SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sept. 5 - The Student Engineering and Design Community was officially launched today by Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leading 2D and 3D software company. Students in the fields of architecture, construction, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering now have free* access to the professional tools they need to bring ideas to life.

Beginning today, any student or faculty with a valid education email address is invited to participate in the Community. More than 6,000 students at accredited universities worldwide have already signed up as test users of the site, http://students.autodesk.com/ , which delivers free* downloads of Autodesk® software products for architecture, industrial design, civil engineering and mechanical engineering. Soon the site will also offer resources for students in art and animation fields of study.

In addition to professional software solutions, the site includes features that allow students to learn, collaborate and communicate with their peers on campuses around the world:

   --   Forums:  Students worldwide discuss their experience using Autodesk
        software, request tips on achieving the desired result in a solid
        model, or troubleshoot a persistent error.  Students chime in to
        answer questions, and Autodesk staff also participates to provide
        students with installation support for their free* Autodesk
        software.
   --   Class Discussions:  Tackling a difficult assignment in Architecture
        405? Log in to connect with classmates to ask questions, share
        information, or brainstorm ideas. Faculty can also participate,
        taking classroom interaction to the next level.
   --   Learning and Tutorials:  The Community site offers the same
        tutorials for Autodesk software products that commercial users pay
        to access. Free to Community members, tutorials will take students
        through scenarios such as creating and modifying a 3D view, adding a
        roof to a building model, or manipulating the colors of a structure.
   --   Social Networking:  Students and educators can find and communicate
        with others who have similar engineering or design interests.
   --   Design Library:  Students may browse and download plug-ins to modify
        and customize their Autodesk software for ultimate ease of use and
        creativity. In this virtual gallery, students can post examples and
        descriptions of their work to share with others in the community.
   --   Job Postings:  Relieving students' job search stress, thousands of
        job listings from a wide range of employers allow students to search
        for employment and internships in their fields.
   --   For extra help, resources from organizations and industry news,
        students can also browse the Article Archive, Tip Archive, and Links
        and Resources sections.The Community site is the newest effort by Autodesk to support academic achievement and lifelong learning by helping educators and institutions provide their students with the software they need to prepare for careers in design and engineering. Nurturing students in these fields is important, because the lack of candidates to fill engineering and technology jobs in the United States is a continuing trend: From 1988 to 2002, the number of college students graduating with degrees in engineering decreased approximately 25 percent. And in 2003, 1.3 million engineering and engineering technology jobs were available in the United States without trained people to fill them. In addition to supporting engineering education in the United States, Autodesk is devoting energy to the same effort in countries like Russia, India, and China, where graduation among engineers is accelerating.

University faculty are thrilled to be able to give students access to Autodesk software, knowing graduates will be better prepared to enter the workforce and revolutionize design after using cutting edge technology in class work.

"Autodesk's willingness to allow students to freely download and install Autodesk® Revit® and other software packages, as well as providing training materials, will advance the education experience for students," said Dr. Kevin R. Miller, Brigham Young University professor. "This generous offer by Autodesk to students and educators will advance the construction industry from a 2D to a 3D world."

Professors have also been enthusiastic about the site's networking features and discussion groups, which enable them to connect with Autodesk and other faculty to share curriculum and resources.

In addition to the Student Engineering and Design Community, Autodesk is helping educational institutions invest in the future by offering substantial discounts, innovative subscription offerings, grant programs, training, and curricula and by supporting national nonprofit associations that help educational institutions.

"Autodesk is committed to serving the next generation of engineers and architects," said Paul Mailhot, Autodesk Senior Director, Worldwide Education Programs. "We want them to have the tools to realize every inspiration, whether they're imagining the next innovation in green building or a significant new invention. The Community fosters the enthusiasm students hold for these challenges."

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 company, wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the manufacturing, building, infrastructure, wireless data services and media and entertainment fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency and maximizing profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/.