Acquisition Helps Autodesk Expand Construction Apps To The Cloud

Autodesk did not disclose terms of the deal, which it expects to complete sometime in its fiscal fourth quarter ending Jan. 31, 2012.

Earlier this week, before some 8,000 attendees at its Autodesk University customer meeting in Las Vegas, Autodesk outlined what it called its "Autodesk 360 for BIM" vision. BIM applications are used for planning, designing, constructing and managing buildings, infrastructure and plant projects.

The Autodesk 360 for BIM plan calls for making BIM applications available through the cloud and the company said the Horizontal Systems acquisition will help accelerate that move.

"The integration of Horizontal Systems technology with other Autodesk BIM solutions will streamline business processes, and higher quality outcomes for both Autodesk and Horizontal Systems customers," said Jim Lynch, Autodesk vice president of architecture, engineering and construction solutions, in a statement.

Autodesk pledged to support existing Horizontal Systems customers while it integrates the company's software into the Autodesk 360 for BIM system.