Autodesk Adds Benefits to Assistance Program
June 11, 2009

Autodesk Adds Benefits to Assistance Program

San Rafael, Calif. - Autodesk is announcing additions to the Autodesk Assistance Program. Announced six weeks ago, the program boasts more than 4600 participants and more than 5000 product downloads to date. It was designed to help displaced workers in the architecture, engineering, design, and manufacturing industries maintain and develop their 3D design technology skills, says a company representative.

Additions include the increase of available products from four to 17 of the latest versions of Autodesk's 2D and 3D design and engineering software, a product discount for companies that hire program participants, a new term license for AutoCAD software, and enhancements to eLearning materials.

Autodesk Assistance Program tools and resources are available through an online portal, where users can learn more about the program enhancements.

Employer Discount: Companies that hire program participants receive a discount of up to 40 percent for new commercial licenses of AutoCAD, AutoCAD Inventor Suite, Autodesk Revit Architecture, and AutoCAD Civil 3D software. Program participants needing a commercial license of software to perform consulting may also be interested in taking advantage of this offer.

New Term License: Autodesk is now offering a new 12-month, stand-alone license of AutoCAD 2010 or AutoCAD 2009 software for $1995 to commercial customers in the United States.

Firm Resources: To help firms improve productivity and examine work processes, Autodesk has made a number of resources related to Digital Prototyping (DP) and building information modeling (BIM) available on the Autodesk Assistance Program online portal. These resources cover a wide range of projects, including the types of projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Products Available: In addition to the 2010 versions of AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Inventor Suite, and AutoCAD Civil 3D software, program participants can now also access a free 13-month term (except where noted) student license of the latest version products.

New eLearning Materials: In addition to the more than 70 Value-Added Resellers and Autodesk Authorized Training Center (ATC) partners that are offering classroom training at their facilities for free or for a significantly reduced fee, Autodesk has bolstered the online training resources to include two new elements: Autodesk University (AU) Online and Subscription e-Learning.