The new look of the Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community website is proving successful with students

The company Autodesk, a global leader in 2D and 3D design software for manufacturing, construction, media, and entertainment, has announced the newly redesigned pages of the Student Engineering and Design Community. The website of this community has received a new look and feel that fits seamlessly among other social networks popular with students. The enhanced student community website offers several new features and benefits to current members – a total of 350,000 students and educators.

“Access to free software through the Autodesk student community is crucial for the future of professional designers,” stated Roland Cernat, winner of the Student Design Challenge in the Industrial Design category and recipient of the Sustainable Design Grand Prize. “The wide range of programs available within the community gives students the chance to easily try out and select the programs that best meet their needs. As an industrial design student, I use Autodesk AliasStudio software. When we're discussing the material, the community is the first place I turn to when I need help, current information, etc. The community can provide me with the right tools and guide me in preparing for my future career.”

In addition to the new design of the community pages, Autodesk brings several other membership benefits:

• Increased community interaction modeled after social networks like Facebook, profile sharing, blogging, and news creation,
• A career center with robust job search technology, employer profiles, and career recommendations,
• Community TV allows users to showcase their work and raise awareness of the student community on the Google-YouTube network,
• A guided learning approach leading members through the design process and use of design software,
• Creation of community RSS news feeds,
• Easier access to new tools/software that faculties place on their intranets, enabling their students to access it with one click,
• A more robust search tool.

“A large part of the new look and new features of the website were developed based on communication with our members. The student community was created to provide students with the important tools and information needed for their study of the design process, and to help them be successful in their careers. For educators, it should serve as a resource for accessing our software, educational materials, faculty forums, and discussion groups,” said Paul Mailhot, director of global educational programs at Autodesk. “The new website design follows many recent milestones within Autodesk Education, including the global student design competition “Build Something”, the launch of the Chinese student community, and the release of our new educational software Autodesk VEX Robotics.”

Since September 2006, the Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community has attracted members from more than 16,600 schools in 137 countries. Over 350,000 members have downloaded approximately 650,000 copies of Autodesk's award-winning 3D design solutions.

Partner offers student versions of the software
RISA Technologies, a software partner of Autodesk, recognizes the strength and impact of the student community. Therefore, it has engaged in the initiative and has provided new generations of its design and engineering products for professionals in the form of free student versions.

Members will find software and associated educational tools when visiting the community online section “Learning and Tutorials”. For example, RISA Technologies offers free student versions of structural engineering software applications RISA-3D and RISAFloor for analysis and design.

Autodesk on education
Autodesk supports students and educators by providing powerful 2D and 3D design software, innovative programs, and resources designed to inspire the next generation of professionals and allow them to test their ideas before they become reality. By supporting educators in design education and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, Autodesk helps prepare students for future academic and career success. Autodesk supports schools and institutions around the world through significant discounts, subscription incentive programs, training, development of educational materials, and community resources. For more information about Autodesk's educational programs and solutions, visit www.autodesk.com/education.
In the Czech Republic, Autodesk collaborates with the academic sphere through the Autodesk Academia Program. AAP is a collaboration program focused on data management and sharing design. Since 1999, 73 Czech and Slovak schools have become holders of the Autodesk Academia status, and several thousand students have undergone technical training with the support of one of Autodesk™ software products under the guidance of certified teachers. More at: www.autodeskclub.cz/student/ or autodesk.c-agency.cz.

---

About Autodesk
Autodesk is a global leader in 2D and 3D design software for manufacturing, construction, media, and entertainment. Since the introduction of AutoCAD in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of leading digital prototyping solutions that help customers virtually test ideas before they are realized. Fortune 1000 companies utilize Autodesk tools to visualize, simulate, and analyze the real-world performance of their designs in the early stages of development, helping them save time and money, increase quality, and foster innovation. For more information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com or www.autodesk.cz.

> Autodesk's page in the catalog