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Project Lead the Way Will Use Autodesk Inventor Software to Teach Next-Generation EngineersSan Rafael, California, March 15, 2000—Autodesk, Inc., the world's leading supplier of PC design software and PC multimedia tools, today announced that Project Lead the Way, based in Clifton Park, New York, has chosen Autodesk Inventor™ software for its innovative, hands-on preengineering program. The PLTW program will use Autodesk Inventor in its five-course high-school sequence and middle-school program. Students will use the software to design, document, and prototype real-world engineering problems to help prepare them for two- and four-year college engineering and engineering technology programs. According to Ken Ford, national director of curriculum and training of PLTW, the agreement with Autodesk allows each of PLTW's 120 participating school districts in 15 states to obtain up to 100 seats of Inventor software from PLTW. "PLTW has been in existence for three years, and we've been using Autodesk Mechanical Desktop software until now," says Ford. "But since Autodesk created Inventor, which has the functionality we need and is very easy to use, we decided to upgrade all our schools, our curriculum, and our teacher training program. We want our students to learn engineering design on the latest, most advanced CAD software available so they will be better prepared when they get to college. We believe that software is Autodesk Inventor." Autodesk Inventor beat the competition in an exhaustive head-to-head comparison, according to Ford. "We evaluated Inventor against five other leading CAD systems," he explains. "We sent copies of Inventor and the competing CAD software to twelve of our master teachers around the country, gave each of them an assembly to produce, and asked them to rate each CAD package. We also sent a questionnaire to the companies asking about support for the various aspects of our program. Inventor was the winner. The major reasons were Autodesk support, ease of use, adaptive technology, its ability to handle large assemblies, and the built-in design support system that is superior to help menus found on other systems." According to Ford, the PLTW program is growing rapidly, which means that thousands more Autodesk Inventor seats may soon be installed in high schools across the country. "We are partnering with the national program, High Schools That Work, an initiative of the Southern Regional Educational Board. They represent more than a thousand schools in twenty-two states," said Ford. PLTW's high-school curriculum includes a four-year sequence of courses that integrate mathematics, science, and technology in a hands-on, project-based environment. These courses introduce students to the scope, rigor, and discipline of engineering and related engineering technology before entering college. PLTW also offers a middle-school course called Gateway to Technology. Robert Kross, vice president of Autodesk's mechanical group, said, "Autodesk is honored to be part of this program, which is preparing the next generation of design engineers and engineering technicians. This program will ensure that our customers—today's top manufacturers—will be able to easily hire well-trained engineers. We plan to be closely involved with PLTW and help them incorporate Inventor into their curriculum." About Autodesk Autodesk is the world's leading design and digital content creation resource. The company is providing software and Internet portal services to help customers drive business through the power of design. One of the largest software companies in the world, Autodesk helps designs become a reality for more than four million customers in over 150 countries. For more information, contact any Authorized Autodesk® Reseller, call Autodesk at 800-964-6432, or visit www.autodesk.com. Discreet™ product information is available at 800-869-3504 or via the Web at www.discreet.com. Autodesk shares are traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol ADSK. www.autodesk.com
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