It is tough to design something new and earth-shattering if you don’t have the right tools. If you are student in the world of engineering, architecture, or design, you may already be familiar with Autodesk’s suite of software. Their AutoCad is one of the leading programs for design. It also costs $1400 a year. (Yikes!) Unless you are a student or educator, then it’s free. (Phew!)
How much is the Autodesk educational discount?
You don’t learn to play the flute by watching someone do it; you have to have a flute in your hands. For an inventor or designer, you need specialty software to render your idea into a blueprint or scale visual model. Autodesk recognizes that, in order to learn the tools of the trade, you have to be able to practice with them. An educational license of their software is available free to students and those teaching and helping students.
What’s Included?
The list of available software is pretty long. There are software products perfect for an engineering student designing a bridge, but also for someone working to learn animation and computer game design. The main thing to know is that when you download the software, you are getting an educational license. What this means isn’t completely clear, but the general gist is that you can’t go and make money off of what you design with the software without paying for it. (How exactly this is enforced is also not clear. Profit at your own risk.)
How to qualify for Autodesk student pricing?
Visit the Autodesk Academy website and select the software you want. Create an account, completing the required “educational role” drop-down box. You must be either a student, teacher, school IT administrator, or design competition mentor to qualify.