ENGINEERING

SAN RAFAEL, CA Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, announced today that the Program of Computer Graphics at Cornell University is using beta versions of Autodesk(R) Architectural Studio and Autodesk(R) VIZ 4 as part of an unprecedented fall design studio for third-year undergraduates in the Department of Architecture. The program, which integrates use of traditional design tools (pens, pencils, tracing paper, chipboard models) with new digital media, prepares the next wave of professional architects to effectively use the latest Autodesk(R) design technology in real-world design studios. As a core component of the course, students use Autodesk Architectural Studio, an innovative conceptual design creation and communication tool to be commercially released in early 2002, and Autodesk VIZ 4, an advanced visualization tool scheduled for release in December 2001, for use in modeling, rendering, and lighting studies. "We're embarking on a new way of teaching architecture in the 21st century," said Don Greenberg, professor of architecture and director of the Program in Computer Graphics at Cornell University, who co-teaches the course with Moreno Piccolotto, research associate and visiting faculty in the Department of Architecture at Cornell. "New digital media and collaboration tools such as Autodesk Architectural Studio and Autodesk VIZ 4 provide students with experience in using innovative digital design tools, augmenting their educational experience while exposing them to a variety of professional opinions about their work." New Autodesk digital tools also make it possible for students to receive global -- in addition to local -- professional feedback on their work. During the second part of the design studio class, Cornell students based in Ithaca, New York, are experimenting with how to best present their work via Autodesk Architectural Studio to practicing architects in New York City who offer real-time critiques of student digital portfolios. Through Autodesk Architectural Studio's Internet-based collaborative design environment, traditional "desk crits" (academic evaluations of architectural students' work) can now take place remotely, allowing students to receive feedback from a wide variety of practitioners, including internationally renowned designers, as well as their own professors. Initially, Autodesk Architectural Studio is being used with a standard Internet connection and a videoconferencing system that allows students and architects to see and hear each other's responses. Using pen-based input tools, architects can not only review and verbally comment on students' design concepts but also offer direct design suggestions by sketching or creating 3D models within the students' own Architectural Studio multimedia workspace. This semester's participating architects include Jill Lerner, John Koga, Doug Hocking, and Jerri Smith of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Mustafa Abadan, Peter Choi, Janine Vogelsang, and Yangwei Yee of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and Richard Meier and Robert Lewis of Richard Meier & Partners. "Traditionally, CAD has been taught separately from the design studio, but in this course, technology is integrated with design process -- giving students a competitive edge in the marketplace once they finish their degree," said Moreno Piccolotto, who also consults with the Autodesk Architectural Studio team. "With a range of digital and conventional options at their disposal, students are empowered to become independent learners, discovering how to use digital tools in ways that make sense for their personal way of designing -- rather than having technology constrain their design process."