In a bold move, software giant Autodesk has made its design, engineering, and entertainment software free to students, instructors, and academic institutions worldwide.
More than 680 million students and educators from over 800,000 secondary and post-secondary schools in 188 countries can take advantage of free access to Autodesk?s professional software and services for use in classrooms, labs, and at home.
?The way we make things is changing rapidly, and we need a workforce ready to design for new manufacturing and construction techniques. By providing free professional design tools to students, faculty members and academic institutions around the world, we?re helping get industry ready for the next phase,? said Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk.
Following its announcement of free software for academic institutions in the United States earlier this year as part of President Obama?s ConnectED initiative, Autodesk has gradually expanded free access to its leading design software to academic institutions across Asia Pacific and Europe.
The software maker is also helping schools move to the cloud by providing academic institutions with its full suite of next generation cloud-based design products, cloud services such as the A360 collaboration platform, as well as maintenance subscription for free.
From students as young as 13 years old leveraging Fusion 360 to conceptualize and 3D print prosthetic devices, to college teams developing environmentally sustainable homes using BIM 360 Glue, young talent are pushing the boundaries of design and innovation both inside and outside of the classroom using the same design software used by professionals every day.
To facilitate the integration of design tools into curricula, Autodeskalso offers free project-based learning content and resources including the Digital Steam Workshop and Design Academy.
