Autodesk, Inc. offers customers progressive business solutions through technology products and services. The company offers solutions to customers in the architectural, engineering, construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and digital media markets. The company's 2D and 3D software products enable its customers to their ideas before they are real by allowing them to create and document their designs and to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance in the design process by creating digital prototypes.
The company's horizontal design solutions, AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, are used general design software tools in the world. In addition, the company offers various discipline-specific design and documentation tools including its AutoCAD-based solutions and its 3D design solutions.
The company helps customers in the building, manufacturing, infrastructure and digital media markets by offering them solutions that enable them to design and visualize their ideas. The company's software products are sold in approximately 160 countries, both directly to customers and through a network of resellers and distributors.
The company operates in two segments: the Design Solutions Segment, and the Media and Entertainment Segment.
DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEGMENT
The Design Solutions Segment derives sells software products and services for professionals and consumers who design, build, manage and own building projects; who design, manufacture and manage manufactured goods; and who design, build, manage and own infrastructure projects for both public and private users. The primary products sold by the Design Solutions Segment include AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT (2D design products), and its discipline-specific AutoCAD-based products and 3D model-based design and documentation products (Autodesk Inventor Family of Products, Autodesk Revit Family of Products and Autodesk Civil 3D). In addition, the Design Solutions Segment offers various services including consulting, support and training.
Products
The Design Solutions Segment’s primary products include:
Platform Technology Division and Other
The Platform Technology Division and Other sells AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT as well as from Autodesk Collaboration Services and Autodesk Consulting. The division’s product offerings include:
AutoCAD: AutoCAD software is a customizable and extendable computer aided design (CAD) application for 2D drafting, detailing, functional design documentation and basic 3D model-based design. AutoCAD provides digital tools that can be used independently and in conjunction with other specific applications in fields ranging from construction to manufacturing to process plant design and mapping. Architects, engineers, drafters and design related professionals use AutoCAD to create, manage and share critical design data.
AutoCAD LT: AutoCAD LT software is used for 2D drafting and detailing by design professionals who require DWG file format compatibility and document sharing capability without the need for software customization or 3D functionality.
Autodesk Buzzsaw: Autodesk Buzzsaw, offered by Autodesk Collaboration Solutions, is a collaboration service that allows users to store, manage, and share project information from Internet connection. The Autodesk Buzzsaw online work environment integrates a secure project hosting service with CAD-related software, tools and services to enable project visibility, project reporting, project management, and integrated design review and markup. Autodesk Buzzsaw helps users simplify and centralize all project-related documents and information. The primary markets targeted are the homebuilding, retail hospitality, infrastructure, engineering and construction industries.
Manufacturing Solutions Division
The Manufacturing Solutions Division provides the mainstream manufacturing industry with design and data management solutions enabling its manufacturing customers to rapidly adopt 3D model-based design, create designs in a simple 2D/3D environment, and manage design data. The division’s product offerings include:
Autodesk Inventor Family of Products: The Autodesk Inventor Family of Products delivers Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, based on AutoCAD software, and Autodesk Inventor software in one solution. Autodesk Inventor software is a 3D mechanical design creation tool that provides users a 3D assembly-centric solid modeling system and 2D drawing production system together with adaptive design functionality. Customers who purchase Autodesk Inventor Professional products have access to an integrated design solution that combines Autodesk Inventor software for 2D and 3D design and documentation, AutoCAD Mechanical for 2D drawing and detailing and Autodesk Vault for data management.
AutoCAD Mechanical: AutoCAD Mechanical software offers purpose-built 2D mechanical design and engineering tools that are compatible with all AutoCAD-based applications. AutoCAD Mechanical accelerates the design process by providing standards-based libraries of parts and tools for automating design tasks.
Building Solutions Division
The Building Solutions Division’s solutions range from the technology for building information modeling (BIM) —a new paradigm for building design, documentation and construction—to adopted discipline-specific drawing solutions. BIM also enables users to create sustainable or ‘green’ building designs through analysis of materials, quantities, energy use, and lighting in a virtual BIM. The division’s product offerings include:
Autodesk Architectural Desktop: Designed for architects and built on the AutoCAD platform, Autodesk Architectural Desktop software supports existing 2D design practices. It offers flexibility in implementation, the efficiency of real-world building objects and AutoCAD-based design and documentation productivity for architects.
Autodesk Revit Family of Products: Purpose-built for BIM, the Autodesk Revit Family of Products collects information about the building project and coordinates this information across all other representations of the project so that every drawing sheet, 2D and 3D view and schedule is based on internally consistent and information from the same underlying building database. The Autodesk Revit Family of Products provides architects, design-build teams and other building industry professionals architectural model-based design and documentation system that works the way they think.
Infrastructure Solutions Division
The Infrastructure Solutions Division’s family of Civil Engineering and Geospatial Solutions and services enable utilities, governments and civil engineering firms to design, build and manage their critical infrastructure assets. Autodesk Infrastructure Solutions help customers to streamline processes, ensure service continuity, enhance security, create accountability, and decrease risk by enabling extended teams to use the most up-to-date, accurate spatial information across the entire organization. The division’s product offerings include:
Autodesk Civil 3D: Autodesk Civil 3D model-based design and drafting software provides civil engineers, designers, surveyors and drafters with product for the design, drafting, and management of various civil engineering project types, including site development, subdivision design, local road rehabilitation, and highway design. Civil 3D software’s dynamic engineering model links design and production drafting, reducing the time it takes to implement design changes and enabling customers to evaluate multiple ‘what-if’ scenarios.
Autodesk Land Desktop: Autodesk Land Desktop, based on AutoCAD software, provides productivity and drafting tools for civil engineers, designers, surveyors and draftors to create parcel and land plans from data sets.
Autodesk Map 3D: Autodesk Map 3D software provides practical mapping functionality to engineers and geospatial professionals who need an open, flexible way to integrate CAD and geographic information system (GIS) data throughout their organization. It contains the AutoCAD toolset to improve productivity, and also offers specialized functionality for map cleanup, geospatial analysis, and access to GIS data sources.
MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT SEGMENT
The Medi and Entertainment Segment derives revenues from the sale of products to post-production facilities, broadcasters and creative professionals for various applications, including feature films, television programs, commercials, music and corporate videos, interactive game production, design visualization, web design and interactive web streaming. The Media and Entertainment Segment comprises two business lines: Animation, including visualization, and Advanced Systems. The company’s animation products provide advanced tools for 3D modeling, animation, rendering solutions, and design visualization and visual effects production. The company’s Advanced Systems products provide color grading, editing, finishing and visual effects, compositing, media mastering and encoding technology. Its main markets served by the Media and Entertainment Segment include PC animation, advertising, film, television and console game development, and design visualization.
Products
The Media and Entertainment Segment’s primary product include Animation and Advanced Systems business.
Animation
Autodesk Maya: Autodesk Maya software provides 3D modeling, animation, effects and rendering solutions that enable film and video artists, game developers and design visualization professionals to create engaging, lifelike digital images, realistic animations and extraordinary visual effects.
Autodesk 3ds Max: Autodesk 3ds Max software provides 3D modeling, animation and rendering solutions that enable game developers, design visualization professionals and visual effects artists to create realistic digital images and animations and to communicate abstract or complex mechanical, architectural, engineering and construction concepts.
Advanced Systems
Autodesk Flame, Autodesk Inferno and Autodesk Flint: Autodesk Flame, Autodesk Inferno and Autodesk Flint systems are its scalable line of interactive real-time visual effects and graphics design solutions. They offer scalable performance to service a range of client workflows from interactive broadcast design to real-time resolution film work. They offer the ability to interactively create, composite and edit sequences that merge live action with computer-generated imagery using 3D graphics and mixed resolutions. Post-production facilities and broadcasters integrate these systems with in their production cues as either suites or as networked production environments.
Autodesk Smoke and Autodesk Fire: Autodesk Smoke and Autodesk Fire systems are its scalable line of interactive real-time non-linear editing and finishing systems that enable editors to edit, conform and finish television commercials, broadcast programming, film trailers and feature films as well as other media content.
Sales and Marketing
The company sells its products and services in approximately 160 countries primarily through an indirect channel consisting of distributors and resellers. The company also sells directly to customers who are primarily large corporations. The company has a network of approximately 1,700 resellers and distributors worldwide.
The company’s customer-related operations are divided into three geographic regions, the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) and Asia/Pacific, and are supported by global marketing and sales organizations.
Acquisitions
The company acquired a 28% ownership in Hanna Strategies Holdings, Inc. (Hanna Strategies), a privately-held software development firm with operations in the U.S. and China.
Customers
The company's customer is Tech Data Corporation.
Competitors
Design Solutions Segment: The company's primary competitors in this segment include Adobe Systems Inc., Dassault Systemes and its subsidiary SolidWorks Corporation, Google Inc., Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), Intergraph Corporation, Nemetschek AG, Parametric Technology Corporation, and UGS PLM Software, a global division of the Siemens AG, and Bentley Systems, Inc.
Media and Entertainment Segment: The company's Media and Entertainment Segment competes with various different companies from publicly-traded corporations to small private entities. The company's also competes with Avid Technology, Adobe Systems Inc., Apple Computer Inc., SONY and Thomson.
History
Autodesk, Inc. was founded in 1982.
