Autodesk Launch 2010
Autodesk has released the following information about the impending Autodesk 2010 software. With a launch date towards the end of March 2009 further information will be available then, but you can see something of what is pending and request Excitech's presentation DVD which as usual will present and demonstrate key new features now and it will be sent to you soon after the launch.

For every serious challenge facing the world there is someone with a big idea. That big idea needs to be nurtured. It needs to be explored and analysed in order to bring it to life and design is at the core of that innovation.

There isn’t a problem in the world that a great designer can't solve. Autodesk technology gives innovators the ability to see how their ideas perform and behave, in essence to experience it before its real.

The Autodesk Revit platform based products for BIM feature an aligned user interface, giving the entire range of products a consistent look and feel. The updated Autodesk Revit platform also allows a greater level of interoperability for green building analysis, providing support for the green building extensible markup language (gbXML) format. Updates to the products based on the Autodesk Revit platform include:

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010 software (BIM for architects and designers) enables customers to more accurately capture early design concepts with improved conceptual design functionality via:
An intuitive conceptual design workspace to create complex geometry more easily.
A new user interface (UI) that works the way designers think, providing a smoother and more continuous design workflow.
Improved interoperability with programs such as AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 software, Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 software and Autodesk Inventor 2010 software.
Autodesk Revit Structure 2010 software (BIM for structural engineers, designers, and drafters) integrates a multi-material physical and an independently editable analytical model, to help provide for more efficient, more accurate documentation, analysis and design. Users will experience:
Enhanced conceptual design, modeling and analysis to handle more complex architectural forms.
Improved user interface with a new customizable ribbon toolbar.
Improved performance and interoperability, including native 64 bit support.
Autodesk Revit MEP 2010 software (BIM for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers) provides customers with optimum tools for system design and building performance analysis helping engineers to make better informed decisions. The 2010 release provides new functionality including:
Native heating and cooling loads analysis enabling MEP engineers to determine the energy demands of the building.
Enhanced gbXML export with the ability to examine an analytical model of the project before exporting to a gbXML file.
Improved performance of the application enabling users to see significant performance enhancements while handling and working on large project files.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 software, a powerful BIM solution for civil engineering, helps project teams explore transportation, land development and environmental projects digitally before they are built. New functionality featured in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 includes:

New design and analysis capabilities like automated intersection design and integrated storm sewer analysis.
Quantity takeoff and interoperability with Autodesk Revit Architecture.
New application menu, ribbon UI and quick access toolbar for better productivity.

Autodesk Navisworks 2010

Autodesk Navisworks 2010 software -- including Autodesk Navisworks Review 2010 software, Autodesk Navisworks Simulate 2010 software, Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2010 software and Autodesk Navisworks Freedom 2010 software -- enables design and building professionals to unite project contributions into a synchronized model for building information modeling. By enabling team members to more reliably share, combine, review and perfect detailed 3D design models of any size or format, Autodesk Navisworks applications are an important part of the BIM workflow. Updates to the Autodesk Navisworks portfolio include:

Improved usability gives customers a more productive working environment, and new measuring tools and sectioning enhancements help improve workflow.
Greater level of interoperability allows for enhanced collaboration.

Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010

Autodesk 3ds Max Design software enables architects, designers, engineers and visualization specialists to explore, validate and communicate their creative ideas -- from initial concept models to final, cinema-quality presentations. 3ds Max Design offers digital continuity with the AutoCAD, Revit and Autodesk Inventor software families of products enabling the reuse of design data for visualization. New features in Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 include:

More than 100 additional modeling tools help designers explore form making, while refining their designs with a new render-quality viewport display.
Interactive lighting analysis helps users to iterate more quickly, validate sustainable solutions and avoid costly mistakes early in the design process.
An extensive library of particle effects and flickerless rendering improvements to simplify communicating a compelling vision.