Autodesk is an international leader in three dimensional design software for building, engineering and architecture construction, manufacturing, and entertainment and media. Autodesk became well known for AutoCAD – its flagship computer-aided design software. Other software products include Digital Prototyping solutions, Building Information Modeling, and digital media creation and management software. Autodesk has been very involved in clean technology. Their Building Information Modeling assists with creating sustainable buildings and optimizing building solutions and they also created C-FACT – a science driven open-sourced approach to setting carbon dioxide gas reduction targets. Autodesk is also the sponsor of the 2006 PBS program e² Design which maintained focus on green building designs around the globe.
1) Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program. The Audodesk Clean Tech Partner Program supports the innovations, efforts and various environmental advancements of global clean technology pioneers by supplying them with world class, top of the line software to visualize, design, and simulate groundbreaking ideas via the production of digital prototypes and models. Clean technology companies throughout North America, Europe, and Japan are able to benefit from this program, which supplies $150,000 worth of Autodesk software for $50. With Autodesk’s software, these companies can create digital prototypes allowing clean technology innovators to explore as well as communicate their ideas, test different concepts, and increase improvements.
2) Autodesk Partners with French Cleantech. In 2011, French Cleantech signed a partnership with Autodesk as part of the Clean Tech Partner Program to benefit French clean technology companies coming up with new and innovative clean technology programs. According to a statement placed by the French Cleantech group, “The French cleantech companies can benefit from software such as Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Revit or Autodesk Alias Design, to develop their prototypes, speed up their process of innovation and optimize their product development.”
3) Setting a Foal for Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reduction. Autodesk has been in the process of developing a brand new approach for corporations to follow in an effort to set targets associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to Autodesk, “The approach calls for companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with global scientific and policy climate stabilization targets, and in proportion to companies’ relative contribution to the economy, measured by gross domestic product.” Autodesk’s approach is known as C-FACT, and requires that companies create an index that would enable them to, “Align corporate greenhouse gas reduction target with IPCC goal; adjust for relative contribution to global greenhouse gas; [and] annually recalculate target based on the previous year’s performance.”
4) Autodesk Sustainability Workshop. The Autodesk Sustainability Workshop is an online tutorial that is absolutely free and covers various sustainable design concepts, including whole systems thinking and light weighting. The videos on the website provide instruction to companies on how they can make beneficial sustainable design decisions during the early stages of the overall design process. Autodesk understands that future engineers and designers are going to play a large role in solving problems the world faces using clean technology designs and sustainability designs. The website provides information on how to apply different sustainability practices to real-world engineering and design problems.
5) Autodesk Launches their Clean Tech Partner Program in Europe. In 2010 Autodesk expanded its Clean Tech Partner Program to a number of European clean technology companies who are looking to address some of the most pressing environmental concerns around the world. Autodesk will provide the European companies with Digital Prototyping software that will enable the clean technology companies to innovate at a more rapid pace. “Europe is at the forefront of many exciting alternative energy advances, together with some of the world’s most ambitious clean energy policies, so it’s a natural evolution for Autodesk to partner with innovative clean tech companies in the region,” said Erwin Burth, director, industry development at Autodesk. “Regardless of where they are in their product development lifecycle, Autodesk recognizes the imperative that all clean tech companies face to bring their products to market faster and more cost-effectively.”
6) Building Information Modeling Program. Autodesk’s Building Information Modeling is an intelligent model-based process providing businesses with necessary insight to create and manage infrastructure and building projects quicker, much more economically viable, and with a decreased environmental impact. The Building Information Modeling provides a comprehensive portfolio of all possible solutions for design, simulation, visualization, and collaboration using rich intelligent model information to provide access to better decision making opportunities and tear down barriers to creating more effective business.
7) Autodesk Becomes Sponsor of Cleantech Open. In 2010 Autodesk became the first national sponsor of the Cleantech Open – the largest business competition in the world completely devoted to locating, funding, and fostering viable and successful clean technology companies. Autodesk signed on and is supplying a number of the tools necessary for clean technology startup companies to innovate, engineer, design, and bring to market successful clean technologies. Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk, Robert Kross, said, “We are proud to support the Cleantech Open in our role as national sponsor and to help the contestants make their groundbreaking cleantech ideas a reality.”
8 ) Autodesk Gives away Software to Clean Technology Companies. In 2009 Autodesk selected 100 companies to receive $150,000 worth of software. The companies are all startups currently working on the creation of sustainable technologies, however the main focus for these companies is renewable energy innovations. They will receive five licenses for AutoCAD Inventor Professional, Autodesk Showcase Professional, Autodesk Vault Manufacturing, Autodesk Navisworks Manage, Autodesk Revit Architecture and Autodesk Alias Design.
9) Autodesk Digital Prototyping Program. The Autodesk Digital Prototyping program enables manufacturers, designers, and engineers to fully design innovations most sustainably by decreasing the total amount of physical prototypes that are required for a project, or by eliminating the requirement for the prototypes completely. It is a new approach that allows companies to design products quickly and affordably.
10) Autodesk Sponsors 25 Finalists in the Nordic Cleantech Open. In October 2010, Autodesk provided the 25 entrants to the Nordic Cleantech Open with acceptance into the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program. Here they will be able to select from a number of different Autodesk professional level software applications. They will be able to select five licenses for five products that will assist them and their innovations.
Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com
