The following information was released today, Tuesday, February 22, 1994 at 
6:00 am PST. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Andrew Mackles, Autodesk, Inc., 415-491-8778
Marilyn Guerin, Autodesk, Inc., 415-491-8596




            Autodesk Ships AutoCAD(R) Designer 

Parametric, Feature-Based Solid Modeling Now Available For The PC

SAUSALITO, Calif. - February 22, 1994- Autodesk, Inc. today announced that 
AutoCAD(R) Designer software is now available to customers worldwide.  Priced 
at US$1,500 (SRP), AutoCAD Designer brings the industry's most advanced 
mechanical design and drafting methods to the PC at an affordable price.  

"The benefits of parametric, feature-based design software have been recognized 
for some time," said John Lynch, vice president of the product development 
group for Autodesk.  "The ability to design parts intuitively, make revisions 
at will, and move easily between 3D models and 2D drawings gives users added 
productivity and a design environment that encourages creativity."

AutoCAD Designer is ideal for drafters, designers and engineers involved in the 
conceptualization, design or drafting of mechanical parts in a variety of 
manufacturing industries including automotive, electrical equipment, machinery, 
plastics and aerospace.

Working within AutoCAD(R) Release 12 software, the industry's leading CAD 
package, and using the ACIS(R) geometry engine, AutoCAD Designer provides many 
key features including parametric, feature-based design and drafting; 
coordinate-free sketching; automated drafting; sophisticated shape description 
of the solid model; and bidirectional associativity between model and drawing.  
More specifically:


-   Parametric, feature-based design and drafting: With AutoCAD Designer 
software, users can build mechanical designs in a more intuitive, flexible 
fashion than with traditional systems.  Parametrics allow users to modify their 
design just by changing dimension values.

    Feature-based design enables designers to build parts using real-world 
objects that understand fit and function.  For example, a "hole" feature in 
AutoCAD Designer is defined as a hole rather than the traditional cylinder and 
Boolean subtract.   

-   Coordinate-free sketching:  AutoCAD Designer helps streamline the initial 
steps of product design.  Users can freely sketch an approximate shape, then 
use the interactive constraint manager to create a precisely dimensioned part.  

-   Automated drafting: AutoCAD Designer generates 2D drawings quickly and 
accurately from the solid model.  Hidden-line removal is automatic.  Drawing 
views follow industry-standard rules and are constructed using simple point-and-
click operations.

-   Sophisticated shape description:  AutoCAD Designer allows users to build 
parts as unambiguous solid models, including complex shapes such as compound 
curve fillets.  AutoCAD Designer also links directly with AutoSurf(TM), 
Autodesk's NURBS-based surface-modeling package.   

-   Bidirectional associativity:  Changes made to the 3D model will be 
automatically reflected throughout the drawing.  Changes to the drawing will be 
updated in the model.  This feature allows users to make quick and accurate 
revisions.

-   Integrated with AutoCAD Release 12:  AutoCAD Designer is an ADS (AutoCAD 
Development System(TM)) application that runs completely within AutoCAD Release 
12.  AutoCAD Designer users will be immediately familiar with the product's 
interface and command syntax, and can take advantage of any AutoCAD software 
feature.  AutoCAD Designer stores all information within the .DWG file format.  


AutoCAD Designer software complements Autodesk's broad suite of mechanical 
design, visualization and manufacturing tools.  With AutoCAD as the platform, 
these products include AutoSurf Release 2, AutoVision(TM), 3D Studio(R), 
Aemulus(TM), Autodesk ManufacturingExpert(TM) and AutoCAD Data Extension(TM) 
(ADE(TM)).   According to market researcher Dataquest, Autodesk is the number-
two company in MCAD software revenues worldwide (1993) with more than 300,000 
seats.

Availability, Pricing, System Requirements
AutoCAD Designer runs on 486-based or 100 percent compatible PCs running MS-
DOS(R) 3.3 or higher.  The product requires 8MB of memory (16MB recommended) 
and 6MB of hard-disk space. AutoCAD Designer will operate on any machine 
currently running AutoCAD Release 12 for DOS.  
 
AutoCAD Designer is available through Authorized Autodesk Dealers at an SRP of 
US$1,500.  International versions of AutoCAD Designer will be available in 
1H94.  To locate the Dealer nearest you, or for more information, call Autodesk 
at 800-964-6432.  Outside the United States or Canada, fax your request for 
information to 415-491-8303 (Latin America), 415-491-8398 (Asia/Pacific) or +41-
22-788-21-44 (Europe).

Company Information
Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of desktop computer-aided design- 
automation software.  A global company since its founding in 1982, Autodesk 
offers products in 85 countries and 18 languages.  Autodesk shares are traded 
on NASDAQ under the symbol ACAD.  For more information on Autodesk, please call 
800-964-6432 or type GO ADESK on CompuServe(R).   


Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, AutoCAD and 3D Studio are registered trademarks of 
Autodesk, Inc.  AutoVision, AutoSurf, AutoCAD Data Extension, ADE, AutoCAD 
Development System, Aemulus and Autodesk ManufacturingExpert are trademarks of 
Autodesk, Inc.  MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.  
CompuServe is a registered trademark of H&R Block Inc.  All other brand names, 
product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.






