Autodesk University 2009 kicks off, physically and virtually

The end of the year means holiday planning, Christmas shopping and Autodesk University. The annual user conference officially kicked off today as more than an estimated 6,000 attendees escaped the cold back home to land in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the three-day event (Dec. 1 to 3), attendees will have access more than 600 classes, labs, and technical sessions as well as a keynote from Amory Lovins, cofounder and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute and a leading innovator in energy and its connections to resources, development, security, and the environment.

In addition to the in-person event, Autodesk is also offering Autodesk University 2009 Virtual for those stuck back at the office. The new registration option is available for free or as a premier pass. The free pass registration entitles virtual attendees access to: live video feeds of the AU Keynote sessions, product clinics, two class sessions and the AU Online community. For $99, those interested can register for the Premier Pass, which adds the option to sign up for more classes and access to 350 recorded sessions after the event. Subscription members receive Premier Passes free of charge. Be aware that most of the 50+ live sessions available online are targeted at civil, architectural or animation-oriented audience; relatively few are industrial.

This year, noted CAD journalist and author Ralph Grabowski will be covering Autodesk University for Design Engineering. You can check out his daily and hourly updates through his website http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com and his Twitter feed at @ralphg.
http://au.autodesk.com