Autodesk Q4: things are looking up

Feb 23, 2010 | Hot Topics

I am fascinated by the varying types of spin put on earnings releases. Autodesk released what are really quite positive year-end results but one media headline read only “Autodesk FY10 revenue down 26%.” True, but not even the tip of the news iceberg and reflecting...

PTC’s swagger is back

Feb 18, 2010 | Hot Topics

PTC held their annual media and analyst day on the day “Snowmaggedon” was supposed to hit the Boston area. It amounted to not much of anything but did keep a few participants and a speaker or two away, and sent several people scurrying by mid-afternoon. Those of us...

Dassault Systèmes: Done with 2009, ambitious for 2020

Feb 18, 2010 | Hot Topics

Dassault Systèmes reported results last week that showed revenue declined in all major products lines and all geographies, with the company’s large installed base providing a nice cushion of recurring revenue that forestalled an even more dramatic decline. DS has put...

Avatech looking up and out

Feb 17, 2010 | Hot Topics

Avatech Solutions yesterday announced results for its second fiscal quarter 2010 (ended December 31, 2009). Like its peers, Avatech saw FQ2 revenue far below last year’s level but on a flattening trajectory – perhaps signaling that the worst of the recession is...

Dassault Systèmes Q4: slow recovery

Feb 11, 2010 | Hot Topics

Dassault Systèmes’ earnings call is in an hour, so this is all gleaned from the materials released earlier today. Much more color commentary coming later:For Q4, • total revenue was €339.0 million, down 11% as reported from a year ago, but up 16% from Q3. For the sake...

Discount pricing: A bad idea

Feb 1, 2010 | Hot Topics

Note, 02 February 2010: Since posting this yesterday, I’ve been informed by Kubotek that these deals were for 2009, and are no longer offered. Check with them for current offerings and pricing. Kubotek also tells me that they an “awesome year end and the best year...

Mentor Graphics trying to make a splash with CFD

Jan 26, 2010 | Hot Topics

Mentor Graphics bought boutique CFD house Flomerics in 2008 to strengthen its offerings in the printed circuit board (PCB) and accelerate its entrance into markets outside the traditional (and volatile) electronics space. Before it became Mentor Graphics’ Mechanical...

Autodesk tucking in

Jan 11, 2010 | Hot Topics

I missed it at the time, so perhaps you did too: Back in December, it was announced that Autodesk had acquired PlanPlatform (also known as Visual Tao) for about $25 million, according to the Haaretz (Israeli) newspaper. PlanPlatform was formed in 2007 by former...

Intergraph acquires COADE

Jan 6, 2010 | Hot Topics

Huge news: Intergraph, a supplier of high-end plant design and data management tools, announced today that it had acquired COADE, a privately-held supplier of AutoCAD-based plant design and stress analysis tools. Terms of the deal were not disclosed; the COADE team...

AU Virtual: just like being there?

Dec 3, 2009 | Hot Topics

I’ve been to a number of Autodesk University events in Las Vegas, and can tell you that they are HUGE. Last year, around 10,000 people crammed into the convention center attached to the Palazzo and Venetian Hotels, attending the handful of keynotes, dozens of...