Autodesk to Acquire Tinkercad

Autodesk has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tinkercad, a browser-based 3D design tool. The acquisition will revive the Tinkercad service and community, despite a previously announced shutdown by its founders.

“We are excited to have reached an agreement with Autodesk that will provide a solid home and bright future for Tinkercad,” said Kai Backman, founder of Tinkercad. “We found in Autodesk a shared vision for empowering students, makers and designers with accessible and easy to use software, and with their global reach and expertise in democratizing design, we’re confident in their ability to introduce Tinkercad to new audiences around the world.”

Autodesk intends for the Tinkercad service to remain available as part of its consumer portfolio. The company also intends to incorporate elements of the Tinkercad technology into the Autodesk 123D family of products. The transaction is expected to close within the next 30 days.

In a separate announcement, Autodesk and MakerBot have partnered to market 3D design software and printing hardware. The companies previously announced they would jointly market a combination of 3D design software and 3D printing hardware to engineers, designers, architects, makers, creators and artists. A new 123D Premium bundle that includes the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer and a new 3D Print Utility accessible from the 123D apps is the result of that partnership.

For more information, visit Autodesk.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.