Autodesk Brings Real-Time Collaboration To The InternetAutodesk Brings Real-Time Collaboration To The Internet

Internet-based design collaboration is getting a real-time boost from Autodesk Inc. The computer-aided design software vendor is shipping Architectural Studio, the first product of its kind that lets designers create or modify architectural designs in real-time collaborative sessions over the Internet.

Architectural Studio lets two or more designers working in different locations change any aspect of a design in real time, says Yangwei Yee, an associate partner for New York architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who tested the application.

The software has the additional benefit of being simple to learn because designers use graphical on-screen tools such as pencils, knives, and tracing paper that mimic the tools they use at a drawing table, Yee says. "You select a pencil, draw a line, and the line appears on everybody else's screen. You drag a line to increase a dimension and the dimension changes on everyone else's screen," he says.

Architectural Studio is used to create initial 3-D conceptual designs, rather than the detail-rich, mathematically exact models used to create blueprints. The product fills a major hole left by CAD programs, says analyst Jeffrey Tarter, editor and publisher of the industry newsletter SoftLetter. "CAD programs have done a wonderful job of automating the creation of blueprints, but CAD isn't suited for the concept stage. Most concept work is still being done with pencil and paper," Tarter says.

Architectural Studio drawings can be imported into Autodesk's beefier Architectural Desktop CAD application, where the final design can be completed. The software's support of digital tablets and flat-panel monitors with digitizer pens lets architects use Architectural Studio in the field as they would a sketch pad, says Douglas Look, Autodesk's senior design strategist.

The software is available immediately; pricing starts at $1,100 per user, with an additional $600 annual fee for real-time collaboration services.