Helpful software is something virtually everyone can relate to. The only problem with helpful software is that many times this comes with a hefty price tag. BabaCAD is different.

Autodesk University (AU) 2014 was held in Las Vegas, December 2-4, at the conference center of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Featuring 793 classes, 822 speakers, and 183 exhibitors, AU 2014 offered seminars, training sessions, and activities for several key industries, including architecture, infrastructure, automotive manufacturing, education, construction, and reality computing. Here is a wrap-up of this year's Autodesk University, along with the key takeaways of the event.

It's that time again -- time to tuck away the stories of the past year and look forward to what's ahead. In the world of CAD software and workstations, the big news for the coming year includes an increase in CAD demand in several industries, as well as big changes for the 3D printing market and digital jobs replacing more production jobs. Here's a sneak peek into what the headlines of 2015 are likely to look like.

In many ways, we are already living in the future. As the rate of technology development continues to accelerate, ideas that were once considered far-out science fiction are becoming daily realities.

Siemens PLM Software just released its latest edition of Tecnomatix. Version 12 offers some updates and enhancements to make plant production planning easier, more efficient, and more cost-effective. While new innovations in plant automation put more production work in the hands of robots, it takes skill and training to operate these systems -- opening up more jobs in manufacturing that pay higher wages, involve less manual labor, and are safer and easier for people. Here are the most notable improvements in Technomatix 12.

Desktop virtualization technology has advanced greatly in recent years and is beginning to offer the robust performance, superior graphics, and quick response times required by users of CAD and other compute-intensive applications. On top of those benefits, virtualization brings other benefits to the CAD user. For instance, virtualization allows remote workers to do their jobs anywhere while maintaining a high level of security for the data stored back on site. It is also perfect for remote file viewing and collaboration, as the speed issue isn't as bothersome as it is during the actual work process. With the right tools, you can create a virtualized CAD experience that is as good as a desktop CAD workstation. Here's how.

Everybody's on a budget. At the same time, work deadlines are getting tighter and workloads are growing larger. So, what are the best investments that actually return higher productivity relative to their costs? When it comes time to upgrade your CAD workstation, here's where you can get the boom for the buck.

The primary difference between SSDs and HDDs is that SSDs don't move, whereas HDDs are continually spinning. The price is also considerably different, with SSDs costing six to eight times as much as the same amount of storage space in an HDD. So, when is it worth the exorbitant cost of an SSD? There are actually several instances when the cost is worth the performance.

The editors of Cadalyst have created a resource guide for professional monitors for CAD applications. Click here to download your complimentary guide.

Hard drives, and SA-SCSI drives especially, face growing competition from a new breed of storage device: the solid-state drive (SSD).