A series of free, hands-on workshops, aimed at highlighting the value of using industry-specific design software, are being held in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town from this month. The events aimed at users - designers, CAD operators, engineers, draftsmen - are being organised by global design resource company, Autodesk.

"Autodesk revolutionised design when we moved it from the drawing board to the PC," says Errol Ashwell, Managing Director of Autodesk Africa, "and we are transforming it again with the introduction of software tailored for specific industries. Our core product - AutoCAD - became the industry standard with more than four million users in 150 countries. However, computer-aided design has evolved from a drafting tool into a design tool.

Ashwell says this development has prompted the need for industry specific software.

"The benefits are obvious. You can expect significantly increased productivity and performance from an engineer who designs an intricate motor or heat exchanger using software that is especially engineered for manufacturing design, instead of a generic CAD product that does not give this kind of capability."

The Autodesk Experience events will showcase Autodesk Architectural Desktop for building and architectural design and Autodesk Inventor for the mechanical design and manufacturing environment.

Autodesk Architectural Desktop encompasses the entire design process - from conceptual design, design development, through to the automatic generation of working drawings and documents. Autodesk Inventor is the first completely new mechanical design technology in more than a decade. It is capable of handling large assembly models, while its adaptive technology enables design of function before finalisation of form.

Half-day, hands-on, workshops in Gauteng are being presented by the following dealers - Autograph, Beads, Caddman, Cad Genius, CadPlan, CAE, and Modena Design Centres. Durban-based dealer, AfricaBlue, and Beads in Cape Town are also hosting the Autodesk Experience.

Besides experiencing the latest in design technology, workshop participants will receive their own free copy of SimCity 3000, a computer game designed using Autodesk software.

Users can book for their Autodesk Experience by registering on www.autodesk.co.za or telephoning (011) 318 2881.