At the Fab 11 conference held at MIT today, Autodesk and the Fab Foundation announced Autodesk as a Fab Sponsor, and they are teaming up to make Autodesk's cloud and mobile software available to Fab Labs and their members. There are now more than 500 Fab Labs around the world. 

"Autodesk and Fab Lab share a vision about the important role digital fabrication plays in the future of making things. Digital fabrication is opening new possibilities for makers and manufacturers alike to create a new generation of better, more personalized, connected products. And the Fab Lab community is proving this again and again around the world," said Samir Hanna, vice president and general manager, Autodesk Consumer & 3D Printing Group. "Digital fabrication can't happen without digital design tools first, and we want the Fab Lab community to have great cloud and mobile design software in the world to help solve design challenges and bring their ideas to life." 

Starting today, Autodesk is making available to the global Fab Lab community free access and training for the following software:

• Tinkercad — Tinkercad is an easy, web-based 3D design and modeling tool for all. Tinkercad is a strong, robust and simple tool that allows users to go from imagination to design in minutes, and then connect to 3D printing services directly within the app. 
• 123D Circuits — 123D Circuits is a free* online tool that lets users design electronic projects with Arduino, create custom PCB boards and test with real-time simulation.  
• Fusion 360 — Fusion 360 brings CAD, CAM and CAE together in the cloud. It’s an integrated, connected, and accessible platform built for the new ways that products are being designed and made. 

This software is being added to the Fab Lab inventory list and will be incorporated into the Fab Academy curriculum.  In addition, Autodesk will host a workshop onsite at Fab 11 to help Fab Lab members get up and running on the software.  Attendees will learn how — using the free Autodesk software available to them — they can 3D scan a limb, design a prosthetic, and even make it robotic.

In addition to the free Autodesk software, Fab Lab members will also be entitled to additional exclusive benefit:

• 10% discount on the new Arduino Basic Kit sold by Autodesk, which combines hardware and software to create exciting new electronics. More detail here.[i]

"Fab Lab and Autodesk have multi-year history of collaboration at the local level, and we're thrilled to be expanding the relationship to a global level.  Coupling Autodesk's intuitive and powerful software with Fab Lab's worldwide network of fabrication facilities will help us grow and empower even more makers to do great things and solve problems in countries around the world," said Sherry Lassiter, President of the Fab Foundation. 

In addition, Autodesk is making a generous donation to Fab Lab to help advance its mission of providing access to 3D printing, laser cutting and other digital fabrication tool for STEM education, innovation, start-up creation, job creation and training.