AUTODESK WHIP! Plug-In And File Format Allow Distributed Designs Over The
Internet

Fundamental Changes In The Way Design Professionals Distribute, View
Drawings

New York, NY, April 10, 1996 -- Autodesk has introduced a new 2D vector
file format for the Internet and free companion viewer, called the WHIP!
Plug-In, for use with Internet browsers. Designed to work together, the
new WHIP! Plug-In and Drawing Web Format (.DWF) let users download design
data efficiently over the Internet.

Users can view 2D vector data and use high speed pan and zoom capabilities
to maneuver through complex and detailed drawings. In addition, support
for embedded URLs allows direct links to other locations on the Internet.
As a result, design professionals around the world will be able to
collaborate on design projects over the Internet more easily, as well as
share their work with their clients.

By creating this technology for users of design and engineering software,
Autodesk will help eliminate the communication barriers between engineers,
architects and other design professionals and increase the use of shared
digital designs.

The DWF file format is more efficient than bitmaps or other file formats
for storing and displaying design information -- bitmap file formats such
as GIF and JPEG store data as individual pixels; vector data is stored as
lines, arcs and circles. To further reduce download times, DWF files are
transmitted in compressed form which is then decompressed by the WHIP!
Plug-In. Since design files are frequently several megabytes in size, this
performance gain is a critical factor for the design and engineering
communities. Panning and zooming is virtually instantaneous as it is not
necessary to reload or access the server.

"We are fundamentally changing the way design professionals distribute and
view complex technical drawings," said Carol Bartz president and CEO of
Autodesk. "The WHIP! Plug-In facilitates the communication process, making
the Internet the ultimate collaborative platform for design."

Netscape and Microsoft each said the WHIP! Plug-In is a key milestone in
addressing the needs of designers.

"By adding a plug-in for design professionals, Autodesk has taken the lead
in bringing Internet access to the design community, said Jim Barksdale,
president and chief executive officer at Netscape. No one else could bring
Netscape client access to three million designers this quickly."

"Design professionals need an Internet champion, and Autodesk, as the
industry leader, is an important company to watch," said Michael Ahern,
Product Manager for Microsoft's Internet Platform and Tools Division.
"With WHIP!, Autodesk has added powerful technology for distributing fast,
accurate designs more broadly. This is a big step toward making the
Internet more useful and accessible for design professionals."

DWF supports both secure and open data. For reasons of liability,
electronic transfer of designs has been fairly limited to date. Since the
WHIP! Plug-In lacks editing tools, DWF is not readily altered in its
binary form. However, the associated DWG file can be embedded into the DWF
at the data owner's option, allowing "drag and drop" of the source data
file into an AutoCAD session. This provides a mechanism to showcase their
designs, yet maintain ownership of their intellectual property.

In keeping with its history of open architecture, Autodesk is publishing
the DWF file format. With over 1.4 million users and an estimated one
billion DWG files in use today, the DWF file format, and its companion
WHIP! Plug In, are poised to become the Internet standard for 2D vector
data. The DWF file format is currently in review by numerous software
vendors and is being submitted to the appropriate consortiums.

Users can see a demo of the new WHIP! Plug In technology by downloading a
preview version of the WHIP! Plug-In and viewing the sample web pages on
the Autodesk website at www.autodesk.com. The preview version works with
Netscape Navigator -- support for the Microsoft Internet Explorer will be
added in the beta version of the WHIP! Plug-In.

The WHIP! Plug-In technology was developed in-house using the same graphics
technology employed by Autodesk's new 3D Studio Max product and the WHIP!
driver for AutoCAD Release 13.  Using an updated WHIP! driver and a beta
version of the WHIP! Plug-In, both scheduled for release over the Internet
this summer, AutoCAD Release 13 users will be able to create DWF files of
their own drawings. A stand-alone utility, planned for release in the
fall, will allow users to convert legacy R12 DWG data or R12 DXF into the
DWF file format.

One of the first applications to leverage the new WHIP! Plug-In is
Autodesk's own Data Publishing Group, which will publish its Mechanical
Library in DWF format so users can quickly browse content before
purchasing and downloading drawings over the Internet.

ABOUT AUTODESK

Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of PC -based design and GIS
software. The company's 2D and 3D products and data management tools are
used in many industries for architectural design, mechanical design,
film-making, videography and geographic information systems. The fourth
largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk has three million
customers in 126 countries. Autodesk products are sold through Autodesk
Systems Centers, Dealers and Distributors worldwide.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this news release are forward looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected, including the timely development and
acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and
pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's
SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q filed in December 1995.
 
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