Autodesk Expands Online Guide to Sustainable Design for Green Building Retrofits.

Enhancements Include Interactive Graphical Interface and New "How-to" Resources for Green Building Renovators

PHOENIX -- Greenbuild Expo:

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

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

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

New Features Promote Energy-Efficient Building Practices

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

Other key enhancements include:

* Decision Grid tool to help evaluate and make sound decisions at each step of the process, and to understand how Autodesk tools can be used to achieve green retrofit goals

* Tools to show how to more quickly generate a 3D Autodesk Revit Architecture digital information model from 2D photos of an existing building to more rapidly conduct whole-building energy analysis and evaluate renewable energy potential

* White papers, podcasts and videos to demonstrate how to more quickly and accurately achieve energy-efficiency and environmental goals for a green retrofit project

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

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

[c] 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.