Autodesk Acquisitions Offer Great New Capabilities

Several recent acquisitions underscore Autodesk’s commitment to the Manufacturing Design, Architectural Design, and Media segment and presage substantial new capabilities for Inventor and related products.

First, the acquisition of Compass, a major document management software firm in Europe, leads us to think that Productstream capabilities will be significantly improved over time, as Compass capabilities are integrated into the product.

Second, the recent announcement of the acquisition of Alias is really exciting. Here Autodesk has acquired a well-known leader in the industrial design, visualization, automotive, architecture, and media markets. Formerly owned by SGI, Alias has for years been in the forefront of 3D Graphics technology.

With this one important acquisition Autodesk has, we believe, leapfrogged SolidWorks and moved itself into a class of its own. Combined with the strength of the Media and Entertainment division, formerly Discreet, Autodesk now provides unparalleled capabilities in the realm of visualization and design.

It is doubtful to us that SolidWorks will ever offer a product that competes with Autodesk’s capabilities in design visualization. Any SolidWorks customers needing such capabilities would be directed to Dassault’s CATIA, an incompatible offering that retails at a much higher price point than SolidWorks.

Plus, this product extends well beyond manufacturing, offering industry-leading capabilities to architecture and media. Alias was even awarded an Oscar in 2003 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for scientific and technical achievement.

Last of all, we learned very recently of Autodesk’s acquisition of Engineering Intent, a firm with which we are intimately familiar. Engineering Intent offers a Windows-based tool for knowledge-based engineering (KBE). Engineering Intent has long offered versions specifically for Autodesk users. As a VAR for Engineering Intent we have provided these efficiency tools to users throughout the Midwest. These tools permit users to automate design tasks that could take days or weeks, and have them execute in seconds. It can also transfer tasks that formerly required a design engineer into tasks that can be performed by sales personnel.

What Autodesk plans to do with these tools, we can only imagine. We have no inside knowledge, nor could we share it if we did. However, we look for great new products from Autodesk incorporating the well known features of Compass, Alias, and Engineering Intent.