This afternoon Autodesk, the world's leading design and collaboration software company, broadened its technology and customer base by signing a definitive agreement to acquire Alias, an award-winning 3D graphics technology company.

The acquisition will extend Autodesk's 3D graphics leadership in the manufacturing and media and entertainment industries, opening the door for Autodesk with the world's largest automotive and consumer products manufacturers and enabling Autodesk to provide a broader offering to the media and entertainment industry.

This acquisition will provide immediate benefits to customers, and long-term opportunities for innovative new products and services:

· This acquisition expands Autodesk's media and entertainment (M&E)
portfolio with Alias' Maya, MotionBuilder, and FBX software. Autodesk's current 3D authoring toolset for M&E comprises Autodesk VIZ and 3ds Max.
Maya is widely used by Autodesk's customers in the feature film segment and shares customers with Autodesk in the game development segment; it was honored with an Oscar® statuette in 2003. Alias customers are some of the world's premier entertainment companies, including Industrial Light & Magic, DreamWorks SKG, and Nintendo.

· Alias allows Autodesk to establish a critical foothold in the first
stage of product development, with the concept design teams in the automotive OEMs as well as the consumer products market. Alias's StudioTools is used by virtually every major automotive manufacturer in the world. Consumer product customers include Kodak, Kwikset, Mattel, Rollerblade, Sharp, Trek Bicycle, and Timex.



Pesantino, eehh?