Autodesk to Acquire Alias

By DE Editors

This week Autodesk (San Rafael) signed papers to acquire Alias(Toronto, ONT), the developer of 3D graphics technology, for $182million in cash. The deal is expected to be complete within the nextsix months.

Autodesk COO Carl Bass said the combination of the two companies'talents and products would help answer demands from Autodesk designcustomers for "more powerful visualization, animation, and publishingcapabilities." Bass also said that Alias technology "spans several ofour most important markets and augments the synergy between our designand media businesses."

Autodesk's manufacturing solutions are expected to get a big boost fromAlias products like Alias StudioTools, software that adds industrialdesign and high-end visualization to design tasks from 2D sketches tofinal production models. Among the other Alias products expected tosupport Autodesk solutions are Alias FBX, used in the exchange of 3Dcontent, and Maya, the company's 3D application.

For more information, visit autodesk.com.