It has been a year since you took over at the helm. What is your
assessment of the past 12 months, and what is your vision for the future of
Autodesk?
I'm proud of the company's continued achievements in terms of financial
performance and the introduction of compelling technology that makes a
meaningful difference in our customers' business. I believe our strategic
direction to help customers experience their ideas before they are real will
help foster real gains in innovation that benefits society, and the environment
as well.
What is this bold vision for design that you have announced?
Global circumstances now require companies to innovate and address social
and environmental issues in order to remain competitive. As a result, companies
are changing the way they think about design innovation to include not only how
something looks, but also how it functions, and how the user experiences it.
We believe design processes have to change in order for
companies to get the most from design innovation. Companies need to be able to
experience their ideas before they have created anything. When companies can
examine a digital prototype and find out early in the design process whether or
not a new material performs better or a design is more energy-efficient, they
can save time and expense, resulting in better quality and increased innovation.
What are you doing to achieve your vision for "design,
redefined"?
We are working alongside our customers to help them transform their design
processes. Our strategic direction is to help customers experience their ideas
before they create anything. Specifically, the Autodesk 3D technology allows
customers to visualize, analyze and simulate designs so that they can understand
the impact of their ideas, and make changes to optimize the outcome. They save
time and money, and focus on innovation, making the design process smoother and
smarter.
And the benefits of this vision?
A more holistic approach to design allows companies to focus on the outcome:
how a product looks, performs, and is experienced by users. When the design
process provides understanding and insight into these attributes well in advance
of implementation, companies can make choices that optimize their design before
anything is produced.
Overall, what is the general nature of innovations and new
functions that are being offered with your new products?
At a very high level, our new products raise the standard with capabilities
designed to augment efficiency, innovation and cost savings in all of the highly
dynamic markets they serve. These capabilities include faster access to data;
improved collaboration; more powerful analysis and visualization; streamlining
of detailed, repetitive tasks; and greater interoperability.
How are your products' 3D capabilities different?
We take a holistic approach to 3D capabilities, by providing true
interoperability with our 2D applications, allowing companies with legacy 2D
drawings to work the way they need: either by capitalizing on their investment
in 2D expertise and designs, and/or by leveraging the enhanced productivity of
3D.
When and how will customers experience the vision that you have
outlined?
We're already working with customers including many in the building and
manufacturing industries, to transform their design processes. Together, we've
been able to anticipate what kinds of solutions are necessary to make it even
easier for them to make a new way of working with digital information more
integral to project and product development, for example, through building
information modeling and through digital prototyping.
Architects and contractors use Autodesk technology to collaborate and arrive at the best design before a single beam or piece of stone cladding is cut, in order to stay on-budget |
How is Autodesk technology playing a role in the economic
sustainability of its customers?
Customers are using Autodesk technology to make design decisions that meet
their business goals, and to improve those aspects of design process-such as
outsourcing-that can impact the bottom line. For example, manufacturers use
Autodesk software for digital prototyping to understand how materials perform,
and specify the right ones for the desired quality and user experience. They use
Autodesk software to communicate complex specifications to partners and avoid
costly mistakes.
In the building industry, architects and engineers use Autodesk
technology to determine the effects of energy-efficient designs and materials on
interior lighting conditions and temperature. At firms such as HOK, architects
and contractors use Autodesk technology to collaborate and arrive at the best
design before a single beam or piece of stone cladding is cut, in order to stay
on-budget.
How are customers using Autodesk technology to run socially
responsible businesses?
Autodesk customers are using our technology to design projects and products with
minimal impact on the environment. Even start-ups like Palumbo Motorcar-which
plans to produce an environmentally friendly sports car-are finding ways to
marry good looks and high performance with low environmental impact.
In the building sector, architecture, engineering and
construction firms of all sizes are using Autodesk solutions to design green
buildings whose interior lighting and climate actually improve workers' and
inhabitants' experience. These companies also depend on Autodesk technology to
improve the accuracy of designs to reduce construction waste, a major source of
pollution.
We're proud to have announced plans at the recent Greenbuild
expo to work with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) on several initiatives
to make sustainable design easier and more efficient through the use of
technology.
Namratha Jagtap
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in
The author was hosted in San Francisco