**FIRST EMAIL**/FIRST Announces 2011 Autodesk Sponsorship for FRC Teams!

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

We are pleased to share with you the following announcement from Autodesk regarding this season’s software and awards sponsorship!

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For the past 19+ years, Autodesk has been a proud sponsor of FIRST Robotics Competition. For the 2011 season we are once again putting software products and resources into your hands – starting with a copy of Autodesk® Inventor® Professional 2011 which you will receive in your 2011 FRC Kit of Parts!

In addition to the copy of Autodesk Inventor Professional, you also have FREE access to over 30 great design, modeling, visualization, and project management products. Here are just a few products that every member of your team can download:

• Autodesk® Maya®
• Autodesk® Sketchbook® Pro
• Autodesk® 3ds Max®

Make sure to visit the FRC section on our award-winning Autodesk Education Community website where we will offer the following:

• 2010 Autodesk Award for Excellence in Design Winners - so you can check out great work from last season
• 2011 FRC Kit of Parts modeled in Inventor
• Phil Dolan’s blog
• Online support

Starting January 10, you will be able to download your digital Kit of Parts modeled in Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011 to drive your design ideas and test your concepts before you begin to bend metal. Watch the Community over the next couple of weeks to learn about the 2011 Autodesk Award for Excellence in 3D Design and 3D Animation. The Award gives us the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the great work students do with some of the most sophisticated design tools in the world.

New this year - students, teachers and mentors will no longer be required to have a .edu email address to register. All you need to do is simply follow these easy instructions:

• Fill out the FRC Registration form
• Follow the email instructions (which you will receive after you fill out the registration form)

Just go to www.autodesk.com/first and dive in. We’re expecting a great season, and want to support teams, mentors & students as best we can. Let us know how we can help.

Thank you!

Autodesk