Autodesk continues to focus on Mac ecosystem

After a successful year on the Mac App Store, Autodesk is continuing to focus on the Mac platform for its 2012 product lineup. MacNN talked with Autodesk product managers this week in San Francisco, where the company provided an early peek at its Inventor Fusion modeling software for Mac OS X.

Like the Windows variant, Inventor Fusion for Mac is designed to engage a new group of designers and engineers. The engineering terminology has been toned down, while the feature set has been geared for quick 3D modeling and simulation.

The company suggests it is taking a different approach with Fusion, posting tutorials on YouTube to help simplify the learning process and make the product more accessible to users who may be intimidated by the full-fledged Inventor offering. The software is expected to serve as a primary tool for many users, or as a stepping stone to the company's other products.

We were impressed by the Inventor Fusion early preview, which we expect to be a great tool for many designers. The company also showed us how the Fusion models can be used in mobile apps, including Autodesk's own viewer applications or third-party apps released by companies who use the models for interactive 3D documentation or virtual product brochures.

Autodesk has yet to announce a time-frame for a formal launch, however users can sign up to participate in the technology preview program to try out the software and provide feedback while it is under development.

by MacNN Staff