Community supports CAD for students

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.

The Student Engineering and Design Community has been officially launched by Autodesk.

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 e-mail address is invited to participate in the community.

More than 6000 students at accredited universities worldwide have already signed up as test users of the site, 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 allow students worldwide to 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 participate to provide students with installation support for their free Autodesk software.

Those tackling a difficult assignment can log in to connect with classmates to ask questions, share information, or brainstorm ideas.

Faculties can also participate, taking classroom interaction to the next level.

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 colours of a structure.

Students and educators can find and communicate with others who have similar engineering or design interests.

Students may browse and download plug-ins to modify and customise 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.

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 organisations and industry news, students can also browse the article archive, tip archive, and links and resources sections.

The community site is the latest 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 UK is a continuing trend.

In addition to supporting engineering education in the UK, Autodesk is devoting energy to the same effort in countries like Russia, India, and China, where graduation among engineers is accelerating.

University faculties are thrilled to be able to give students access to Autodesk software, knowing graduates will be better prepared to enter the workforce and revolutionise 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 faculties 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 programmes, 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 Programmes.

"We want them to have the tools to realise 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".

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