This is according to Teddy Tiu, business development manager at Autodesk Philippines, who said that he found it quite ironic that 3D outsourcing is not that big here considering the known talents of Filipinos in design.

Tiu’s company, California-based Autodesk, is a design software maker whose flagship product is the AutoCAD (computeraided design), used mostly by engineering and architectural firms.

"There is an abundance of projects but it seems this is one niche market that we haven’t exploited so far," said Tiu in a recent press briefing, as he attributed the oversight to "scarcity of skills" in 3D design.

He said there some Filipino-owned companies who provide 3D outsourcing projects to countries like Dubai, whose construction industry is booming right now. "But there are very few of them. There are still a lot of opportunities out there."

Tiu said there is an urgent need for the country to educate the market on the importance of producing proficient workers in this area and to view 3D software as an investment where they can learn new skills.

The executive, whose appointment to his current position came only last March, is eyeing to develop 3D design as a new growth area for the company with its newly released "manufacturing solutions."

The company said it has officially launched the latest version of Autodesk Inventor, its best-selling 3D mechanical design software. Available as part of Autodesk Inventor Series or Autodesk Inventor Professional, Autodesk Inventor is the perfect tool for AutoCAD software users moving from 2D to 3D, it said.

As a 3D mechanical software, the new product has an integrated set of tools for 3D design and documentation. Its new features and enhancements include dynamic simulation, large assembly management, assembly configurations, and advanced shape description, among others.

"Autodesk Inventor software enables customers to create designs based on the functional requirements of a product before committing to complex model geometry with functional design," the company said.

The company also announced the release of AutoCAD 2007 software, which will give "users the flexibility to work in an integrated environment for conceptual and detailed design, as well as create, manage and share in one environment."