Autodesk ships Autodesk World; first software to offer GIS data integration without conversion

Business Wire, June 17, 1997

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1997--Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), the world's leading supplier of GIS, mapping, and design software for the PC, announced today that it has begun shipping Autodesk World(TM) software worldwide in International English.

The software is the first in the industry to integrate GIS, CAD and database information in a single, non-proprietary environment, and thus provides an easy way for people to access and share data across departments in an organization.

Autodesk World software is a tool for accessing, integrating and managing geographic information. It is designed for organizations that rely on geographic data in their operations, especially in the utilities, telecommunications, government, natural resources, oil and gas, and transportation industries.

"Finally, users can forget about what traditionally has been their biggest problem: data integration," said Joe Astroth, vice president of Autodesk's GIS market group. "Now, organizations will be able to take full advantage of their GIS investments by accessing all of their information and sharing it across departments using the familiar, easy to use Windows environment."

"Autodesk World has tapped into the future of GIS by providing one tool that can present multiple file formats," said John Loyd, director of applied technology for Patton, Harris, Rust & Associates, an engineering and consulting firm. "Like many GIS professionals, I work with a variety of data sets every day. Knowing where different files reside in my system and being able to work with them in one project is a big advantage for me."

"This product is an excellent first release," said Ralph D'Andrea, owner of Western Slope Research, who beta tested the software. "I am particularly impressed with how World seamlessly integrates my existing geodata sets that are in AutoCAD, Arc/Info, MapInfo, Atlas and other GIS formats.

"Additionally, Autodesk has avoided the biggest drawbacks of most of the popular GIS products, arcane scripting languages and limited reporting capabilities, by integrating Microsoft Access and Visual Basic(R) for Applications (VBA), the Microsoft Jet Engine, and Seagate's Crystal Reports into Autodesk World."

Another beta tester, Mark Bassett, partner at NextWave Technologies, added: "Autodesk World's greatest value is that it turns data into information. It takes a lot of existing data that currently isn't in a proper GIS environment and makes it useable."

Pricing and Availability

In the United States and Canada the suggested retail price for Autodesk World is US$1,995. Autodesk World software is now available worldwide in International English through authorized Autodesk dealers. Autodesk expects to ship French and German versions in the fall. Contact local authorized dealers for pricing outside the United States and Canada.

GIS and Mapping at Autodesk

Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of GIS, mapping and design software for the PC. The company provides easy to use GIS and mapping software to help business and governments manage their assets and infrastructure. Autodesk's family of GIS products address the entire GIS workflow within organizations, from data creation, integration, analysis and communication both inside and outside of organizations.

Autodesk offers CAD-based, Internet-based and data-centric GIS solutions for true data integration. For more information, visit the GIS at Autodesk web site at www.autodesk.com/gis .

About Autodesk

The matters discussed in this news release contain forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These include the timely development and acceptance of the new products discussed, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in Autodesk's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K filed in April 1997.

Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of PC design software and multimedia tools. The company's 2D and 3D products and data management tools are used in many industries for architectural design, mechanical design, mapping and GIS, film and video production, video game development and Web content development.

Its Kinetix(TM) division is the leader in PC-based 3D modeling and animation software, providing a full range of products for digital media and design professionals.

The fifth largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk has three million customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, contact any Authorized Autodesk Dealer, call Autodesk at 800/964-6432, or fax requests for information to 415/507-5100. Outside of North America, fax requests for information to 1 415/507-6110 (Latin America), 1 415/507-6117 (Asia Pacific), or 1 41-22-788-21-44 (Europe).

For more information on Autodesk, call 415/507-5000, type GO ADESK on CompuServe, or log in with a World Wide Web browser at http://www.autodesk.com . Autodesk shares are traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol ADSK. -0-