RENTON, WASH. — Parallels has announced that Autodesk Inc. has certified Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac as its preferred virtualization solution for customers who want to run Autodesk’s 2011 applications on the Mac and receive product support from Autodesk.

Parallels Desktop 5 gives Mac customers fully supported use of their 2011 versions of Autodesk’s AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Inventor LT, Autodesk 3ds Max Design software and the Autodesk Revit software platform for building information modeling (BIM). Parallels Desktop 5 is also the only certified solution that brings AutoCAD 2010 to the Mac, the company said.

"Autodesk’s 2011 product lineup delivers powerful new features that will help customers take their designs further,” said Andrew Mackles, director of AutoCAD product management. “Parallels is Autodesk’s preferred Mac virtualization software because it provides the fastest and most powerful Windows-on-Mac experience, which is why we provide full support to our customers who need to use 2010 and 2011 versions of our key design, engineering and entertainment software on the Mac.”

Kim Johnston, vice president of consumer marketing for Parallels added: “We are delighted that Parallels Desktop 5 empowers Mac customers to fully enjoy Autodesk’s innovative and new design and engineering software on the Mac. Parallels Desktop 5’s superior performance in running graphical visualization and 3D Windows applications on the Mac has been documented with independent tests, reviews, awards and certifications. It is the best way to seamlessly run any Windows application on the Mac.”

Autodesk’s continued partnership with Parallels enables both professional and student Mac users to benefit from the following:
• AutoCAD 2011: Increased productivity, advanced conceptual design tools and more flexibility and control when designing in 3D.
• AutoCAD LT: Dramatically increase productivity with the professional choice in 2D drafting and detailing software.
• Autodesk Inventor 2011: New direct manipulation capabilities to improve the mechanical design process, delivering better results quickly and cost-effectively.
• Autodesk Inventor LT: Practical and affordable 3D mechanical CAD software that offers a cost-effective and easy way to introduce 3D part modeling into 2D drafting workflows.
• 2011 Autodesk Revit software platform for BIM: The ability to easily create and profit from digital design data and enhanced communication across extended project teams.
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011: New features and techniques for design visualization and creative story telling.

For more information about Parallels or Autodesk, please visit www.parallels.com, or www.autodesk.com, respectively.