Autodesk presents the new AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 application

The company Autodesk, a global leader in 2D and 3D design software for engineering, construction, and architecture, media, and entertainment, announced the availability of a new software product, AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010. AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 brings the proven benefits of model-based design to the field of manufacturing plant design. The new application was specifically created for the design, modeling, and documentation of manufacturing plants, thus enabling modern 3D design at an affordable price for project teams of all sizes. Autodesk introduced the new application at the SPE Offshore Europe Oil & Gas conference and exhibition.

Because AutoCAD Plant 3D is built on the familiar AutoCAD platform, it allows project teams to increase productivity and improve the accuracy and coordination of shared information. The vast majority of manufacturing facility design projects involve the operation, maintenance, or expansion of existing facilities. These projects are often carried out by small teams facing tight deadlines and budgets. The AutoCAD Plant 3D application has been purposefully designed to increase the productivity of these teams by shortening preparation time, ensuring effective information sharing, and minimizing the impact of changing project information.

"The value of 3D modeling is proven in the manufacturing plant industry. Existing design solutions, however, are unnecessarily complicated and expensive, and therefore are only used for the largest projects," said Mark Strassman, vice president, AEC Plant Solutions Group, Autodesk, Inc. "The most common design and construction projects for manufacturing plants today are retrofit, innovation, or expansion projects, and these must fit into tight budgets and fixed time windows during shutdowns. Teams executing these projects simply cannot afford to waste time and costs on complicated solutions. Since AutoCAD Plant 3D leverages the familiar AutoCAD environment and the popularity of the DWG file format, project teams can get started quickly, share design information more easily, and complete projects faster – with potentially significant time and cost savings."

About AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010
The AutoCAD Plant 3D application, built on the familiar AutoCAD platform, includes specification-defined catalogs of designs and standard components that help optimize the placement of piping, equipment, and supporting structures. The product also features integrated AutoCAD P&ID functionality and tools for rapid generation of isometric and orthographic drawings. The new product complements AutoCAD, AutoCAD P&ID, and Autodesk Navisworks in Autodesk's suite of products specifically for the manufacturing plant design sector. For more information, visit
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=12261005&siteID=123112.

New Community on AutoCAD Exchange
Autodesk also announced the launch of a new community for designers and engineers of manufacturing plants on AutoCAD Exchange. Within the AutoCAD Exchange Plant community, users can network, learn from experts, develop their knowledge, engage in discussions, and provide feedback to Autodesk product teams. Visitors can create profiles to personalize their environment and share their tips, projects, and experiences with other professionals in the field of manufacturing plant design and construction worldwide. More information can be found at www.autodesk.com/plantexchange.

Customer References
Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, a global specialist in water treatment and wastewater management based in Singapore, is using AutoCAD Plant 3D Beta 3 to prepare a proposal for a water treatment project. Alan Chew, CAD manager at Veolia, said: "Our team of CAD specialists and pipeline designers is very interested in a 3D product for designing industrial facilities that will be compatible with other Autodesk products we use. The ease of use of AutoCAD Plant 3D has greatly impressed me – I started working on the project design the very next day after downloading it."
"We use 2D and 3D software to design machinery and related buildings," said Mark McLeod, CAD manager at EnergySolutions, a provider of integrated services and solutions for nuclear power. "However, we currently cannot recognize apparent collisions, we have duplications in labels, and we do not see piping designs when reviewing 3D models. We expect AutoCAD Plant 3D to provide correct labeling, review of 3D models, collision detection, integration with P&ID work, orthographic and isometric views, etc. The ability to pass useful data to structural designers and manufacturers also represents significant value for us."

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About Autodesk
Autodesk is a global leader in 2D and 3D design software for manufacturing, construction, media, and entertainment. Since the launch of AutoCAD in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of leading-edge digital prototyping solutions that allow customers to practically test ideas before they are realized. Fortune 1000 companies use 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, enhance quality, and drive innovation. For more information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.cz or www.autodesk.com.