Responding to an industry changing "more radically than at any time since the Industrial Revolution," Autodesk CEO Carl Bass says that, in the coming months, the company will roll out new offerings to improve software availability, collaboration, fabrication, production and—through free distribution of design software to students, teachers and academic institutions worldwide—workforce development, as well.
In an address and in comments to media during Autodesk University in Las Vegas in early December, Bass cited accelerating advances in 3D digital reality capture and 3D printing as drivers behind changes in "the way we make things," adding that "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."