Autodesk Expands Power of AutoCAD 2011

Al Bawaba

Autodesk, Inc. announced the availability of the 2011 AutoCAD software products, including AutoCAD 2011 software, a leading 2D and 3D design and documentation platform, and AutoCAD LT 2011 software for professional 2D drafting and detailing. The latest releases of AutoCAD deliver powerful new features — such as new tools for surface modeling and transparency for objects and layers — that can help designers explore their ideas and maximize productivity.  The 2011 AutoCAD products are Microsoft Windows 7 certified and are compatible with and supported on Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate as well as Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems.

“In the 2011 releases we have continued to invest in increasing drafting productivity and have added a strong set of new 3D modeling features for conceptual design that will help millions of AutoCAD users worldwide take their designs further,” said Guri Stark, vice president, AutoCAD and Platform Products. “We have also implemented many of the top features requested by Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) members and focused on providing new tools that are quick to learn but can have a big impact in everyday work.”
AutoCAD 2011 gives designers more advanced conceptual design tools as well as increased flexibility and control when designing in 3D:

• New surface modeling tools enable users to easily create smooth surfaces and surface transitions, while associativity maintains relationships between all of the objects.
• Point cloud support for up to two billion points enables users to quickly visualize scanned objects directly within the modeling workspace.
• Inferred constraints enable designers to define constraints as they draw.
• Hatch command enhancements bring improved drafting efficiency, while new gradient hatch patterns enable users to add more colors and shading to drawings
• TimeSaver tools, previously available only to customers on Autodesk Subscription, are now available to all AutoCAD users.

AutoCAD LT 2011 builds on its reputation for productivity with new commands that make everyday tasks more efficient.  In addition to the hatch command enhancements and TimeSaver Tools found in AutoCAD 2011, AutoCAD LT 2011 adds new tools that give users additional options for controlling the appearance of drawings:

• Transparency for objects and layers provides new options for managing the appearance of drawings and communicating AutoCAD general design intent.
• New multifunctional polyline grips make editing polylines significantly faster and easier.
• The ability to create or select similar objects based on the properties of existing objects helps users save time when drawing and editing geometry.

Autodesk Poised For Recovery

from The Street

Autodesk's AutoCAD is the dominant software brand for architetural CAD drafting and building design, with over 9 million users of its flagship software.

Over the last decade, the San Rafael, Calif., company has virtually vanquished its competitors in this market, and in Autodesk training, including privately held Bentley Systems.

Autodesk was founded in 1982 by John Walker, one of the authors of AutoCAD. Together, with a band of co-founders who helped commercialize the product, Autodesk became the leading PC-based application for architectural drawings. The company came public in 1985, offering 1.6 million shares at $11 per share.

Best known for its AutoCAD software package, Autodesk's applications stretch across building design. Civil engineering accounts for an estimated 55% of sales, mechanical product design as much as 25% of revenue, and video editing and animation for the entertainment and video game markets, the remaining 20% of sales.

We have been concerned for some time about Autodesk's exposure to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors, which have dramatically reined in their spending on automation and IT services in the last year.

However, company revenue appears to have stabilized at an annual clip of about $1.6 billion, down from the $2.3 billion that it recorded in calendar 2008. While we are not predicting a quick snapback to previous revenue levels, the company is poised to participate in a global recovery, should there be a pickup in software spending and Autodesk education in the economically sensitive customer segments that it serves.

Most of Autodesk's revenue stems from PC-based software, and the company should be a beneficiary of the Microsoft Windows 7 upgrade cycle. Microsoft's(MSFT Quote) long-awaited new operating system, Windows 7, addresses many of the shortcomings of Microsoft's Vista, which was its first operating system debacle in many years.

Our view is that pent-up demand exists for Windows 7, because many businesses have delayed purchases of new computers and software, due to Vista's shortcomings, as well as the general economic malaise. The Windows upgrade cycle should drive an upgrade cycle for PC software developers, such as Autodesk, whose products run on Windows 7. Autodesk recently announced that nine of its products, including its mainstream AEC and mechanical desktop products, now support Windows 7.

Finally, a weak dollar will benefit Autodesk because over 60% of its sales come from outside of the U.S.

While it will be several quarters before Autodesk begins to show growth, revenue has stabilized, the company has exposure to the Windows 7 upgrade cycle and derives more than half of its revenue from overseas markets ---all of which bodes well for the future.