Autodesk’s third party network got an app store three years ago; it busted the one-million mark in downloads today.
Autodesk was built with the help of its third-party network back when AutoCAD was introduced as an all-purpose design tool. AutoCAD was customized by third party developers who responded to specific, sometimes very specific, customer requirements. That network helped guide Autodesk as the company has grown and built a broad range of products for all industries including AEC/Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Film, TV, and Games.
Autodesk publicized tools from the network with paper catalogs, which later became digital catalogs. The Exchange Apps store opened its digital doors three years ago and today, Autodesk announces the millionth download when a customer bought the coolOrange threadModeler for Autodesk Inventor. The site has published more than 1,800 apps from third-party developers. They are available for download in 14 different languages and in 191 countries.
Throughout the program’s history, Autodesk Senior Director Jim Quanci has nurtured the network and has supported third party product developers as a resource for the CAD community, and sometimes more directly as a resource for Autodesk’s internal development team. In a prepared comment for the announcement, Quanci says, “we’ve built our software partner network from the ground up to continually bring the Autodesk community convenient access to innovative new tools, and also give third-party developers the support they need.” The third party developers say the storefront service helps small companies build brand awareness and promote their products, many of which are highly specialized.
Applications vary in price from $0-$3000 and are available at the Exchange Apps site. Autodesk says the products supported by the Apps Exchange include: AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD ecscad, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD MEP, AutoCAD Plant 3D, 3ds Max, Maya, Alias, Fusion 360, Inventor, Inventor Publisher, Navisworks, Revit, Simulation and Vault.
