For students and educational faculty only, Autodesk offers downloads of select AutoCAD and Autodesk design and publishing software programs for free via the instructions below. (System requirements vary depending on the program.) That's the best offer we've seen for Autodesk software this year. (For comparison, professional versions of these programs normally cost several hundred dollars.) Note that you must have a valid school email address to receive this offer. In all, there are 42 titles available. Student software features the same functionality as the professional versions, but all projects a user creates will feature a "watermark" border that notes it was made with an educational product. Eligible titles include AutoCAD for PC or Mac, Autodesk 3ds Max for PC, Autodesk Maya for PC, Autodesk Smoke for Mac, AutoCAD Civil 3D for PC, and more. To get this deal:

1. Click here to register for the software
2. activate your account via the link sent to your email
3. log into your account and click here to beginning downloading