Windows 7 - Autodesk, Windows 7, and Project Cooper

Windows Touch holds the promise of fundamentally changing the way users interact with their devices. One of the ways this will happen is by opening up the power of multi-touch to new audiences, which I believe will transform how design and engineering professionals currently interface with the tools of their trade.

The powerful functionality afforded by Windows 7 will also open up new possibilities for other professionals, allowing them to meet their simpler design needs without the steep learning curve of industrial-strength design software like AutoCAD, which has been an industry standard for over 27 years.

In this respect, Windows 7 is helping Autodesk to further democratize design.

Today in New York at the Windows 7 launch event, Autodesk will be showcasing a new technology product that we’ve developed for design enthusiasts to do simple and elegant drawing and drafting. Project Cooper will allow users to easily and quickly create professional-looking drawings and sketches, or precise drawings with real-world dimensions, and share this information with others who may be working in AutoCAD or with other professional applications.

Project Cooper has been engineered to take full advantage of Windows 7 support for multi-touch, including panning, zooming, rotation and flick functionality – which makes this application easier and more approachable for both mobile users and anyone using a touch-enabled machine.

Windows 7 support for multi-touch will be especially important in situations when using a keyboard and a mouse is frankly impractical. During our research we met folks like interior designers, home remodelers, event planners, and contractors who wanted an easy way to be productive when away from the office, such as visiting a project site. That’s why I believe that Windows 7 has the potential to significantly change the life of mobile professionals—by allowing them to perform complex tasks on the go using simple, intuitive gestures.

Overall my experience working on Windows 7 to develop Project Cooper has been that almost everything is faster and simpler, and we know this will be a welcome development for our customers. This is the same philosophy that guided the creation of Project Cooper – the ability to start sketching right away—without any training, with an intuitive user interface and straightforward interaction – just like Windows 7.

For the new Windows 7 users, not just those with multi-touch machines, we encourage you to put your new OS to the test and download the Project Cooper – it is being released as a technology preview so you can try it out ahead of the final version – and be sure to tell us what you think!

Amjad Hanif
Senior Director, Product Management
Emerging Products