Autodesk, Inc., has launched a new version of the AREA – the company’s online digital entertainment and visualization community. This version provides a more customizable user experience and makes it faster and easier to find and share content. The AREA is also now compatible with all standard browsers running on the Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems.

“The AREA community is very important to Autodesk. It is a place where artists can share their work, expertise or opinions, look for jobs or staff and find great resources for the products they are passionate about,” said Marc Petit, Autodesk senior vice president, Media & Entertainment. “Finding and sharing stories, content, tutorials or work-in-progress makes the community a valuable asset for every artist. AREA v.3 makes this easier than ever, so the site is even more powerful for everyone.”

AREA v.3 New Feature Highlights
A demonstration video showing improvements to the AREA is available on the AREA and the Autodesk YouTube channel.

New features and enhancements in AREA v.3 that help users find information faster include:
o Customizable home page: Users can now customize the home page to see only
content relevant to their products of interest. The AREA also now offers the choice of a dark or a light user interface (UI).
o New image gallery: The new image gallery makes it easier to browse the
thousands of images uploaded by users to the site.
o Improved search functionality: The search engine is far more robust and
allows for faster and more accurate site-wide searches.

New features and enhancements that help users share information include:
o New comprehensive Personal Profile section: The new profile section
allows registered members to control all aspects of their account and to submit content to the site in one convenient location.
o Updated forums with enhanced Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP): The
new forums allow users to receive and post messages, including attachments, through a newsreader without having to log into the website.
o New image and file uploading system: The image and file uploading systems
have been enhanced to provide more visual feedback. The site now also allows for the creation of thumbnail images directly within its UI.

Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

With more than 270,000 members, the AREA is one of the best places for artists using Autodesk media and entertainment or design visualization products to learn, share and discuss their craft – both with their peers and with people at Autodesk. Membership is free. To join the community,
visit http://area.autodesk.com.