Autodesk was established in 1982, taking its name from its flagship product: AutoCAD – a computer-aided design (CAD) program widely used by architects, engineers, designers, city planners and visual effects professionals to sketch out and visualize their ideas before construction or creation begins. Film and TV industry technicians use it too for producing visual effects in films or TV programs. Autodesk also offers software for digital media creation and editing as well as consumer products like Sketchbook and 3ds Max for consumer use.
Autodesk’s mission extends far beyond developing new products; their Foundation provides support for designing and creating solutions to some of society’s greatest social and environmental challenges, working alongside entrepreneurs such as Bombora Wave Power in harnessing ocean energy to provide homes for marine life and clean drinking water for everyone.
Carl Bass took over as CEO in 2006 from Carol Bartz and has taken great strides toward transitioning toward SaaS subscription models while making software user friendly to appeal to both makers and consumers.
Autodesk Australia is a premier supplier of 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Their customer base spans industries as diverse as manufacturing, architecture, building construction and media and entertainment. Autodesk Australia also has an established presence in green building and civil infrastructure sectors where their tools help design and manage buildings more effectively.