Autodesk is highlighting its portfolio of software solutions for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries and demonstrating new technologies for design innovation in practice at the 2008 AIA National Convention and Design Expo, booth 20121, which is made entirely from sustainable materials.

As AEC industry firms continue to adopt building information modeling (BIM) in search of competitive advantage and to improve productivity and efficiency, Autodesk is demonstrating discipline-specific software solutions for BIM that support building design, engineering, construction, fabrication and operation. The official software sponsor of AIA150, Autodesk is also showcasing how high-quality, reliable and coordinated information created in the BIM process can be used for conceptual design, sustainable design and design visualization and is demonstrating its new Autodesk Seek web service and product content search. Autodesk also announced that it has sold more than 300,000 seats of its Revit software platform for BIM, representing a 200% increase in seats over the past two years.

“The rapid move to BIM has created a foundation for change in the AEC industry,” said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “Autodesk is investing aggressively in new applications and technology solutions that build on the promise of BIM and support our customers’ need to create, predict and deliver their ideas in increasingly more optimal and effective ways.”

Dr. Robert Aish, an AEC industry thought leader and software originator, has recently joined Autodesk to lead the company’s development of conceptual design solutions to help architects and designers more easily create and analyze complex forms earlier in the design process. Dr. Aish is graduate of the School of Industrial Design at the Royal College of Art, London and holds a Ph.D. is in Human Computer Interaction from the Man-Machine Lab at the University of Essex. More recently, Dr. Aish co-founded the SmartGeometry educational initiative which has established parametric and computational design as an essential component of creative architecture.

“Autodesk is an industry leader with a long history of creating innovative design software,” said Dr. Robert Aish, Director of Software Development, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “Through the development of new conceptual design solutions for early design exploration and analysis, I believe we can improve and streamline the creative process for millions of architects and designers around the world”

At the AIA Expo, Autodesk will demonstrate how products from its technology portfolio including Maya and Inventor are being used by innovative AEC industry firms for conceptual design. Maya, a powerful complement to the BIM process during conceptualization, is an integrated 3D modeling, animation and visual effects solution that enables architects and designers to freely create and manipulate complex organic shapes. Inventor enables the use of rules-based modeling for architects and designers who look to parametrically drive form to explore, iterate, and rationalize conceptual designs. The software also provides a comprehensive and integrated set of design tools for producing, maintaining and documenting complete digital prototypes and enables users to validate the form, fit and function of a design before it is physically built.

As the AEC industry expands its adoption of BIM and sustainable design practices, Autodesk has continued to develop and acquire technology to help architects and engineers design better performing projects by leveraging the data created in the Revit platform for BIM. The recent acquisitions of building performance and sustainable analysis tools, including technology developed by Green Building Studio, Intelisolve, and Carmel Software, are part of Autodesk’s efforts to drive mainstream adoption of sustainable design. At the 2008 AIA Expo, Autodesk is demonstrating how these analysis tools can be used as part of the BIM process, and how through BIM, the information required for sustainable design, analysis, code compliance, and certification can become routinely available as a by-product of the standard design process, helping to save time and money.

Autodesk will demonstrate the new Autodesk 3ds Max Design software — a 3D visualization solution that allows AEC professionals to explore, validate and communicate their ideas. Revit Architecture 2009 will also be demonstrated, featuring a new implementation of the mental ray rendering engine, which improves the speed, quality and usability of rendering and visualization features in BIM. For designers who require more visual control, animation capabilities and rendering power, Revit Architecture 2009 provides a new bridge to 3ds Max Design. This enables users to deliver richer visuals and more precise information from the underlying building model. Complementing Revit Architecture, 3ds Max Design provides the Exposure daylight simulation and analysis system, which assists architects in evaluating light intensity against indoor environmental lighting quality requirements, such as LEED EQ Credit 8.1.

Extending the scope of the Revit platform for BIM and AutoCAD Architecture 2009, the newly released Autodesk Seek delivers quick results from an online source for building product information, including 3D models and product specification data. This new search tool, accessible from inside AutoCAD and Revit-based applications, or via a browser, will also be on display. Negating the process of browsing product specification catalogues, this combination of software and service allows designers to search, select and specify products, seamlessly, in their design workflow.

Autodesk recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of REALVIZ S.A., the privately held developer of image-based content creation software. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

REALVIZ was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Sophia Antipolis, France. REALVIZ’s technology provides efficient ways to generate 3D content and visual effects from photo imaging and 2D environments. Its products are used for panoramic photography, image-based modeling, match moving and optical motion capture. REALVIZ’s flagship products are Stitcher software for the creation of panoramas and 360 degree virtual tours, and ImageModeler software to produce 3D models from photographs.

“REALVIZ’s technology bridges 2D and 3D, linking the virtual and real worlds. 3D models can be created from simple 2D images, and virtual environments can be built from conventional photographs,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Autodesk Platform Solutions and Emerging Business. “REALVIZ’s technology is complementary to Autodesk’s modeling, visual effects and animation products. It will enable us to increase the use of 3D technology across many industries, including architecture, film, broadcast and game development.”

REALVIZ’s clients include Boeing, NASA, Daimler Chrysler, Cinesite, Framestore CFC, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Warner Brothers Animation, Electronic Arts and Activision. REALVIZ technology has been used to create visual effects for Zodiac, The Host, Children of Men, Superman Returns, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and many other blockbuster films.

Autodesk intends to develop and sell REALVIZ’s Stitcher Unlimited, Stitcher Express, ImageModeler and Movimento software as standalone products. Matchmover, Retimer and VTour will no longer be available as standalone products; core technology from these REALVIZ products will be integrated into future versions of Autodesk’s existing products, enabling customers to bring the real world into design environments.

The following REALVIZ offerings have been discontinued: Stitcher Pro, Stitcher Unlimited DS, StoryViz, and hardware and software product bundles. Education versions of ImageModeler and Stitcher continue to be available. Student versions of ImageModeler and Stitcher are no longer available