Autodesk launches sustainability tool for design

<p>SAN RAFAEL – Autodesk recently launched a tool for inventors that brings sustainability and eco-consciousness into the earliest design stages of new products.</p><p>Called the Sustainable Materials Assistant – and free to users of Autodesk’s Inventor – the tool enables the selection of materials that will have the least adverse impact on the environment.</p><p>“SMA lets inventors get it right from the beginning,” said Sam Antos, Autodesk product manager for the Inventor suite. Inventor is the industry’s leading 3-D mechanical design CAD system, offering digital prototyping and advanced simulation and analysis.</p><p>The eight-year-old Inventor suite of products is used by engineers and designers to produce cell phones, cars, machine components and building components of all kinds.</p><p>“Inventor itself can be called a green tool because it saves material and energy that might be wasted on prototypes that don’t work,” said Mr. Antos.</p><p>SMA is still in the tweaking phase on Autodesk Labs, a site where technology downloads are posted for customers to experiment with and send feedback to Autodesk engineers, but it’s been well received already, he said.</p><p>In addition to an extensive library of various materials’ known properties, the tool offers fields where users can add information, including material toxicity, recyclability and carbon footprint.</p><p>As the design evolves, the designer can see the comparative environmental values of using steel over plastic or wood over steel. When the prototype is complete, SMA produces a report on the overall sustainability of the product.</p><p>“It’s the first tool we know of that measures carbon footprint and earth-friendly properties from the earliest stages of product design and at every point along the way,” said Mr. Antos. “We expect it to be a very widely adapted add-on to Inventor.”</p><p>Autodesk is the world leader in 2-D and 3-D design software for the manufacturing, building, construction, media and entertainment markets. The company employs 1,500 in its San Rafael headquarters.</p><p>For more information, visit www.autodesk.com.</p>