SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 3, 2011 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, introduced the new book Imagine, Design, Create: How Designers, Engineers and Architects Are Changing Our World at TED2011 Conference in Long Beach, California.

Edited by Autodesk Fellow Tom Wujec, Imagine, Design, Create explores the innovative thinking behind the work of a wide range of companies and designers, ranging from the world’s largest and most established companies to new and emerging designers. The book includes hundreds of beautiful images and illustrations, as well as interviews with industry leaders and innovators using fresh design approaches and new design capabilities to create buildings, products and entertainment experiences.

“We are delighted to be working with Autodesk on a rare look at the thrilling bigger picture through design, starring many of the characters who have lit up the TED stage in recent years,” said Chris Anderson, TED Curator.

Wujec adds that “Design has become a transformative force in the world. In fact, an organization’s capacity to design -- not just in the sense of ‘styling,’ but of discovering new solutions, creating real value and producing innovative solutions -- has never been more important. Advancing technology is now changing how people design.”

BOOK EXCERPT:

“The growth and rapid change in technologies such as 3D printing, network connectivity, bioinformatics, genomics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, robotics, and mobile computing, among others, will accelerate the evolution of design in the coming years. Fundamental shifts in how we work together, already emerging in our always connected, socially networked lives, are also altering the practice of design… Our world will increasingly be shaped by the degree to which designers are able to create smart, effective, and elegant solutions that improve what that world looks like, how well it functions, and what it’s like to live in it. The future surely will transform design—but it’s just as certain that design will transform the future, by visualizing, optimizing, giving shape to, and ultimately creating a world that, for now, we can only imagine.”

Together, Autodesk and TED have partnered to spread ideas of technology, entertainment and design. This year, TED attendees will experience a Social Space, presented by Autodesk, that celebrates the design process -- the process that takes great ideas and turns them into reality. With exhibits that showcase the innovative work of Autodesk customers, the Social Space illustrates technology’s role in creating great design. From TED Talks, to showcasing emerging technologies at TED conferences worldwide, Autodesk's involvement in TED reflects the company’s commitment to foster design innovation through technology, all as a means to solve many of today’s global problems.

Imagine, Design, Create was produced by Melcher Media, an innovative and expert print and digital content producer. Contributors include Warren Berger, author of Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Business, Your Life, and Maybe Even the World, together with a team of journalists, including Alex Frankel, Bob Parks and Jessie Scanlon. The book’s infographics were created by Brian Ford and Mark Freeman.

Imagine, Design, Create: How Designers, Engineers and Architects Are Changing Our World will be available this spring through popular distribution channels.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers in the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries -- including the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize, and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to organize local, independent TED-like events around the world; and the TEDFellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.