Autodesk expands engineering software

Drafting and design software maker Autodesk announced plans Tuesday to acquire part of MechSoft, a specialist in mechanical design and engineering applications. Autodesk said key components from several MechSoft applications will be included in future versions of Inventor, Autodesk's line of applications for industrial drafting and design. Terms of the deal with privately held MechSoft, which is based in Austin, Texas, were not disclosed.

Autodesk said in a statement that MechSoft tools will allow Inventor to handle more engineering tasks such as calculating gear ratios and analyzing relationships between components. "By incorporating this proven technology into our design tools, we are able to further extend the value of our solutions and help our customers improve their mechanical design process," Autodesk Vice President Robert Kross said in a statement.