1st semester results from the UMIC-Autodesk Portugal protocol
- 09/08/2007As reported on 05.01.2007, Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) and Autodesk Portugal signed a protocol on supplying free Autodesk Student Version software licenses for use on personal computers belonging to students, teaching and administrative staff and researchers from the universities and polytechnic institutions covered by the e-U Virtual Campus initiative. The protocol also provides for access to a series of extra features when the various higher education institutions’ domains are authorised on the Autodesk University Portal (Student Community & Design Community).
Autodesk software covered by the protocol includes applications for visualisation, mechanical design, infrastructure design, geo-spatial information systems and building design: Inventor Professional EDU Student, AutoCAD Revit Building Series EDU Student, Autodesk Civil 3D EDU Student (all including AutoCAD), Autodesk VIZ EDU Student and Autodesk Raster Design EDU Student.
As well as being able to download Autodesk software free of charge, beneficiaries can also obtain free online support for technical issues, participate in online discussion forums, access international scientific communities from various universities throughout the world freely, access the technical content library, curricula for specialisation courses for each application, e-learning classes that professionals working in the different sectors use for their basic and advanced training and job offers (local and worldwide) that Autodesk clients publish on the Portal.
The 1st semester results from applying the UMIC-Autodesk Portugal protocol include:
- 2,391 people from the University Community registered on the Portal;
- 2,024 downloads of free software, corresponding to a commercial value of 13 M€ for the technology;
- The most requested products by students and professors were Design and Industrial Engineering ones (Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical);
- Products based on Digital Models (as opposed to Digital Design) were preferred in the majority of downloads (Inventor, Civil 3D and Revit), totalling 68% of students’ choices, which shows a rapid transition towards the creation of high value added digital design content.