Autodesk Mechanical Desktop Ships; Integrated Mechanical Design Software Solution Unites 2D and 3D Design and Assembly Capability.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 1996--Autodesk today shipped the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop(TM), a tightly integrated software application that provides advanced 2D and 3D mechanical design functions on desktop systems. The new software -- in combination with programs developed by more than a dozen industry-leading partners in the most important mechanical market segments -- provides complete design-through-manufacturing solutions for Autodesk customers. A few of the companies that have already made commitments to the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop include: ABB, Trane, Parker Hannifan, HMS, HR Kruger, MILCO, Kohler, CP Tools and Repola.

"The strong demand we have experienced for the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop confirms the need for a mechanical design application that unites 2D design and drafting capability with advanced 3D solid and surface modeling," said Dominic Gallello, vice president of the Autodesk Mechanical Market Group. "By providing the flexibility to use 2D or 3D or to start in 2D and move to 3D based on user preference, the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, is well positioned to become a leading mechanical design software application."

The Mechanical Desktop contains integrated modules for parametric solid and surface modeling, assembly modeling, and associative drafting, as well as AutoCAD Release 13 and the Autodesk IGES translator. Autodesk's award-winning Mechanical Library will be included in the U.S. version. The Mechanical Desktop provides the most significant functions requested by designers of machines, electro-mechanical assemblies, common molded parts, and other mechanical products.

"The Mechanical Desktop is much quicker and far less limiting than several of the more expensive design products I have used," said beta user Bill Townsend of Bushido Racing, a leading designer and manufacturer of custom, off-road racing bicycles and related components. "The software does an excellent job of moving my thoughts from 2D to 3D, handling 90% of the work for me."

The Autodesk Mechanical Desktop has a multi-platform license which includes MS-DOS, and Microsoft's Windows NT, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. It will also be available for Windows NT on Digital Equipment Corporation's Alpha system. Autodesk is expected to ship the Mechanical Desktop in Chinese, French, German, Korean, Japanese and Spanish in April.

The English version of the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop is available in the U.S. at a suggested retail price of U.S. $6,250. Customers who already have purchased AutoCAD Release 13 may upgrade to the Mechanical Desktop for a suggested retail price of U.S. $2,750. AutoCAD Release 13 customers who have purchased previous versions of AutoCAD Designer or AutoSurf may upgrade to the Mechanical Desktop at a suggested retail price of U.S. $995.

The Mechanical Desktop is compatible with other Autodesk offerings, including Autodesk WorkCenter(TM) for technical document and workflow management, and AutoVision(TM) Release 2 for advanced visualization and rendering. The Mechanical Desktop can be installed quickly from a single CD. All the modules share a common interface with completely integrated menus.

Industry-leading Partner Support

Through Autodesk's fast growing Mechanical Applications Initiative (MAI) program, the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop has the support of industry-leading partners. The MAI partners are delivering fully integrated products under a common Autodesk user interface that offers a complete solution from analysis through manufacturing.

The 13 MAI partner companies provided their input and expertise throughout the development of the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop and its Application Programming Interface (API) to ensure the product meets the needs of their most exacting customers.

Extensive User Involvement

Demonstrating Autodesk's commitment to provide a quality product for the professional mechanical user, the company implemented an extensive beta test program. Mechanical Desktop software was sent to more than 750 customer sites worldwide. These customers tested the application in their own work environments and recommended changes in the Mechanical Desktop before the final product shipped.

Major new features and functions incorporated into the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop suite include:

-- Parametric, feature-based solid modeling capability for easy creation and revision of 2D and 3D designs, letting designers work like they think instead of tediously reworking designs as parameters change. For example, if a designer finds he/she has made the buttons on a cellular phone too small, he/she can change one of them and the others will automatically be adjusted to the new size, with correct spacing and distance from the edge.

-- Sophisticated surfacing capability, using the latest NURBS-based geometry to create, edit, join and analyze a wide variety of basic and advanced surfaces. A NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline) curve passes smoothly through and between a given set of points. This capability is useful in creating the free-form surfaces often required in mechanical design.

-- Integrated surfaces and solids, which means, for example, that a user can take a solid block and easily "cut" a sculpted surface through it to create a particular shape, such as the free-form shape of a cellular phone.

-- Comprehensive assembly modeling, the feature most requested by Autodesk mechanical customers. This lets designers take separately modeled parts -- such as the battery pack, keypad and housing of a cellular phone -- and combine them into assemblies to create complete product models. In addition, the assembled parts can be separated into "exploded views" so that users can easily see how and where the parts come together. Users also can generate bills-of-material (BOM) on-screen.

-- Associative bi-directional drafting, which means that when a part is changed in a drawing, the related model will automatically update -- and vice-versa.

-- Data Exchange, since the Mechanical Desktop supports several import/export exchange interfaces (for example, IGES version 5.2, .STL, .DWG, DXF, .SAT--ACIS version 1.6, 3DS, WMF, EPS, and BMP) users can share or send data to other CAD/CAM applications or to the suite of third party developer products within Autodesk's virtual corporate family.

-- Windows-based tools for ease-of-use, including pull-down menus, icons, and 26 on-line "cue cards" to prompt users through common commands.

For more information on Autodesk, please call 415/507-5000, type GO ADESK on CompuServe, or log-in with a World Wide Web browser at http://www.autodesk.com

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These include the timely development and acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q filed in December 1995.

Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of PC and UNIX-based design software and PC multimedia tools. The company's 2D and 3D products and data management tools are used in many industries for architectural design, mechanical design, film-making, videography and geographic information systems. The fourth largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk has three million customers in 129 countries. Autodesk products are sold through Autodesk Systems Centers, Dealers and Distributors worldwide. -0-

Note to Editors: Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, and AutoCAD are registered trademarks of Autodesk Inc. The Autodesk Mechanical Desktop is a trademark of Autodesk Inc. CompuServe is a registered trademark of H & R Block. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. All prices are suggested retail prices.

CONTACT: Autodesk Inc.

Garth Bradley, 415/507-6530

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