empower people to choose when, where and how work gets done, giving them a new level of freedom, flexibility and choice.

Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop Extend Lead in Mobile Workspaces
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix is providing an early view of upcoming releases of Citrix XenApp® and Citrix XenDesktop®, the company’s industry-leading solutions for delivering Windows in the mobile-cloud era. New versions of XenApp and XenDesktop were released in March 2014, and Citrix is continuing a brisk pace of innovation in its flagship products to drive even higher levels of security and user experience for mobility and cloud on the unified platform for virtual Windows apps and desktops. At the conference, Citrix will provide an early view of refinements that enhance security capabilities, provide high-performance HTML5 browser-based access from any device, enable fast log-ons, simplify roaming apps across multiple devices and support for the latest USB 3.0 peripherals, as well as many more real-world, customer-driven features. In addition, Citrix is releasing a private technology preview of tools that will facilitate migration to the latest releases for existing customers. XenApp and XenDesktop are cornerstones of the new Citrix Workspace Suite, which unites its market-leading virtualization, mobility, networking and cloud services technologies to make it even easier for people to work anywhere.

Citrix Unveils NetScaler MobileStream Technology
At Citrix Synergy™, Citrix announced the availability of NetScaler® MobileStream™ technology, which significantly improves mobile network and application performance along with network visibility, while tightening security for both the enterprise and the end user. With the explosion of mobile devices in business and the relentless growth of consumerization, IT has started to explicitly embrace a mobile-first agenda. In fact, according to industry analysts, 77 percent of enterprises state that providing mobility support for employees inside and outside the office is a strategic network priority. NetScaler MobileStream improves data security and mobility support, delivering the most advanced cloud and mobile networking capabilities in the industry. Coupled with the broader Mobile Workspace Suite, only Citrix offers the purpose-built mobile networking functionality that creates a complete end-to-end solution for truly empowering mobile workstyles.

Autodesk Wins 2014 Citrix Innovation Award
At Citrix Synergy™, Autodesk was announced as the winner of the company’s 9th annual Innovation award, designed to recognize visionary customers who are using Citrix solutions for delivering mobile workspaces to drive business innovation and IT simplicity. Autodesk used Citrix solutions to harness virtualization technology and create a new cloud-based development environment that has resulted in a faster, lower-cost, and higher quality process.  Autodesk engineers now have access to on-demand development resources via self-service; and without the need for physical hardware, engineers are able to work from anywhere. In addition, as Autodesk accelerates the development of next-generation, cloud-based tools for design, engineering, and entertainment; engineers can work on multiple projects in parallel and easily collaborate between different locations.

Citrix Podio Gives Users More Power to Design and Customize Their Workflows with the New ‘Creator’ Release
Citrix announced significant enhancements to Podio, the popular productivity and work management tool in its mobile workspace portfolio. The platform’s redesigned look and feel empowers any user to dramatically reimagine the way they organize their everyday work. Improvements include a faster user interface, intuitive new drag-and-drop design and more powerful ways to automate and link tasks within Podio.

Accelerating the Future of 3D Printing

By Carl Bass, Autodesk President and Chief Executive Officer

For years, I’ve been fascinated by the promise and frustrated by the reality of 3D printing. Today, Autodesk is announcing two contributions to help make things better.  First is an open software platform for 3D printing called Spark, which will make it more reliable yet simpler to print 3D models, and easier to control how that model is actually printed.   Second, Autodesk will be introducing our own 3D printer that will serve as a reference implementation for Spark. It will demonstrate the power of the Spark platform and set a new benchmark for the 3D printing user experience.  Together these will provide the building blocks that product designers, hardware manufacturers, software developers and materials scientists can use to continue to explore the limits of 3D printing technology.

Spark will be open and freely licensable to hardware manufacturers and others who are interested. Same for our 3D printer – the complete design of the printer will be made publicly available to allow for further development and experimentation. The printer will be able to use a broad range of materials, made by us and by others, and we look forward to lots of exploration into new materials.

The world is just beginning to realize the potential of additive manufacturing and with Spark, we hope make it possible for many more people to incorporate 3D printing into their design and manufacturing process. Over the coming months we’ll be working with hardware manufacturers to integrate the Spark platform with current and future 3D printers.  Both Spark and our 3D printer will be available later this year.

3D printing will make it possible for us to create all sorts of things we create today, better, and to create all sorts of new things that we haven't even imagined yet.

If you are interested in working with us, sign up at www.autodesk.com/spark .

New Autodesk 2015 Design Suites Drive Unsurpassed Value for Subscribers

Expanding Portfolio Combines Tighter Integration with Autodesk 360 Cloud Services & Powerful AutoCAD Enhancements with Convenient, Flexible Subscription Options

MALAYSIA, March 28, 2014 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced the release of the new Autodesk 2015 Design Suites, which are more tightly integrated with Autodesk  cloud services than ever before – offering customers the ability to collaborate, simulate, analyze and more, many with just one click from within the suite.

Each Autodesk 2015 Design Suite includes AutoCAD 2015, the most advanced AutoCAD yet. A new interface and enhanced productivity tools enable customers to experience a new standard in design and documentation.  Additionally, Autodesk Subscription offers customers even more convenient, flexible ways to access the tools they need, when they need them, to help grow their business.  Autodesk subscription connects customers with software updates, services and support that help get the most out of their investment in Autodesk software now and in the future.

“The Autodesk portfolio now has something for everyone involved in making products and projects come to life, in addition to designers and engineers,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of platform products, Autodesk.  “Users will notice a difference in how much easier it is to get their work done with the Autodesk 2015 Design Suites.”

Productivity-Boosting Enhancements for All Suites
New features and functionality have been added to the 2015 family of Autodesk Design Suites:

• Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite offers a refined visual interface, better point cloud support to bring the real world into the AutoCAD canvas, and easier ways to work with online maps and other geographic location information.

• Autodesk Building Design Suite delivers better integration with BIM 360 cloud services, enhanced point cloud capabilities, and numerous customer requested improvements for Autodesk Revit, including a new sketchy lines feature, ability to include imagery in schedules, enhanced hidden lines capability and more.

• Autodesk Factory Design Suite introduces easier moves from 2D AutoCAD drawings to 3D factory layouts with streamlined transitions from legacy workflows; point cloud support for “as is” facility capture; extended use of Factory Design data; and enhancements to Factory Design Mobile app.

• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite includes major enhancements to AutoCAD Civil 3D software, including improved user interface, greater flexibility for corridor modeling, more efficient creation of profiles layouts, better production drafting, and simplier ways to create custom subassemblies.

• Autodesk Plant Design Suite rolls out significant enhancements to AutoCAD Plant 3D software, including center of gravity, bill of materials (BOM), fixed length pipe modeling, piping and instrumentation drawing (P&ID), and isometric improvements.

• Autodesk Product Design Suite launches with exceptional modeling capabilities, a new user experience, and workflow enhancements.

Actual features and functionality vary by edition (Standard, Premium, Ultimate) of each suite.  Visit the In the Fold Autodesk blog for more in-depth details on the 2015 Design Suites for Autodesk manufacturing, architecture, engineering and construction, infrastructure and oil and gas industry customers.

Cloud Services Just a Click Away
Customers in the architecture, engineering, and construction, and infrastructure markets can expect to see significant productivity improvements through one-click access to BIM 360, cloud-based building information modeling (BIM) software for collaboration and management of construction projects. Autodesk InfraWorks 360, which offers civil engineers additional cloud services for collaboration and analysis at the early stages of infrastructure design, includes an updated user interface, support for more data formats, enhancements to Roadway Design for InfraWorks 360 and a new application Bridge Design for InfraWorks 360. The Design Suites for these fields also feature full integration of the Autodesk 360 Rendering service, which uses the virtually infinite computing power in the cloud to create high-resolution renderings efficiently.

Manufacturing industry customers gain easy access to new offerings such as Process Analysis 360, a cloud-based service that helps engineers and system designers model, study, and optimize manufacturing processes. This accessibility – combined with other feature enhancements and refinements – removes the barriers to entry so that everyone can design and engineer great products.

“One of my favorite features of the cloud services specifically is access to Green Building Studio,” said Andrew Watkins, associate principal, Ayers Saint Gross Architects.  “Architects are much more in tune with doing energy analysis early on in the design process, so even in the early concept stages we are able to analyze multiple versions of our building design directly from Revit through the cloud and get immediate data points back for making design decisions based on energy usage through the life the building. That’s been one of the best benefits of the cloud for us.”

It’s Never Been Easier to Access Autodesk Software
Autodesk Subscription offers the most convenient, modern, and flexible way for customers to purchase and access the software and services that they need to grow their business, and new purchasing options allow customers to choose the plan that best fits their current project needs and budget.

“We like the subscription program with Autodesk because it provides predictability and stability; it simplifies our licensing, and it gives us a lot of flexibility,” said Gene Evans, Autodesk subscription administrator for Woolpert, a US-based design, geospatial and infrastructure management firm. “In addition, upgrades on subscription are pretty much a no-brainer. We budget a static sum every year, and it’s been easy to predict our costs, we can upgrade at any time, whenever it works for us. Subscription also allows us to explore cloud services and evaluate where they will benefit us as a company and make better informed decisions. Subscription is the only way to go for us.”

Autodesk Subscription customers gain access to the latest Autodesk software releases and cloud services, technical support, and flexible licensing rights from the following options:

Maintenance Subscription is the most cost effective way to maintain and maximize long-term investment in purchased Autodesk software and services.

Desktop Subscription offers pay-as-you-go plans. Customers can choose from monthly, quarterly, and annual options for using Autodesk Design and Creation Suites and select software products.

Cloud Service Subscription can have a dramatic effect on the way customers work. A broad selection of cloud-based services offer access to virtually infinite cloud computing power that significantly reduces visualization and simulation processing times and frees up desktop resources for greater productivity, mobility and collaboration.

Availability
Autodesk 2015 Design Suites will become available starting March 28, 2014. Availability varies by country. See details and purchasing options at www.autodesk.com/subcription

Autodesk Establishes Global Foundation to Accelerate Design-Led Revolution

3D Design Software Leader Creates First Foundation Dedicated to Design for Impact

MALAYSIA, March 5, 2014 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) yesterday launched the Autodesk Foundation, which will invest in and support the most impactful nonprofit organizations using the power of design to help solve epic challenges, such as climate change, access to water, and healthcare, among others.  In partnership with the company, the Autodesk Foundation will provide select design-oriented grantees with software, training and financial support.

“We have been delighted by the number of people using our technology to design a better world and solve global problems,” said Autodesk President and CEO Carl Bass. “These are the people who inspired us to align our philanthropic giving with our core business, to support more of these nonprofits to bring their ideas to market.  We will also be encouraging the thousands of Autodesk employees to get involved in Foundation programs.”

 “We believe that design offers humanity our greatest hope for addressing some of the most urgent, inter-connected and non-negotiable challenges of our time,” says President and CEO of the Autodesk Foundation and Autodesk Senior Director of Sustainability Lynelle Cameron. “We want to support and accelerate the design-led revolution currently underway, by investing in design-driven entities that are pursuing scalable solutions with measureable impact.”

Tackling Epic Challenges through Impact Design
Impact design focuses on generating significant, measurable progress toward solving today’s epic challenges – access to healthcare and education; clean energy and water; efficient transportation; or the many other global problems we face. Through the Foundation’s Impact Design Program, carefully selected nonprofits will receive funding, and in partnership with Autodesk, Inc., software and training to create solutions that address these challenges.

The program’s first grantees also include:
• KickStart International, one of the Foundation’s pilot grantees, exemplifies impact design.  The Foundation recently hosted four of their engineers from Kenya to come to San Francisco for a multi-week design software immersion and fabrication workshop. KickStart designs simple agricultural irrigation tools that help African farmers start profitable businesses and rise out of poverty.
• MASS Design Group, which designs health facilities in parts of the world where they’re needed most. The Autodesk Foundation is supporting its efforts in rural Malawi to design maternal waiting homes, which are shelters for expectant mothers, enabling women who once waited until the onset of labor to travel to receive medical care and a safe hospital birth.
• D-Rev, which designs and develops devices and products to improve the health and income of people living on less than $4 a day. Autodesk has helped fund crucial durability testing of the next generation of the organization’s ReMotion Knee, an inexpensive and easy-to-fit prosthetic for those in the developing world.

Employees Contribute to the Foundation Goal
Autodesk’s employees play a significant role in the Foundation’s efforts to create a better world. Autodesk supports the 7,390 employees worldwide to volunteer with or donate to the nonprofit organizations they care most about. As part of the Foundation launch, Autodesk increased the annual donation matching commitment per employee and has made it easier to volunteer. Last year, Autodesk employees around the world volunteered more than 8,200 hours.

Providing Critical Disaster Response
The Autodesk Foundation provides financial support and facilitates in-kind and technical support to areas struck by unexpected disasters. The company has most recently supported relief efforts for Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines and the tsunami stemming from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Autodesk and its employees have held various fundraisers and donated to charities and relief organizations including Doctors Without Borders, American Red Cross and Architecture for Humanity. Autodesk further supports disaster response efforts through matching employee donations with corporate funds.

About the Autodesk Foundation
The Autodesk Foundation invests in the most impactful people and organizations using design to solve epic challenges. As the first foundation exclusively focused on design for impact, the Autodesk Foundation directs investments to design-driven entities that are pursuing measurable and scalable solutions.  For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.org/. or follow @AutodeskFdn.

Dell Delivers Ultra-Thin and Light True Mobile Workstation Blending Beautiful Design with Uncompromising Performance

• The new Dell Precision M3800 is one of the world’s thinnest and lightest 15-inch true mobile workstations  
• Incredibly vivid Quad HD+ display with highest resolution available for visualizing and bringing creative ideas to life 
• Features Intel Core i7 Quad-Core processor, NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics and ISV certifications for seamlessly running top digital content creation and design applications

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 4, 2013 – Dell today launched the thinnest and lightest 15-inch true mobile workstation, the Dell Precision M3800, to its family of powerful mobile workstations. Merging beautiful design in an ultra-thin form factor with workstation-class performance, Dell has delivered an uncompromising system for digital content creators and engineers looking for portability, power and stylish design to match their image and environment.

“Dell has a long history of delivering leading-edge performance workstations for customers in engineering and digital content creation,” said Jon Peddie, President, Jon Peddie Research. “After seeing the new Dell Precision M3800 ultra-thin mobile workstation it’s like falling in love all over again. It has everything I want in a power notebook including a super processor and GPU, high-resolution and big screen, light weight, lots of I/O, great speakers and camera. What’s not to love? With the M3800, I no longer have to sacrifice performance for mobility and beautiful design.”

Less than three-quarters of an inch thin (18 mm) and starting at 4.15 pounds (1.88 kgs)¹, dual-cooling to allow maximum performance at all times, and up to 10 hours and six minutes² of battery life with NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology that maximizes battery life for extended productivity, the M3800 enables editing video at a shoot, presenting CAD ideas to customers in style or rendering 3D animation and modeling on the road.

“Our designers frequently travel, to meet with and collaborate with vendors and clients and the new Dell Precision M3800 provides workstation-class performance to power their software applications with an aesthetic design that fits into those collaborative environments and creates the impression we want,” said Curt Spence, Client Devices Engineer, Freeman.

Outstanding Performance in an Ultra-Thin and Light Workstation
Offering powerful performance in an ultra-thin form factor, the Dell Precision M3800 is available with Windows 8.1 Pro (64-Bit) or genuine Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit) and is loaded with up to 16GB³ of memory and 4th generation Intel Core i7-4702HQ 8 threaded quad-core processor with up to 3.2 GHz clock speeds for seamlessly running professional software applications.

The M3800 is equipped with the NVIDIA Quadro® K1100M GPU with 2GB³ of GDDR5 dedicated memory for a rich visual experience with graphic-intense software applications.

“The new Dell Precision M3800 is the first and only thin and light mobile workstation to offer the power of the Kepler-based NVIDIA Quadro GPUs, the industry’s highest-performing and most capable professional graphics,” said Sandeep Gupte, senior director of Product Marketing for the Quadro Professional Graphics Business at NVIDIA. “With 2GB of video memory in the NVIDIA Quadro K1100M GPU, the M3800 delivers uncompromised performance and rich visual experiences for graphics-heavy applications that creative professionals have been waiting for.”

To manage large data files while on the go, the Dell Precision M3800 offers multiple storage configurations including up to two storage devices, with a maximum of 1.5TB⁴ of storage (HDD, SSHD, or SSD), one 2.5-inch drive and one solid state Mini-Card storage device (mSATA).

“As the traditional workplace continues to evolve, our workstation customers are requiring more portable systems, but can’t afford to sacrifice performance for their critical software applications,” said KT Ong, general manager, Consumer and Commercial Business, Dell Malaysia. “With the introduction of the M3800 we’ve not only delivered on customer requests but set a new standard for mobile workstations with the thinnest form factor, outstanding performance and highest resolution QHD+ display for designing, creating and collaborating with clients while in the office or on the road.”

Tuned and optimized for the top media & entertainment, engineering and design applications such as those in Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite and AutoCAD, Inventor and Revit, Avid Media Composer, Dassault Catia and Solidworks, PTC Creo, Siemens NX and TeamCenter, among others, the M3800 assures mission critical applications will run as designed, and comes with optional Dell ProSupport for premium 24/7 global support from expert technicians.

"The M3800 from Dell is elegant and incredibly powerful for its size. My work looks amazing in the DirectX 11 capable viewport inside Maya at a whopping 3200x1800 screen res, and working with Mudbox using the touch screen controls is really nice. It’s fast, ultra-quiet, and has more than enough horsepower for my needs. The only question I have is – how did they fit all that goodness into such a slim design?" said Mathew Doyle, Media & Entertainment Technical Marketing, Autodesk.

Beautiful Design and Visualization
The Dell Precision M3800 features a stylish, industrial-grade design with an aluminum frame, a strong, lightweight carbon fiber chassis, and a Corning Gorilla NBT Glass display with five-finger multi-touch on all systems. Viewing fine detail is easy with the workstation’s vivid 15.6-inch UltraSharp display available in QHD+ (3200 x 1800) or FHD (1920 x 1080). The M3800 can also be paired with the high-performance 31.5” UltraSharp 32 monitor with exceptional Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 resolution, coming later this month, for a powerful dual-monitor workstation combination.

Simplifying the transition from the road to a desk-based workspace, the M3800 offers multiple external monitor support with the optional Dell D3000 USB 3.0 Docking Station. For customers needing access to high-speed Ethernet access, every M3800 is equipped as standard with a USB to RJ-45 dongle. It is also designed with a backlit full-size keyboard, four USB PowerPorts (3 USB 3.0 & 1 USB 2.0), a large gesture-enabled touchpad, HD video webcam and Waves MaxxAudio Pro suite of advanced audio enhancement tools.

“We do a lot of on-location video streaming and the M3800 shaves off pounds of weight and bulk that we used to have to carry but we still have the processing power to encode multiple live HD video streams,” said Stephen Taylor, IT Manager for Web Services at Appalachian State University. “The absolutely gorgeous QHD+ screen means we are able to monitor 1080p video at full resolution on part of the screen while still monitoring our data feeds on another. When space and weight count, but performance can’t be compromised, the M3800 really delivers for us.”  

Availability and Pricing
The Dell Precision M3800 is available today at a starting price of RM 9,745. For additional information visit www.dell.com/speedoflight.

AutoCAD 360 Optimized for iPad Air & iPad mini with Retina Display and AutoCAD 2014 for Mac is here!

Feeling the Apple Love – User Demand for Mac Drives Continued Autodesk Commitment

MALAYSIA, November 14, 2013 — Autodesk is excited to report that Autodesk AutoCAD 360 is the first professional software app that is optimized for the iPad Air & iPad mini with Retina Display.   The new Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture provides designers and engineers a much improved experience out of the gate when working with AutoCAD 360.

“We are thrilled to be the first professional application to be ready for prime time iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display. From a user’s perspective, navigating and editing large models will be snappier and much more fun,” said Jonathan Seroussi, director of AutoCAD web and mobile.  “Users will see an immediate improvement in a number of functions such as rendering – render time is twice as fast in both navigation and editing.”

In addition to faster rendering, opening drawings is much faster, and selection is also twice as fast.

AutoCAD 360 is one of the most popular and widely used Autodesk mobile apps, with more than 5.5 million downloads on the App Store, more than 40 million uploaded drawings, and there are more than 1 million active monthly users on iOS alone.

AutoCAD 360, optimized for iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display, will be available on the App Store.

On the new iPad, AutoCAD 360 opens files faster, and rendering and selection is also twice as fast.

AutoCAD 360’s compatibility with the new iPad is the latest evidence of the company’s ongoing commitment to development on Apple platforms.  In addition to optimizing the user experience for the new iPad, Autodesk has already updated seven of its mobile apps to take advantage of iOS7.  Users can now experience enhanced functionality with AutoCAD 360, BIM 360 Field, BIM 360 Glue, Sketchbook Mobile, 123D Creature Show, InfraWorks mobile and Pixlr on iOS7.

AutoCAD 2014 for Mac is Here!
Further demonstrating the company’s commitment to Apple platforms, it announced that Autodesk AutoCAD 2014 for Mac  and Autodesk AutoCAD LT 2014 for Mac are available immediately.

Support for Retina display on the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro, synchronization with Autodesk 360 and other enhancements make AutoCAD 2014 for Mac the most powerful 2D & 3D CAD application for Mac. AutoCAD 2014 for Mac is one of the first major professional software applications to include retina display support, which delivers a superior user experience.  AutoCAD 2014 for Mac also boasts major improvements such as synchronization with the Autodesk 360 cloud platform, Package Drawing (like eTransmit on Windows), overall performance enhancements and UI improvements.

“AutoCAD for Mac users are extremely passionate, and we have worked hard to incorporate their top requests and feedback into this release,” said Amy Bunszel, vice president of AutoCAD products at Autodesk. “Customers will find the overall experience much faster and cleaner, enabling designers to be more efficient and collaborative with their teams.”

The enhancements in both AutoCAD 2014 for Mac and AutoCAD LT 2014 for Mac are the result of rigorous development work to give customers a better experience and connect them to the Autodesk 360 platform, giving customers access to cloud-based storage and collaboration capabilities.  Other enhancements include:

• Retina Display Support: AutoCAD now fully supports the stunning, high-definition Retina display experience in the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro throughout the user interface with crisper lines and text, easier-to-see tools, and a much higher level of detail even at high zoom levels.
• Drawing Sync: Directly access files from Autodesk 360 and synchronize them between your computer and the cloud.
• Package Drawing: Similar to eTransmit in AutoCAD for Windows, Package Drawing allows users to quickly collect related files into a compressed folder for easy distribution or storage.
• Online Help: We’ve made major changes to help find the assistance.
• Default Save--‐as--‐Previous Version: It's now possible to set a default save-as version for  drawings.
• Software Security Enhancements: AutoCAD 2014 for Mac enhances software security and helps prevent loading and running of unauthorized or malicious AutoLISP applications.

“This latest release of AutoCAD for Mac provides new features that will help me tremendously in my day-to-day work,” said Jim LaPier, founder of IMPACT Designs, LLC, a US-based consulting firm that provides training and consulting on AutoCAD for Mac.  “Support for the Retina display technology makes it the highest resolution CAD program ever, which means less eye strain for me and wonderfully clear drawings on my screen. My customers can't believe how clear their drawings look on my laptop!  Also, help menus have been improved and settings that were hard to find have been showcased.  Overall, it's a wonderful update to the program.”

New drawing sync feature allows customers to directly access files from Autodesk 360 and synchronize them between their computer and the cloud.

Larger screen format allows for better utilization of screen space.

Package Drawing allows users to quickly collect related files into a compressed folder for easy distribution or storage.

Specialized Mac features provide a better overall user experience.

AutoCAD 2014 for Mac and AutoCAD LT 2014 for Mac are available immediately worldwide in English and French.  Customers can purchase AutoCAD 2014 for Mac or AutoCAD LT 2014 for Mac from the Autodesk Store, through CDW and Amazon, or from a local Value-Added Reseller.

Autodesk : Post National Budget 2014 Commentary

Tan Choon Sang (CS Tan), Country Manager, Autodesk Malaysia

The Malaysian Budget 2014 placed great emphasis on enhancing national competitiveness in global economy and ensuring businesses are able to move steadily forward and embrace the innovation economy.

Green Technology
We applaud the announcement of the Malaysian Green Foundation with a grant of RM15 million to promote and enhance use of green technology by the corporate sector and the general public. This positive step forward to encourage the adoption of green technology is a reflection of the government’s positive attitude towards a more sustainable environment.

Without a doubt, design plays a pivotal role in creating a more sustainable future. Digital design technologies provide companies the advantage of allowing them to experience their ideas before they become a reality, thereby optimizing their green and sustainable designs. We look forward to support the government’s initiative and believe that the way forward is to include sustainability as part of the business equation. Autodesk is confident the number of green architectures and infrastructure will grow in Malaysia in 2014 and beyond.

Human Capital Development
Human capital development remains one of the key challenges for the ICT industry and we are pleased with the government’s continued commitment and emphasis to invest in nurturing talent to create a pool of trained and competitive workforce. The government’s move to provide RM400 million through the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) for registered companies to give opportunities to employees to enrol in up-skilling and reskilling programmes is certainly welcomed.

In order to raise Malaysia’s position as a competitive market, the industry needs to produce a quality workforce with the right skills. Through our Autodesk Education Community we support education institutions and students by providing training for using the Autodesk software optimally. We are committed to providing comprehensive learning resources to supplement training syllabus via its education institutions such as providing certification, access to tools and skills enhancement for individuals. Autodesk strongly believes that education and training are enablers that will promote an environment for innovation to push the country forward.

The allocations made at the 2014 National Budget encourages Autodesk to continuously strengthen our push to encourage creative and innovative usage of design technology in Malaysia, especially in the architecture, engineering and construction sectors, as well as the manufacturing, multimedia and creative industries. We believe companies that continue to invest in technology that gives them the competitive edge will most likely be able to weather through any economic uncertainty.

New App for iPad Unleashes 3D Creatures from Your Imagination into Reality

Autodesk 123D Creature Lets Users Create and 3D Print Fantastical Designs

MALAYSIA, October 8, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) unveiled Autodesk 123D Creature, a new iPad app that gives anyone the ability to create and 3D print amazing 3D characters. Inspired by the same technology preferred by professional designers and 3D artists, Autodesk 123D Creature makes getting started as easy as drawing a stick figure.

“Now, for the first time, 123D Creature makes it easy for anyone to create a sophisticated creature on an iPad, and then have the 3D print delivered to their doorstep with a few swipes of their finger,” said Samir Hanna, vice president of Consumer Products at Autodesk. “With our 123D family of apps, we strive to put powerful 3D technology into the hands of anyone who wants to be creative, and we look forward to seeing the original creatures’ people will create and share with the community.”

Create and Showcase Incredible Creature Features 
Making original characters with Autodesk 123D Creature starts with a simple skeleton creator where users lay out the basic anatomy of their creature in digital clay. Multi-Touch gestures allow users to thicken, stretch and sculpt their creature with many of the tools familiar to users of the popular 123D Sculpt app.

Once finished sculpting and shaping, a creature can be airbrushed or adorned with decals and textures imported from the user’s iPad photo library. To show off a finished creation, users can bring the creature into the render room where they can customize lighting and shadows, apply filters, and import background photos to generate amazing images to share with their friends.

Users who want a sculpture of their masterpiece that they can hold in their hand, can order a 3D print of their creature, with a few steps, that will be mailed to them from Sculpteo’s 3D printing services embedded within the app. Artists can also enhance their characters at a professional level in other Autodesk 3D visual effects and animation software including Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max.

The Autodesk 123D Creature App is exclusively available from the App Store on iPad or at http://appstore.com/AutodeskInc/123DCreature. The retail price of app will be priced at US $7.99, but at launch, the app will be offered at a special price of $1.99 for a limited time.

Autodesk Delivers More Flexible, Pay as You Go Access to Design, Engineering and Entertainment Creation Tools

Customers Now Can Choose Monthly, Quarterly, Annual Plans

MALAYSIA, September 27, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) customers will now be able to pay as they go for all of the company’s latest Design and Creation Suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and the new Autodesk Maya LT.

For the first time, customers can purchase access to a range of Autodesk desktop software on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, in addition to traditional licenses, broadly expanding choices in how to access and pay for Autodesk software. It’s never been more cost effective for designers, engineers and visual effects artists to get started with Autodesk software with virtually no up-front capital costs, and to quickly ramp up projects using industry-leading Autodesk software.

Customers who choose to purchase monthly, quarterly or annual rental plans will receive similar benefits to Autodesk Subscription customers including staying current with the latest product updates, access to select Autodesk 360 cloud services and basic support.

“Our customers wanted more choices and flexibility in how they access our portfolio of design, engineering and entertainment creation tools. We expect rental plans to be attractive across all the industries we serve, especially for freelancers, startups or businesses that are project-based in nature,” said Andrew Anagnost, senior vice president of Industry Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. “This model allows customers to compete with the highest quality, industry leading software, while using only what they need when they need it.”

Evolving Customer Choices in the Subscription Economy
People are increasingly seeking out experiences with less financial or time investment, and consuming products and services through renting, sharing and purchasing subscriptions. Lisa Gansky, author of The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing wrote, “We’re in a moment in which access to goods, services, and talent is going to triumph over the ownership of them.”

“It's no secret; it has been a challenging time to be in the visual effects business,” said CEO and executive producer Will Cohen from UK-based VFX start-up Milk. “Everyone needs to rethink the business model, and Autodesk launching rental plans will really help change the industry. Having scalability -- the flexibility to easily ramp up or back depending on the project -- means we can better compete in the modern visual effects industry.”

Availability
The option to purchase a monthly, quarterly or annual rental plan will be available starting September 16, 2013. New rental plans apply to products including Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Revit LT Suite, Autodesk Building Design Suite, Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite, Autodesk Factory Design Suite, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite, Autodesk Plant Design Suite, Autodesk Product Design Suite, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, and Autodesk Maya LT. Availability varies by country. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/pay-as-you-go.

Autodesk at the Movies – Iron Man 3

Autodesk Inc., widely known as a front-runner in 3D software, has held a key role in the making of iconic movies such as Iron Man for past two decades. Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2 utilized Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Flame showcasing spectacular work of art with the latest technology, combining special effects and live-action recording. Thus, it is not so surprising that Iron Man 3 is Hollywood’s most anticipated movie of 2013.

Iron Man 3 had extensive pre-visualization created with Autodesk Maya and Autodesk MotionBuilder by US-based studio – The Third Floor. Peter Jackson's Weta Digital in New Zealand, best known for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series, were the lead visual effects house on Iron Man 3. While Fuel FX in Australia, part of the Animal Logic Group, contributed to the phenomenal effects in Iron Man 3.

• Autodesk® Maya® 3D animation software offers a comprehensive creative feature set for 3D computer animation, modeling, simulation, rendering, and compositing on a highly extensible production platform. Maya now has next-generation display technology, accelerated modeling workflows, and new tools for handling complex data.

• Autodesk® MotionBuilder® is a 3D character animation software for virtual production enabling artists to more efficiently manipulate and refine data with greater reliability. Capture, edit, and play back complex character animation in a highly responsive, interactive environment, and work with a display optimized for both animators and directors.

Playing A Role in Iron Man of the Past and Present 
In 2011, ILM created "Iron Man 2” which had 527 visual effects shots. ILM created the film's remarkable Iron Man suits and spectacular action sequences with the help of Maya and Flame. Commenting on the success of Iron Man 2, Marc Chu, ILM animation director said, "Maya played an invaluable role in providing our artists the tool to create the animation for 'Iron Man 2’. Animators that were new to ILM were able to jump straight into shot production with very little training time and thanks to Maya's opened ended platform we were able to customize and create new tools that were vital in bringing both Iron Man and War Machine to life.”

“Iron Man 2” Pre-visualization Supervisor Nicholas Markel of The Third Floor said, “Ideally, previs empowers filmmakers — from director, production designer, cinematographer, visual effects supervisor, editor, and art director — with more creative freedom. Maya is the backbone of our previs pipeline, with Motion Builder as a perfect complement for virtual moviemaking. Using Autodesk FBX technology, we were able to transfer assets between Maya and Motion Builder. This provided flexibility for the filmmakers to manage both their vision and budget, ultimately creating the best film possible.”

Autodesk at the Academy Awards
For 18 consecutive years, every film nominated for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award was shaped with Autodesk digital filmmaking tools. This year's Academy Award nominees continued to push digital imagery to new heights—from intricate and complex computer-generated characters to pyrotechnical marvels to invisible effects so realistic they deceive the eye.

Thanks to Autodesk, Iron Man was nominated for Achievement in Visual Effects at the Academy Awards through these companies:

 Academy Award Nominee – Industrial Light & Magic brought the superhero character and his nemesis to life using Maya for animating and modeling the CG suits, as well as Inferno visual effects software as part of its SABRE system for compositing over 400 shots.
 Pixel Liberation Front worked on the film for 19 months, relying on Maya to create reference models for extensive previsualization.
 The Orphanage developed the thruster look and an exploding mountainside using 3ds Max and used Maya for the Gulmira, Missile Test and Stark Jet sequences.

This year, a record-setting 21 animated films were eligible for nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. The five nominees all used Autodesk Maya 3D animation and visual effects software. The nominees include two 3D animated features “Brave” and “Wreck-It Ralph” and three stop-motion movies: “Frankenweenie,” “ParaNorman,” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.” Autodesk is honored that these filmmakers utilized Autodesk digital technology from planning and pre-visualization right down to final grade.

Autodesk software also played a role in the creation of a number of other movies nominated this year including “Amour,” “Argo,” “Buzkashi Boys,” “Flight,” “Les Misérables,” “Lincoln,” “Paperman,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Skyfall,” “Ted” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”

To watch trailers and breakdown reels from many of these nominees, please visit the Autodesk YouTube channel Academy Award playlist.

Dell Introduces Industry’s First Automated Workstation Software to Improve Application Performance

• Dell Precision Performance Optimizer simplifies, automates and optimizes Dell Precision workstation settings to maximize application performance 
• Software can improve application performance by up to 57 percent¹ 
• Application profiles available for Autodesk Maya, PTC Creo® and Dassault SolidWorks with other profiles available soon

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 10, 2013 — Dell today announced Dell Precision Performance Optimizer (DPPO), the industry’s first software that automatically configures Dell Precision workstation settings to maximize performance of engineering, design and digital content creation applications. DPPO is preloaded with profiles for popular applications such as Autodesk Maya, PTC Creo and Dassault SolidWorks and once activated automatically adjusts system settings to optimize performance. Additional features include proactive system maintenance and tracking and reporting of system utilization – helping Dell Precision customers enhance and speed up their design and render times.  

Dell Precision M4700

Dell Precision Performance Optimizer is an extension of Dell’s existing workstation tools designed to provide customers maximum performance and dependability so they can remain focused on being creative. For example, as part of the Dell Precision Technology Program, Dell engineers work closely with technology partners to architect, design and test joint solutions providing customers assurance that their hardware is compatible and optimized for their software. Dell also develops and provides recommended configurations for customers’ specific software and workflows through the Dell Precision Workstation Advisor. Dell Precision Performance Optimizer is the next step in Dell serving as the trusted advisor to help customers maximize efficiency and productivity.

Dell Precision M6700

Dell Precision Performance Optimizer offers three main features to enable comprehensive yet simplified system optimization and eliminate the guesswork from adjusting system settings:

• Automatic Performance Optimization - DPPO comes preloaded with predefined performance profiles for popular applications such as Autodesk Maya, PTC Creo and Dassault SolidWorks. Unlike other tools, once activated, the software automatically adjusts system configurations such as CPU, memory, storage, graphics and operating system settings whenever a supported application is launched. This allows workers to quickly improve workstation performance when switching between applications and projects, like moving from rich animation projects to detailed CAD design. Based on Dell testing and benchmarking, users can experience up to 57 percent increase in application performance¹ with DPPO.

Dell Precision T1650

• System Maintenance – IT professionals and users can gain greater control and knowledge of their system through automated or manual updates for new drivers, BIOS, application software, firmware and other vital components. This helps ensure systems are running optimally and increases user productivity.

Dell Precision T5600 

• Tracking & Reporting – The application also includes advanced tools to analyze and model system utilization such as how much free memory is available, processor utilization, thermal sensor data, battery state and more. Detailed reports can be scheduled to run and analyze system utilization at any time, even during intensive tasks like compiling code or rendering frames.

Dell Precision T7600

Pricing & Availability:
Dell Precision Performance Optimizer is free and is pre-installed on Dell Precision T1650, T3600, T5600, T7600, M4700 and M6700 workstations with Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit) and Windows 8 (64 bit) operating systems and available for download here. Application profiles are currently available in English for Autodesk Maya, PTC Creo, Dassault SolidWorks with Adobe® Premiere® Pro and  Adobe After Effects®  and other profiles available soon. French and German languages will be available for download in the coming months with other languages available later this year.

Autodesk 2014 Design and Creation Suites Give Flexibility to Innovate More

Suites Marry Desktop and Cloud for More Comprehensive Industry Workflows

MALAYSIA, March 28, 2013 —The new Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) Design and Creation Suites offer unprecedented access to the Autodesk 2014 software portfolio spanning the desktop and cloud and allow building, product, plant, and factory design; engineering, construction and infrastructure; and entertainment creation professionals to innovate more. For the first time, the 2014 Design and Creation Suites include new reality capture software and services that more easily incorporate both laser scans and digital photographs of the physical world into the 3D design and engineering process.

The flexible, economical software access provided by Autodesk Suites means designers and engineers have a broader palette of tools to choose from -- they can choose the best tool for the job at hand and better respond to changing business requirements.  Suites customers on Autodesk Subscription will also have access to select Autodesk 360 cloud services that extend designers and engineers’ workflows to explore more design alternatives, collaborate more effectively and experience greater mobility. Subscription customers now can purchase additional cloud capacity as well.

“With our 2014 portfolio, organizations large and small across every industry can simply innovate more,” said Andrew Anagnost, senior vice president of Industry Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. “Autodesk’s commitment to making our 3D design, engineering and entertainment software portfolio accessible to customers through suites workflows that connect to value added services in the cloud is unwavering.”

 “We are pleased to launch the Autodesk 2014 Design and Creation Suites in the ASEAN region. The 2014 suites provide a comprehensive portfolio of solutions that can be accessed both from the desktop and in the cloud,” said V R Srivatsan, Autodesk ASEAN - Managing Director. “We are excited about the business opportunities in ASEAN and are committed in providing solutions that enable our customers to design, visualize and simulate projects in more efficient and sustainable ways.”

The 2014 family of Autodesk Design and Creation Suites includes:
• Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite
• Autodesk Building Design Suite
• Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite
• Autodesk Product Design Suite

Comprehensive Industry Workflows Include Reality Capture
A key addition to the 2014 portfolio of suites is Autodesk ReCap, a family of new reality capture software and cloud services that simplify the process of creating intelligent 3D data of physical objects and environments using laser scans and photos, allowing customers to bring the actual job site or physical objects into their design and engineering process.

The 2014 suites’ industry specific workflows address specific user needs and strengthen compatibility between products. For example, suites containing Autodesk Revit products and Autodesk AutoCAD software enjoy tighter interoperability so when it is time to import forms from AutoCAD into Revit products, the forms retain much greater integrity, or when it is time to output drawings in AutoCAD, users can generate 2D documentation within Revit products. Suites containing Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Inventor software will benefit from tighter interoperability that allows customers, such as building product manufacturers, to simplify and export an Inventor model into a Revit file format for the construction environment without exposing any sensitive intellectual property.

Economical Access
Each suite offers an economical way for customers to access their primary design software—plus the complementary software and cloud services needed to more effectively complete design, engineering, or entertainment creation tasks. The 2014 Suites, which come in Standard, Premium or Ultimate editions, offer greater value than ever before:

• Standard editions of all suites containing AutoCAD have added AutoCAD Raster Design software.
• Autodesk Building Design Suite subscribers gain access to Autodesk Green Building Studio and energy analysis cloud services in the standard edition, as well as InfraWorks 2014 and the Optimization for Inventor cloud service in the Ultimate edition.
• Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite customers will benefit from new workflows like the ability to easily generate moving or idle crowds with populate, improved viewport display and shading, and the ability to create production-quality meshes with the new retopologizing options.
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite includes more than 300 new factory assets.
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Premium now includes Autodesk InfraWorks 2014, Autodesk Roads and Highways Module for InfraWorks, Autodesk AutoCAD Utility Design software and for the first time, a single, comprehensive version of Autodesk Revit products that combines tools for architectural design, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering and structural engineering.
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite Ultimate adds Autodesk Inventor with Routed Systems, and the Plant Design Suite Premium edition now includes Autodesk 3ds Max Design software.
• Autodesk Product Design Suite Premium now includes Autodesk Inventor Professional, and Autodesk Navisworks Manage has been added to the Product Design Suite Ultimate edition for clash detection. Both Product Design Suite Ultimate and Premium customers on Autodesk Subscription now have access to the Optimization for Inventor cloud service.

Availability
Availability varies by country. Suites customers on Subscription have access to select Autodesk 360 capabilities, and subscribers can purchase 100 additional cloud credits for only $100. See details and purchasing options at http://www.autodesk.com/purchaseoptions.

Autodesk Introduces Socialcam 5.0 for iOS

Greatly evolved user experience includes new filters and themes, HD video, and HDR  

MALAYSIA, March 12, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) introduced Socialcam 5.0 for iOS, delivering the next generation of mobile video sharing. Major new features on the iOS platform include a complete redesign of visual effects, 720p HD video, video High Dynamic Range (HDR), and a new icon for Socialcam. 

Developed in collaboration with Autodesk’s expert professional video effects teams, the new 720p HD video and video HDR with one click real-time mapping and color correction enables Socialcam—with more than 20 million downloads—to continue to break through barriers to mobile video adoption by making it easy to express creativity and individuality wherever inspiration strikes—anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

“We’re particularly excited about this update to Socialcam, as it starts to deliver on our promise to expose aspects of our award-winning visual effects software to everyone through the Socialcam community,” said Samir Hanna, vice president, Autodesk Consumer Group. “We believe there is a huge opportunity in the video sharing market and anticipate that we’ll all share videos the way we share photos today. Being on the forefront of this trend allows Autodesk to better serve its consumer and professional customers alike.”

Academy Award Nominations Celebrate Marriage of Storytelling, Artistry and Technology

Digital Artists Worldwide Relied on Autodesk Media & Entertainment Software to Create the Best Movies of the Year

MALAYSIA, Feb 25, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) media and entertainment technology has played a pivotal role in the creation of some of the most iconic and breathtaking movie imagery over the past two decades. From large post-production studios to small boutique houses, talented artists across the globe — from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia/New Zealand — combined digital artistry, Autodesk software and great storytelling to make the most celebrated films of this past year.

“When I realized all five Academy Award nominated films for best visual effects and all five nominees for best animation used Autodesk Maya, I felt like the father of the bride,” said Chris Bradshaw, Autodesk senior vice president. “Digital artists pushed technology in exciting new directions last year — whether blending hand-drawing and computer graphics, combining traditional stop-motion animation with visual effects or bringing beloved books and superheroes to life, it’s their innovation that inspires Autodesk to continually make our software better.”

In the Best Visual Effects category, all five film nominees— “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Life of Pi," “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Prometheus,” and “Snow White and the Huntsman”—used Autodesk software. This will be the 18th consecutive year Autodesk has had that distinction. The five nominated movies contained a combined 7,754 visual effects shots and involved the work of 30 visual effects studios using Autodesk software (many of whom worked on multiple films) in more than 10 countries.

This year, a record-setting 21 animated films were eligible for nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. The five nominees all used Autodesk Maya 3D animation and visual effects software. The nominees include two 3D animated features “Brave” and “Wreck-It Ralph” and three stop-motion movies: “Frankenweenie,” “ParaNorman,” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”

Autodesk software also played a role in the creation of a number of other movies nominated this year including “Amour,” “Argo,” “Buzkashi Boys,” “Flight,” “Les Misérables,” “Lincoln,” “Paperman,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Skyfall,” “Ted” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Autodesk congratulates the following studios for using Autodesk software to contribute movie magic into this year’s Academy Award-nominated films: Aardman Animation, Argon, Atomic Fiction (video interview), Baseblack, BlueBolt,  Buf Campagnie, Christov Effects and Design, Cinesite, Digital Domain, DIVE, Double Negative, Evil Eye Pictures, fluent/image, Framestore, Fuel VFX, Halon, Hammerhead Productions, Hydraulx, Identity FX, Industrial Light & Magic, Iloura, Image Engine, LAIKA, Legacy Effects, Lola VFX, LOOK Effects, Luma Pictures, Method Studios, Mikros Image, The Mill, Modus FX, MPC, New Deal Studios, Nvizage, Nvizible, Pixar, Pixomondo, Prologue, REDLAB Digital, Reliance Mediaworks, Rhythm & Hues (video presentation), Rising Sun Pictures, Rushes, Scanline VFX, Shade VFX, Technicolor, The Third Floor, Tim Burton Productions, Tippett Studio, Trixter, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Weta Digital, Whiskytree, yU+co and Zero VFX.

To watch trailers and breakdown reels from many of these nominees, please visit the Autodesk YouTube channel Academy Award playlist.

Shift to Autodesk Product Design Suite and 3D Design Pays Off for Malaysia Manufacturer

Combat Group Achieves 95 Percent Accuracy and Shaves Two Months off Development Time

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 5, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that Combat Group, a Malaysia-based manufacturer of automotive and industrial paint systems, has improved its accuracy of design and delivered products to market quicker as a result of using Autodesk Product Design Suite and other Autodesk digital prototyping tools.

Combat Group supplies painting line systems to a variety of major automotive, two-wheeler and industrial companies with assembly plants in developing nations. Using Autodesk software, Combat Group has increased design accuracy to close to 95 percent, reduced development time by two months and increased customer satisfaction by more than 45 percent. For its innovative work, Autodesk has recognized Combat Group as the January 2013 Inventor of the Month.

Combat Group handles all aspects of its painting line systems, including design, manufacture, installation and commissioning. “Combat places strong importance on both the quality of our work and our delivery speed,” said Tan Chuen Hau, Business Operations Manager at Combat Enterprise, one of the group’s key divisions. “Autodesk Product Design Suite allows us to deliver well-designed, quality fabrications to our industrial clients in a competitive timeframe.”

3D Design Process Brings Competitive Edge
Building off its 35-year foundation leveraging 2D CAD solutions for drafting to AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical and AutoCAD LT software products, Combat Group saw incorporating 3D design into its processes via Autodesk Inventor software featured in Autodesk Product Design Suite as a way to increase its competitiveness.

Since the company frequently deals with automotive and industrial factories, it has to take into consideration how to incorporate a variety of machines and equipment within each facility. Space is a critical factor. Having 3D renderings allows Combat Group to seamlessly integrate the complete paint system with precision equipment placement and manage complex process piping and cable routing in the overall building layout.

When designing for the fabrication stage, Autodesk Inventor software reduces many of the missteps that can occur later on in the work process if the initial design has some flaws. Combat Group has found that with more detailed and accurate 3D models, it spends significantly less time engaged in back-and-forth with the customer trying to get the fabrication right.

Partly due to this increased workflow efficiency, Combat Group has seen customer satisfaction rise from 45 percent to 78 percent since adopting Autodesk Product Design Suite and 3D design processes.