Autodesk's business

Cyberspace is a general purpose technology of interaction with computers--nothing about it is specific to 3D graphical design any more than fifth generation interfaces based on raster graphics screens are useful only for two dimensional drawing. New technologies, however, tend to be initially applied in the most obvious and literal ways. When graphics displays were first developed, they were used for obvious graphics applications such as drawing and image processing. Only later, as graphics display technology became less expensive and graphics displays were widely available, did people come to see that appropriate use of two dimensional graphics could help clarify even exclusively text or number oriented tasks.

So it will be with cyberspace. Cyberspace represents the first three dimensional computer interface worthy of the name. Users struggling to comprehend three dimensional designs from multiple views, shaded pictures, or animation will have no difficulty comprehending or hesitation to adopt a technology that lets them pick up a part and rotate it to understand its shape, fly through a complex design like Superman, or form parts by using tools and see the results immediately. Those who had to see shaded pictures to appreciate the value of rendering software and experience their first fly-through to consider animation something more than a gimmick are sure to appreciate cyberspace only after they have stepped into it the first time.

Since Autodesk's business is three dimensional design, we not only have the tools needed to build cyberspace environments as the heart of our product line, we have as customers the most likely early adopters of cyberspace systems--the pioneers in applying cyberspace to their application areas.